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Pedaling passion

The 12th annual Rails to Trails bike ride takes place Oct. 1 to raise money for the Withlacoochee Trail. Cyclists from various states including Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Tennessee and South Carolina will ride from 1 to 100 miles on the Withlacoochee State Trail.

By DAWN REISS
Published September 24, 2006

It's the 12th annual Rails to Trails bike ride, and 1,400 people are expected to participate on Oct. 1.

Why?

People love to bicycle and are passionate about the Withlacoochee Trail.

Cyclists from various states including Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Tennessee and South Carolina will ride from 1 to 100 miles on the Withlacoochee State Trail.

Cyclists can choose their own distance and start the ride from 7-9 a.m. The cost to enter is $20.

The trail, 46 miles of converted railroad track, starts in Citrus Springs and extends through three counties to Trilby. An 8-mile road loop has been added for century cyclists.

Proceeds from the ride go to maintaining and adding new items, such as picnic benches, to the trail. Last year's event raised approximately $14,000 with 1,087 participants. Here are a few reasons people are cycling or volunteering at the event this year.

Bill Lance, 73, used to be a marathoner, but after he had knee surgery a doctor told him to try another sport. Now Lance is an avid cyclist. On average, he bicycles 60 miles a day. "It gives you freedom and it's darn good exercise," Lance said. It's also one of the reasons he moved from the Chicago suburb of Mount Prospect, Ill., to Inverness. His favorite stretch is the 7 miles between Floral City and Istachatta. "It's beautiful with the canopy of trees," he said. "The shade is welcome. There's a lot of overgrowth, and it's not very residential." He has seen deer, turkeys, snakes and armadillos while riding on the trails. What he doesn't like are cyclists who don't wear helmets. When he sees that, he'll tell the person to get one. "Usually they don't say much," he said. "They'll flip me the bird or tell me to mind my own business. I don't care because 80 percent of bike accidents affect the head." Don't expect to see him on his bike at this year's event. He'll be grilling hot dogs to help raise money for the trail's upkeep at the North Apopka Trailhead.

It took "Zip" Juhl's heart attack at age 46 for him and his wife, Margaret, of Citrus Springs, to start cycling. It wasn't easy when they started. "We were so winded we threw ourselves on the (couch)," Margaret said. "And we called everybody to tell them we bicycled a mile and a half. Now we look back and laugh." Now Zip, 71, whose real name is Burdette, and Margaret, 69, cycle five days a week. Margaret, who has asthma, said their health has drastically improved. After they retired (he as a businessman and she as a high school English teacher) and sold their home in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the couple spent four and a half years driving around the country in a motor home and bicycling. They've bicycled in states such as Vermont, Colorado and Arizona, but plentiful trails and scenic views make Minnesota their favorite. They moved to Citrus County because of the Withlacoochee Trail, which is six blocks from their home. Normally they bicycle 60 or 70 miles a week and do a century (100-mile) ride two or three times a year. One of those times will be on Oct. 1. "We just do it to see if we can do it," Margaret said. "Because they're not all that much fun. You kind of get sick of it when you get done. There isn't a band playing and people saying you're terrific when you finish. Instead you're tired and limping."

Dick Marr, 68, of Inverness, bicycled in the Rails to Trails ride 10 years ago, back when there were only 300 or 400 participants. Since then it has tripled in size, and he has always volunteered at the event. He'd rather ride but will give up a day of bicycling to help out. "My whole social life revolves around cycling," he added. "So I do what I can to support the trail." His favorite spot on the Withlacoochee State Trail is an old live oak tree in Istachatta that he calls "Old No. 1." Marr said he thinks the tree is probably Pre-Columbian - dating to before 1492 - because the trees on the Nature Coast trail north of Fanning Springs were determined after a test to be that old. "And this looks older," he said. "It's the oldest tree around. It's impossible to get a picture of the full tree. It's just so massive."

Lecanto's Al and Linda Harnage don't ride bicycles, but they love the Withlacoochee Trail. Six years ago they took over as the co-directors of the Rails to Trails bike ride. Since then, they've helped to more than double the participation. Like the more than 60 other people who are helping run the event, they are volunteers. They wish more people would donate $5 or $10 per year to help maintain the trail. "We see people who ride the trail every day, and they never donate," Al said. "But that's the way life is. People either help or use it for nothing." The money raised from the ride helps repair broken fences, covered picnic pavilions and buy more green benches. The couple also hopes to use much of the money from the ride to restore the red 1929 CSX caboose at the Apopka Trailhead. They're thinking about making it a "static display" where old railroad artifacts can be viewed through the windows. Linda remembers riding the railroad as a little girl to go from Parkersburg, W. Va., to Morgantown to visit her grandmother. Now she loves to walk 7 miles a day and enjoys the outdoors with her 70-year-old husband. They adopted a 3.5-mile stretch of the trail from County Road 486 north to Dearborn Avenue, on which they pick up trash every two or three weeks.

[Last modified September 24, 2006, 08:55:15]