Getting Ready for the Ride? Bike shipping/rental, transport, housing, and more! FAQs

If you have never raised funds before, $1,250 can seem like a scary amount. You will be surprised how individuals respond to you when you tell them what you are doing and that you need their “help” in achieving your goal.

Visit our fundraising page for more tips and a handy list of ideas!

Here is the medical form required of ALL participants – Riders AND CREW.

Please print and bring the medical form to orientation day November 18th.

SR 18 Medical Form

All orientation day activities will take place in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center.

Parking is available at the Pavia Parking Garage on Thursday (regular hourly parking rates apply). To park, you will need to download an app upon entering the garage and pay by phone (see info below directions).

If you wish to leave you car at the garage Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, parking is $8/day. Again, you will need an app – instructions below directions.  

Directions to the garage and to the student center complex are below. Remember, too, that mass transportation via rail is also an option. For more information on that visit our FAQs here.

Parking at the University is now payable via app. Instructions for downloading and using the app are below. Hourly rates apply on orientation day. We are working on a code for parking for those who may be leaving cars Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and will update. There will be an $8/day fee charged for parking those days.

Coming from out of town or out of state? We are an easily accessible South Florida destination. While the closest airport is Miami International, you may find better pricing for flights into nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International .

With either one, you won’t need a car! There are inexpensive Uber or Lyft options as well as public transportation.
Our TRI-RAIL /Metrorail public transportation system runs North and South from northern most West Palm Beach to Miami (map, right). You can catch Tri-Rail at Ft Lauderdale Airport, then transfer at the TRI-RAIL/METRORAIL Transfer Station. Take Metrorail to the University of Miami stop (see map below).

From Miami airport, just take the Metrorail right to the University of Miami stop.
(map left)

See their website links highlighted for schedules.

Tri-Rail and Metrorail will drop you off right at the University!

More information to follow. But here is an overview.
The University of Miami is easily accessible from all major airports, and up and down the east coast, by rail.

TRI-RAIL Runs North and South from West Palm Beach to Miami. Get on and head south. You can even catch it at Ft Lauderdale Airport!  Transfer at the TRI-RAIL/METRORAIL Transfer Station.

Visit http://www.tri-rail.com for schedules.

From the TRI-RAIL/METRORAIL Transfer Station, Metrorail runs south right to the University of Miami! Also has routes from/to the Miami Airport!

Click here for Metrorail schedules.

Where do I stay before or after the ride? Are there any deals to be had? –
Good News! We have once again partnered with DelMay and Partners for SMART Ride 16 to help with all our hotel needs. Below is the link to the current list of participating hotels. We are still awaiting pricing information for some. And more sites  may be added as they become available. You may even consider reaching out to team mates or other riders or crew members to share a room and save!

Delmay Partners – Hotels before and after the Ride

WHY?  seems to be the first question on everyone’s mind. It’s really very simple and below we will outline all the great reasons.

1. It’s Pretty. Seriously the campus is beautiful, tree lined streets, a youthful feel about being amongst 15,000 University students.
2. Convenience. Many options on getting to the University of Miami. You can arrive by car, or by train, yes we said train! You can even bring your bicycle on the Tri-Rail and Metro Mover. You can leave your car over the weekend for only $8. (more on that at a later time)
3. Food. As you may remember it’s hard to get food on Orientation Day in the past. Moving to the University you will now have choices like Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Subway, Mexican Food, Chinese Food, the Rathskeller and more.
4. Education. AIDS has no season and AIDS has no limitations on who can get infected. Did you know that youth ages 16-24 are the largest group of individuals becoming infected. Our  presence on campus helps raise awareness, helps raise dialogue, helps educate and with the a commitment to providing volunteers, we hope to attract future leaders to our cause and next year maybe we will see a UM SMART Ride Team.
5. Costs. It looks like the move to the University will be budget neutral and they are letting us bring in our friends from Olive Garden!!!!

What will be different?  

• We are still 165 miles
• Orientation Day will mostly take place in air-conditioned comfort
• We are still traveling from Miami to Key West
• We are still giving 100% of every dollar you raise back to AIDS Service Organizations around Florida
• We will still be using MorningStar for the week before you all arrive to prepare
• Our friends at MorningStar will be around on Orientation Day, and our friend Sue DeFarri will once again speak at opening ceremonies

So you see what matters doesn’t change and we hope what does makes you feel great.

