Recumbent Bikes on the Withlacoochee State Trail in Florida

For this ride I had company - Tim from Bent Revolution, a recumbent bike shop out of Odessa, Florida, joined me for a run on the Withlacoochee State Trail. We unloaded the bikes in Inverness and headed south, planning to ride until we felt like turning around.

Out of Inverness

The first ten miles or so run right out of Inverness, past homes and businesses, before the trail settles into forest. From there it's lake views on both sides, swamps, stands of cypress, and just enough houses tucked in here and there to remind you you're still close to town. At about 72 degrees with a comfortable breeze, it was about as good as Florida riding gets.

Turning Around at Croom

We rode about 19 miles before reaching the Croom mountain bike trailhead, a network of trails through the Croom section of the Withlacoochee State Forest, and used that as our turnaround point. Round trip, that put us at about 39 miles for the day out of the trail's roughly 45-mile total length - so we covered the middle stretch heading south from Inverness.

Why So Many Recumbents Out Here

One thing that stood out the whole ride: about half the bikes and trikes we passed were recumbents. I asked Tim about it, and his take was that it comes down to the area's demographics - a lot of retirees nearby who want comfort - combined with a snowball effect. Riders see other people cruising by looking relaxed on a recumbent, while the upright road riders often look like they're working a lot harder, and that's enough to get people curious enough to try one out for themselves.

Tailwind Home

The ride back had a nice tailwind working in our favor, and the trail stayed shaded under trees almost the entire way, which made the miles go by easy. Rolling back into Inverness, we passed the town's lake, a park with a playground, restrooms, a boat house, and a kayak launch, plus an old railroad car parked near where we started with a bit of local history worth reading if you pause to check it out.

Worth the Trip

Thirty-nine miles, good weather, friendly people waving and chatting along the way, and a fellow recumbent rider to share it with - it doesn't get much better. If you're ever near Inverness with a bike, the Withlacoochee State Trail is an easy one to recommend, and if you need a recumbent or trike of your own, Tim's shop, Bent Revolution, is right there in Odessa.