Tampa, FL - For those who know little about Tampa, or who have never visited this growing city in west central Florida, here's the real scoop:

1) The weather here is awful from May to October - very hot - unless that's your thing, then you'll love the Summer.  However, from November to May, unless we're having a spell of bad luck (warm fronts!) the weather can be spectacular.  Today, October 27, is one of those wonderful mornings... Cool temperatures (for those of you in the north, that means 70's) with a slight breeze, low humidity, and clear blue skies.  If you're planning a visit, the time to come is early December - before the big crowds - which will increase the odds of great weather.

2) The south Tampa area is surrounded by water - the Hillsborough Bay to the east and the Tampa Bay to the west, with a river or two flowing gently into the bays.  This makes boating here a very popular recreational activity.  The bays connect to the Gulf of Mexico via the waters under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  Plus, many homes here have in-ground pools.

3) If you're into watching sports, the Tampa area is blessed with 3 professional sports teams of note: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Tampa Bay Rays.  All are fun to watch and the Rays and Lightning ownership seem very committed to winning championships.  The Buccaneers ownership group seems happy with the championship they won several years ago, and has not recently taken the steps necessary to properly compete - but they're defense is fun to watch.

So, "Come on down!" to quote a 1960's Tropicana Orange Juice commercial.  You'll love our airport, too.

Tampa, FL - I recently came upon a report that said over 31 million Americans described themselves as Avid bicycle riders - those riding for health and wellness.  That's about 10% of the total population of the United States of America, with most falling into a specific demographic pool.  (About 55% were women, educated, over 40, and earned a decent living.)  My initial thought was great... We're getting healthy.

Then, after making a point of looking more closely at people who seemed to match this demographic during my daily errands and travels, I noticed that so many appeared to be very out of shape.  I was puzzled... Could these folks be that out of shape and also ride a bicycle for exercise?  Or, was I only seeing those individual who didn't ride (I guess the others were out riding)?  To satisfy my curiosity, I decided to begin a little experiment and take an informal survey...

If you ride a bicycle on a regular basis for exercise, especially if you're over 35 years old, I'd love to hear from you!  In addition to letting me know if you cycle, I'm also curious about what, if anything, you eat for energy DURING your ride, and what you drink - water, energy drink, other? 

If you'd like to respond to this very informal survey - names, addresses, and phone numbers are unnecessary, and will not be shared or abused in any way - please CLICK HERE.