[Times photo: Janel Schroeder-Norton]
Off-road biker Rob DeGraaf executes a jump at Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve in Hillsborough County. The preserve has 18 miles of trails and is one of many places mountain bikers can ride in Florida.
BALM BOYETTE SCRUB PRESERVE - Rob DeGraaf pointed to the narrow path that snaked down into the gully and issued a challenge.
"Go for it," he said. "Just keep your eyes on the trail."
It had been years since I had been on a bicycle. DeGraaf said the lightweight all-terrain vehicle he had loaned me would perform like a stallion, but I knew I had the grace of a donkey.
"Looks pretty steep," I said. "I don't know ... "
"Come on," said DeGraaf's friend, Sam "Snake Bite" Evans. "It is just a little hill."
The two had brought me to this 5,000-acre preserve in southeastern Hillsborough County to show me what they considered some of the best off-road bicycling trails in the state. We had been riding for 20 minutes down flat, sandy roads, when we came across what looked like an old phosphate pit.
I studied the drop for a minute, then decided if I took it slow, chances were I would emerge unscathed. So I pedaled hard, picked up a little speed, then went over the lip, brakes squealing.
"Let go of the front brake," DeGraaf yelled as I flew down the trail.
"Which one is the front brake?" I yelled, but it was too late. Gravity had already taken hold and I was at its mercy. Screaming head first toward imminent doom, I dodged one tree, then another. But as abruptly as it sped up, the bike slowed.
"Look out," DeGraaf hollered as he came barreling down the trail behind me.
I hopped off, got out of his way, and walked back to the top of the hill.
"Your turn," I told Evans. He laughed and said, "Do you think I'm crazy?"
DeGraaf and Evans rode off looking for new summits to conquer.
"If you ride in Florida, the only elevation you will find is man-made," said DeGraaf, co-author of Fat Tire Favorites, a new guide to off-road bicycling in West-Central Florida. "But this reclaimed phosphate land has something to offer everybody, from novice to expert."
Like many off-road enthusiasts, DeGraaf started riding up north and thought he would have to sell his mountain bike when he moved back to Florida after a stint in the Air Force.
"I was living in Fort Lauderdale, and I had heard that there was a state park nearby where you could ride," he said. "So I checked it out and started keeping a journal, which led to my first book."
Fat Tire Favorites was published in 1998 and is now in its third printing..
"I'm used to getting funny looks from people when I tell them that I am a mountain biker," DeGraaf said. "They think that because we live in Florida there is no place to ride."
From the Panhandle to the Everglades, the Sunshine State has hundreds of good off-road bicycling trails.
It would be impossible to list all the great rides in a short newspaper article (that is why DeGraaf and Miller wrote a book) but if you were to pick a few areas to visit, you might try these:
- The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Park, more than 7,000 acres of South West Florida Water Management District land managed by Hillsborough County, has three parks (Morris Bridge, Trout Creek and Flatwoods) and 35 miles of trails that are ideal for beginners. Call (813) 987-6211.
- Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve also is managed by Hillsborough County. There is little shade, so bring plenty of water. Call (813) 975-2160.
- Alafia River State Park has 14 miles of trail open and should have 20 to 25 miles of rideable areas once work is finished. Call (813) 672-5132.
To purchase a copy of DeGraaf's book, go to www.sameritech.com/dp or check with your local bike shop.
To learn more about off-road bicycling, contact the SWAMP club at 813 689-5109 or go to www.swampclub.org
