DC Randonneurs

The DC Randonneurs fleche will be held on the weekend of April 12-15, 2012. A fleche (French for “arrow”), is a team event in which each team rides different routes toward a common finish location, like arrows toward a target. The minimum ride distance is 360 km, which must be covered in a period of 24 hours.

Most people who have done a fleche consider it to be one of their favorite randonneuring events since riding together as a team for 24 straight hours builds strong bonds between team members, and is great fun. This year we have scheduled the fleche for a week after the Easter weekend. The target this year is again the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA, where the teams will meet for a hearty post-ride breakfast.

Note that although teams can start their rides at any time between noon on Thursday and 10AM on Saturday, most teams will want to start at about 7AM on Saturday morning so that they can finish at 7AM on Sunday morning and join together for the celebration breakfast. The cost of the Sunday-morning breakfast is included in the fee for teams that finish on Sunday morning.

The fleche has its own set of rules that are somewhat different, and perhaps even more arcane, than those for a standard brevet. Some of them are summarized here:

• Each team must consist of three to five bicycles. (Note that a tandem counts as a single bicycle, so teams will sometimes contain more than five riders.)
• Teams can start at any time between noon on Thursday and 10AM on Saturday, and must finish 24 hours later. (However, as stated above, we encourage teams to finish between 6AM-8AM on Sunday morning so that they can join together for the brunch.)
• The traditional fleche route starts at some distant location and then heads for the target, but a loop route is also allowed, as long as the start location is far enough from the finish to be considered as a different postal jurisdiction.
• As in a standard brevet, the routes must contain control locations chosen so that the shortest bicycle-legal route through the controls is equal to at least the minimum distance of 360 km. However, the fleche has an additional requirement that one of the controls must occur exactly 22 hours after the start and be at least 25 km from the finish. Note that this requirement, as well as the one that states that no rest stops can be longer than 2 hours, ensures that teams take nearly the full 24 hours to complete the ride.

A full understanding of the rules, especially for the 22-hour control is essential for achieving a successful finish. Team captains are welcome to contact me with questions. And many experienced captains even recommend bringing a printed copy of the rules on the ride since they can be hard to recall at 4 in the morning.

To participate in this special event, riders should start forming teams now. Each team must have a captain who is responsible for designing the route and submitting it for approval.  The schedule will be:

• March 12: Applications from captains due to RBA including 1) captain’s application form, 2) start date, time, and location, 3) map of route, 4) cue sheet, and 5) names, addresses, and phone numbers for the controls. The route information can be submitted electronically to cba@dcrand.org in PDF, MS Word, or MS Excel format. Route files from DeLorme Topo, Garmin Mapsource, or MS Streets and Trips will also be appreciated, but not required.
• March 31: Final rosters, rider applications, and waivers due from team captains to RBA. Deadline for final route approval.
• April 6: Control cards sent to captains
• April 12-15: Fleche

The application form for captains is available here, and for team members here. Team captains are responsible for collecting applications and waivers from their team members and submitting them on time. In other words, team members should send the forms to their captains, and then the captains should submit them as a group. The information part of the application is a fillable PDF form that can be emailed directly, but the waiver parts must be printed, signed, and then either scanned and emailed, or snail-mailed. The application fee of $10 includes the post-ride buffet at the Marriott.

Please contact Bill Beck ( cba@dcrand.org ) with any questions. We also have many experienced fleche captains in the club who would be excellent sources of advice. If you are thinking of forming a team or looking for a team to join, the dcrand listserve is one good way to connect with other riders.

Planning and training are essential for finishing and enjoying a fleche. So I encourage all new teams to schedule at least one or two shakedown rides together, perhaps on a 200K (or even 300K) permanent route.

The cue sheet for the Woodbine Wallop 200km RUSA brevet, starting at the Woodbine McDonalds at 7:00AM on December 10, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet -20111210 Woodbine Wallop 200K Brevet.

