If you are a cyclist, the Withlachoochee Trail State Park is a place you really want to check out.  But if you are a recumbent cyclist, the Withlachoochee is a trail you cannot afford to miss.    Riding this trail on a recumbent is like spending a day in ‘opposite land’, for you will typically spot more recumbent bikes and trikes during a day on the Withlachoochee than you will spot upright bikes.

The Withlachoochee Trail State Park is one of the  jewels in the crown of Florida Bike Trails.  At 46 miles in length, it is the longest paved trail in the state of Florida.    It runs through west, central Florida – from just south of Dunnellon in the North, to just south of Trilby in the south.

Near the center of the trail lies the town of Inverness.  And this little town perhaps best captures the feeling and the spirit of the  trail and it’s users.  The trail head in Inverness lies just a few hundred yards from the heart of the historic downtown area.  Know as Courthouse Square, this two block area abounds with charming and historic buildings that date back to the early 1900’s.    Each of these buildings is formally documented  through Inverness’s historic plaque program.  The plaque program commemorates buildings in downtown Inverness by officially recording the story of the buildings  and their tenants by placement of a permanent monument on the structure.   It’s a lot of fun to wander around the area and read the plaques mounted on the buildings and learn a bit about how this town came to be and how the people of the town survived.

The WithlaChoochee trail is the home trail of the CRABS –  The Crusty Retired All recumBent Society .  This active group of recumbent riders are found cruising the trail on almost any day.    Despite the tortured acronym, They are a terrific group to ride with.  My thanks to Phil Mix and the entire CRABS group for setting up a group ride and inviting us along.   It’s always fun to hook up with another recumbent rider – but on the Withlachoochee, you are likely to hook up with 5 or 10 on any given day!

Last Weekend Nancy, Mac and I got up early and headed up to Inverness for a ride with the CRABS.   We overestimated the time it would take us to drive to inverness, so we arrived with time to kill before the planned 9:00 AM start.  No problem – we headed over to the Courthouse Square to look for breakfast.

Perhaps our favorite breakfast restaurant in Inverness is found at #109 Courthouse Square – The Deco Cafe.   They serve a nicely prepared  breakfast, and are always friendly and fun to talk with.  They also have outside seating, so Mac can hang with us while we eat.  Nancy will give a more complete review soon, but it’s a place we keep going back to, so you know we like it.

With breakfast out-of-the-way, it’s time to think about the ride.  It is a perfect Florida day for riding – mid 70’s, no wind and a clear blue sky.  When we return to the trail head, the CRABS are there in force!  There are probably 15-20 trikes lined up on the side of the trail, and more are getting ready in the parking lot.  By the time the ride kicks off at 9:00 – there are more than 30 trikes in our group.  That’s more trikes than I’ve ever seen together in once place – quite a spectacle!

After we unload the trikes we spend time roaming the crowd.  There are a few folks we know in this group, either from earlier rides in the area, or from our digital interactions on Facebook and BentRiderOnline.  It’s a lot of fun to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones.

If you want to make friends with a group of new people – bring a puppy!  Works every time.  Mac is a big hit with this crowd.  Turns out he is a minor celebrity!  Everybody wants to meet him, say hello and take a photo with him.

Even for the CRABS on the Withlachoochee, today’s turnout is bigger than most.  And the reason is the appearance of a real-life celebrity.   No it’s not Mac that has drawn this crowd.  Rather it is a recumbent cyclist that has served as an inspiration and model for many of us that dream of large scale cycle touring on our trikes.  Today Sylvia Halpern will be riding with us.

Sylvia has been touring solo, all over the world, on her recumbent trike Myrtle, for many years.  She documents her adventures in her blog – Travels By Trike.   She has most recently been riding from Portland to Florida via the Southern Tier, and is passing through Inverness on her way from St. Augustine to Ft. Meyers.  It’s a great opportunity for interested folks to meet here and hear about her trips and her story.  And it is wonderful to be able to share a few miles of her journey.

It was fun to actually stand in the same place and talk directly with her.  Although we’ve never met,  it felt like meeting an old friend.  Nancy and I have shared emails and facebook posts with Sylvia for years  as we followed her journeys around the world.

The trail itself is always a joy to ride.  It’s quiet, it’s got shady spots, there are lake views, and the surface is smooth.  Its hard not to love riding here.  And just a few miles south of Inverness in Floral City, right on the trail, is the Hampton’s Edge Bike Shop.

We didn’t actually ride past the shop on our ride on this day.  But no description of he Withlachoochee is complete without a mention of Hampton’s Edge.  Run by our friend Regis, Hampton’s Edge is one of the premier recumbent shops in the US.    Regis is a fellow recumbent enthusiast, and can often be found riding the trail on his own machines.  If you are in the area, you owe it to yourself to stop by the shop and introduce yourself.

Our ride this day took us north from Inverness for 15 miles or so, then we turned around and came back.   We were, as usual, on the trailing edge of the group.  But that gave us plenty of time to meet the folks who passed us by, and to enjoy the beautiful day and the lovely scenery.

On another day, we could ride the trail this direction to Hernando, then take a side excursion west on the sidewalk trail alongside the Norvel- Bryant Highway.  That would take us to into Crystal River, where you can swim with the Manatees that gather there in winter  to bask in the warm waters of the Three Sisters Spring.

More adventurous folks could travel even further West along the Fort Island Trail into the protected wetlands along the shores of The Crystal River out to Fort Island Beach.  This entire area is full of great cycling trails and destinations.  When I get the chance, I’m fully intending to spend more time here and get to know it better.

But for today, we are content to ride 15 miles north, then turn around and head back to Inverness.

After the ride, we all met up at the Pine Street Grill In Inverness.  Good food, good conversation and a chance to tell stories about the glory of the ride we just completed.

What a fabulous day!  This trail is a big draw for recumbent cyclists from all over Florida.  Even though it is a significant drive from house, I’m sure I’ll be riding this trail, and the surrounding areas, often in the years to come.