Alafia Fat Tire Fest

Mtn bike at Alafia:
Afternoon ride was intense,
night ride was insane!
Bumps and bruises,
need Jagger for the pain.

Who ever laughed when I said I was going mountain biking in Florida has not been to Alafia State Park. It was incredible, and I have the broken ribs to prove it.

Alafia was an open phosphate mine that has been reclaimed with palm, pine, and oak trees, and swamps, with over 14 miles of sand and clay trails.

On Friday Nov 10th, I join 280 riders for their 6 annual three day Fat Tire Festival…and of course they welcomed me with hesitant but open arms. The Swamp Club had reserved the entire park for the weekend, provided extra showers, gourmet meals, cold beer, live music, and an opportunity to go out and smash your body against the ground.

Previously, I had never thought of what it meant to ride beyond my ability, that was before Alafia. Screaming down 25 foot drops and up the other side was bad enough, but then go out and do it in the dark! Totally amazing.

I arrived Friday afternoon and joined my new neighbor Denell and Sharon on a 1 hour tour of the park. With trail names like “Whoopied Whoop”, “Bridges”, and “Rollercoaster” very little description is necessary. That evening I joined 15 riders equipped with some of the most intense portable lighting to ride out into the night. I heard Connie, John and Beth say that night riding greatly improves your skill because you can’t see the hazards and instead ride on through them….I guess I was looking too closely. But managed to make it back out of the woods with only a skinned shin.

Saturday morning I signed up for the B group and was the first to managed to do an “endo” into a tree, crushing my ribs into the handle bars. The rides were organized so that all traffic flowed one way down the trails. The afternoon we rode over to Boyett a couple miles away were we rode trails called “The Abyss”, “Lock Nest”, and “Gator Pit”. That day we rode about 7 hours and 30 miles. There just aren’t words to describe it.

Once back at camp we got ready for the Clunker Crit, where about 20 of us dressed up and did a race around the park. To mix it up a little, at one point we had to jump off an swap bikes, change direction, and try to pop each others balloons. While I didn’t win…I did draw attention! I think the competition will be even stronger next year.

Later that evening we were treated to a gourmet porkchop dinner including shrimp cocktails and banana flambe before moving over to the band and the beer. It was an Ibuprofen kind of evening.

A special thanks to Wes and Marty and all the members of the Swamp Club, for hosting such a great event. I will be back.