Ride report: Orange Blossom Special 2024
Brian Turner
This is my first ride report here, and the first big ride on my new-to-me Toyo Atlantis since fully finishing the build around Christmastime. I spend winters away from my home in Kentucky and retreat to the relatively warmer weather of the Tampa Bay area.
In early November, I saw a post on The Radavist about an upcoming gravel adventure ride called “The Orange Blossom Special” taking place near where I was going to be staying in Florida, so I jumped at the chance to sign up for a spot. This event featured three route options; 40, 60, and 90 mi. and promised a variety of incredible terrain among the orange groves of the Lake Wales Ridge - a geographically unique part of Florida that is the only part of the peninsula that was never under water. Eons ago, it was more like a chain of small islands, so the rolling hills full of endless old orange groves and red, sandy clay roads offer a bit more variety than the typically flat prairie scrub of central Florida.
I was advised that tires bigger than 42mm was recommended, and I was running 41mm gravel slicks with fenders on the Atlantis, so a few days before the ride I swapped the slicks and fenders for more of an ATB setup, with 52mm wide Rene Herse knobbies. It definitely changed the look of the Atlantis, and made it much more muscular-looking and ready for anything.
The morning of the ride, a big storm blew through, so I was aware that the normally fast clay roads could be the consistency of peanut butter in places. I felt more confident that I’d made the right decision losing the fenders. Last thing I wanted was to spend all day scraping clumpy red mud out of my clogged fenders and cantis. I got a bit of a later start than the other riders because I didn’t camp at the start like most of the others, and had to drive about 80 miles from my home. I chose to do the 40+ mi route due to my already late start, and the potential for difficult road conditions.
The first several miles was solo riding for me, but I quickly caught up with a group of 8-9 other riders, and we stayed together as a group for much of the rest of the route. The storied clay roads showed up quickly, and at first they weren’t too bad. Fairly smooth rolling, but the occasional soft section would zap momentum and energy right out of you. Most of the route was unpaved, but as we got closer to civilization, there were some stretches of mild, 2-lane highway where we could struggle against the headwinds.
After a break for beers and food in a little town called Frostproof, the route took us deep into the Arbuckle Tract of the Lake Wales State Forest, which would eventually turn into the worst riding conditions we would experience of the day. The peanut butter clay mud was compounded by ruts created by the occasional vehicle driving through. Although it was slow going, I was impressed with how the Atlantis effortlessly handled it all. The knobbies gripped well, and floated through the mud enough to allow me to keep riding, and not have to do any hike-a-biking, like I witnessed other riders doing.
The final two miles in the State Forest featured much drier, smoother clay, and several more miles of 2-lane asphalt - which was a nice treat to finish up the ride. I was able to ride at my normal speed and finish with plenty of time to hang out with everyone around a bonfire, where we were treated with grilled gator tail, homemade tamales, and draft beer from a local craft brewery.
It was a great day, and a fantastic ride that was a bit challenging, but 100% fun. I was hoping that out of the 50 or so riders, I might see another Riv rider, but I turned out to be the only one. I’ll be looking forward to doing this event again next year, and I recommend it if you get the opportunity.
Thanks for reading along!
Brian
Lex KY
Richard Rose
On Jan 15, 2024, at 8:17 PM, Brian Turner <brok...@gmail.com> wrote:
This is my first ride report here, and the first big ride on my new-to-me Toyo Atlantis since fully finishing the build around Christmastime. I spend winters away from my home in Kentucky and retreat to the relatively warmer weather of the Tampa Bay area.
In early November, I saw a post on The Radavist about an upcoming gravel adventure ride called “The Orange Blossom Special” taking place near where I was going to be staying in Florida, so I jumped at the chance to sign up for a spot. This event featured three route options; 40, 60, and 90 mi. and promised a variety of incredible terrain among the orange groves of the Lake Wales Ridge - a geographically unique part of Florida that is the only part of the peninsula that was never under water. Eons ago, it was more like a chain of small islands, so the rolling hills full of endless old orange groves and red, sandy clay roads offer a bit more variety than the typically flat prairie scrub of central Florida.
I was advised that tires bigger than 42mm was recommended, and I was running 41mm gravel slicks with fenders on the Atlantis, so a few days before the ride I swapped the slicks and fenders for more of an ATB setup, with 52mm wide Rene Herse knobbies. It definitely changed the look of the Atlantis, and made it much more muscular-looking and ready for anything.
<IMG_7444.jpg>
The morning of the ride, a big storm blew through, so I was aware that the normally fast clay roads could be the consistency of peanut butter in places. I felt more confident that I’d made the right decision losing the fenders. Last thing I wanted was to spend all day scraping clumpy red mud out of my clogged fenders and cantis. I got a bit of a later start than the other riders because I didn’t camp at the start like most of the others, and had to drive about 80 miles from my home. I chose to do the 40+ mi route due to my already late start, and the potential for difficult road conditions.
The first several miles was solo riding for me, but I quickly caught up with a group of 8-9 other riders, and we stayed together as a group for much of the rest of the route. The storied clay roads showed up quickly, and at first they weren’t too bad. Fairly smooth rolling, but the occasional soft section would zap momentum and energy right out of you. Most of the route was unpaved, but as we got closer to civilization, there were some stretches of mild, 2-lane highway where we could struggle against the headwinds.
After a break for beers and food in a little town called Frostproof, the route took us deep into the Arbuckle Tract of the Lake Wales State Forest, which would eventually turn into the worst riding conditions we would experience of the day. The peanut butter clay mud was compounded by ruts created by the occasional vehicle driving through. Although it was slow going, I was impressed with how the Atlantis effortlessly handled it all. The knobbies gripped well, and floated through the mud enough to allow me to keep riding, and not have to do any hike-a-biking, like I witnessed other riders doing.
<IMG_7522.jpg>
The final two miles in the State Forest featured much drier, smoother clay, and several more miles of 2-lane asphalt - which was a nice treat to finish up the ride. I was able to ride at my normal speed and finish with plenty of time to hang out with everyone around a bonfire, where we were treated with grilled gator tail, homemade tamales, and draft beer from a local craft brewery.
<IMG_7523.jpg>
It was a great day, and a fantastic ride that was a bit challenging, but 100% fun. I was hoping that out of the 50 or so riders, I might see another Riv rider, but I turned out to be the only one. I’ll be looking forward to doing this event again next year, and I recommend it if you get the opportunity.
Thanks for reading along!
Brian
Lex KY
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<IMG_7523.jpg><IMG_7522.jpg><IMG_7444.jpg>
Tim Bantham
Steve
Brenton Eastman
Great report, great looking bike. Thanks for sharing!
Brian Turner
Bill Fulford
Brian Turner
Eric Daume
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