Get your walk, run bike ride on: Here’s a list of upcoming events

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, January 1, 2020
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

New Year’s resolution or not, now’s the time of year to take part in any of the many organized bike rides and running/ walking events in early 2020.

The 29th annual Tour de Cape is Sunday, Jan. 18. The four ride distances range from 15 miles to a 100-mile century. All are fully supported with rest stops, food and beverages and there’s always help available when needed. The Tour de Cape 5K happens the morning before, Saturday, Jan. 17. All events stage from Cape Harbor. www.tourdecape.net.

For runners and walkers, first up is the very challenging Hooters River, Roots, and Ruts 10-mile and 5K trail run Jan. 5. The venue is Caloosahatchee Regional Park, one of our area’s best, with the 10-miler using the single-track mountain bike trails on the park’s north side. www.ftmyerstrackclub.com.

The Pine Island Kiwanis Calusa 5K (3dracinginc.com) is Jan. 11. The route runs along the waterfront in Pineland, through neighborhoods, and finishes on unpaved Calusa Heritage Trail. www.3dracinginc.com.

On Jan. 18, the Run to Home Base 5K and 1-miler stages at JetBlue Park with the finish line at home plate. This is a fundraiser for military veterans’ Warrior Health and Fitness Program and the Intensive Clinical Program. www.ftmyerstrackclub.com.

The annual Naples Daily News Half Marathon takes place in and around downtown Naples on Jan. 19. It’s a good way to prepare for the Lazy Flamingo Half Marathon on March 1. www.gcrunner.org and www.ftmyerstrackclub.com.

A fundraiser for Iona-McGregor Kiwanis and its Bring Up Grades program in local Lee County elementary schools, the annual BUG Chase 5K run/walk will take participants through the Calusa Nature Center’s unpaved trails and surrounding bike paths. www.ftmyerstrackclub.com.

There are two choices on Feb. 1: The Strides for Education 5K Run/ Walk at Florida SouthWestern State College, Fort Myers campus, and Running Water 5K, staging from Jaycee Park in Cape Coral. www.ftmyerstrackclub.com and www.3dracinginc.com.

Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian
advocate and traffic safety professional
who cycles, runs and walks regularly for
transportation, recreation and  fitness.
Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com
and 239-334-6417.

For those who like to ride a bike purely for fun, monthly Critical Mass rides take place in various communities around Lee County. These are slowroll rides, mostly in the dark, so they’re more like parades with bikes lit up like Christmas trees. The first and stillthe main ride takes place in downtown Fort Myers on the first Friday of each month but there are also rides in Cape Coral, Sanibel, Fort Myers Shores and Estero. Critical Mass folks will again take part in the 2020 Edison Festival of Light Parade Ride on Feb. 15. You can find out about all the rides as well as many others, such as the weekly Monday Minions Ride, Taco Tuesday Ride and Wakey, Wakey Sunday Morning Ride at www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL.

If you’re interested in learning how to teach folks to operate bikes properly and safely there is an opportunity to become certified through Florida’s Safe Routes to School training, on Jan. 25, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the North Fort Myers Rec Center. Certification includes access to bike helmets for your organization. For more information, email Jodi Walborn at jwalbor1@jhmi.edu.

To find all running and walking events, see www.ftmyerstrackclub.com, www.3dracinginc.com, www.gcrunner.org and www.eliteevents.org. Bike- ride info can be found at www.crbc.clubexpress.com and www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL.

To learn about this topic and more, visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com and www.streetsaliveswfl.org.¦

For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.