Wellington residents Ed and Ilene Leefer both completed the 65-mile Tour De Wellington and are regular riders with the Wellington Bicycle Club. They finished the ride together, along with 18 club members. The 65-mile ride also marked Ed Leefer’s 65th birthday.
Stage One was 34 miles and led by the club’s ride leader, Mitchel Slomowitz, who organized the ride based on a circular route through the byways of The Acreage, finishing at Gabriel’s Cafe & Grill in Wellington. Owner Gabriel Finocchietti greeted the riders, followed by a hearty breakfast with a special birthday cake for Leefer.
Stage Two was led by Wellington resident Clive Lloyd and included the new multi-use path from Palm Beach Point in the Aero Club to Flying Cow Road. On Flying Cow Road, the group stopped for a rest at the nature preserve and were approached by a friendly ranger, who seemed pleased to see the group, although he thought riding 65 miles on a bicycle was a strange way of celebrating a birthday.
The ride finished at the Wellington Amphitheatre with an average speed of 15.5 miles per hour.
Due to a calculation error by the ride leader, the total distance was 71 miles. Leefer noted that this will save him from riding 70 miles on his 70th birthday.
The Wellington Bicycle Club has cycle rides every Monday and Wednesday starting from the Wellington Amphitheatre at 8 a.m., covering 35 to 50 miles at an average speed of 15 to 17 mph.
Every Monday, the group rides from various locations in South Florida averaging 50 to 80 miles.
In April, the club has a week-long tour in Central Florida on paved cycle trails.
ABOVE: Participants in the recent Tour De Wellington.
