DC Randonneurs

The cue sheet for the Frederick 300km ACP Brevet, starting at the Frederick Days Inn at 5:00AM on May 4, 2013 is now posted at in various formats at 2013_dcr_300km_frederick_cue1.zip

Parking:  Riders will need to park in the Days Inn truck parking gravel lot.  In the map that is linked to above, I think I have correctly identified this with a big arrow and the letter “P”.  The entrance is off of Grove Rd just a little down from the Days Inn.  Look for a sign that says Days Inn Truck Parking.  Park at the back of the lot.

Registration will be in the breakfast area of the Days Inn starting at 4am.  This is near the green exclamation park on the map.

Lights and reflective gear are required for this ride so when you come to registration please be sure to bring your reflective gear and ensure that you have the required front and rear lights mounted on your bicycle.  In addition to bike inspection the morning of the event, there will also be a bike inspection available Friday night from 8pm to 9pm.

The link to the GPS files is posted below. But please read this information before downloading them. Always get a copy of the final cue sheet. That final cue sheet contains the official route, so in case there is a conflict with the GPS file, you should resolve the conflict in favor of the cue sheet. Use the GPS as a handy-dandy adjunct. Keep your wits about you, as the GPS cannot notify you of road hazards — it is up to you to ride safely.We strongly recommend that you set your GPS to the settings below. We cannot guarantee that these will keep you on the official route, but if you have your GPS set some other way, it is entirely possible that it will take you off route, possibly onto unsafe roads. Go to the Setup->Routing page and set as follows:

Guidance Method: Follow Road
Follow Road Method: Shortest Distance
Next Turn Pop-Up: On
Follow Road Options:
Off Route Recalculation: Prompted
Calculation Method: Best Route
Calculate Routes for: Car/Motorcycle
Avoid: (set to none – the route itself should control this)

By the way … make sure that your GPS either has maps already downloaded, or select the relevant maps around the routes. The GPS files are posted at 2013_dcr_300km_frederick_gps.zip.

A RidewithGPS version that may be useful for people using certain Garmin Edge GPS’s and/or other GPS’s is posted here.   NOTE: This should be considered highly experimental.  There is a fair amount of info at RWGPS’s website about which format to download for the type of GPS that you have.  Note that if you download a track to your GPS then there may be a limit to the number of points that your GPS can accept: Mine can only handle 500 points.  I do not have any of these types of GPS’s so no way to experiment.  Please report back on your experience if you download something from RWGPS.  Let me know the type of GPS you have and the type of format that you downloaded and how well it worked for you.

Starting from the Frederick Day’s Inn (parking directions to be provided later), we follow almost the same route as last year. The Frederick 300km route–designed by Crista Borras–heads north, skirting South Mountain as far as Thurmont and then turns west to climb the ridge on MD77 through Catoctin Mountain State Park. Just short of the summit, it heads roughly north-north-east into Pennsylvania and through the rolling apple and peach orchards of Adams County. From Arendtsville, it turns northwest and begins a long, stair-step climb with many steep sections, ascending the false summit before Big Flat (altitude 1650 feet) before a rapid descent to a stop sign at Pine Grove Rd, followed by the real climb to the summit of Big Flat (altitude 2040 feet). Nine miles of mostly downhill brings riders to a much needed rest stop and control in Shippensburg. By this time, you’ve done about half the climbing of the ride, so keep your spirits up, it does get a little easier.  The terrain moderates in the Cumberland valley to the northeast toward Plainfield, heads east and south through Mount Holly Springs, then recrosses South Mountain (by a noticeably easier route) and takes several miles of easy rollers to East Berlin. The final miles remain mellow, heading southwest to Thurmont (with many stores if you need to refuel) and ending with a few rollers paralleling US15 before the finish in Frederick. This route has about the same amount of climbing as the Warrenton 300km, but while Warrenton has no “big” climbs (bigger than 400 feet), Frederick has three big climbs totalling around 3000 feet.

There are many stop-lights going through Frederick. Please respect these as the cross traffic is sometimes fast and hard to see. Going out through downtown Frederick in the morning is especially nice. Watch for traffic when you return to Frederick as it will likely be heavier that going out.

Lights and reflective gear are required as described in Article 10 of the RUSA rules for riders, and there will be a lighting inspection at registration from 4AM to 5AM on the morning of the ride. (No Friday evening registration or inspection.)

Controls: Frederick, Cascade, Shippensburg, Plainfield, East Berlin, Frederick.