The ride starts from the Woodbine McDonalds at 7:00am. Registration will also be inside the McDonalds starting at 6:00am. Park in the Park & Ride shown on the map. Those of you who remember registering in the cold and dark of the Park & Ride lot may appreciate registering inside the nice warm McDonalds. Why not come early enough to get a hearty breakfast before the ride?

Everybody should bring lights and reflective gear to this ride. The days are short enough now that lights will likely be needed at the start, and most riders will finish after dark. But that’s usually a treat on this ride because many houses are lit up for Christmas!

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 - 20111210 Woodbine Wallop 200K Brevet.

The cue sheet for the Flatbread 200K RUSA brevet, starting at the Good Guys Pizza in Centreville, MD at 7:00AM on November 12, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet -20111112 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.

Since the coffee shop in Milton, DE was pretty crowded last year, the Milton Control will be an “open” control this year, meaning that you can choose any business in Milton. But you must get a receipt from that business. If the receipt does not include the name and address of the business, write it on your control card.

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 - 20111112 Flatbread 200K Brevet.

The cue sheet for the North by Northwest 200K RUSA brevet starting at the Frederick Roy Rogers  at 7:00AM on October 22, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20111022 North by Northwest 200K Brevet. Be sure to park as far from the businesses in the shopping center as possible. Registration will start at 6:15AM in the Roy Rogers. (The Roy Rogers opens at 6AM if you would like to get some breakfast before registering.)

The route is also entered in Ride with GPS :

The link to the GPS route 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.

GPS files are posted at GPS Files - 20111022 North by Northwest 200K Brevet. There was a right turn where one of the two GPS units on the checkout ride failed to follow the turn. So pay attention to the cue sheet!

The cue sheet for the Cacapon 200K RUSA brevet starting at the Super 8 in Middletown, VA at 7:00AM on September 17, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 10110917 Cacapon 200K Brevet. Be sure to park as far from the motel entrance as possible. Registration will start at 6:00AM in the motel lobby.

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.

GPS files are posted at GPS Files - 20110917 Cacapon 200K Brevet.

If you’re a “flatlander,” you’ll love this ride. Even if you’re not, you’ll love the sights and sounds of the Eastern Shore in the Fall. It is a vast departure from the Blue Ridge Mountains where we spend so many hours on the bike, in and out of the saddle, working hard to get up those 15 %er’s. This ride will not challenge your climbing abilities, but it will still challenge you in other ways, like – the constant wind! Seems there’s always a headwind. A nice paceline with someone else on the front can help with all of that, though!

The ride starts at the Good Guys Sports Bar in the town of  Centreville, Maryland  and passes through a couple of marshy basins before heading toward the bay / ocean at Slaughter Beach. If the flat terrain has you dozing off, there is a great little coffee shop, Dolce Coffee, in Milford, DE, that will give you the energy you need to press on. Their coffee and pastries are wonderful. At about halfway is Slaughter Beach - a point on the map where the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean converge. And, due east 12-13 miles, is Cape May, NJ. – if you feel like a swim. If you don’t, at least check out the view of the water before you head back inland.

After the Slaughter Beach Control, you have only 10 miles to the next Control in Milton. There are a few good lunch stops in Milton, DE, like Iguana Grill, Federal Street Expresso Bar, Irish Eyes, and a convenience store. Milton is also the home of the Dogfish Head Brewery if you feel like a tour is needed or just go and sample the beer. No food, though. Be in and out in 30 minutes or less. Or, if you’re in one those fast pacelines, enjoy yourselves a bit longer. You’ll make up the time on the road.

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

The cue sheet for the Middletown (Shenandoah) ACP 600K brevet starting at the Middletown Super 8 in Middletown, VA at 4:00AM on June 4, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20110604 Middletown 600K Brevet. Park near the sides of the Super 8, and far from the front entrance. Registration will take place at the Super 8 from 6-8PM on Friday and from 3-4AM on Saturday. Lights and reflective gear are required so bring your bike and reflective gear to registration for inspection.

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.

GPS files are posted at GPS Files - 20110604 Middletown 600km Brevet.