This route and photos are brought to you by Dora Suarez, aka Dora the Graveling Explorer.
She was one of the winners of our 2021 5-star Route Challenge and became a Gravel Bike Ambassador for us in 2022!
Her friend, Lucette Chavez, who lives in Tallahassee, took her on this route which is popular with the local gravel riders.
Country gravel roads and hard-packed red clay roads make up about 85% of the ride.
This route had lots of rolling hills that kept us on our toes and added-up to almost 2,000 feet of elevation (which is a lot for a route in Florida!)
It was really nice to ride on terrain that was very different from the South Florida gravel that I typically ride.
Mud & sand can be present and make riding this route a challenge (If possible, avoid riding this route after heavy rain falls or during periods of extremely dry conditions.)
Do this ride if you are looking for different types of gravel than typically found in Southern Florida which includes some rolling hills and hard-packed red clay roads.
If starting where we did in Tallahassee, Florida, we suggest parking at the Boys & Girls club or the adjacent park. (It's ok to park at the B&G on weekends when they are closed.)
If you are starting from GA, we recommend parking and starting from Hubs & Hops bike shop.
From the start point in Florida, I don't recall if there were bathrooms or water fountains available at the Boys & Girls club, so call ahead to inquire or visit the nearby gas station which is about 1-2 miles away.
We recommend riding this route during the milder Florida Winter. If you ride it in the summer months, it will be very hot, so start early and pack extra food & water.
In Thomasville, Georgia at your turn around point, there are plenty of shops & restaurants for food/snacks, but check before you go out as many are closed on Sundays.
We highly recommend getting a brew at Hubs & Hops, the local bike shop with beer (closed Sunday & Monday).
Other options include:
Bagel & Coffee at Empire Bagel (closed Mondays)
Pizza at AJ Moonspin Pizza, they are open Sundays (closed Monday)
Hubs & Hops has shop rides that leave from their location on Saturday's. Contact them to get details and find out if it is a road, gravel or groad ride.
2022 Ambassador: Dora Suarez
I’m Dora the Graveling Explorer from Miami, Florida. My passion for cycling started in 2015, just before I turned 50, when I joined Miami’s Everglades Bicycle Club. I started road cycling with EBC where I learned and established the foundation for safe riding skills in groups and solo adventures. EBC set me on course, they inspired me to give back to the community where I served as a Ride Leader, Ride-Leader trainer and board-member from 2016-2019. In that time, the acquisition of a MTB led me to seek and explore off-road adventures. By February 2020, I discovered a passion for gravel cycling and purchased my 2020 Topstone Cannondale 105. Little did we know the world was about to change! My bike has provided me the opportunity to meet amazing like mind gravelers and inspired me to create and build Dora and the Graveling Explorers, a community where I can share routes and adventures to inspire all, especially, more women + families to go on bike adventures.
So if your adventure’s bring you South, look me up and let’s explore!
