Bicycling Gainesville has been ranked among the top 10 bicycling communities in the US by Bicycling Magazine and was honored as a 2004, 2005 and 2006 recipient of the silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Gainesville has more than 60 miles of roadways with on-street bicycle lanes or paved shoulders, plus another 17 miles of roads with wide curb lanes. Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail State Park is a haven for cyclists stretching 16 miles from the City of Gainesville, through the Paynes Prairie Preserve Park and the Lockloosa Wildlife Management Area, to the City of Hawthorne. In addition, fat tire, off-road trails abound in the area and nearby counties. Most RTS buses have bike racks on the front that hold up to two bicycles and many area residents use a combination of public transit and bicycle to commute to work. Bicycle maps for the Gainesville area are available for download (378KB ) on the City of Gainesville web site. Guided off-road bicycle tours are available through forested, riverfront lands in north central Florida. Tours are given in various lengths and levels of difficulty. Contact any of the local bicycle shops for maps and information. A Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board studies and makes recommendations to the City Commission, the County Commission, and the MTPO on all matters concerning planning, implementation, and maintenance of policies, programs, and facilities for the safe and efficient integration of bicycle transportation into the urban area transportation system. If you are interested in submitting an application to be a member of this board, check the Clerk of the Commission's Advisory Board/Committee Openings section for more information. Bike Florida Bike Florida is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote safe cycling in the state of Florida. They host two annual events. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.bikeflorida.org/. phone: (352) 392-6755 or (352) 392- 0997 ext. 462 email: info@bikeflorida.org Gainesville Cycling Club (GCC) The GCC is a large and active recreational service for people in Gainesville area and a good source of information for visiting cyclists. For more information please visit their website at http://www.gccfla.org or phone: (352) 333-3184, email: infor@gccfla.org In Florida, the bicycle is legally defined as a vehicle, subject to the same rights and traffic laws as the operators of other vehicles. Information about safe bicycling on public roads and streets is available from the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Bicycle Association. College Sports Sports fans flock to the athletic events at the University of Florida's Stephen C. O'Connell Center sports complex and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, the University's football stadium. The University of Florida Gators football team draws fans from throughout the nation to its season games, sporting an impressive six Southeast Conference Championships and four National Championships since 1990! The University of Florida Athletic Association mantains a web page--the NaviGator--for information pertaining to UF sports. Drag Racing Drag racing fans by the tens of thousands flock to the NHRA Gatornationals, held for four days each March at the Gainesville Raceway. Call (352) 377-0046 for information. Golfing The Gainesville area has seven excellent golf courses to challenge the most avid golfer. Five are public or semi-private and all offer 18 holes of play. Opportunities for tennis are numerous and several health clubs offer handball and racquetball courts, plus various other fitness equipment. Gainesville Golf and Country Club 7300 S.W. 35th Way, Gainesville (352) 372-0961 Private/Pro - Par: 72 - Yardage: 6,777   Haile Plantation Golf and Country Club 9905 S.W. 44th Ave., Gainesville Semi-Private/Pro - Par: 72 - Yardage: 6,526 Heritage Links Country Club 3500 Turkey Creek Blvd., Alachua (352) 462-4655 Semi-Private/Pro - Par: 72 - Yardage: 6,570   Ironwood Golf Course 2100 N.E. 39th Ave., Gainesville (352) 334-3120 http://recparks.cityofgainesville.org/ Public/Pro - Par: 72 - Yardage: 6,462 Meadowbrook Golf Club 10401 N.W. 37th Place, Gainesville (352) 332-0577 Semi-Private/Pro - Par: 72 - Yardage: 6,306   University Golf Club 2800 S.W. 2nd Avenue, Gainesville (352) 375-4866 Semi-Private/Pro - Par: 70 - Yardage: 6,216 West End Golf Course 3 1/2 miles west of I-75 on Newberry Road, Gainesville (352) 332-2721 Public/Pro - Par: 60 - Yardage: 3,940     SCUBA Diving North Central Florida is home to some of the best freshwater spring diving in the world. Area springs offer cool, crystal clear water, a wealth of marine wildlife, and opportunities to explore extensive underwater cavern and cave systems. For more information on Florida's springs, click here. Surfing There are areas on the coast east of Gainesville to surf. Current weather, surf, and tide information for the St. Augustine area is made available by the Surf Station at (352) 335-7711. Youth Sports See also: City Pool Information Area youth are invited to attend a Fall baseball instructional league for ages 8-14 (by August 1). The cost for the league is $55.00 and first time players must provide a birth certificate to play. A limited amount of scholarships will be provided. For more information call the Athletics Staff at (352) 334-5067. Other Sports The area draws horseback riding enthusiasts throughout the year. The Gainesville Sports Organizing Committee (GSOC) has attracted a host of special sporting events to the community. Major past attractions have been the National Junior Olympic Track and Field Meet, Southeast Regional Junior Olympic Wrestling championships, Gatorade Track and Field Invitational, Florida State High School Football Championships and numerous other regional and national events in archery, cycling, swimming, racquetball and volleyball. For more information, call the appropriate group. City of Gainesville Recreation and Parks Department (352) 334-5067 Youth Soccer, Inc. (352) 373-7974 The YMCA (352) 376-7172 The Boys Club (352) 372-5342 The Girls Club (352) 373-4475 Gainesville Sports Organizing Committee (352) 338-9300