If you’ve been wanting to ride the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST), but haven’t done it because you didn’t want to be out there alone, with no bathrooms and no refreshments, March 27 would be a great time to get your initiation. The local Rotary Club is sponsoring its 7th Annual Ride-Run-Walk event that Saturday.
Restrooms and refreshments will be provided.
The ride starts and ends at the Scott Driver Boat Ramp on Highway 78, west of Okeechobee and on east side of the Kissimmee River. They are featuring 12, 20, 40 and 54 mile round trip courses. 54 miles will take you from the north end of the lake down to Port Mayaca and back. Since there is only one trail, it’s impossible to get lost on the LOST.
There is nothing magic about those distances, either. Just ride until you are half as tired as you want to be at the end, then turn around.
Spiffy Rotary Club web site
This year the Rotary Club’s LOST ride has a spiffy new web site. You can see it here. There are details about the ride and an entry form. (We’ll have one of those at the bottom of the page.)
The Hampton Inn has special rates for LOST riders. If you want cheap and clean, but nothing special, I’ve had good luck with the Okeechobee Scottish Inns. Here’s a review I did after last year’s ride.
A ride on the LOST can change your life, good and bad
Mary Garita, a coworker for more than 20 years, showed up for the 2004 ride, having done very little riding and not knowing what to expect.
She liked it well enough that we became regular riding partners and logged thousands of miles together. For awhile, we were riding the LOST a couple of times a month including an unsupported century on the south end of the LOST in November of 2006.
A month later, she crashed on the LOST, fractured her skull in five places and hasn’t been able to work or bike since. There’s a reason for that helmet requirement for that ride. Trust me.
The LOST isn’t a dangerous place to ride, but a few simple precautions are in order.
I’ve been slacking lately. I caught a nasty cold on Thanksgiving Day and have been fighting it ever since. I was only on the bike one day since the middle of November. I don’t even want to tell you my mileage for the year. Let’s just say it’s the lowest since I started riding in 2001.
This time I wanted to shoot video of more than biker butts, so I rigged a mount that would let my Canon FS100 video camera point behind me. It’s pretty ugly and I won’t leave it on the bike all the time, but it seems secure.
It’s made out of some 1/4″ aluminum stock I used to use for radio mounts. Two 1/4″ bolts through the aluminum and big washers underneath hold it to the Jandd Expedition rear rack.
I wanted it mounted slightly ahead of the RealLite so it would be less likely to pick up flare from the flashing taillight. It needed to be off to the right enough that I could open the viewfinder.
So, how did the video camera mount work?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find out.
I pulled out of the driveway and noticed in the first 100 feet that a slight mist was in the air. I went back into the house to check the radar and saw a tight band of reds and yellows just off the coast and moving slowly to the southwest, in my direction.
I stuck a few Ziploc bags in my jersey pocket, took off the video camera and headed out. About two blocks from the house, the mist turned into rain, and I ducked under a building overhang to rig for bad weather. That’s when the skies REALLY opened up and the wind started howling.
I put the cameras in the plastic bags and pulled the waterproof covers over my Arkel small bar bag and Tail Rider trunk bag, dug out my Campmor rain cape and pulled on leg warmers because the winds were chilly. After about 20 minutes, the heavy rain and winds dropped off to a steady rain and I took off to the assembly point.
Stan of Wheels of Wellington shot this picture of me after the rain had slacked off and I had dropped the finger loops on the rain cape to be less like a sail. I resemble a big orange pumpkin going down the road, because I put the cape over the CamelBak M.U.L.E. I was wearing. What his photo doesn’t show is how the FlaskBak I was trying out caused the whole back of the cape to light up.
I’m one of those folks who actually likes riding in the rain. The brim of the rain cape extends out far enough that my glasses stay relatively dry and the fenders kept my legs dry except for a couple of flooded areas where I got a little water on my feet. THAT didn’t matter because I was wearing Shimano sandals.
How was Choppernite 26?
I’ve been holding off on writing this because I wasn’t sure what to say. I’ve really enjoyed the other Freakbike Militia events I’ve participated in. I went so far as saying the Summer of Love ride was the most fun group ride I’d ever been on. I said that even the motorists who were briefly inconvenienced seemed to pick up the good vibes of the ride.
I didn’t get that same good feeling on this one.
Let’s look at the good things first
Despite the rain, about 70 riders showed up.
Many of the bikes and riders were decorated and had ingenious lighting arrangements.
The “corkers” – riders wearing safety vests who blocked intersections for the group – were enthusiastic and effective. The vests are a nice safety touch.
The ride was raising money for a good cause.
The group had a lot of fun.
Things that made me uncomfortable
Despite earlier requests on the Freakbike Militia forum, some riders persisted in crossing the center line to ride in the lane with oncoming traffic. It’s inconsiderate, makes motorists cranky and is dangerous, particularly if the bike doesn’t have lights. Drivers are drawn to watch the spectacle going by and may not see the rider in their lane until it’s too late.
