Kyle rode the pre-ride on behalf of ride organizer, Andrea. She will be at the starting Starbucks at 6:30 AM. Be sure to check in with her to make sure that she knows that you are on the road. If you are running late, please check in with her. Her contact information will be in the rider email. There is on-street parking by the Starbucks and Wagshal's, just be sure to check signage (most is free and unrestricted all Saturday).
The Mountain Church 200, a classic for DC Randonneurs, as I always say, is deceptively difficult. However, each time I do it, I seem to learn more about it and myself. It really is a great route, and one I look forward to doing again in the future.
First, know that, in classic RWGPS fashion, the file says it has 6700 feet of climbing, but my Wahoo recorded over 8000 feet. The implication is that I always go out too hard, and the last 20 miles or so prove to be particularly difficult as I limp home. I didn't avoid this fate on my pre-ride. Why don't I just take it easier on the initial climbs?!
About those climbs, Persimmon Tree Road is pretty much all uphill on your way to Potomac. but you're feeling great from ripping down Macarthur Blvd. Why not just take it easy? No need to chase people. Then there are two big hills on River Road after going through Potomac. Again, just take it easy. And of course, it's a long slow climb up to the Mountain Church itself. Enjoy the wide open views and quiet roads.
I think the other thing to know about this ride is that there are so many good stop options--an embarrassment of riches. This bounty sometimes makes me complacent though. On my pre-ride I stopped at Dickerson Market, Lovettsville 7-11, the Middletown LDS, and then Dickerson Market once again on the way back (by going past the route by a few hundred feet). However, you could also stop in Potomac (very early), Stup's Market in Adamstown, the nice coffee shop in Lovettsville for a proper brunch stop, the Sheetz (or something else, gasp) exiting Brunswick if Lovettsville is too early for you, the coffee shop or Subway in Middletown (instead of LDS), some great ice cream in Jefferson, Stup's in Adamstown once again if you're struggling with the nasty hills after Middletown, one of the many services in Poolesville including K2 Cafe, Dunkin', or McDonalds, and finally some Italian Ice at the open control shopping center as you cross Travilah road. Yes, there is something always good ahead, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't focus on eating and hydrating well at each stop.
A quick note on the end of the ride: The pavement on Macarthur seems even more torn up than in previous years (or maybe I was just very tired). For the second half of the Macarthur section, I recommend getting on the bike path. At that point (after the glen echo area), there is less foot traffic, and it's a much better surface than the road. It ends right before the final hill.
Although I'll most likely miss the depart from Starbucks in the morning, I'm going to try to be at Wagshal's at the end to say hi to everyone. See you there! Remember to enjoy the variety of this ride: leaving and ending in an urban environment, riding quiet roads in the mountains, the C&O towpath, and so much more. (Andrea will be at the Starbucks in the morning and Wagshal's in the afternoon.)
March 9 - IWD, 100, Frederick, MD
March 16, Mountain Church, 200, Washington, DC
March 30, Lady and the Barons, 200, Severna Park, MD
April 6, Warrenton 300, Warrenton, VA
April 20, Fleche, Arlington, VA
May 4, Michaux Meander, 300, Frederick, MD
May 18, Kinder Gentler 400, Warrenton, VA
June 1, Frederick 600, Frederick, MD
June 29, Lovettsville 200, Lovettsville, VA
September 7, Mountain Church 200, Washington, DC
October 5, Cacapon 200, Middletown, VA
October 26, Dart, Gettysburg, PA
November 2, Flatbread 200, Centreville, MD
December 7, Woodbine-Dillsburg via Gettysburg 200, Woodbine, MD
More rides will be added to the calendar, including gravel routes and populaires.
DC Randonneurs sponsors long-distance cycling events in the Mid-Atlantic region ranging from 100 kilometers to 1,200 kilometers (60 - 750 miles) in length. Rides start from the Baltimore-Washington region but travel as far afield as State College PA, Buchanan VA, and Warm Springs WV.
The terrain we ride ranges from the flatlands of the Eastern Shore to the rolling hills and valleys of the Piedmont and the sometimes steep flanks of the Appalachian mountain ridges to our west. Our routes, many of which we've ridden for years, take quiet back roads through gorgeous and varied scenery, with regular stops for supplies and rest.
Our rides are unsupported. There is no sag wagon, and help of any sort can be miles away on some of the more remote stretches of road we ride. But we ride together, creating bonds of friendship and camaraderie along the way. Our ride organizers and volunteers work hard to make sure that every rider is accounted for, from start to finish.
Our rides are timed, with riders required to reach intermediate control points, as well as the finish, within a set window of time. But our results are listed alphabetically. Our style of riding is know as allure libre, meaning riders ride at their own pace within the limits set by control opening and closing times rather than riding as a group at a steady pace set by its leaders, which is the audax style of randonneuring.
Randonneuring is non-competitive, but we challenge ourselves and each other -- to ride farther, to ride faster, to ride longer than we might have though possible. We aspire to relentless forward progress but take time to help each other when in need, whether that need is for emotional support, an energy bar to cure a bonk, or a cleverly improvised fix to broken equipment.
DC Randonneurs is affiliated with Randonneurs USA and operates according to the rules promulgated by that organization by adoption from the Audax Club Parisien.