RESCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 1ST.
Double Ox Audax is designed for moderate climbing and audax riding in the heart of DCRand territory. Starting outside Frederick, MD it passes through New Oxford, PA on the way to a natural lunch stop in East Berlin, PA. The route then returns to New Oxford en route to Gettysburg Battlefield and a final stop in Thurmont.
A Crista Borras classic, ridden by Potomac Pedalers and DC Randonneurs since the late 1990s. This year it returns to its old start and finish at the intersection of Business 29 and VA 211 in Warrenton. This time we're riding it for the international celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Audax Club Parisien.
The ride begins with a climb up to downtown Warrenton, near the hotel where General George McClellan bid farewell to the officers of the Army of the Potomac after being relieved of his command by Abraham Lincoln in November 1862. There, the route turns to the south and heads out of town, with a steep downhill around the two mile mark.
The route wanders southwest over rolling country for some time. You won't notice the climbs much, but you will feel the toll of you effort later. Reuwer's Grocery at mile 27.9 will offer one of your few changes to purchase supplies outbound. The route crosses to the east of US29 at mile 44.4 and goes over a low-water bridge across the Robinson River at mile 48.1. If there is heavy rain in the 24 hours before the ride start, you will follow a detour around the low-water bridge, beginning at a point marked on the cue sheet.
If the sky is clear, you will have caught glimpses of the Blue Ridge to the west as you headed south. Now a climb through Elly and a quick descent past the Mountain View nursing home at mile 52 will reveal the ridge ahead of you in all its majesty. The information control at the Aroda Store soon follows, and you'll turn northwest towards Madison, which offers several possibilities for sit-down dining.
As you head north from Madison, the fun begins. You'll see the Blue Ridge approach as you ride up a gradual incline to the control at Syria Mercantile. You'll definitely want to stock up on supplies here. If you are so inclined, ask for a country ham muffin or two, but they are salty, so be sure they have something to wash them down.
After the control, you'll climb up a series of switchbacks to the shoulder of Old Rag Mountain, then enjoy a more gradual descent to Etlan on the other side. After a few fast miles on F.T. Valley road, you'll turn east onto the much quieter Slate Mill Road. A left turn at mile 89.9 will lead you to the Three Meanies, followed by a brief stint on US522. You'll turn off at Scrabble and ride north on beautiful, quiet roads. After the control at Laurel Mills, you'll turn northwest on the Richmond Road, near where George Custer almost lost his life in a Confederate rearguard movement 14 years before the battle of Little Bighorn. From there, the route climbs towards Flint Hill, with views of apple orchards to distract you from the effort.
At Flint Hill, the route heads east over rolling terrain. Don't forget to look around and enjoy the spectacular views behind you and off to both sides. Orleans Market will come as a welcome relief from the steady climbing and as a last chance to stock up on supplies for a finish that isn't ceremonial.
You won't make it back to Warrenton without climbing Piney "Pukin'" Mountain and Waterloo Gap, but once you do you can coast into town. Potential post ride gathering at Foster's Grille.
Sunrise at: 6:52:17 AMSunset at: 7:19:54 PM
HOTELS IN GETTYSBURG SELL OUT IN THE FALL. YOU MAY WANT TO RESERVE YOUR ROOM ASAP.
This is the registration for the Dart. However, to finish your registration you need to complete the following steps:
The Dart populaire has rules that are somewhat different, and perhaps even more arcane, than those for a standard brevet. Rules for the Dart populaire are here. Some of them are summarized as follows:
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.)
The traditional Dart 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. Your route cannot start in the 17325 zip code.
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. However, the Dart has an additional requirement that one of the controls must occur exactly 2 hours before the scheduled finish and be at least 25 km from the finish. That control would be 6 hours after the start of the Dart populaire.
Each team must have a captain who is responsible for designing the route and submitting it for approval. Captains should carefully read the rules first. The schedule will be:
October 5: Applications from captains due to the organizer (Bill Beck) including 1) 2022 Dart team captain regform, 2) 2022 Dart route application. These forms can be found in the 2023 dart folder found here. The route information can be submitted electronically to william.a.beck@gmail.com in PDF, MS Word, or MS
Excel format. Route files from RWGPS will also be appreciated, but not required.
October 15: Final rosters with 2022 Tracking Form due to Bill Beck. Deadline for final route approval.
October 15: Control cards submitted to Bill Beck for approval. (He can help generate these, if desired.)
October 28: Dart
Team captains are responsible for making sure that their team members have registered.
Please contact Bill Beck (william.a.beck@gmail.com) with any questions. We also have many experienced fleche and dart 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.
This flat Eastern Shore route follows much of the Underground Railroad driving tour, and takes in a large portion of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park is located. This route adds to DCRand's list of "flatbread" November routes, with their tradition of fast runs. RWGPS rates this at 10 feet of climbing per mile!
Looking for a challenge? This route from Woodbine might be just what you are looking for. Starting innocently enough, the route heads southwest from Woodbine across rolling terrain, through Damascus, to the first control at the Dickerson Market. Then the fun begins as it climbs Mountville Rd over Mar-Lu ridge (yes, the hard direction), plunges back down to the town of Jefferson, goes over a series of rollers to Burkittsville (made famous in the movie, "The Blair Witch Project"), and then heads over South Mountain at Gathland State Park, passing the only monument to war correspondents. The descent from South Mountain is followed by an even nicer descent down Burnside Bridge Rd. (with a view of the famous bridge itself at one point) to historic Sharpsburg, and then an easy five miles to Shepherdstown, WV, where riders can reward themselves from the delicious goodies at the Shepherdstown Sweet Shop. Don't eat too many sweets though, because the climb back across South Mountain on Reno Monument Rd is somewhat steep. The road is named for a monument at the top to General Reno, who died at the spot during the civil war. No cyclists have died on the climb - at least so far. After climbing back over Catoctin Mountain on Shookstown Rd., the route follows rolling piedmont east to the final control in New Windsor, before turning south back toward Woodbine. Save some energy for those final 15 miles, because they include two very pretty, but steep, climbs on Buffalo Rd. and a few short steepies on Watersville Rd. Riders will finally be rewarded by a pleasant half-mile of downhill to the finish. Estimated climbing is 9100 feet.Lights and reflective gear are strongly encouraged because of the short daylight hours.