COCOA, FLORIDA
I came here last fall for the Intracoastal Waterway Century. I enjoyed it so much that I came back in January and rode a metric route (66 miles).
I hoped today that I would ride a metric century (62 miles) but the wind forecast was daunting. Winds were coming out of the east at 20 mph.
On top of that, I stayed at the wrong location. Twice I stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Melbourne-Viera and I thought I had booked to stay there again. Instead, I ended up at the Hampton Inn & Suites Melbourne. The properties were similar but my planned bike ride was not. I was 7-8 miles south of my starting point.
With the wind forecast, I modified my plan. I would start at the Rotary Park and ride the 11 miles to Cocoa. Then I would make a decision to do a metric or not.
At the park, it was very windy. You could hear the winds. I started out on familiar roads. Since I was mostly headed north the wind was a constant crosswind which made the bike difficult to control. I was next to the Indiana River and still saw some remnants of the damage left by Hurricane Milton.
When I reached Cocoa I looked at the bridge across the river. I thought about crossing it and making a loop with the Pineida Causeway. I took a distant look and really didn’t see a bike lane or shoulder. Just two lanes up and over. I decided not to go over the bridge.
Instead, I headed north. I came to another bridge crossing that I did not remember. It was not the one farther up that goes to the Kennedy Space Center. As a rider was coming south I waved him over for some local advice. He said not to take the highway and wasn’t sure one could. He did say I could take the one in Cocoa. I thanked him and kept riding north until I ran out of road.
Back in Cocoa, I wanted to eat at Murdock’s but when I arrived saw that it had temporary hours due to ADA and family matters. It wasn’t open. I decided to retrace my ride.
The ride southbound was just as difficult as riding northbound. The only difference was the wind was now coming from my left instead of my right, It was difficult for sure.
After the ride, I checked some heat maps of where cyclists ride. The Cocoa Bridge would have been okay. The next one north, call it the 528, would not. I saw no heat map rides. I’m assuming that it would be a very bad idea if not prohibited. But I may try the Cocoa Bridge the next time I’m here.