Some basic information we have been asked

1. Orientation Day  Field House located at 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146 across from the Metro Mover University Stop.
2. Parking All participants parking on Thursday will use the Pavia Garage. Leaving your car for the weekend will also park at the Pavia garage (more info as we get closer) for $8 for the weekend.
3. Dedication Ceremonies/Candlelight Vigil and Dinner Will take place at the Lakeside Patio Stage. (we will give you directions when you arrive)
4. Ride Out Will take place in front of the Convocation Center located at 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146. Times won’t change and temporary parking will be provided for guests arriving to see you off.
5. Host Hotels Each of our host hotels remains a close drive to the new starting location (within 15 minutes) and in some cases are shorter distance than before.

As with every year, we will be tweaking the schedule for Orientation Day.   The general flow and process of the day, will be unchanged. A detailed orientation day schedule will be sent to all participants as soon as it is finalized.

!!IF YOU ARE REGISTERED FOR THE RIDE YOU STILL MUST ALSO REGISTER FOR HOUSING!!!

On Friday night of the ride, rooms are provided in Hawks Cay, Florida. Registration for these rooms will open on September 23rd.  You will receive an email asking you to log in and choose your room mates.

• 4-6 People per room
• Private bathroom and air conditioning.
• The beautiful pool area, manicured grounds, and waterfront.
• There is NO additional cost for these accommodations to riders or crew (unless you upgrade).

For Thursday night before the ride, and, Saturday night following the conclusion of the ride, check the housing page for recommendations on where to stay.

We love cars, we think they are efficient and so helpful, but on The SMART Ride limiting the number of vehicles that are on the road and in our pit stops and at the hotel is a goal. Why you ask?

• Our rest stops are not very large
• Keeping as much traffic out of these stops helps prevent the chances of cars accidentally converging with bicycles
• Car doors are dangerous
• Accidentally backing up and running over a parked bike or bicyclist

For crew members, each team captain is asked to check with their crew and minimize the vehicles that are on the ride. Please work with us on this safety issue. If you do have a vehicle that is approved for the event, you will receive an “official” signage indicating where you will be allowed to use the vehicle and where it will be permuted on the side. If you are on the route with your vehicle we asked that you call dispatch for approval to stop at a pit stop prior to entering, if the pit stop is full or crowded you may be asked to continue on.

Where do riders an crew leave cars in Miami during the ride?
The University of Miami (our starting location) allows participants to leave their personal vehicles at their Pavia Garage until Sunday November 18th. The cost is $8/day and payable via an app you download when entering the garage. If you believe you will be staying longer in Key West we recommend you make arrangements with the hotel you are staying at in Miami to leave your car there. Please make sure they know so that they can placard it and not tow it as a “delinquent” vehicle.

Post Ride Transportation for riders and crew:
Transportation will be provided once again by Delmay and Partners. See information below. To secure a spot, please complete the form and payment information at this link .

Bus Information:

• Departs, Sunday,  November 17th, 2019.
• Arrive at Key West High School by 9am.
• Bus departs at 10am sharp and can not wait for any late comers.
• Cost is $65 per person.
• The cost includes one bicycle per reservation, extra bicycles will cost $25.
• Bicycles, will need to be dropped off after closing ceremonies on Saturday, November 16th at Indigenous Park across from the White Street Pier. There will be a truck that will be marked as “Bikes returning to University of Miami.”
• After submitting the attached form, you will receive confirmation from Delmay and Partners that the form was successfully received and processed. If you have questions you can call Delmay and Partners at 954-744-8396.

**All bikes shipped back to The University of Miami, must have someone to receive it on Sunday afternoon, we are not liable for bicycles that are not claimed at the University of Miami.

Want to send your bike ahead? We will help make it easy

Once again, Downtown Bicycles will assist the ride and you with your bike shipping needs. This year, they are offering four options to help you get your bike to where it needs to be, whether you’re out of state or close by! And Downtown Bicycles will be donating back a portion of all fees charged for their services to the SMART Ride!

To reserve your rental or bike transport CLICK HERE

Option 1: To ship your bike to Fort Lauderdale for the ride:

• Ship to Downtown Bicycles to arrive one week before ride orientation day. The fee for assembly and adjustments is $70. Bikes will be at registration by noon on orientation day.

• You are responsible for shipping Downtown Bicycles with your bike packed in an appropriate box. Mark the box AND tag your bike with your name and rider number.

Option 2: To ship your bike back to you after the ride:

• Downtown Bicycles will bring the bike from Key West, disassemble and package your bike, the fee is $70. Bikes will ship back to riders (in the box they were received in) during the week immediately following the ride.
• You are responsible for providing a prepaid return shipping label to Downtown Bicycles..
  Be sure to include return shipping label with bike WHEN SHIPPED DOWN.

