Howdy everyone;

I just moved to Clearwater / Pinellas Park from Wilmington, DE. I went out for my first ride this morning and it appears that a death wish is a requirement for riding on these roads. I couldn't find roads with shoulders or bike lanes, and people around here drive like they've never seen a bicycle before. I know there are some MUTs in the area, and that's fine, but what about riding on regular roads? Is it all this crappy? Thanks for the help.

Check out ChainWheel Drive (http://chainwheeldrive.com/) for some group rides which tend to be a little safer than riding alone. There are also a number of rides out of St Pete as well. I lived in Tampa and only commuted as far into Pinellas as I had too, so I don't know exactly how the locals deal with the issue, but I'm sure they are willing to share though.

Can't do much for the drivers and Pinellas has done little, if nothing, for safe cycling. The Pinellas Trail is bit of joke for someone who can ride more than 2 miles. There are some really nice roads just north on 75. The San Antonio area is very nice with rolling hills and light traffic, but of course you have to drive to get there.

The Sun Coast Pkwy has a paved path running along side it as well and has few traffic crossings to get some uninterupted milage in.

There is some great mtb'ing inland too. Check out the SWAMP Club (http://swampclub.org)

Eddie O