[Ele201]

Hello! One of my dearest friends is seriously considering moving to The Villages. The issue is, she and her husband love to bike. They will often take their bikes with them when vacationing. I’ve been here less than a year, so not that long, but I haven’t seen any bike trails around. Bicyclists in The Villages, can you help her? Where are the trails, and would you recommend her living here if biking is so important to them? [Full disclosure, they’re also considering Hilton Head, which does have bike trials, so I’ve heard]

Thank-you for your input!

[John Mayes]

Originally Posted by Ele201

Hello! One of my dearest friends is seriously considering moving to The Villages. The issue is, she and her husband love to bike. They will often take their bikes with them when vacationing. I’ve been here less than a year, so not that long, but I haven’t seen any bike trails around. Bicyclists in The Villages, can you help her? Where are the trails, and would you recommend her living here if biking is so important to them? [Full disclosure, they’re also considering Hilton Head, which does have bike trials, so I’ve heard]



Thank-you for your input!

I’ve only been here since June and I can only speak to what I’ve learned so far……you’ll probably get much better info from those that have lived here longer.

We live in Hawkins. Their are miles and miles of walking/biking paths around Hawkins and the adjacent Villages, (St. Catherines, Bradford, Chitty Chatty, etc). The developer seemed to incorporate the paths into the overall plan more so than in the past. As well, the multimodal paths are loaded with cyclists.

So from my observation, The Villages are very bicycle friendly, (at least South of 44) and offer miles of opportunities to explore.

Good luck to your friends.

[villagetinker]

OP, it depends on what your friends expect. There are 2 or 3 cycling clubs that go for rides on PUBLIC ROADS in packs of 10 to 20 bikes, I see them several times per week. They can use the "golf cart" paths, however they may have concerns about the tunnels (low visibility), and the paths with the golf carts that are in a hurry. Outside of the villages there are some bike friendly paths, I am sure these can be searched on the internet.
As for riding on the public roads, there have been several incidents with bikes in roundabouts, as well as the occasional accident where a car hit a bike. I only ride occasionally, and I tend to stick inside our neighborhood, lower speed roads, a lot less traffic, etc.
Hope this helps.

[mojoslacker]

Originally Posted by Ele201

Hello! One of my dearest friends is seriously considering moving to The Villages. The issue is, she and her husband love to bike. They will often take their bikes with them when vacationing. I’ve been here less than a year, so not that long, but I haven’t seen any bike trails around. Bicyclists in The Villages, can you help her? Where are the trails, and would you recommend her living here if biking is so important to them? [Full disclosure, they’re also considering Hilton Head, which does have bike trials, so I’ve heard]

Thank-you for your input!

The Villages multi modal paths are likely hundreds of miles of interconnected pavement and are great for biking but care must be shown to coexist with walkers, pets, golf cars etc... Also they frequently cross roads. For more of a pure bike trail experience (paved and unpaved) there are many Florida trails, with trailheads in Inverness and Ocala as some of the closest. Leesburg has short trails as well. Review websites like floridahikes.com.

Many old threads about biking in TV here tho they usually devolve into walkers vs. bikers or drivers vs. bikers but that is the way of the internet. I recall reading TV was considering connecting to one of larger FL trail systems but best to wait and see as plans change.

[SIRE1]

In addition to all the bike/walking trails in The Villages south of 44 and the miles and miles of Multi Modal Paths everywhere in The Villages, there are also some fantastic rail-trails around The Villages. One of these is the 46 mile Withlacoochee State Trail to the west by the town of Inverness (which is a good starting point for both going north and going south). You would need to have a bike carrier and drive, but it is a great bike trail. If they are interested in biking outside of the bubble, have them do some web searches for bike trails in Florida. There are many.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by Ele201

Where are the trails?

There are none in The Villages north of Route 44. South of 44, there are a lot of beautiful walking/biking trails. Some of the people stroll side-by-side and they expect bikers to greatly slow down when they pass walkers. That is fine with us because we ride slowly.

Originally Posted by Ele201

would you recommend her living here if biking is so important to them?

No.

There are a lot of bike trails in Florida, but not near TV. They can find a place to live much closer to the bike trails.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by VApeople

There are none in The Villages north of Route 44. South of 44, there are a lot of beautiful walking/biking trails. Some of the people stroll side-by-side and they expect bikers to greatly slow down when they pass walkers. That is fine with us because we ride slowly.



No.

There are a lot of bike trails in Florida, but not near TV. They can find a place to live much closer to the bike trails.

My opinion. If you are looking for a nature trail without people popping out from behind every second tree. I am not aware of any. Truth if I did know of one, I would not post it.
It would shortly be infested with people popping out from behind trees. For better and for worse, the villages is crowded. Follow the rules? That is a reach. It assumes that people know the rules, will follow them and respect the rights of others.

[RBW225]

The closest dedicated bike trail is in Ocala called the Santos trail. Hiltonhead only has casual cycling. I am a serious road cyclist and did not like Hiltonhead at all.

[Billy1]

Trails and streets in Villages are busy.

[HoosierPa]

Lots of bike / walking
Only trails south of 44 in The Villages. North of 44 is too dangerous IMO. Love it south.

[sallyg]

If they are serious bikers I think there must be better places to ride than in or around TV. The paths south of 44 get a lot of traffic and can be quite congested at times. Riding around the same route can get boring.

[sallyg]

Originally Posted by DAVES

My opinion. If you are looking for a nature trail without people popping out from behind every second tree. I am not aware of any. Truth if I did know of one, I would not post it.
It would shortly be infested with people popping out from behind trees. For better and for worse, the villages is crowded. Follow the rules? That is a reach. It assumes that people know the rules, will follow them and respect the rights of others.

True.

[jimkerr]

There are tons of bike trails here. I ride my bike and enjoy the beauty all the time.

[Cupcake57]

Originally Posted by Ele201

Hello! One of my dearest friends is seriously considering moving to The Villages. The issue is, she and her husband love to bike. They will often take their bikes with them when vacationing. I’ve been here less than a year, so not that long, but I haven’t seen any bike trails around. Bicyclists in The Villages, can you help her? Where are the trails, and would you recommend her living here if biking is so important to them? [Full disclosure, they’re also considering Hilton Head, which does have bike trials, so I’ve heard]

Thank-you for your input!

I am familiar with Hilton Head's trails and if your friends find them to their liking, they will LOVE the trails south of 44. The trails are not crowded and are through some beautiful areas. All levels of fitness are doing their thing on the trails, and I think its great. Haven't ever had anyone 'pop' out from behind a tree, either!

[Gunny2403]

Been going to HH for over 30 years. Been in The Villages for 3 years. Bikes and walkers share the pathways. Both areas have lots of places to ride. More to do in The Villages. Awesome beaches in HH. Tough choice