Option 3: To transport your bike to check-in/registration from Fort Lauderdale:

• Live fairly close but want to get your assembled bike to registration/check-in from Fort Lauderdale? The fee is $30. Bikes must be at Downtown Bicycles by Wednesday of Ride week. Bikes will be at registration by noon on orientation day.

Option 4: To transport your bike back to Fort Lauderdale after the ride:

• Want to get your assembled bike back to Fort Lauderdale from Key West after the ride? The fee is $50. Bikes will be available for pick at Downtown Bicycles the Sunday immediately following the ride (11AM – 4PM) and during regular business hours. BIKES MUST BE PICKED UP NO LATER THAN November 30th.

Payment is due one week before the ride (November 9th). No refunds for “no shows” once payment has been processed.

To get more information or to ask questions, please fill out the bike shipping form below. If you need to reach out to Downtown Bicycles directly you can be reached by e-mailing at Christy@downtownbicycles.com or by calling Christy at (754)265-7872

 Bikes – Rental
For bike rental, we have once again partnered with Key Largo Bike Tours and Rentals. Perfect for the athlete on the go who wants to fly into town, get their bike at registration and drop off right after the ride. For more information and to reserve our rental, click here.

Downtown Bicycles a legacy sponsor also has a number of bikes available to rent both Carbon Fiber and Aluminum. For more information contact Christy Falco or by calling Christy at 754-265-7872

To reserve your rental or bike transport CLICK HERE

Basic Information for rental from Downtown Bicycles:

Rentals
Rental for aluminum bikes – 199.00.  The bike will be picked up at UM Thursday and dropped off in KW at Pier at the closing ceremony Saturday. Click here to book with Downtown Bicycles

Rental for carbon bike – 275.00. The bike will be picked up at UM Thursday and dropped off in KW at Truman Pier at the closing ceremony Saturday.

Bike Build/Transport

I will be dropping my bike off/picking up at –

___  Downtown Bicycles South

___  Downtown Bicycles North

I would like Downtown Bicycles to:

Assemble my bike in Fort Lauderdale and pick-up from DTB – $70

Disassemble, ship back to me after the ride (I will provide pre-paid shipping label) – $70

Transport my bike from Fort Lauderdale to Registration/Check-In  – $30

Transport my bike from Key West to Fort Lauderdale  – $50

I want Downtown Bicycles to do all of these things and get a discount – $185

We encourage you to make your arrangements as early as possible.

Want to send your bike ahead? We will help make it easy

Once again, Downtown Bicycles will assist the ride and you with your bike shipping needs. This year, they are offering four options to help you get your bike to where it needs to be, whether you’re out of state or close by! And Downtown Bicycles will be donating back a portion of all fees charged for their services to the SMART Ride!

Option 1: To ship your bike to Fort Lauderdale for the ride:

• Ship to Downtown Bicycles to arrive one week before ride Orientation Day. The fee for assembly and adjustments is $70. Bikes will be at registration by noon on orientation day.

• You are responsible for shipping to Downtown Bicycle with your bike packed in an appropriate box. Mark the box AND tag your bike with your name and rider number.

Option 2: To ship your bike back to you after the ride:

• Downtown Bicycles will bring the bike from Key West, disassemble and package your bike, the fee is $70. Bikes will ship back to riders (in the box they were received in) during the week immediately following the ride.
• You can provide a prepaid return shipping label to Downtown Bicycles. Or we can transport your bike through Bikeflights (i.e. FedEx) and will bill after the Ride.

Option 3: To transport your bike to check-in/registration from Fort Lauderdale:

• Live fairly close but want to get your assembled bike to registration/check-in from Fort Lauderdale? The fee is $30. Bikes must be at Downtown Bicycles by Wednesday of ride week. Bikes will be at registration by noon on orientation day.

Option 4: To transport your bike back to Fort Lauderdale after the ride:

• Want to get your assembled bike back to Fort Lauderdale from Key West after the ride? The fee is $50. Bikes will be available for pick at Downtown Bicycles the Sunday immediately following the ride (11 AM – 4 PM) and during regular business hours. BIKES MUST BE PICKED UP NO LATER THAN November 30th.

To get more information or to ask questions, please fill out the bike shipping form below. If you need to reach out to Downtown Bicycles directly you can be reached by e-mailing at Christy@downtownbicycles.com or by calling Christy at (754)265-7872‬. There are also rental bikes available, call for information.