The tentative route is shown here, subject to revision after the checkout ride.

Ride results for the Warrenton 300km are posted at http://www.dcrand.org/dcr/results.php  Please check that your result is correct before I repost these to RUSA.
Twenty-nine riders set off on what turned out to be a somewhat chilly but sunny day.  All but one finished successfully.  Some riders did not get their money’s worth, finishing in less than the time limit of a 200km.  This is a beautiful route, designed by Lynn Kristianson, I think.  The dogwoods and other flowering trees were beautiful as were the views of the Shenandoahs both from near and afar.  We think there were five riders who finished their first 300km: Scott Cone, John Fox, Steve Harding, Steve Martin, and Jerrod Mason.

Thanks to ride organizer George Moore, volunteers George Winkert and Mike Wali who rode checkout, Bill Dennen and David Ripton who helped check-in riders and staffed the secret control, and Barry McMahon who made a supply run at the end to restock drinks.  Several riders, notably Maile Neel, had cue sheet suggestions.  One cue sheet suggestion that several noted was to not put the cue for an info control at the top of the next page — that was my fault, when I reformatted to correct the page break locations, I accidentally shifted the info control to the next page.  We’ve revised the cue sheet accordingly so it’ll be ready for next year’s checkout riders to double-check against conditions on the ground.  Please feel free to make cue sheet suggestions anytime you notice anything.
Several riders have posted photos.  Bill Beck: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wabeck/sets/72157633293473811/.

Ed Felker and Mary Gersema:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8193389@N06/sets/72157633296516118/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gersema/sets/72157633291490277/

George Moore: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55818138@N03/collections/72157633296300682/
Next up:  The Frederick 300km on May 4 at 5 am.  Pre-registration deadline is midnight April 27th.  This ride has what I consider the best descent of any of our rides.  It is long and swoopy enough to be fast and fun for a long time, but not so twisty or steep as to keep you on the brakes very much.  Of course you have to climb Big Flat, first.
See you on the road,

Nick Bull

CBA/RBA

The cue sheet for the Warrenton 300km ACP Brevet, starting at the Warrenton Hampton Inn at 5:00AM on April 20, 2013 is now posted at Cue Sheets.

Lights and reflective gear are required for this ride so when you come to registration please be prepared for the light and safety inspection:  bring your reflective gear and ensure that you have the required front and rear lights mounted to your bicycle.

Registration opens inside the Hampton Inn Saturday morning at 4:00 AM.  Please park far from the hotel entrance.  Here are some route comments:

• Most information controls have moved.
• The Orange Control is an OPEN control — GET RECEIPTS!!
• The last 1.5 miles have changed to a lower traffic route.
• The GPS files do NOT break at INFO controls.  Be careful not to miss them.

There are three potential hazards that we found to look out for (noted on cues).

1. Mile 63.1 — Right before the stop sign at the bottom to the descent on Etlan Rd approaching Syria, they have trenched for a culvert and it’s covered with loose gravel.
2. Mile 76.6-79.8 — especially at 78.3 — There is active logging on Lillard Fords Rd.  There may be heavy vehicles on the road either logging machines or log hauling trucks.
3. Mile 164.2 The descent to Kelly’s Ford is rough and there are ridges parallel to the line of travel.  These are especially hard to see in the dark.

The link to the GPS files is posted below. But please read this information before downloading them. Always get a copy of the final cue sheet. That final cue sheet contains the official route, so in case there is a conflict with the GPS file, you should resolve the conflict in favor of the cue sheet. Use the GPS as a handy-dandy adjunct. Keep your wits about you, as the GPS cannot notify you of road hazards — it is up to you to ride safely.We strongly recommend that you set your GPS to the settings below. We cannot guarantee that these will keep you on the official route, but if you have your GPS set some other way, it is entirely possible that it will take you off route, possibly onto unsafe roads. Go to the Setup->Routing page and set as follows:

Guidance Method: Follow Road
Follow Road Method: Shortest Distance
Next Turn Pop-Up: On
Follow Road Options:
Off Route Recalculation: Prompted
Calculation Method: Best Route
Calculate Routes for: Car/Motorcycle
Avoid: (set to none – the route itself should control this)

By the way … make sure that your GPS either has maps already downloaded, or select the relevant maps around the routes. The GPS files are posted at GPS Files.

