Our next ride is scheduled for this Saturday, June 22nd out of Lovettsville, VA. This ride has some sections of gravel, but check out rider Kyle says that it is totally doable on road bike tires. Roger says: “Having ridden the inaugural running, I can say that it’s doable on 28 - 32 mm. tires, but you’ll be much happier on 38 - 44 mm.”

 

PLEASE NOTE: We are in a significant heat wave and we are keeping an eye to the temperatures. If the forecast for Saturday as of Friday is 95 or higher, then we will postpone a week and registration will remain open.

 

The RWGPS, cue sheet, and brevet card will be posted on Tuesday.

 

Pre-Ride Report from Kyle:

 

Mimo and I had a wonderful ride of the Lovettsville 200k. I'll say it's one of the more beautiful and picturesque routes that we do at DC Randonneurs, but that does come at the cost of it being up and down, constantly, all day. We took almost 11 hours to complete it, and, if the weather stays as forecast, I would truly recommend you take all of your allotted 13.5 hours. One last thing: yes, the route is 12% gravel, but do you need a gravel bike to do this route? Not at all. A road bike with road bike tires will do just fine. 

 

Notable sections and places to stop: 

 

Mile 22: The first gravel section. Usually we ride this route going the other direction. There are some gravel descents here and I recommend using your brakes. There are often turns and potholes at the bottom of the hills. It's not a race so just take it easy! 

 

Mile 31.4: Maybe a bit early to stop but the Philomont general store is just so darn cute. Stop and get some cookies and a drink if it's already hot. 

 

39.5: In Aldie, new for this route, is a wonderful little smoothie and acai bowl place. They have pre-made juices and smoothies if you want to make it quick, or take your time and order something more extravagant. It opens at 8am, so you should be good. Refill water in the bathroom. Don't forget to apply sunblock! 

 

Mile 55: The Plains. Many will choose to push on to Marshall a few miles after, but if you're hankering for a good cup of coffee, that can be found here. 

 

Mile 60: A classic stop in Marshall. There are options, but the 7-11 is my go-to there. From here you do a little 20 mile (beautiful) loop south of Marshall with some tough hills on Free State Road. 

 

Mile 78.2: There is a spigot at the far end of the church. This stop is AN ABSOLUTE MUST if you don't plan to take the detour back into Marshall. If you need to cool down on a hot day, this detour back into Marshall is recommended as there aren't good services for a long while after. 

 

Mile 81: The road that parallels 66 here is pretty busy, but I never felt particularly unsafe. Good sightlines for cars to pass. 

 

Mile 94: The cue sheet indicates there are "limited services," but we couldn't find any that would be good for randonneurs, unfortunately. 

 

Mile 96.5: This is your last gravel sector. It's a slog up a long persistent hill, but you're rewarded with a non-technical gravel descent. 

 

Mile 109: Round Hill is a great last stop. I recommend passing a few stores and landing at the Round Hill Grocery with the Hershey's Ice Cream sign. They have ice cream, of course, but also a lot of other good stuff, and most importantly some seats out front in the shade. 

 

Enjoy the ride!