They may have some gray hair, but don't show up looking for a soft easy ride with the Bee Line, the ride group that's designed with early birds in mind.
Perry McGriff says the group began around 1991. The riders weren't looking for A- rides, but still liked to go at a good clip.
"We can hold our own, believe it or not," said McGriff, 60, the senior member of the group.
Gainesville Cycling Club Treasurer Bill Cochran, 53, is a long-time member of the group.
"It's kind of evolved and evolved and evolved and just comes back in a different form every time," Cochran said.
He said he met McGriff one day when he was cycling in from Alachua.
"We just started talking and we've been talking ever since," he said.
Dave Wagner joined the group when he moved to Gainesville in 1991. Having served in the Army, Wagner had gotten his first road bike in 1985 and biked around Germany.
"I'd done some riding, but not like I've done here," Wagner said.
He says with the Bee Line times and distance are secondary considerations.
"We're more out on a social ride and get some good exercise," Wagner said.
And Cochran likes the advantages of a group over going solo.
"It's generally a lot safer riding with a group than by yourself," Chocran said. "If you break down there's somebody to offer help and advice."
That can be a 6 a.m. social ride for those who choose to join in on the weekday rides that typically go for 15 miles in about an hour in Northwest Gainesville. The flashing lights and reflective clothing make them pretty conspicuous. Getting a ride in at an hour before most calendars are filled with conflicts is one advantage, but there's also another .
"There's really not a lot of traffic out, and normally we're going out with the traffic coming in," McGriff said, adding when traveling on NW 23rd Avenue to NW 98th Street, he's counted fewer than five cars.
Members dress for the weather and aren't easily deterred.
"There may be five days of cold or rain we can't ride," McGriff said.
On weekends they get started around 7:30 a.m. and typically go 30 to 35 miles. Sometimes they'll join up with the Sliders when they leave the GRU parking lot at Hunters Crossing at 8 a.m. One of the distinctive aspects of the Bee Line is the annual road trip. Not just a jaunt to Tallahassee or the Withlacoochee Trail, but cross country. Members have done cross-state rides in Virginia, had adventures in Arizona, and made multiple visits to CycleOregon.
McGriff's first long-distance experience was a ride from the southern rim of the Grand Canyon to the Mexican border in Arizona.
"I didn't realize how many mountains there were in Arizona, I like to have died," he said.
But they weren't dissuaded.
"You go to these parts of the country and see the beautiful scenery," he said.
There's also the social aspect of the big ride, meeting other riders from all over America.
"You learn real quick, it's a small world," McGriff said.
There was also agreement that CycleOregon was their favorite.
"I think it's probably the gold standard for organized bike rides," Wagner said.
The ride, which is limited to 2,000 riders, has two traveling kitchens that leapfrog in front of the riders, and traveling semi-mounted showers. A micro brewery, a Starbucks Coffee tent and its own daily edition of the newspaper are just a few of the extras. Then there's the scenery, which ranges from high desert to vistas in the Cascades. This September's ride, CycleOregon XI, will circle through southwestern Oregon, including a day pedaling around Crater Lake.
"The challenging part of the ride is there are a lot of hills, big hills, not like the hills we have here," Wagner said.
Bill Cochran recalled one day's ride included a 20 to 25 mile climb.
"You have to be in fairly decent shape to handle that," he said.
( For more information on CycleOregon, visit its website at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/cycleoregon
For more information on the Bee Line call Cochran at 371-4118 or Wagner at 375-4496.)