DC Randonneurs

The cue sheet for the Glen Echo 106km populaire, starting at the Glen Echo Town Hall at 8:00AM on January 23, 2010 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20100123 Glen Echo Populaire.

Registration opens outside the Town Hall at 7:00am. Be sure to park at the indicated location in Glen Echo Park and NOT along the residential streets next to the Town Hall.

 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 - 20100123 Glen Echo Populaire.

The cue sheet for the Tappahannock 200K Brevet, starting at the Ashland Coffee & Tea at 7:00AM on January 9, 2010 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20100109 Tappahannock 200K Brevet.

Registration opens in the parking lot behind the Ashland Coffee and Tea at 6:00am. There are a limited number of parking spaces behind the Ashland Coffee & Tea. Once those are filled, park along Railroad Ave.

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 - 20100109 Tappahannock 200K Brevet. (These files contain an additional route segment starting at Dick’s Country Store called “99 Alt Dick’s to End” that should be used in place of route segment 5  IF we decide that the unpaved section of the original route is too dangerous because of icy conditions. Instructions on which route to use will be given at the start.)

Annual Meeting:

The DC Randonneurs annual meeting will take place at the Glen Echo Town Hall on Saturday, January 23rd at 3:30 pm.  As was the case last year, please park at Glen Echo Park parking lot.  Directions and more details on the meeting will be sent/posted a few days before it takes place.

As usual, the meeting will review last year’s financial results.  We’ll discuss next year’s brevet schedule and volunteer needs.  We need to adopt a budget for next year.  We’ll discuss club administrative issues, such as further work to improve the website.  We’ll recognize volunteer and club member achievements.  Finally, three Board members complete their term of office at this meeting–me, George Winkert, and Chris Mento–though none of them are term limited off the Board.  The Board has yet to discuss the nomination procedure; this will be announced later.

If there is an agenda item that you would like to be considered for the meeting, please email me &/or the Board.

Populaire:

The Annual Meeting 106Km Populaire will be held (not surprisingly) on January 23rd, starting at 8 a.m. from the Glen Echo Park parking lot.  More details will be sent/posted, closer to the ride date.  A populaire follows essentially the same rules as a brevet, but is shorter.  Plus, you can get a populaire pin.  So to all of you with incomplete medal collections, this is your chance to complete it with a populaire pin!

The route is broadly similar to last year’s annual meeting ride.  Starting from Glen Echo, it follows parallel to the Potomac until Seneca Creek State Park, where it turns north toward Hyattstown.  Returning on different roads, it controls in Poolesville, before rejoining the original route at Seneca Creek and following back down the Potomac to Glen Echo.  Probably about 5000 feet of climbing, using last year’s ride as a guide.

Nick Bull
President, DC Randonneurs

The cue sheet for the Cacapon 200K RUSA brevet, starting at the Middletown Super 8 in Middletown, VA at 7:00AM on October 24, 2009 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20091024 Cacapon 200K Brevet.

A map for the route is posted at Map - 20091024 Cacapon 200K Brevet. We will no longer be handing out printed maps at the ride start, so please print this one if you would like to have a map.  It works best printed as a single 11×17″ page, or as two 8 1/2 x 11″ pages.

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 - 20091024 Cacapon 200K Brevet.

Lynn reported that the leaf colors were near peak during the checkout ride, especially maple trees in yards. Some that she noted: halfway up the Green Spring Road climb, an intense red on the right; several brilliant orange standing out against the apple trees in the orchards on 610; 2 multi-colored on the left at the top of the 2nd nasty little up at the start of Christian Church Road; several in the yards along Back Road. The best total color impact was the west slope of Great North Mtn seen from Trout Run near the Perry Store.

She also reported that the deer were out in force because their activity was reduced during the preceding four days of rain. They are very hard to see at this season; their coats are now a grey-brown. So watch out!

Get ready to ride your fastest ever 200K on some of the flattest roads you’ll ever see. You don’t even get rollers! You may actually find a 1% or 2% grade here and there, but the only time you’ll be out of the saddle is when you’re trying to see over the corn rows. This will be a wild departure from the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, but it should be enjoyable and very scenic during this time of year.

The ride starts in the quaint little town of Centreville, Maryland on the eastern shore and passes through a couple of marshy basins before heading toward the ocean at Slaughter Beach. Before you get to the Control at mile 59, you may want to take a left on one of several short roads that give you access to the ocean and dip a toe or two in the Atlantic. Heck, go for a swim if you want. Watch out for sharks!

After the Slaughter Beach Control, you have only 10 miles to the next Control and, if you would like, a nice lunch at the Iguana Grill in Milton, DE. They may even have “Flatbread.” The folks are friendly, the menu is great, and yes, you can still have a nice lunch and have your personal best for a 200K.

Heading back towards Centreville and the final Control, the ride will pass through the Bridgeville Control and into Denton, Maryland. There’s an opportunity to fill your water bottles and grab a snack before the last push into the final Control at the Good Guys Sportsbar in Centreville.