Press Release – Bike/Walk Central Florida’s fourth annual Bike 5 Cities ride event returns this Saturday, October 3, 2020 as riders take on the 28-mile route through Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Casselberry and the town of Eatonville between 7:00 a.m. and noon.
Presented by Alert Today Florida, it marks the first time bicyclists in Central Florida will join together in an organized, in-person group ride event since the start of COVID-19.
Bike/Walk Central Florida rescheduled its signature May event when the pandemic began. This allowed time for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Florida Department of Health and elected officials within Orange and Seminole Counties to establish precautionary health measures for group gatherings. And for Bike/Walk Central Florida to build a blueprint for riders to bike together at a safe distance.
“Bike sales are booming, which tells us that there are a lot of people looking to get out and ride- maybe for the first time. So, this is a perfect time to help them find comfortable places to bike and learn safe riding habits while giving them a way to connect with their communities,” said Emily Hanna, Executive Director of Bike/Walk Central Florida.
So how will the rescheduled ride be different from those in the past?
Riders and staff will stick to very specific health-related protocols from start to finish. Those Bike 5 Cities COVID-19 Guidelines include:
- Small ride groups limited to five riders, plus an experienced leader
- Staggered start times from an assigned location
- Maintaining a 6-foot distance between riders
- Mandated masks at every start location and stop
To accommodate distancing, each small group of no more than five people has a set “departure window” leaving every 15-minutes from locations in all five cities. This limits in-person interactions and helps riders maintain group gathering precautions still in places across Central Florida.
Drivers should be on the lookout for a continuous stream of riders crossing busy intersections on starting at 7:00 a.m. High-traffic areas along the route include:
Orlando, starting point Lake Druid Park:
- North Mills Avenue (US 17-92) at Lake Highland Dr., Princeton St. and Rollins St.
- North Orlando Ave. at Lee Rd.
- N. Bumby Ave. at Illinois St.
- Maguire Blvd. at Woodcock Rd.
Winter Park, starting point Mead Botanical Garden:
- Aloma Avenue at N Phelps Ave.
- N. Denning Dr. at Morse Blvd., Fairbanks Ave. and Minnesota Ave.
Maitland, starting point Maitland Community Park:
- North Maitland Ave. at Sandspur Rd.
Casselberry, starting point Wirz Park:
- Semoran Blvd. at Wilshire Blvd.
- Lake Howell Rd. at Howell Branch Rd.
Eatonville, starting point Eatonville Community Center:
- East Kennedy Blvd. and S. College Street
Details about the bike routes and trails that make up this 28-mile route is available on the Bke 5 Cities Ride Info page, including a GPS map and Google map.
Riders will make scheduled rest stops in each city for bottled water and individually wrapped snacks. They’ll also have opportunities to have their picture taken in photo booths sponsored by Firefly Creative Solutions, Inc., the event’s official Videography & Photo Booth Sponsor.
This event is made possible with the help of our Presenting Sponsor Alert Today Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation’s bicycle and pedestrian advocacy initiative. For a list of all sponsors who helped make this event possible, please visit the Bike 5 Cities event page.
Interviews are available with Bike/Walk Central Florida Executive Director, Emily Hanna, at [email protected].
ABOUT BIKE 5 CITIES
Bike 5 Cities started as a simple idea to create a bike-friendly route through the Orlando metro area to show people where they can ride comfortably. As the ride’s popularity skyrocketed, it has turned out to be an advocacy asset in the movement to push for more bike-friendly infrastructure in not only the five cities but throughout Metro-Orlando.
Bike/Walk Central Florida is a 501(c)(3) that promotes walkable and bikeable communities through raising public awareness and advocating for safe, active transportation and recreation. Its Board of Director and staff uses the Bike 5 Cities route map to remind public officials, local leaders and residents that people want safe, accessible places to ride their bike, whether it’s in their neighborhood, over to a friend’s house, to work, or down a trail.
