Biking in Sarasota is the Goldilocks of transportation options. It’s not as fast as in a car where the world passes by without notice of sight and smell, and it’s not as slow as walking, which limits our options to experience beautiful, but distant, spaces. You never need much gear since we don’t have the snow of the Northeast or the perpetual rain of the Northwest. And there are no dreaded hills. Biking, therefore, is the perfect way to appreciate our region. Lots of bike riders already know about the popular Legacy Trail (which recently opened a segment between Bahia Vista Street to Proctor Road), so we’ve found five rides off the beaten path, from urban to rural, inland to coastal, that offer variety in scenery and skill level.