- May 7, 2024
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John McCarthy leads the group in the tour.
Karen Pharo and Dayle Hoffmann hold a map of the route, hand drawn by John McCarthy.
Emory Sanders
Jonathan Parks, Kathryn Parks and Daniel Ohrenstein
BLVD Bike Ride provides a space for "like-minded cyclists" to explore Sarasota.
Julia Groom, Samantha Wuerfel and Anand Pallegar
Cohen Sanders
The cyclists get ready to take off on the tour.
iBike and Endless Summer SRQ provided free rentals of bicycles for those without their own.
Samantha Wuerfel
Emory, Cohen and Steve Sanders
Steven Fasano and Leslie Smith
The cycists follow John McCarthy as he takes them on a tour of historic Sarasota.
DreamLarge hosted its first BLVD Bike Ride on July 18, which encouraged Sarasotans to ditch their cars and see the historical areas of the city by bike.
The tour was led by John McCarthy, the executive director of Historic Spanish Point, who has been studying Sarasota history for 40 years. Leading the group of 30 through the Rosemary and Newtown districts, McCarthy discussed Sarasota history as they drove past landmarks.
"We went down lots of little streets no one ever goes down," he said. "This (bike ride) gets people to slow down and take (Sarasota) in."
The ride was put together by Julia Groom and Samantha Wuerfel as part of DreamLarge's initiative to bring more events to the Rosemary District. Their goal was to educate and inspire participants "while creating a safe, fun environment to cycle and meet other like-minded cyclists."
