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Welcome to the LOST Bicycle Club. Our purpose is to promote responsible recreational bicycling particularly on and around the improved bicycle trail atop the dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee known as the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail.
John Sinibaldi Sr., a bicycling legend, passed away in his sleep January 10, 2006, at 10:40 am. He was 92 years old and died after a short battle with lung cancer. His family reports that he was not in any pain and died peacefully with his family by his side.
According to his son:
John's legacy as a cyclist will not soon be forgotten, as few if any cyclists will ever achieve what he did. National champion 18 times. Olympian in 1932 and 1936. United States Bicycling Hall of Fame inductee in 1997. National record holder. His cycling career spanned an amazing 77 years, all if it on top of the national amateur picture. He won his first national level race in 1928; his last national championship was this year at the USA Cycling Masters National Road Championships. A conservative estimate puts his lifetime mileage at well over a half-million miles...
One of John's last volunteer roles was the annual Diabetes Challenge bicycle ride to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. Betty (his wife) had diabetes for the last 15 years of her life, and John always supported the efforts of the Diabetes Challenge to raise money for the ADA through cycling. So, in lieu of flowers, John requested that donations be made to the American Diabetes Association, and mailed to:
American Diabetes Association
C/O E. J. Bradley
101 Dunbar Ave., Suite F
Oldsmar, FL 34677
Read John's obit in the St. Petersburg Times here.
Read another St. Petersburg Times story about John here.
Now this from the phred list ...
On Tue, 10 Jan 2006 21:50:36 -0500, Bob Jones
About twenty-five years ago I bought my first real bicycle. Oh, I had ridden as a kid but then polio and a degenerative bone disease left me too fragile and too fearful to attempt strenuous physical activity. It wasn't until my mid-thirties that I became bold enough to try anything as adventurous as flying over asphalt hunkered down on dropped handlebars. My doctor had advised me to get some exercise. "Try a bicycle" he said. "I don't think it will bother your hip."
I bought a bike. I puttered around the neighborhood. It was a half-hearted effort and I was sure that when the novelty wore off I would hang the bike in the garage to collect dust.
But then, I read an article in the paper one day about a local senior citizen who had been a champion racer in the 1930s and still rode every day to stay healthy. I was impressed. My bicycle no longer seemed like a child's toy. I started riding every day and I got stronger. I kept a clipping of that newspaper article taped to the garage wall. It was my motivation.
One Saturday morning I rode to the part of town where this gentleman lived, determined to meet him. I wanted to tell him how his story had encouraged me to ride and to thank him for the inspiration to reach beyond the limits of my self-confidence. After circling the neighborhood for two hours I met up with him at an intersection and rode beside him for several blocks. He accepted my compliments and thanks with gracious humility and he told me this when I asked him to share with me the "secret" of his stamina.
"If you want to do something for the rest of your life," he said "just do it every day." I thanked him. And with that he wished me a good ride, stood in his pedals and disappeared down the street.
Many years passed. I rode for a few more years until my hip prevented me from saddling up. I moved from Florida to North Carolina and then to Pennsylvania. The news clipping got lost in the moving and I forgot the name of the old man on the bicycle but I never forgot his advice. Often I wished that bicycling was something that I might have done for the rest of my life but I was not able to bicycle for even one day.
Then, in my late fifties, my old bum hip was replaced with a titanium implant. "Can I bicycle again?" I asked the surgeon. Sure, he said, I don't see why not.
So, after I learned to walk again, I started to ride. I taped a sign over my work bench in the garage. "If You Want To Do Something For The Rest Of Your Life Just Do It Every Day." I ride every day now and often I think of that old Florida cyclist who must certainly have died many years ago. I wondered, did he manage to ride every day? I wished that I could have thanked him again for this second round of inspiration.
Now I can. I again know his name. Thank you Mr. Sinibaldi. I have never forgotten your words. I am riding every day. I know now with certainty it is possible that I might ride for the rest of my life.
'TiBob"
Robert Jones
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Posted Jan. 10, 2006.
Locals call for dike safety review - Several area officials have called for a state-federal safety review of the the Herbert Hoover dike following Hurricane Wilma. Nov. 10, 2005.
Wilma damages the dike - Hurricane Wilma carved out huge chunks of the Herbert Hoover dike near Pahokee. The dike was not breached. Reports do not say whether the trail is passable. Oct. 31, 2005.
Trouble having faith - Palm Beach Post columnist Sally Swartz has a problem getting all excited about the latest promise from Gov. Bush to clean up Lake Okeechobee, which now looks like a "brown milkshake" with algae blooms on it. Oct. 31, 2005.
Great photos - Peter Jenson and Jacob Leverich circumnavigated the lake May of 2004. Peter took some great photos including pics of a weed killer helicopter landing on top of a tanker truck for a chemical refill.
Mary's New Bike - One of our favorite ladies has a new bike and is out there doing miles. Check it out.
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On March 27, 2004, the LOST Bicycle Club helped sponsor the first Okeechobee Rotary Club/Martha's House bicycle ride on the dike. Here President Charles Keefer prepares an omelet for hungry riders. Members Lois Fayles, Jan Norris and Mary Garita helped prepare food and set up the pavilion that served as the Port Mayaca rest stop for the ride. Member Ken Steinhoff rode support and escorted the last group of riders. See more photos of the event, which raised $3,000 for Martha's House, a home for battered women and children in Okeechobee, and the Rotary Club. |
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Submit a ride report.
See our ride reports.
 | See photos of the LOST Bicycle Club's ride on March 7 |
There are no restrooms on the dike. If you can't make it to one of these private facilities, improvise. If you do use one of these private facilities, please patronize or at least smile and thank them profusely. Restroom information courtesy of Adel Mae Gastle.
| Mile Marker | Place | Name | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Indiantown | Burger King | 10 miles east of Port Mayaca |
| 36 | Route 76 | Dupuis Park | 2.9 miles east of Port Mayaca |
| 43 | Chancy Bay Creek Lock | J &S Fish Camp | Descend from the dike and go right .1 mile to J & S Fish Camp Bar. (10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday) |
| 50 | Henry Creek | Wet Willies | Descend from the dike and go right on 441 for .7 miles. (6 a.m.-8 p.m.) |
| 54 | Nubbin's Slough | Ancient Oaks Trailer Park | Descend from the dike and go right on U.S. 441 for .3 miles to the park office (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) |
| 54 | Nubbin's Slough | Cajun Charlie's | Descend from the dike and go left on U.S. 441 for .1 miles. And don't miss the hot boudin, their Cajun sausage specialty. |
| 56 | Taylor Creek | Citgo Gas Station | Descend from the dike and go right for .1 mile (5 a.m.-11 p.m.). |
| 56 | Taylor Creek | USA Grocer | Descend from the dike and go right for .1 mile. (24/7) |
| 56 | Taylor Creek | Brahma Bull | Descend from the dike and go left for .1 mile. Daily lunch specials. |
| 59 | Lake Okeechobee Public Use Area | Hess Gas Station | Descend from the dike. .1 mile. Under construction |
| 63 | Okeetantee Park | Park and Lightsey's Restaurant | Descend from the dike and go left .2 miles. Several facilities. |
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