Results for the Suffolk to Skippers 200km are posted here.  Please check that your time is recorded correctly and contact me otherwise:

Many thanks to Keith Sutton for organizing this ride (designing the route, riding the checkout ride, etc).  Here is his ride summary: 15 riders completed the inaugural Suffolk-Skippers 200k under sunny skies with mild temps and light winds. With these conditions and a relatively flat course, riders were able to achieve very fast times with all completing the route in under 10 hours. Big thanks to local randonneuse Kim Aldridge who met riders at the turn around with home baked treats and water allowing them to keep rolling.

Next rides are the 300 km’s:  April 20th, Warrenton; May 4th Frederick; May 11th Suffolk to Skippers.

We will be posting the cue sheet and GPS file for the Warrenton 300km in the next couple of days, after getting feedback from the pre-riders who are out there today.

Pre-registration for the Warrenton 300km closes Saturday at midnight, by which time payment must have been received.

Starting at the Warrenton Hampton Inn, the route explores the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont from Warrenton to Old Rag, to points south. The first 120 miles are somewhat hilly and the route becomes more rolling for the last 70-80 miles.

After a brief stretch on VA17, we take the “back” way out of Warrenton on Blantyre Road and then riders will head west to Marshall and ride the many ups, downs, and stunning early morning vistas on Crest Hill Road all the way into Flint Hill. More hills and more terrific scenery await the riders on the way to Washington VA. Turning west toward the foot of the Blue Ridge, the scenery just keeps getting better on a long rolling stretch on VA231 which brings the riders to a detour toward Old Rag and a control at the Syria Mercantile. Continuing south, the riders skirt Madison, crossing US29, and pick up the route to Elly, Aroda and Old Somerset. Returning to route 231, riders head into Gordonsville and then continue farther south. The route then turns east through the more mellow terrain of Louisa county on VA22. After heading north for a control in Orange (don’t miss the great milkshakes!), riders return to Warrenton through gentler terrain via Batna, Lignum, Kelly’s Ford and Remington.

Climb:  The Warrenton 300K is flatter than the Urbana 200K.   While the Warrenton 300K is 50% longer, the  total climb on this 300K is only about ~6% more than the total on Urbana 200K.  So the Urbana ride was good preparation for this 300K.

Start Services:  DCR will provide light snack fare at the start.  No restroom facilities on site.  Try the Sheetz just across HWY 29/211.

Finish Services:  DCR will provide pizza, drinks, and a few snacks at the finish.  The club has also rented a hotel room for the finish.  Please bring your own towels (etc.) if you want to shower there. 

En-route Services:  See the cues for services en-route, both at controls and at other locations. 

Controls: Warrenton, Syria, Aroda, Lindsay, Orange, Warrenton

Unofficial On-Line map on Ride with GPS

Three ride reports from last year are posted on the DCRand Stories page under “300K”:

The cue sheets for the Suffolk to Skippers 200km, starting at 1238 Holland road, Suffolk, VA at the Holland Plaza Shopping Center at 7:00AM on April, 2013 are now posted at Cue Sheet ZIP File.  The versions named “2Up” are set up to be displayed folded in half in the map case of a handlebar bag.  The other versions are our usual cue sheets for folding in quarters.

Registration opens at 6:00am.  Coming from US 58, Holland Plaza will be on your left. Park near the Rite-Aid near the now closed Food Lion.

While lights and reflective gear are not required for this ride, it’s always a good idea to bring them just in case. Some riders might finish the ride after sunset (~19:40).

The link to the GPS files is posted below. But please read this information before downloading them. Always get a copy of the final cue sheet. That final cue sheet contains the official route, so in case there is a conflict with the GPS file, you should resolve the conflict in favor of the cue sheet. Use the GPS as a handy-dandy adjunct. Keep your wits about you, as the GPS cannot notify you of road hazards — it is up to you to ride safely.

We strongly recommend that you set your GPS to settings like those below. We cannot guarantee that these will keep you on the official route, but if you have your GPS set some other way, it is entirely possible that it will take you off route, possibly onto unsafe roads. Go to the Setup->Routing page and set as follows:

Guidance Method: Follow Road
Follow Road Method: Shortest Distance
Next Turn Pop-Up: On
Follow Road Options:
Off Route Recalculation: Prompted
Calculation Method: Best Route
Calculate Routes for: Car/Motorcycle
Avoid: (set to none – the route itself should control this)

By the way … make sure that your GPS either has maps already downloaded, or select the relevant maps around the routes. The GPS files are posted at GPS ZIP File.