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Meet at Tucker Hill Day Use Area, 26416 County Road 480 W., Brooksville. Saturday December 7th, 8:30 a.m. roll time. Restrooms at the trailhead. Join the club on this 47 - 50-mile mixed surfaces ride. Gravel bikes recommended or lightweight XC Mtn Bikes. Moderate pace with stops. Ride guide Rob DeGraaf began biking Croom 30 years ago, and has been working on this particular route for around a year. This mixed surfaces ride will include gravel roads, paved trails (sections of WST and GNT), paved roads shared with vehicles, and single-track (appx 6 miles for the latter). It’s 64% off-road. The ride is hilly by Florida standards, with appx. 1,400 ft of elevation change. There are several good-sized climbs and fast downhills. If you are uncomfortable sharing the road with vehicles, this is not a good ride for you. Tail lights are required for safety. The route will take us through portions of Croom, Nobleton, Ridge Manor, past historic Iron Bridge Park, and will cross the river twice. Riders should be self-supported and accustomed to long rides in remote areas. Facilities are at Tucker Hill trailhead and Ridge Manor WST trailhead. Bring tail lights, hydration, snacks/ lunch, sun screen, bug spray, tools, tubes and other flat repair.
Croom isn’t just a place we ride our bikes. It is also a ghost town dating back to the late 1800s, at the west side of the Withlacoochee River near Croom-Rital Road. Croom allegedly replaced the ghost town east of the river, Pemberton Ferry, after the Withlacoochee Depot closed and Pemberton started to take on more of a “wild west” personality. Pemberton, formerly known as Phelps Ferry, had provided a crossing over the river since the 1850s. A historic Iron Bridge for the railroad was constructed near the ferry. Croom and Pemberton were known for agriculture, turpentine, sawmills, sugar mills, and phosphate mining. Brooksville residents sometimes rode the train to Croom and swam in the river under the Iron Bridge. What are the chances that adventurous folks may have ridden their bikes from Brooksville to Croom? The chain driven “safety bicycle” was invented in 1879, so perhaps a few thrill seekers made the arduous 10-mile journey from town. By definition, were these the first gravel bikes? Some of these bikes even had suspension!
Rob DeGraaf is a Senior Environmental Scientist and past Author of Fat Tire Favorites, Guide to West-Central (and South Florida) Florida Off-Road Bicycling books, and a past director of the Florida Off-Road Bicycling Association (FORBA).
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Tucker Hill, 26416 Croom Rd,Brooksville,FL,United States
