Watch this fantastic overview of the R2C Loop to get an idea of what a great route this is....
There are great videos put together from past trips which share much of pre-COVID shenanigans. I especially like War Hawk Cycling's videos wrapping up 2015's trip.
Our trip was similar, but at the same time, entirely different.
Now for my own recount of my personal journey on this route.
The River to Sea Loop (R2C) was a great 3-day, 2-night trip with lots of varied terrain. I did this trip Oct 23-25 2020. The ride started at Camp Winona, DeLeon Springs, which is just north of JC's Bike Shop in Deland by about 20 min drive. Directions from bike shop to start
So, I got into town the night prior so I did not have to wake and roll at 0300 from Tampa. The folks at Camp Winona are extremely nice and I cannot recommend their camp enough if you have a youngster. The grounds are very nice with a huge lake and lots of cool little features packed into a small quaint campground.
As I roll onto the long dirt road that leads to the camp, I spot a loaded bike headed towards the same direction. Looks like I was going to have company. I pull alongside the cycler and ask "River to Sea Loop?" "Yep!", he replied. "See ya at the campground!" We meet at the campground and check out each other's rigs. This is a ritual that is like dog's sniffing each other. So, his bike was black and pimped out in matching florescent green this and that... really all Amazon gear, but it all matched and looked like a complete kit. I noticed we had the same olive green handlebar bag. This is a great quality bag, like all the gear from Rock Bros. In fact, as more people rolled in, I counted about 6 of us who were sporting this same bag. It can be bought here (showing the extra accessory bag): ROCKBROS Waterproof Handlebar Bags
As the final presidential debate was happening and I was connecting to the wifi, Jerry makes an appearance at camp. Jerry goes by OSG (stands for Orange Shirt Guy) and OSG rolls into the camp counselor shack to see who has the lights on. We greeted each other and had a great conversation and I could tell he was a long-time veteran of these trips. He was extremely helpful in ensuring I had the latest route uploaded into my gps. His route planning skills are extremely meticulous.
I had a little sleep when it was time to roll at 0800. We met the group and formed up in the parking area, received a little instruction from Karlos, and rolled out. When you do a group ride and there is a double pace line, there will always be the swapping of riding partners. You talk to this person for a while, get to know them a little, and then you either stop to slow for a bit, and end up by another person. This goes on and on until you inevitably end up riding and chatting with everyone in the group.
Our first day took up about ___ miles. There was plenty to see on this section of the trip. Scroll down through through the first day's photos.
So, as we headed into the first night's camp, it was a really cool spring called Mud Spring. The spring was a welcome place to chill and heal the initial saddle soreness. It also provided the perfect refrigerator for my beverages. The trail to and from our camping spot was a cool trail for mountain biking. There were twists and turns, minor obstacles, and it felt cool to break up the monotony of straight roads and paths. As we started making camp, some guys gathered some firewood and started a fire which was very relaxing. I hung my hammock from the shelter to prevent having to tarp my spot, but this was a mistake. The pole was in my leg and the hammock was not stretched out enough, so I was doubled over a bit too much. This cost me sleep the first night.
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