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From Destin to Pensacola, National Bike Route exposes cyclists to area's wonderful resources
"We are fortunate to be on a national route. We're actually a pretty big stop for traveling cyclists." - Robbie Mott Pensacola cycling enthusiast
By Joe Culpepper Splash!
C ycling long has been one of Northwest Florida's favorite recreational activities.
 | | Joe Culpepper/Splash! Jake and Rachel Commer of Gulf Breeze go everywhere on their 24-speed tandem bike. |
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But locals often are surprised to learn that the Southern National Bike Route that connects Jacksonville to San Diego, Calif., actually runs directly through the hearts of Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Gulf Breeze and Pensacola.
"We are fortunate to be on a national route," says Pensacola cycling enthusiast Robbie Mott. "We're actually a pretty big stop for traveling cyclists."
Locally, the Southern National Bike Route follows U.S. Highway 98. From Destin westward, cyclists enjoy views of the Gulf to the south and scenic Choctawhatchie Bay to the north. From Fort Walton Beach, the Route goes through Navarre, where views of Santa Rosa Sound abound, to the marvelous nature preserve known as the Naval Live Oaks section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. After a stop in sleepy Gulf Breeze (where you pedal right past the home of Splash!), cyclists cross the Three-Mile Bridge over magnificent Pensacola Bay into Pensacola. The route continues to Gulf Beach Highway, then to Perdido Key, Gulf Shores and beyond.
In the Gulf Breeze area, the eastward route follows scenic Shoreline Drive behind Tiger Point Country Club before reconnecting with U.S. 98.
"That's a nice route," Mott said. "There's little vehicular traffic, and some views of Santa Rosa Sound are spectacular."
Gulf Breeze is home to cyclotouring enthusiast Kathryn Krull, 55, who has biked cross-country from California to Virginia and from Minnesota to Louisiana on separate adventures. She wrote a book about her cross-country trek titled: 'How Big Are The Pancakes? Three Biker Chicks Cycle Across America' published by Trent's Prints & Publishing of Chumuckla, Fla.
"I get a lot being out with Mother Nature, out in the open and away from everything," Krull says.
Gulf Breeze, too, is the home of Jake and Rachel Commer, retirees from Kansas City who share a 24-speed, tandem bicycle that is a familiar sight to locals. They are beating the high price of fuel by using their bike whenever possible.
 | | Joe Culpepper/Splash! Kathryn Krull of Gulf Breeze wrote an insightful, entertaining book about her experiences cycling from California to Virginia. |
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"The goal at this point is to ride every day, ride long distances every once in a while," Jake says.
Mott said numerous cyclists gather in Pensacola on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings to ride in groups. One group, the West Florida Wheelmen, has a Web site (www.wfwpensacola. com) with more information. Another group rides out of BikesPlus, a local bike store, and more information is available at www.bikesplus. com.
Cyclists wishing to test their off-road skills can spend an entire day on the mountainbike trails at the University of West Florida campus and on adjacent rolling terrain. Some observers say the system is the best mountain-biking area within 100 miles of Pensacola.
"It offers every level from entry level to upper-intermediate," Mott said. "There are not very many hills, but there is some pretty technical stuff out there, not to mention a good bit of sand. There is, like, 33 miles of trails between the different trails and routes that connect to one another."
Another local trail that is a must for cycling enthusiasts is the Blackwater Heritage State Trail, a 22-mile round trip on a paved trail that begins at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and State Road 87 North in the heart of Milton.
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