Questions

• What route do we take?
• How far is the ride?
• What places do we stop?
• Are there any support vehicles?
• How do we communicate to the support vehicles?
• Where do we spend the night on the first day?
• Where do we spend the night on the second day?
• How much can I expect this to cost me?
• Are there any rules I should observe?

Information...

• The route we take:
• Overview map of Key West
• Map of Starting Point
• Printable Map of Starting Point (PostScript File)
• Map of Finish Line
• Distance of ride is approx 165 miles.
• The ride consists of 8 legs of approx 20-24 miles each.
• There is approx a 20-60 minute break on each leg.
• Planned stopping points:
• First Day:
• Robert's Fruit Stand (stop for fresh fruit milk shake)
• Alabama Jack's (stop for lunch)
• Fla Keys Information Center
• Tiki Bar to colapse in a lounge chair then off to Hotel.
• Second Day:
• 24 miles out to one of two places for breakfast.
• 7 mile bridge entrance ramp
• Bahia Honda (eat some snacks and rest)
• Sugar Loaf Key (stop at Sugar Loaf Motel for lunch, snack or just to see the dolphin)
• Support vehicles.
• There MUST be one support vehicle for every 10 riders.
• There will be ONE rental cargo van that is used for:
• Carrying bikes down to the starting point the night before.
• Carrying people (no more than 3 total passengers (including driver)) to the starting point
• Carrying equipment, luggage, food, water, gatoraid, etc... during the ride
• Acting as support/emergency vehicle.
• Typically there is at least one personal vehicle used as a second support vehicle. This is usually because we have more than 10 and less than 20 riders.
• Most riders will bring personal radios for communicating to Van, other vehicles and other bikes. We use the following FRS frequencies.
• FRS radio freqs

Those of you using FRS/Talkabout radios or other UHF portables will want to
use the same frequencies that are programmed in the support vehicle radios.

Channel 7 code 37:    462.7125 MHz   PL=37 (241.8 Hz)

In case of interference the backup channels are:
Channel 6 code 37:   462.6875 MHz   PL=37 (241.8 Hz)
Channel 5 code 37:   462.6625 MHz   PL=37 (241.8 Hz)

Note: all channels are 12.5 kHz wide, with 2.5 kHz deviation!!!

You will be able to hear the support vehicle radios a lot farther than they
will be able to hear you intelligibly.  In the Keys you may get 2-5 miles
range when mostly over water. In Key West with buildings and trees you will
only get a few blocks.
At this point there is no cell phone or iden assigned to the van. Hopefully
by tomorrow morning someone will volunteer a cell phone for use as backup
communications to the van.

Remember the support vehicles are there for your use.
If you're getting real tired and slow or saddle sore you should take a ride.
This is supposed to be fun. There is no prize for getting there first or
riding the whole way. It is helpful to the support people when the whole
group stays fairly close together.

• Hotel stay in Ilamorada:
• Once we get a list of who is definatly going we will book a block of rooms
• If you use the buddy system let us know who you are sharing the room with
• Hotels in Key West
• Typically the rates drop off around May 1st.
• Most of the group try to get the same hotel so we will be easier to find.
• You must make your own reservations!
• Expected expenses:
• Approx $50 (assume 15-20 riders) will be required to help pay for:
• Rental of Cargo van.
• Hotel room to store the bikes the night before the ride
• Gas for van
• Food (bars, bananas, fruit, go-juice)
• Paying of hotel rooms for support team (they don't get to have fun so we shouldn't make they pay).
• Any money left over will go for prizes at the end of the trip.
• You will pay for your hotel room in Ilamorada when you arrive (you don't pay us, we only reserve the room!)
• You make your own reservations for the hotel room in Key West. Typically a large group decides where they are going to stay and they all get reservations in the same place... However some others have favorite places...
• Getting back home: More than likely you will carpool with someone with a rental car from Key West. The current 1997 pricing for one way rentals is as follows:

Rentals in KEY WEST, FL
Pick up-Drop off Dates: MAY 04, 1997 -  MAY 04, 1997
              Location:                KEY WEST
             Rate Type:                                         Rates in USD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Company    Vehicle Type  Per Day Weekend  Free Miles  Mileage Charge  Status
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAR:
1  VALUE        Economy             24.99       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available
2  ENTERPRISE   Economy             25.99       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available
3  DOLLAR       Economy             27.97       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available
4  ALAMO        Economy            *35.99       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available
5  BUDGET       Economy             37.99       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available
6  SEARS        Economy             37.99       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available
7  AVIS         Economy             40.99       UNL mi      .00/mile  Available

• Rules of the road:
• Must wear helmets (we can't force you to but we would feel bad if you smashed your brain on a curb!)
• Another reason to wear a helmet
• If a rider stops, you stop, unless someone else has already stopped or the van or other support vehicle has stopped.