Too many bikes didn’t have lights. That’s not a big problem when they’re tucked in the middle of the group, but the group tends to fragment on the way back. It’s very dangerous on a rainy night when you have a mixture of lighted and unlighted bikes spread out on the roadway. If a driver is concentrating on watching the taillights, he or she can plow into an unlit bike.
Someone led the group to go westbound on eastbound Okeechobee from Flagler instead of a block north onto westbound Lakeview. I was set up to shoot the group going down the right street and was surprised to see everyone going the wrong way. THAT didn’t win any friends with the eastbound motorists.
The poor corkers caught a ration of honking when they blocked the intersection for a spread out group of riders who went the right way. It’s one thing to be stopped for 100 bikes, it’s another to be stopped for a handful.
To compound the problem, some of THOSE riders spilled over into the left-hand lane, igniting another chorus of honks.
Maybe it was because of the joyous Christmas season, but motorists seemed crankier and more impatient than usual.
Will I do another Freakbike Militia ride?
Yeah, probably. (If they’ll have me back after reading this review.)
I like the folks and this was the first bad experience I’ve had. Maybe I was just cranky because I was still half-sick; maybe the rain delay caused things to be even more disorganized than the usual a non-organized ride; maybe the motorists were in a rush to do Christmas shopping, who knows?
If I feel like the next ride is unsafe or that it’s pissing off people more than it’s promoting cycling, then I’ll have to re-evaluate.
The West Palm Beach Chapter of the Freakbike Militia is planning a series of fundraisers for the Michael Brewer family.
Michael Brewer is a 15-year-old boy from Deerfield Beach, FL, who was set on fire by at least four other boys. It’ll all get sorted out in court eventually, but here are the high (low?) spots. Here’s a fairly good account.
Michael owed 15-year-old Matthew Bent $40 for a video game.
Bent tried to steal Michael’s dad’s freak bike as compensation. His family called the cops and Bent was arrested and did a brief stint in juvenile detention before being released.
Michael went to visit a friend and ran into Bent and four other boys. Police reports say the five grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and set it on fire after pouring it onto Brewer.
Michael suffered burns over 65 to 80 percent of his body.
Brewer’s family is facing incredible medical expenses, so the Freakbike Militia is raising money to help them out. You can make donations on line here.
Ride starts at 7:30 from Southern and Flagler on Dec. 16
The ride will start, as usual, from the Greek Othodox Church at the corner of Southern Blvd. and Flagler Dr., Wednesday, December 16. Folks will meet around 7 pm, with the ride start at 7:30 pm.
The Militia is holding a Christmas Eve Pub Crawl as a Michael Brewer fundraiser from noon until midnight on Christmas Eve.
Santa costumes are encouraged. Riders will meet at Foster’s Pub at the southwest corner of A1A and Richard Rd. in Lake Park, FL. The exact address is 9339 A1A #1. For directions, call 561-845-6292.
There will be a raffle. Participants with helmets will pay a $5 donation; riders without helmets will be assessed $10.
This weekend was the 115-(more or less)-mile bike ride around Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.
Billed the Lake O Challenge by the Florida Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts and supported by Tom Rassiga of the Bicyclery, the ride started in Clewiston, stayed overnight in Okeechobee and ended up back in Clewiston.
Here’s a video of the two-day ride
About two dozen riders took the challenge
The riders left the Corps of Engineers parking lot at Clewiston shortly after 9 AM, and made their way to the paved section of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) that leads to the Moore Haven locks where Tom Rassiga and his yellow Bicyclery bus was waiting.
Except for a slight crosswind, the trip started smoothly. One rider mentioned seeing a couple of gators along the rim canal.
Armies and cyclists travel on their stomachs
Even though they’d only been on the road about an hour-and-a-half, the cyclists took full advantage of the food and drinks waiting for them.
For the record, there are clean restrooms at the Moore Haven trailhead. Facilities on the LOST are few and far between (read non-existent), so it’s good to note when you find some.
The video above covers some of the challenges experienced by the riders on the first unpaved leg of the ride between Moore Haven and Fisheating Creek. Not only did they have the expected rocks and grass, but the authorities had been grinding up trees and brush into mulch that drifted onto what passed for a trail.
You have to understand that a lot of these folks are members of the Florida Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts (FORCE). What we road riders consider a barrier is merely a challenge to these folks.
I skipped the first unpaved leg
I don’t have pictures of that section because I opted to go directly to the Fisheating Creek rest stop. I learned a long time ago that I can either do an activity or I can COVER an activity. I figured I’d get a taste of the dike later. You’ll see a video of that in a couple of days after I’ve stopped vibrating. The video looks like it had been shot on the inside of a popcorn popper.
The group was glad to see the shaded rest stop
Apparently the non-native trees that used to provide shade had been cut down. Fortunately, Tom carried fold-up shade with him. Some of the riders needed his repair skills to take care of bikes that had been knocked out of adjustment by debris that had blown up on the trail.
