Cycling Around Bonita Springs and Pelican Bay

 

Cycling Around Bonita Springs and Pelican Bay

Having driven from a frigid and snowy Virginia south through an unusual cold snap, we left the last of the snow behind in southern Georgia and arrived in Naples, Florida on their first warm day in nearly a week. With gravel bikes in tow, we were eager to get outside and ride after being stuck inside on our spin bike for the past month.

At the time of our rides, I didn’t plan on recapping either so my pictures are a little sparse, but you should be able to get an idea of  the scenery.

 

Bonita Springs

After settling in with friends, we set to planning two rides before leaving the Naples area. For the first ride, we let our friend Betsy play tour guide as she made up the route on the fly. We hadn’t ridden with Betsy since visiting her and her husband in Minnesota last summer when she took us on a ride to see the Minnehaha Falls. For our Naples tour, she included many different neighborhoods within Bonita Springs giving us a taste of the community.

 

Ride Overview
  • • Location: Bonita Springs, Florida
  • • Course Type: lots of little out-and-backs
  • • Course Surface: paved and brick
  • • Bike: Salsa Warbird
  • • Distance: 22.8 miles
  • • Time: 1:46:02
  • • Average Speed: 12.9 MPH
  • • Maximum Speed: 19.7 MPH
  • • Elevation Gain: 184 feet
  • • Elevation Range: -2 to 54 feet
  • • Weather: 64° and partly cloudy, climbing to 69°
  • • Date of ride: January 26, 2025

 

Fun Pictures From Along the Way

Happy to be in the Florida warmth, my husband and I donned short sleeves while our Florida acclimated friend needed a little more cover.

 

Our ride took us through parks…

 

Past beautiful homes…

 

Under this hanging root ball…

 

And even past a trailside mirror!

Cycling Around Bonita Springs and Pelican Bay

 

Garmin Stats

Post-ride Garmin

 

Garmin map and elevation graph…

 

Pelican Bay

We chatted with our friend Miles, who also winters in Naples, for ideas for another good ride while in the area. After a few suggestions we settled on riding in Pelican Bay and found this route where each lap is just over 7 miles.

Afterward, we met Miles and his wife for lunch. He’s our friend who initially told me about Jeannie Rice’s first world record – they’re friends and run with the same group during the winter.

 

Ride Overview
  • • Ride Name: 20-Pelican Bay Vanderbilt Beach Ride
  • • Ride with GPS: Link to turn-by-turn navigation cue sheet
  • • Location: Pelican Bay, Florida
  • • Start/Finish: Oakmont Parkway Publix parking lot
  • • Course Type: loop with a short tail
  • • Course Surface: paved
  • • Bike: Salsa Warbird
  • • Distance: 22.2 miles
  • • Time: 1:33:36
  • • Average Speed: 14.2 MPH
  • • Maximum Speed: 17.6 MPH
  • • Elevation Gain: 128 feet
  • • Elevation Range: 6 to 40 feet
  • • Weather: 71° and mostly sunny
  • • Date of ride: January 27, 2025
  • • Course Map:

 

Fun Pictures From Along the Way

Half of our ride paralleled the Gulf of America on Pelican Bay Boulevard where this lovely sculpture by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés resides.

Cycling Around Bonita Springs and Pelican Bay

 

Making our way to the high rises…

 

And even though we spent much of our time on the boulevard, traffic was quite light and we felt very safe in our designated bike lane.

 

Garmin Stats

Post-ride Garmin

 

Garmin map and elevation graph…

 

Final Thoughts on the Rides

Both rides while cycling around Bonita Springs and Pelican Bay were easy shakeouts after not having been on our outdoor bikes in a while. The sun, the warmth, and the fresh air were just what we needed to get our bodies back in the groove and ready for longer and tougher rides in the upcoming weeks.

 

Questions
  • • Have you visited Florida? ~ many times
  • • Would you prefer a very flat course or one with a few hills to break up the monotony? ~ I like both.
  • • Do you stop and relax occasionally to fuel or take pictures, or barrel on through when on a long run or ride? ~ Pictures, always pictures, unless I’m racing!

 

I’m linking up with Zenaida of The Running Teacher and Jenn from Runs with Pugs for Tuesday topics Link-Up. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!