Sarasota is pretty fun, but Tampa is the definition of awesome, so I left early the next morning. And 41 was awesome the entire ride up.

For some reason, there is a huge (almost an entire other lane!) median from Sarasota to Tampa. I could really relax as cars flew by at 55+ mph. So I kinda looked around a bit on the ride up and took it all in.

When I pulled into the Skatepark of Tampa later that day kids couldn’t believe that I had ridden there from Naples. It just made no sense to one kid, who wanted to know why I just didn’t take a bus. Good question, really.

After peddalling a good 50 miles, I had just about the best skate session anyone could ask for. The Skatepark of Tampa has by far the coolest scene of people who hang out and skate. Every day it’s going off, and no one is really into that whole “gotta go pro” scene. Just fun.

I was exhausted by 9:00, though, and I got on my bike and made the last 10 miles to my friend Billy’s house in the dark. Then slept.

I ended up staying a week in Tampa. Everyone was so nice and hospitable that I just couldn’t leave right away.

On the day before I left, though, there was a best trick competition for two plane tickets to Barcelona at the Skatepark. I didn’t really think I had a chance against the SPOT locals, but I gave it a shot anyways.

I came out and tried a 360 shuv-it and would have landed it first try. But someone had fallen just below the stairs and I couldn’t stay on. Boneless frontside fingerflip over a stair set was the first trick I landed. Not bad. It got me into the round to do the big gap to bank…

Where I proceded to fall apart. I had landed a bluntslide to fakie earlier that day on it, and figured I could pull it again. No such luck. Oh well, guess I won’t be flying to Barcelona anytime soon.

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