Cape Coral’s Tour de Cape event brings out local cyclers to participate in a range of long distance journeys. -COURTESY PHOTO
Paul Hoffman knows the Tour de Cape is a special event.
The Cape Coral resident has participated every winter since moving to the city four years ago.
He knows the event has been around for a long time before he moved here from Illinois.
Hoffman knows that this will be the 35th running of the event.
Paul Hoffman, a man in his mid-60s who keeps up with an active lifestyle, including participating in the Tour de Cape. -PAUL HOFFMAN / COURTESY PHOTO
He knows it is NOT a race. It is a recreational package of rides offering distances of 15, 30, 62 and 100 miles. He knows the festivities also include a 5K run and a mini kids ride.
Even Hoffman’s sons, who are in their 30s, are way too old for a kids’ ride.
The Tour has been a fixture on the Southwest Florida sports scene for more than three decades. About 1,000 people usually participate.
What ride will Hoffman choose? Which ride for the 66-year-old retiree?
“I usually try to get close to my age,” said Hoffman, who moved to Cape Coral from Loves Park, Ill. and is originally from Green Bay, Wis.
That means 62 miles.
Hoffman has been cycling for about 40 years, ever since he was about 25. When he moved to Cape Coral, he had more than 20 bikes, including some collector bikes. He’s down to three now.
He also has three bicycles back home in Illinois. Hoffman is a serious cyclist who often rides from Cape Coral to Fort Myers Beach or Vanderbilt Beach.
He’s learned his way around.
“I love Cape Coral riding because there’s so many bike lanes as well as bike routes you can access through the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce website,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman now knows about the camaraderie of the Tour de Cape.
“I normally ride alone, or maybe with one or two other people,” Hoffman said
In the Tour de Cape, he is part of a cycling throng of like-minded people.
Hoffman has always been an athlete. He ran cross-country at Preble High School in Green Bay. Throughout his days at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he’s been active. Now that he’s in his mid-60s, Hoffman is still fit and loves to move his body.
Cape Coral’s city limits can’t contain his thirst for activity.
“I’ll ride from Cape Coral,” Hoffman said. “I’ll ride down to Sanibel Island and do a loop around Santa Barbara and back. That will be 80 miles.”
Paul Hoffman on one of his rides. -PAUL HOFFMAN / COURTESY PHOTO
Rides to Fort Myers Beach are common, heck, the Lee County line can’t contain Hoffman.
“Last month, I biked down to Vanderbilt Beach from Cape Coral,” Hoffman said.
Vanderbilt Beach is in Collier County.
That’s not his only Collier County destination.
“This morning I’m going to bicycle down to Tin City, down in Naples, which is about 100 miles round trip,” Hoffman said.
Those are typically solo jaunts. In the Tour de Cape, it’s different because he is surrounded by fellow cyclists.
“You’re in an environment where everybody has the same enjoyment of getting on a bicycle,” Hoffman said. “So, you’re around that vibe, which is great.”
Based on his own experience and the longevity of the event, Hoffman knows things are not haphazard during the Tour de Cape.
“It’s very organized on how they set the riders out on the roads to avoid any congestion,” Hoffman said.
The best part, though, may be the kinship and connections.
“I ride alone all the time and then get an opportunity to ride along with a person,” Hoffman said. “You never know who you end up meeting.”
The organizers also emphasize safety, according to Hoffman.
“You’re with a lot of people, so you really have to be safety conscious,” Hoffman said. “Of course, the Cape insists that you wear helmets, which is always my No. 1 thing. You always have to wear a helmet.”
When he was younger, Hoffman competed in the Boston Marathon. That event has qualifying standards. The Tour de Cape is a recreational event open to one and all.
Tour de Cape brings together the community for moments big and small. -COURTESY PHOTO
“It’s not just for elite persons,” Hoffman said. “Anyone has the opportunity.”
Cycling has been a part of his life since before his sons, who are in their mid-30s, were born. Michael is 36, and Patrick is 34.
“They used to think it’s funny because we’d be driving somewhere and I’d say ‘I bike out here,’” Hoffman said. “And they’d look at me like, ‘Dad, you bike everywhere.’”
Everywhere includes the Tour de Cape.
In The KNOW:
What: Tour de Cape
When: Jan 23-25
Where: Cape Coral
Jan. 23: Packet pick-up 4-7 p.m. at The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village.
Jan. 24: 5K run at 8 a.m. Mini-kids bike ride at 10:30 a.m. At Rotary Park.
Jan. 25: 62 and 100-mile rides at 7:45 a.m. 15 and 30-mile rides at 8 a.m. At Rotary Park.
The Tour de Cape event is a bike ride adventure that can go up to 100 miles. -COURTESY PHOTO