ACP 200km brevet - March 27 - Urbana MD
Note: Park at the Urbana Park’n'Ride.
The Urbana 200k reverses direction this year, but quite likely will retain the same degree of difficulty and feet of climbing, if in a different order.
The brevet begins at the Urbana Waffle House (8906 Fingerboard Rd, Frederick, MD 21704). Checkin starts at 6am and the brevet starts at 7am. Get there early and have a hearty breakfast to carry you through the day! From Urbana, the route slides down to the Monocacy and across the valley to the first significant ridge of the Marlu appellation. After the fast descent to Jefferson, there are several creek crossings with the attendant downs and ups and then a fairly easy grade over South Mountain at Gapland.
Several hard rollers involving Antietam Creek and tributaries bring the riders to Sharpsburg and a short tour of Antietam Battlefield. The terrain moderates after this with a gradual rise out to Williamsport for a control at the KOA on the beautiful Conococheague Creek. The route then heads north and loops around Hagerstown on mostly rural roads to a control in State Line PA.
A long slow downhill into Leitersburg passes through dairy farms and across mill creeks until some very hard rollers appear outside of Smithsburg. Then there is the long arduous climb over South Mountain and Catoctin Ridge with a several false summits to keep things interesting. The Frederick county line commences the long descent through Catoctin State Park into Thurmont.
The route does a long flat haul eastward on MD 77 and turns south for a control at the 7-11 in Union Bridge. It will be a welcome break to prepare for the various hills - long and slow and short and steep - from Libertytown to Bartonsville Road. Cresting the last interminable uphill on Bartonsville, there is a brief pause to catch the view before a very long downhill along Reichs Ford Road. One last uphill on Ijamsville brings the riders back to Fingerboard and the final miles to the finish at J & P Pizza.