Home - Capital City Cyclists

Welcome to Capital City Cyclists, a recreational bike club and 501(c)3 non-profit bicycle advocacy organization for the Florida Capital region.

CCC rides are open to anyone with an interest in group riding regardless of previous riding experience, however, our expectation is that new riders will celebrate their interest in cycling by joining CCC as a member. People who are new to group riding or new to the area are encouraged to come ride with us. However, the skill level required for our rides varies from ride to ride. Please read the ride descriptions carefully and make sure that the posted speeds and distances are within your abilities. If in doubt, please contact the ride leader. If you are brand new to group riding, consider joining us for our monthly 10-10-10 Ride held on the first Saturday of each month.

Come join us December 14th at 6:00 pm for the CCC Holiday party and annual meeting at Kevin Sossong and Susan Blessing’s home at 1022 Holland Drive.

The club will provide the main dish and drinks. Please bring a dish to share.

At the annual meeting we will elect officers for the 2025 year and hear an update on programs and activities in 2024.

The 39th Spaghetti 100 is in the books. Thanks to all who came out to ride! We hope to see you next year!

Some of our great Food volunteers!

Congratulations Joanna!

Jane Fletcher

Saturday, July 27th our own Joanna Southerland won the National Women's Masters Road Championship in the Age 75-79 Category.

The USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships held in Augusta, Georgia, is a prestigious event that showcases the talents and dedication of female cyclists across various age categories within the Masters division. While specific details about a dedicated "Women's Masters Cycling Race" in Augusta might be limited, this championship encompasses road races and time trials for women aged 35 and above.

The races took place on challenging courses that tested participants' endurance, strength, and tactical skills. The atmosphere was a mix of competitive spirit and camaraderie, as athletes strove for personal bests while also celebrating the sport and supporting their fellow cyclists.

Although specific information on past race results or course details is scarce, the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships in Augusta serves as a testament to the enduring passion for cycling among women and offers a platform for them to showcase their abilities on a national stage.

For more information check out the website.
https://roadnats.usacycling.org/masters-juniors-road

Cyclists take a stand for the Miccosukee Greenway

Jane Fletcher - 9/5/2024

Members of Capitol City Cyclists and other groups showed up in force to object to the dangerous Dempsey Mayo Road extension through the Miccosukee Greenway. Responding to a request from Friends of the Miccosukee Greenway to establish new protections along the canopy road, the Leon County Commission voted to make the Dempsey Mayo Road extension a bit safer by:

Reducing the speed limit to 25 miles per hour

Narrowing the lane widths from 11 to 10 feet (narrow lanes make drivers more cautious)

And putting a Greenway user-activated red light similar to the one on Meridian at Forest Meadows

While opposition to the four road extensions across the park is widespread, Commissioners accepted county staff’s explanation that the Dempsey Mary extension was promised to the developer long ago and cannot be stopped now. The road will be built in 2025, however it appears that the redesign to accommodate the Commission’s decision may slow things. Cheers to Commissioner David O’Keefe for getting the issue on the commission agenda. Commissioner Brian Welch made the motion for the safety improvements.

A shared use path along Dempsey Mayo to benefit residents of the Canopy development and Westminster Oaks also creates great risks for Greenway users. The Greenway Trail would get a series of poorly planned right angle turns just east of the proposed road. CCC advised the County and the developer that the design is dangerous and suggested an alternative trail intersection.

Many people also have serious concerns with a proposed roundabout at Miccosukee and Dempsey Mayo. As designed, pedestrians will not be able to rely on a red traffic light to stop traffic. County staff say a roundabout is safer for cars, it is not clear how well the retirees and others who cross Miccosukee to access the Greenway will scurry across the road in face of vehicles zipping into the roundabout.

Miccosukee Greenway Trail Flooding Finally Relieved

Jane Fletcher - 9/5/2024

Beginning in late March, water covered the Greenway trail just north of the Edenfield Trailhead.
Trail users coming east from Fleischman Road had to turn around when confronting a five-acre pond covering the trail and the beautiful nearby oak hammock picnic area. City and state stormwater staff claimed the Canopy development’s Dove Pond stormwater pond was not the source of the water.

Greenway Flooding 1

However, evidence shows that other Canopy stormwater enters the Greenway and the City of Tallahassee’s huge clearcut along the powerlines north of the Greenway is sheeting water into the park. No government agency has come forward to propose solutions to prevent another flooding incident. CCC and Gulf Winds Track Club have asked an independent stormwater engineer to look at the cause of the flooding and propose solutions.

Recently, the Leon County Parks Program raised the trail above the water and installed pipes to allow stormwater to drain past the park and into the ditch along Miccosukee Road. Hardly an environmental solution to polluted water coming through the park from two recently developed areas. The flooding has killed trees in the hammock. It is unclear what the mitigation for that loss will be. Trail users have applauded the elevated trail and are happy after nearly five months to be able to run, walk and bicycle on that part of the Greenway.

Slides from January 2024 Presentations on International Bike Touring

Cycling in the news

Johan van Tol - 1/4/2024

Strava's Year in Sport

Bicycling has a story about Strava data and what it says about cycling in 2023. Strava releases a year-end report with the trends for the year. One of the striking trends is that gravel cycling increased by a whopping 50% or so.

Most cyclists know Strava. What you might not know is that Strava data are used by transportation planners to see where cyclists ride. Unlike the public Strava heatmaps, Strava Metro provides planners with precise data on the numbers of cyclists, at least the Strava using cyclists and what routes they prefer. In the UK 10% of the population is on Strava, providing great data. While Strava users are not quite the same population segment as all cyclists, they apparently are pretty close and the routes they choose are not a bad representation of the average cyclist.

Anti-Cycling Headlines

Staying with the Brits, road.cc has a story about the ridiculous Daily Mail headlines attacking cycling and cycling infra-structure. If you'd like some examples like "Precious, Moaning and Tetchy - Cyclists are the new women", please read this.

The beloved Miccosukee Greenway is under threat.

Your county government intends to build a road right through it. See what's happening and what you can do to stop this in this News Article.

Staying with the Group

Here are some tips to avoid getting separated, and dealing with it if you do . . .

Before coming out, check the posted pace in the ride description on the event calendar and make sure it is comfortable for you. If the ride is clearly beyond your comfort level, it is probably best to skip it and find another ride. On the other hand, if you think the pace will be challenging, but probably doable, come on out. But make sure that you tell the ride leader(s) at the ride start that you may struggle to keep up. All of our ride leaders are ok with that. If they know you are trying to keep up they will make sure that the riders regroups at key turns and that you staying with the group.

Make sure you know the route, or at least know how to find it using your phone. We post RWGPS route links in the description for each of our rides. Assuming you have installed the free RWGPS app on your phone, you can click on the RWGPS ride link in any ride description and the route map will come up on your phone. CCC members can sign up for free access to the RWGPS CCC club account at https://ridewithgps.com/organizations/93-capital-city-cyclists. If you prefer paper cue sheets they can generated from the RWGPS website. If you have any questions about using the CCC routes or the CCC RWGPS club account, please contact Hugh Aaron, Ride Director. He will be happy to help you.

If you get separated from the group, stop and call and/or text the ride leader(s). The ride leaders cell numbers are typically posted in the ride description on the CCC website. While most people don’t look at or answer their phone when riding, if the ride leader(s) finds that you are no longer with the group, he or she may check their phone to see if you have called or texted.

Thanks to everyone who attended the recent presentation on RWGPS at Bicycle House. Please remember that CCC members are eligible for a free club membership to RWGPS.

RWGPS Presentation Outline

From the Danish Safety Council
"Helmets have always been a bright idea"