They say it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes a small army of tough volunteers to build a good trail. Construction has begun on the first mountain bike specific path in Myakka State Forest . The forest has 8,500 acres of pinewoods and wetlands which are connected through several dirt roads including north and south loops. There is a great deal of potential space for off road exploration. Work on the "Palmetto Trail" has been going on since the beginning of 2014. The Sarasota County Off Road Riders (SCORR) have already sent a handful of teams into the woods with challenging results. It is challenging because the Palmettos are fighting back! Even a large crew of experienced builders must push hard to make headway through this area of new growth forest. Armed with some serious weapons, they tag, chop, dig, cut and rake one yard at a time. It can be a grueling slog. To access the new build, riders must park at the north entrance just off East Rive...

It wasn't until I started riding again that those elusive off road paths suddenly came into view. You wouldn't see them in your everyday life where we drive from work to home but climb on some knobby tires and your eyes track the gaps between bushes and trees hoping for a little room to roam. Englewood, Florida is a former fishing village, it is pancake flat and not a place people will ever associate with Mountain Biking. However it is my home so I started exploring. While I don't have any major parks nearby, I do have a couple small trail networks, a state forest and some bike paths. In the past weeks I've been checking out these areas and I'm happy to say they are not bad, for Florida. Ann Dever Trails - In the woods behind the San Casa Recreational area are 2 and a half miles of fire roads connecting San Casa Drive with Placida Road. The trails are flat but wide, rolling on primarily crushed shell and pinewood needles. The coolest features are ...