DC Randonneurs

The cue sheet for the Frederick ACP 400K brevet  starting at the Ft. Detrick Hampton Inn in Frederick, MD at 4:00AM on May 21, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20110521 Frederick 400K Brevet. Unless you are a paying guest at the Hampton Inn, park in the farthest lot of the Pediatric Center, across Taney Rd from the Hampton entrance, and indicated on the map. (Same place we parked at the May 7 300K.) Registration will take place at the Hampton Inn 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 - 20110521 Frederick 400K Brevet.

The cue sheet for the Warrenton (Old Rag) 200K ACP brevet starting at the Howard Johnsons in Warrenton, VA at 7:00AM on April 23, 2011 is now posted. Be sure to park either at the high school indicated on the map or along Waterloo Rd. Do not park at the HoJos or nearby businesses. Bring lights, especially in case of morning fog or rain.

The normal Old Rag route has a low-water bridge at mile 47.8. Since it may be raining in the days before the brevet, we may need to use a detour around that bridge. Therefore we are providing not one, but three cue sheets. There is a set of cues for the normal route, a set for the detour route, and a combined cue sheet that is based on the normal route, but includes the detour as an alternate. We may not know whether or not we will use the detour until the morning of the start, so if you want to modify and reprint the cues you should either print the combined version or both the normal and detour versions so that you are prepared for whatever route decision is announced at the start:

Normal Route: Cue Sheet - 20110423 Old Rag 200km Brevet - Normal
High-Water Detour Route: Cue Sheet - 20110423 Old Rag 200km Brevet - Detour
Combined: Cue Sheet - 20110423 Old Rag 200km Brevet - Combined

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 - 20100423 Old Rag 200k Brevet.

This is our final test for PBP qualifying. It will be a loop tour of the Shenandoah Valley and some of the surrounding National Forests.

Taking advantage of the early start at 4AM from the Middletown Super 8, there is a long downhill to US340/US522. The route then turns east on 55 just short of Front Royal and heads into the peace and quiet of early morning Fort Valley. After the climb over Edinburg Gap, there is a short easy section on US11 before turning onto 620 that rolls along the base of Massanutten Mountain. The route slips below Harrisonburg, heading west to Bridgewater and then south on lovely back roads that climb steadily through Augusta county. Several big rollers finally bring a long descent next to Walker Creek and the confluence with the Maury River at Rockbridge Baths and the spectacular, shady Goshen Pass. The riders then turn south for a slow climb along Bratton Run and short hop over North Mountain. From here, the ride continues south through hilly terrain, including the aptly name Big Hill Road. The riders finally arrive at the frontage road for I-81 and the turnaround in Buchanan, where the route turns north and east to a control in Buena Vista. From Buena Vista the riders continue the return trip north along the South River to Raphine, where many will take a sleep break at the Days Inn before proceeding. The club will have a staffed rider hospitality room at the Days Inn with food, a place to rest and talk, and a shower for those who choose to ride through without sleeping.

After Raphine, the route heads northwest to a staffed control in Churchville, where volunteers will cook breakfast food for by-then hungry riders, and then begins the final march up Scenic Highway 42, 613 to Broadway. The hills continue as the route proceeds north on State Road 42 and finally Back Road as the finish draws near.

The route has about 24,600 feet of climbing, a little more than the Frederick 600K and somewhat less than last year’s Many Rivers 600K (26,000 feet). However, most agree that the Middletown 600K is the toughest 600K on our schedule. The first day averages 6800 feet of climbing per hundred miles, a little more than the second, which averages 5900 feet of climbing per hundred miles. The first day has about half a dozen significant climbs (see profile). The second day is nearly all downhill — but it’s unlikely that you’ll ever notice in the midst of the incessant rollers.

Elevation Profile (Click for larger version.) 

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.

The cue sheet for the Contrary Mother of all 300Ks, starting at the Middletown, VA Super 8 at 5:00AM on April 9, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20110409 Contrary Mother 300K Brevet.

Registration will be available from 6PM to 8PM on Friday and from 4AM to 5AM on Saturday in the Super 8 lobby. Please park as far from the lobby entrance as possible.

Last year the penultimate controle was the Lost River Store, which was also indicated in the initial description of this year’s version. Unfortunately, the store does not open for the season until April 15 so we will be substituting the Lost River Grill. It is ~1 mile further down 259 from the store and will be reflected on the cue sheet. It is a nice place to grab a bite to eat to fuel the final 55 miles home including climbs over Mill Gap and Wolf Gap.

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 - 20110409 Contrary Mother 300K Brevet. These are derived from the files that we posted in 2010, and I recall that they worked. But they were not rechecked on the road this year so, as always, pay attention to the cue sheet.

The cue sheet for the Urbana 200K Brevet, starting at the Urbana Waffle House at 7:00AM on March 26, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20110326 Urbana 200K Brevet.

Registration opens inside the Waffle House at 6:00am. Come early enough to have some waffles! Please park at the Park & Ride lot indicated on the map. Do not park in the Waffle House lot or in any of the surrounding businesses.

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 - 20110326 Urbana 200K Brevet. Note: On the checkout ride, the GPS routing acted strange in the first mile after the start. We think that’s fixed, but beware and, as always, follow the cue sheet.

The cue sheet for the Tappahannock 200K Brevet, starting at the Ashland Coffee & Tea at 7:00AM on February 19, 2011 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20110219 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 - 20110219 Tappahannock 200K Brevet. Note: This GPS file has been revised and matches the cue sheet.

The cue sheet for the Woodbine 200K RUSA brevet, starting at the Woodbine Park & Ride at 7:00AM on December 11, 2010 is now posted at Cue Sheet - 20101211 Woodbine 200K Brevet.

The ride starts from the Park & Ride at 7:00am. Registration will open at 6:00am.  There is a Highs Store across from the Park & Ride with restrooms.

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 - 20101211 Woodbine 200K Brevet.

Note that the Garmin maps do not include a relatively recent extension of MD31 in New Windsor, which connects it directly to MD75. Therefore, when you go through New Windsor near miles 16.5 and 112.6, the GPS will try to follow a slightly different route.