Today's BWL column is another story submitted in response to our request for you to tell us about your ride. Today's story is about the Bonita Bay Bicycle Club and their riding experiences, as told by their President, Robin Tucker Goyette. Thanks, Robin! If you have a story to share, we'd love to hear it (info@bikewalklee.org).
News-Press "Go Coastal" Section: June 26, 2014
Note:
For many, bicycling is more than a way to get from Point A to Point B
or to keep themselves fit… it's an opportunity to build camaraderie as
well as callouses, to build friendship ad well as muscles, by being part
of a bike club. We'll let Robin Tucker Goyette, president of the Bonita
Bay Bicycle Club, explain it.
Bicycling is better in
retirement. That's the attitude of the 150 enthusiastic men and women I
cycle with on a regular basis. We are the Bonita Bay Bicycle Club
(bonitabaybicycleclub.com), the largest private cycling club in Southwest Florida.
The
promised gifts of retirement — be they leisure, friendships or a chance
to take up a new hobby — lead many in my community to join our bike
club. We have time for a morning full of exercise (in fact, we break at
the halfway point in our rides for coffee and conversation.) Group
cycling is noncompetitive and requires close cooperation, the result
being special friendships based on support and trust. And biking is a
pursuit that can be relatively inexpensive, easy on our aging joints and
can be enjoyed outdoors nearly every day in this delightful climate.
The
Bonita Bay Bicycle Club was formed in 2001. At that time most of the 16
cyclists rode hybrid bicycles and a "long" ride was 20 miles. These
days, all our members ride road bikes, ride length is 30-60 miles
depending on group preference, and average speed has steadily increased
year by year. Those who say that the physical abilities of seniors are
diminishing need to have a look at our group; for example, our eldest
cyclist (85 years old) rode 1,200 miles over the just-completed winter
season.
When the wind is from the north we ride to Fort Myers,
and when the wind is from the south we ride to Naples along traditional
bike routes established by the club. But we like variety, too, and will
sometimes plan a jaunt to Sanibel/Captiva or even an 80-mile spin to
Ave Maria.
But our very best rides occur when we vacation together
as a group. In the past five years we have cycled across the state of
Iowa, along the Hudson River from Albany to Battery Park, on the Mesabi Trail in the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, all over the state of Florida, through the Loire Valley of France,
and even 3,000 miles across the United States. Later this summer we
will congregate in Door County, Wisc., to spend a week cycling, dining,
and gallery-hopping together.
Needless to say, we of the Bonita
Bay Bicycle Club strongly endorse cycling as a pursuit worthy of your
consideration in retirement. If you spot us at a local cafe, stop by to
share a cup of coffee — we'd love to talk bicycling with you.
—
BikeWalkLee is a community coalition raising public awareness and
advocating for complete streets in Lee County—streets that are designed,
built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all
users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all
ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at
BikeWalkLee.org.
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