Where are the stragglers?
Tom and his daughter, Kailyn, climbed the observation tower at the Pier II Resort to see if they could spot the stragglers at the end of the day. They made it in just before a search party went out to look for them.
That was something I noticed about this group of riders. Some of them had ridden together before and others were newbies like me, but everyone went out of their way to be friendly and helpful.
Time to relax before heading out to dinner
Most of the group stayed at the Pier II resort, but I waited too long to make reservations and it was booked solid by the time I called.
I fell back on the Scottish Inns a couple of miles away. The room was about $20 cheaper and was perfectly adequate for a biker night.
Okeechobee Golden Corral for dinner
After some discussion, the bulk of riders ended up at the Golden Corral in Okeechobee. Most of us were interested in fast food and lots of it. I’ve never had a bad experience at this particular Golden Corral, so I was less surprised than some at the quality of the food.
Chris and Kailyn were pleased with their meals
I didn’t have any problem falling asleep, and I only rode a shade over 16 miles.
One of the best things about this ride is that it doesn’t start until 9 AM.
I’ve never liked rides that expect you to roll out at 6 AM, which means you have to be up at 3 AM.
The LOST had some snags
The original plan called for riding from Taylor Creek to Port Mayaca on the dike, hopping on the road to Pahokee to avoid construction and then continuing on the dike to the finish in Clewiston.
Some folks who were riding the lake counterclockwise told me the night before that construction had the trail shut down north of the Torry Island trailhead, so we would have to stay on the road a few miles longer than anticipated.
No checking for gators at Nubbins Slough
I had told the riders that one of the best places to spot big gators is at Nubbins Slough, where I had seen as many as 25, many in the 8 to 10-foot range, on some days.
I stopped to see if there were any around and saw only one hanging around. It didn’t make any difference. These folks could smell home and didn’t waste any time blasting by me.
Rest stop at Chancy Bay
Tom set up the yellow bus at Chancy Bay (also known for J&S Fish Camp) and it wasn’t long until the first riders came bombing down the dike to the parking lot.
Here’s another way you can tell it’s an off-road group. They go off road every opportunity they can.
Chris, obviously, likes beer as well as he likes ice cream.
Last rest stop was at South Bay
The last chance for riders to take on food and water before the final 16-mile run to Clewiston was at the boat ramp in South Bay.
As soon as they made the turn west at the bottom of the lake, the nice quartering tailwind they had for most of the day turned into a head wind.
Since you are perched 25 or 30 feet up in the air with nothing around you to block the wind, that can be a real killer.
Fortunately, the winds were light, probably in the 5 to 7-mph range, with gusts only slightly higher. Of course, that’s easy for me to say. I was in my van.
Then we were back in Clewiston, and it was over
Before long, everyone had their luggage sorted out, their bikes racked on their vehicles and they were sitting around, pigging out on chicken, subs, left0ver fruit and some beverages in brown bottles.
Even though everyone was ready to go home, you could tell that they wanted the experience to go on just a little bit longer.
Lynn and Pam look at pictures
Tom’s wife, Lynn, and Pam Karagoz pull out a camera and look at pictures of the ride.
Our parking lot was directly west of a cemetery where a burial service was being held several hundred yards away.
I thought back over the weekend and how much fun it had been and realized that you have to take advantage of times like these while you can.
The guys gravitate to magazine centerfolds
Boys will be boys. Per, Andrew and Chuck relaxed by ogling a magazine centerfold spread.
The Florida Off Road Cycling Enthusiasts – FORCE – are scheduling a Big “O” group ride around the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15.
The ride will leave at 9 A.M. from the Clewiston Army Corps of Engineers on the north side of U.S. 27 as you come into Clewiston. There is safe parking there.
The whole ride is about 115 miles, done over two days. The first day, which is on the mostly unpaved west side of Lake Okeechobee, will cover 50 miles. Sunday’s ride will be paved, with a short stretch on a roadway that has adequate shoulders.
Rest stops about every 15 to 20 miles.
The group has made arrangements for a special FORCE rate with the Pier II Resort at the north end of the lake. Call 1-800-874-3744 to reserve your $69.99 double. Mention the Big O Levee Challenge to get the price break.
Wide tires needed
The west side of the lake is unpaved, so you will need a bike with at least 32mm wide tires. If you plan to ride on a high-pressure, narrow-tired road bike, you may want to drop down off the dike onto Highway 78. It’s a low-traffic, wide-shouldered highway.
If you’ve been wanting to ride the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST), but haven’t done it because you didn’t want to be out there alone, with no bathrooms and no refreshments, March 27 would be a great time to get your initiation. The local Rotary Club is sponsoring its 7th Annual Ride-Run-Walk event that Saturday.
Mary Garita, a coworker for more than 20 years, showed up for the 2004 ride, having done very little riding and not knowing what to expect.
Here’s the entry form
