Thanks to Bill Beck for doing the checkout ride and organizing our December 7th brevet. Here is his report:
The DC Randonneurs December brevet is Woodbine-Dillsburg, which heads north from Woodbine through the farmland of Carroll County, MD to Gettysburg, PA and then on to Dillsburg, PA. It has nice views of the Catoctin Mountain range at many places, but remains in the rolling piedmont terrain with no mountain climbs. Unlike some other rides, the hilliest part of the route is the start and finish in Maryland, with flatter terrain for the middle section in Pennsylvania.
I did the checkout on Nov 25, which was a little cold (27F) in the initial hours, but warmed into the 50s and turned into a nice day except for a persistent headwind on the return leg. There were no problems with the route. There has been an intermittent detour within the town of Gettysburg over the past couple of months but the normal route was open during the checkout and the Public Works manager of Gettysburg assured me that it will be open for the brevet on Dec 7.
Riders head north from the Woodbine McDonalds and pass through the towns of New Windsor (mile 16), where there is a 7-Eleven about a half mile off-route, and Taneytown (mile 25), where there is a Subway/Sunoco a hundred yards off-route at the turn onto MD-140.
A highlight of the route is the Gettysburg Battlefield. The route enters the Gettysburg National Military Park at the base of Little Round Top and proceeds up the length of Cemetery Ridge, which was a large part of the Union line during the second and third days of the battle. Near the northern end, it passes “The Angle,” which was the target of Pickett’s Charge and is sometimes called the high-water mark of the Confederacy. After the battlefield, it passes a number of fast-food restaurants in Gettysburg, including KFC, McDonalds, and a 7-Eleven.
The route north of Gettysburg is flatter than the southern section, and riders should make rapid progress to Dillsburg. There is a Rutters at mile 50 (and mile 78 on the return), and then many lunch options in Dillsburg at the half-way point, including Road Hawg Barbecue, Millenium Pizza, and Pickle Nickle. A faster convenience-store option is the All-in-One Stop. If you continue on Baltimore St and cross US-15, there is a Sheetz and Wendy’s. On the other hand, if you would like to eat in a more natural setting next to a stream, there is a picnic pavilion at the intersection of Baltimore Rd and Old Route 15 (mile 57 and 72), so you can pick up food in Dillsburg, ride back 7 miles to the picnic table, and eat there.
The return trip is almost identical to the outbound route except that the return bypasses the battlefield and takes a different route to the finish in the final 15 miles after New Windsor. Save some energy for this section because it is probably the hilliest on the route. And note that Gettysburg will be your last opportunity for resupply on the return unless you want to go off route to the 7-Eleven in New Windsor.
Many riders will finish after dark and will hopefully have their way brightened by Christmas lights. I saw a few lit houses on the checkout, and there should be quite a few more by Dec 7. I will be waiting at Tony Loco’s Restaurant where you should check in and the club will provide appetizers. You can also order more for yourself from the menu.
March 1 – 200K
March 8 – 100K (International Women's Day 100k, Frederick, MD)
March 22 – 200K
April 5 – 300K (Maryland)
April 19 – 300K (Virginia)
May 3 – 360K Fleche (to Arlington)
May 17 – 400K (Virginia)
May 31 – 600K (Maryland)
June 14 – 200K
September 6 – 200K
October 4 – 200K
November 1 – 200K (Eastern Shore: flat, fast, and fun!)
December 6 – 200K (Woodbine ride)
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.