DC Randonneurs

The Tappahannock 200K is a mellow ride to balance the challenging Paul’s Paradise ride that was held in December. Starting from the historic town of Ashland, VA, (The Center of the Universe) the ride heads east toward river country. Leaving Ashland, the first few miles pass through signs of modern times: gas stations, truck stops and fast food joints. When the route turns at the antique store Two Frogs on a Bike the surroundings seem to go back to the time of quiet roads and rural atmosphere. The rolling terrain levels out as the route approaches the Rappahannock River and the town of Tappahannock. After the control and lunch at Java Jack, the route leaves Tappahannock and the rolling hills continue with an occasional short, steep climb. Ten miles before the final control there is a five mile stretch of easily traveled, unpaved road that meanders around the congestion of modern Ashland to the finish.

The cue sheet for the Paul’s Paradise 200K RUSA brevet, starting at the McDonalds in Poolesville, MD at 7:00AM on December 12, 2009 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20091212 Pauls Paradise 200K Brevet.

Registration opens in the McDonalds at 6:00am. Park in the nearby shopping center as far from the stores as possible as shown on the map. The ride will end at Cugini’s Pizza in the shopping center.

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.

A map for the route is posted at Map - 20091212 Pauls Paradise 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.

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 - 20091212 Pauls Paradise 200K Brevet.

This is a new brevet based on Crista’s permanent route of the same name. Starting relatively close to DC from the McDonalds in Poolesville, MD, we head north into Frederick County to the first major climb over Marlu Ridge. Our efforts are then rewarded by the panoramic view of the beautiful Middletown Valley as we descend into Jefferson. Continuing north through the hilly and very scenic valley, it’s not long before we encounter the formidable climb up Harp Hill. Riders will enjoy a break at the first control in Wolfsville before the (easy!) climb on MD17 over South Mountain. Next, a delightful, swoopy descent takes us down into the Cumberland Valley and we head into Pennsylvania on bucolic country roads, eventually arriving at our turn-around control at Paul’s Country Market just north of Waynesboro. Paul’s has a good deli, a wide choice of foods to round out your lunch, and a hard-to-resist selection of bakery items. The grounds are lovely, with three picnic tables in a shaded grassy area, and a small dining room (”Paul’s Lunch Bucket”) is available in case it’s rainy and/or cold and riders prefer to eat inside. After lunch, we’ll climb back over South Mountain on Old 16 and Buena Vista, “working” our way over to a wild ride down Spruce Run Road to the next control at Delauter’s store on Wolfsville Road. The return route continues through Middletown and follows familiar roads back to Poolesville. While this ride features several very steep climbs and low gearing is highly recommended, the last 9 miles are some of the easiest riding there is in this general area and you’re sure to finish with smiles on your faces! The final control is at Cugini’s, where we’ll feast on truly fantastic pizza.

The cue sheet for the Flatbread 200K RUSA brevet, starting at the Good Guys Pizza in Centreville, MD at 7:00AM on November 14, 2009 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20091114 Flatbread 200K Brevet.

The ride starts from the parking lot of the Good Guys Pizza at 7:00am. Registration will also be at Good Guys and opens at 6:00am. Parking will not be permitted in the Good Guys parking lot, but there is ample parking along the streets and there is a public lot within a 2 minute walk or 30 second ride from the start. There is no restroom facility available at the start, so please find one on the way in. If you use Route 213 north from Route 301, there is a McDonalds on the right 1 mile north from the exit. If you’re coming in from the North, there is a truck stop at the intersection of Rts 304 and 301.

There is no registration fee for this ride. But at the final Control at Good Guys, there will be Pizza and drinks available for a $5.00 charge. Or you can order a nice dinner of your choosing.

A map for the route is posted at Map - 20091114 Flatbread 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 - 20091114 Flatbread 200K Brevet.

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!