Cycling & Healthy Lifestyles in Melbourne, Fla.

Years ago, when my kids attended elementary school in Melbourne Beach, most of their friends rode bikes to school along a combination of side streets and bike paths. The kids liked their independence and more importantly, they incorporated a healthy lifestyle in their day.




Joggers and a cyclist make their way toward Melbourne.

Located on the Indian River Lagoon and just inland from the barrier islands, Melbourne provides numerous opportunities to cycle. However, challenges still need to be met—connector trails for the popular bike routes (e.g., over the causeway bridges or off-road trails), bike racks and public information. Furthermore, a cycling /pedestrian-friendly approach needs to be adopted by businesses and urban planners . Banks rarely provide bike racks and discourage cyclists from using the drive through. Cars pulling in and out of numerous strip malls and the lack of center medians put us all on a collision course.




From the Melbourne causeway bridge, cyclists and pedestrians have a view of the Indian River Lagoon with the ocean in the background.

With increasing interest in exercise and cycling, transportation planning groups are now completing an inventory of paths and trails. At the same time, a larger project is underway to link trails between St. Pete and Titusville, which will promote public interest in cycling and healthy lifestyles.



Nice, France, bike rental is located on the boardwalk overlooking the Mediterranean.

Let’s hope Melbourne gets on the map as a bike-friendly city with the added benefits of getting population into shape and appreciating the environment. Healthy lifestyles that start in elementary school could be incorporated as part of the adult commute.

Pipedream or Paradigm? by Jane Tolbert

Rails to Trails Overlook


South Rim

When we think of ideal biking locations, the Northwestern United States or Europe come to mind. But ever so slowly networks of greenways are inching across the American landscape, offering the possibility of biking on off-road paths or little-traveled highways. What might have seemed a pipedream years ago is becoming the new paradigm--a shift from the automobile-based lifestyle of recent generations to one that focuses on exercise. Let’s hope this trend continues.

In the Melbourne – Cocoa area, cyclists meet at Viera or Cocoa Village for a 25-to-35-mile loop that follows the Indian River Lagoon. Some of these roadbikers in brightly colored jerseys have such a competitive gleam in their eyes that I know this loop is not for amateurs. I’ll ride at my own pace and maybe meet them later at Ossario’s Café. I’ve trailed other cyclists who gather near Mather’s Bridge to pedal a 10-mile circuit on South Tropical Trail along the Banana River and taken a predawn ride along Riverside Drive between the Eau Gallie and Melbourne causeways.


Mather's Bridge

Biking technology has really changed since the days my sister Margaret and I shared ‘Thunderbird,’ our first bike. The massive-framed green bike had coaster brakes, streamers on the handle bars and a clattery kickstand. We got our thrills from riding with feet on the handlebars or pedaling furiously up and down neighborhood streets of Virginia. And it probably took both of us to lift the cumbersome Thunderbird to an upright position. Today, we don’t even have to stand to pedal uphill. The lightweight frames, comfortable seats and gears make bikes easy to ride.

Weekend activities are planned around meeting friends for a bike ride. In the Gainesville area, we biked the popular 16-mile Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail. Other times I have joined friends at Split Rock, the South Rim or the San Felasco Hammock, all of which provide miles of sandy paths as well as encounters with deer, bird and, if not the cougars or bear themselves, at least their paw prints.

So why isn’t everyone biking? The network of trails still needs to be linked. Portions of many bike routes contain a mixture of high- and low-congested areas and roadside debris, conditions that preclude many commuters or school kids from biking. One my favorites workouts in Melbourne is to ride the causeway bridges that link the mainland to the barrier islands. But an element of fear offsets the salubrious benefits of a cardio workout. I dodge road debris within feet of speeding pickups, towed boats or SUVs.

The combination of exercise, outdoors and chats with friends make biking somehat addictive—enough to get me out before 8 a.m. on weekends. It’s unlikely I’ll ever ride more than 15 or 20 miles, but I am looking forward to the day when I can access a greenway from my neighborhood, ride my bike and feel like a kid.