Day 6 Gator Hell Week

“What would happen if a Canadian got frostbite in Florida?”

That was the question posed this morning by one of our two Canadian riders Peter and Ed, both brothers from Ontario. And while it was partly offered in jest, it was indeed a relevant question. A reinforcing cold front had blown through the evening prior, greeting us with howling northwest winds. At daybreak today it was a chilly 34 degrees in suburban Orlando.

Given that it was a sizzling 90 degrees only a few days ago, the change was rather abrupt. We bundled up in multiple layers of clothing, booties, gloves, and balaclavas.

“Don’t expect to find anything in the “Shed Clothing” box,” I told Becky before we rolled out. I was right, as no one took off anything today.

But while it may have been cold today in sunny Florida, it was still much warmer than back in Canada or the midwest. The chill actually helped us make good time, as it was not inviting at all to linger very long while wearing damp clothing beneath jackets. Get in, get out, and get back on the bike. That was the ticket today.

Our route did a lot of doglegging back and forth through central Florida, but overall we took a southwestward track, ending up in Bartow. This meant we had some long periods of glorious tailwind, especially along the Van Fleet Bike Trail, and the many miles after lunch through Haines City and all the way to Lake Wales. Even the hills after Haines City were easy with the push of 20-25 mph winds.

But all good things must come to an end, as the last 25 miles or so  headed more or less due west, meaning we had to deal with the wind more directly than we had done so earlier in the day. Everyone finished between 4 and 5pm today, with 104 miles tallied. We have now covered 624 miles, or about 1000k, in six days.

The fact that the thermometer never really got above the mid-40s today means that tomorrow morning will be quite cold…near-record cold, in fact, with 28 forecast for the region. But by afternoon it should rebound to the mid-50s. Friday holds promise of temp[s back in the 60s, ensuring nice weather for our finish.

Truth be known, the chill is but a minor inconvenience, because a mild rain would be far less fun to ride in than chilly sunshine. I’ll take the cold over prolonged rain any time; our tour this year looks like it will run its course with only a few drops of rain during the 8 days.

I am especially fond of some of the sections used in Days 6-8, because they cover some very old sections of Florida highways that predate federal numbered highways as well as the reorganized state numbered roads. Today, for example, we rode on Old Bartow Road for a while, through a short section with remnants of the original concrete curbs. This section of road is the original alignment of what would eventually become Florida Highway 60.

And tomorrow will see us leave Bartow on the original alignment of US 17. Finally, on Friday we’ll pedal along scenic and historic Old Number 8 through Venus, and Dietjens Dairy Road. I’m getting ahead of us here, but I truly enjoy riding down these memory lanes. It’s almost like traveling through a time warp.

Until then, though, we’re digging for extra blankets to stay warm tonight. We’ve got to cook breakfast outside tomorrow in sub-freezing temps. There may be frost on the bacon and eggs.

Hey, at least we don’t have to ice down the coolers tonight. Mother Nature is taking care of it.