Brand New for 2025 – linking northern and southernmost extremes: Day 1 – Key West to Tavernier up the Florida Keys

You can’t get further south in the continental USA than Key West. It sits at the bottom of a long chain of islands: the Florida Keys. They trail off south west from the bottom right corner of Florida, below Miami, for over 100 miles, into the newly renamed Gulf of America. Happily none of the signs I saw reflected this name change, so neither will I. 

US Route 1 joins all of these places together, a ribbon of tarmac from which it is often possible to see both the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously. It runs where there was once a railway, built to open up Key West to the rest of Florida. In places you can still see the huge old bridges that crossed between the islands, but much of it is now rusting away and unsafe or even incomplete. It must have been a major achievement in its day. Today, there is a stream of cars running in each direction, but also – for large portions of the way – separate cycle paths. There are a few big bridges, most notably Seven Mile Bridge, where you have no choice but to cycle along the broad shoulder of the highway, hoping that all the vehicles stay on their side of the white line. You have to avoid the shredded tyres and other detritus, including two worryingly beaten up cycle helmets. I hope their owners came off better.

But the biggest challenges I faced on my 95 mile ride out of Key West were the unhelpful sea breezes in my face and the relentless heat. It was about 28 celcius today and there wasn’t much shade. It was energy sapping. And this is March.

I wouldn’t quite say that the bicycle is king in Key West; but it is definitely a senior member of the royal family, perhaps a Camilla Parker Bowles. You could argue that cockerels are king, in fact, because they seem to run free all over town. It is that kind of place. BIkes are everywhere, however, and commonly used to get people of all types around town. Taking on something on the scale of my ride, however, was a very different prospect. I was slowed down from departing by the US postal service. I wanted to to send a box of belongings, mostly clothes I had with me from my trip to Colombia, to an address in Philadelphia. I boxed them up on Friday evening but couldn’t send them until the office opened at 9.30am. When I got there, the queue was enormous and there was only one person serving. So I got away late and found myself riding against the clock on the very first day of my adventure. 

There were some quite long stretches without anywhere to stop. When I could, I stopped at a couple of small grocery stores and a gas station for much needed fluids, consumed in their air conditioning, and a seafood restaurant for lunch, where I had a conch burger. Otherwise I just cycled and took a few pictures. It was a rude awakening after a few months out of the saddle. But a memorable, often very beautiful, and altogether unique cycling experience. I was glad when my 95 miles were over, by which time I had my lights on after a lovely sunset. It may have been a flat ride, but it was relentlessly hard work without any respite. 

I arrived at my Airbnb to be treated fully like a king – nothing less this time – and was fed dinner and plied with margaritas. That was an unexpected treat at the end of an unforgettable day. Needless to say I slept very well.