Bike Florida overnights in Newberry

One of 4 cities featured in Bike Florida

The City of Newberry will host Bike Florida participants during their annual 300-mile cycling tour, which kicks off March 26.  Bikers will overnight in Newberry and take part in planned activities at the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex.

Prepare for bikes. Lots and lots of bikes.

Bike Florida’s annual weeklong bicycling tour will reach Newberry on Wednesday as part of its tour of North Central Florida. Up to 1,000 bicyclists are expected to participate.

The trip will begin in Gainesville on Saturday, March 26, and end in Gainesville on April 1. The riders will stop in High Springs, Newberry and Micanopy. The weeklong, nearly 300-mile bike tour will be making its first appearance in Central Florida.

“We are excited to be coming to the Central Florida region this year,” Rachel Weissler, ride director for Bike Florida, said.

The bicyclists will arrive in Newberry Wednesday morning from High Springs. The Easton-Newberry Sports Complex will host the riders for dinner and entertainment “Olympics style,” said Joy Glanzer, member of the city’s planning committee for the event.

“We have a fun night planned and we hope kids and families come,” Glanzer said. “We want to showcase Newberry’s recreation activities for the cyclists and the city.”

At the complex, the cyclists will be able to participate in “Bike Florida Olympics,” which will feature activities such as archery, cricket, croquet and baseball, Glanzer said. A DJ from Kiss 105.3 will be there for music entertainment.

“Newberry designed their activities because they want to show off their community as a sports mecca,” Weissler said. “They want the riders to see the best of Newberry so they want to come back.”

Glanzer said it is an opportunity for the city to feature its recreational facilities and show the riders Newberry is a good host community. She participated in the Bike Florida event as a rider in the past.

“It was wonderful,” she said, “I had a lovely week. This year I hope the bikers enjoy the local flavor of our city.”

Bike Florida is a non-profit organization founded in 1994. All proceeds from the registrations go to promoting bike safety, and this year North Central Florida was chosen to Ride to Save Florida Springs in partnership with Florida’s Eden, Weissler said.

“We are calling this year’s route ‘Florida’s Eden’ because we are partnering with that organization to highlight the springs in the area,” she said.