Ed Cycles SR 50 Gap

S2E10. Attention Florida Coast to Coast cyclists! The trail gap of 24 miles along State Road 50 between Ridge Manor and Groveland is being shortened. FDOT roadway improvement projects are narrowing this gap to 17.4 miles (along SR50). That still leaves a sizable gap for those who are reluctant to ride along the very busy SR 50. As Ed did with the Orlando Gap, he explores an alternative route to safely get through this gap. The route presented here is all on paved roadways (no sugar sand) and is 27.4 miles in length, with 2.7 miles along SR 50. Also presented is an alternate route that is 35.0 miles in length, with 1.3 miles along SR 50. Ed gives an update on the status of the various roadway projects and then shows these routes, first westbound and then eastbound. You can follow along with detailed turn-by-turn directions and mileages going either direction on your C2C ride!! All four of these routes (2 westbound and 2 eastbound) are available as GPX files on Ride With GPS. Links below.
Ed Cycles SR 50 Gap Westbound: ridewithgps.com/routes/46798927
Ed Cycles SR 50 Gap Westbound with Van Fleet Option: ridewithgps.com/routes/46798926
Ed Cycles SR 50 Gap Eastbound: ridewithgps.com/routes/46798925
Ed Cycles SR 50 Gap Eastbound with Van Fleet Option: ridewithgps.com/routes/46798923

[@BruceChastain]

hats off to you for putting in the work and then sharing it with us all!

[@Ed_Cycles]

I felt that it needed to be done since there are sections of SR50 roadway projects in construction along with the bike trail. The gap has gotten smaller!

[@gypsygirl1902]

Thanks Ed for all the time you put into this. Not just driving the route, but editing, adding maps titles, mileage, AADT, etc. Awesome labor of love.

[@Ed_Cycles]

My youtube channel is not monetized, so my payment is in the form of compliments and accolades. Thank you for a great payday!!

[@ajculberson6389]

Wow. This is great. Liked, subscribed. Cheers!

[@Ed_Cycles]

Thank you! And thanks for posting!

[@loydwest4225]

Thanks for the tour, Ed. I went westbound in April 2024, planning all along to ride ACROSS the Van Fleet and into the Richloam Wilderness Area (Green Swamp) to Trilby with a gravel bike with 2.3 in. tires. The Swamp was incredible- so quiet and desolate, but it is not for skinny tires, especially if your bike is loaded up. As your video shows, Empire Church Rd has no shoulder or bike lane, and it is a bit rough with patchwork, but fortunately it had little traffic. I turned Left/south off of Empire Church Rd onto Bay Lake Rd. If you like rolling hills, the most hills I found on this essentially flat route, they await you on the Bay Lake Rd section. Westbound, no water or stores after Groveland until the either the Richloam Store, or Trilby, so plan ahead. Thanks again for showing the paved options.

[@Ed_Cycles]

You are welcome.

[@ArmandGirard]

Ed, this is a great alternative to SR50. I've ridden several of these roads and most at very quiet and enjoyable to ride. I would never advocate riding the entire gap on SR50 if one isn't comfortable riding on a busy road but if anyone wants to try it, early Sunday morning is as good as it gets. Make sure you have a flashing red light on the rear of your bike (I have two) and a mirror. I also ride with a Garmin radar to give me a little more warning. Also there are several areas on SR50 that have sidewalks that are rideable which reduces the amount of time on the road. Keep up the great work keeping the cycling community informed. It is much appreciated.

[@Ed_Cycles]

Thank you! I appreciate you watching and posting feedback!

[@daveharper7184]

Thank you very much Ed. Now I feel a lot more confident about riding across Florida.

[@Ed_Cycles]

You are very welcome. I look forward to posts giving me feedback on their ride using this route. Thanks for watching!

[@nicktouchette9056]

Hey Ed! Glad you like the shirt! Was happy to do it for you! Cheers!

[@Ed_Cycles]

Thank you! Had not thought of growing a 'brand', but hey, why not? Anyone want Ed Cycles merchandise? Go to www.teepublic.com and search on Ed Cycles.

[@Xtinabellina]

Cooooooolest tee ever

[@Lancaster7]

Thanks for taking the time to upload this.

[@Ed_Cycles]

You are welcome! Let me know if you utilize this route thru the gap. Thanks for watching.

[@tony5323]

Excellent video Ed. I biked straight across the Van Fleet through the swamp to Trilby. This route would keep you mostly on pavement and looks to be scenic. Thanks for video! Maybe, next time I will try it.

[@Ed_Cycles]

The new roadway construction projects seem to have gotten the new trail through the area that caused the largest deviation away from SR50 for cyclists. From what I have read from those who braved the sandy roads, I knew that I would need to stay on paved roadways and this route seems reasonable as far as length. Thanks for watching.

[@Ettridge]

Fabulous resource, Ed. Thanks for your efforts.

[@Ed_Cycles]

My pleasure! Thank you.

[@bike4two810]

Thanks for your effort on this Ed, well done.

[@idontnkow]

Thanks for the video. Concerning that a lot of those roads have really high speed limit. I'm looking fwd to doing C2C later this year.

[@Ed_Cycles]

The side roads have lower speed limits than SR50 and the main thing is they have much less vehicle traffic. But you still have the option of riding in the bike lane along SR50. Thanks for watching!

[@dennisdugger7975]

Great video. Thank you Ed.

[@Ed_Cycles]

You are welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@leetramp]

Great research and great video. Would you be willin go add links to your RideWithGPS routes to the description?

[@Ed_Cycles]

I will try doing that, but cannot get to my computer until this evening. Thank you for the suggestion!