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Ride Report - Mountain Church

Welcome to the first brevet of the 2024 season. 

The Mountain Church 200 is a deceptively difficult bike ride. Yes, we don’t go up our favorite substantial climbs in the area such as Marlu Ridge or Gapland, but there are many short and steep climbs that drain your legs. In classic fashion, the Ride With GPS file underestimated the total climbing by over 2000 feet. However, one wonderful thing, among many, about this ride is that there are plenty of places to stop and eat. 

On that note, a comprehensive list of places to stop throughout the day with some additional commentary: 

9.3: Potomac. Yes, it’s probably too early to stop to eat anything, but a word of warning: the next two stops don’t have great bathroom options. If your pre-start Starbucks is catching up with you, you can stop here at another Starbucks on the left in the shopping center. 

34.7 The classic Dickerson market. There is a port-a-potty on the right. Bagels have been newly introduced.  

35.6 NEW The Market at Deer Valley. It doesn’t open until 10am, but there is a nice little farm-based market that has baked goods and some beverages. A good alternative to Dickerson Market if you’ve been there 100 times too many. 

44 Stupps Market in Adamstown. No bathrooms here at all, so beware.

56.2 Lovettsville. There are some great options in Lovettsville. First, Back Street Brews with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. They have great coffee options, amazing baked goods, and a full lunch menu of sandwiches and wraps. Take a left on Light St. to get there. Down the road a few blocks is a big, high-quality 7-11 on your right. Bundle up for the long downhill to the Potomac River if it’s cold. 

59 The city of Brunswick. Probably doesn’t make sense to stop because of the need to get off route, but I can certainly recommend the Beans in the Belfrey coffee shop. 

73 Middletown. 3 classic places to stop: the Main Cup on your right as you roll down the main street. Across the street on your left, as you make a right, there is the Subway. What I recommend the most is the LDS gas station with a short order grill and ice cream.

There are three or more sharp hills between Middletown and Jefferson, reminiscent of the hill you conquered right before entering Middletown. Enjoy! 

80 Jefferson. There are two gas stations, a market, an ice cream shop, and a Dunkin as you role through Jefferson. Consider some fuel, hydration, or rest before conquering the easier way up to Marlu Ridge. 

Be careful the on the descent of Marlu! The light at the bottom does not stay green very long, so don’t think if you see it green while you’re a quarter mile up the climb that you’ll make it through.

84.6 You’ll see Stupps market again here. Don’t be lured in by their numerous Bacardi advertisements. 

At mile 89 you’ll enjoy a few miles of the C&O canal. You should be good with any tire choice. We were both completely fine even though it had rained extensively the day before. 

93.6 Dickerson. After you make your way up from the short stint on the C&O canal, you’ll see Dickerson market again, although this time the route turns left right before it. You might just want to roll on to Poolesville less than 7 miles away. 

100 Poolesville. One block off the route there is a the K2 cafe. Coffee, slices of cake, and more. To get there, instead of taking a left onto Fisher Ave as you come into Poolesville, take a right and then an immediate left and K2 will be on your right. If you don’t want to go off route by even a little, there is a Dunkin Donuts on your right as you roll through town. Enjoy the long descent out of Poolesville. 

112.8. As you cruise down Glen road, you could stop at the tiny shopping center on the right as you cross Travilah road. 

Finish This year instead of finishing back at the Starbucks we’ll wrap up the ride a mile earlier at Wagshal’s Grand Bodega for some post-ride merriment. A good opportunity to sit down for a while, get a bite to eat and a beer, and share stories from your day. Appetizers and shareables will be provided by the club. 

Mimo and I had a wonderful pre-ride although we were both quite tired afterwards. Remember to take it easy on those hills. I hope the weather is as good on the 16th as it was for us. 

- Kyle McKenzie

 

2024 Schedule

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 22, Lovettsville 200, Lovettsville, VA
September 7, TBD 200
October 5, TBD 200
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.

Who We Are

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.

2024 Club Overview

Participation
21 People

Total Club Distance
1,500 Kilometers

Rides in our Club
Membership included for new riders

Click on ride name for details

Mar 30
Sat

The-Lady-and-the-Barons-200
Big Bean - Severna Park
07:00
ACP 200
Rolling
Members: $7.00
2 registered

Apr 06
Sat

Warrenton-300
Hampton Inn - Warrenton
05:00
ACP 300
Hilly
Members: $35.00
4 registered

Apr 20
Sat

DCRand-Fleche
IHOP - Arlington
07:00
ACP Fleche
Mixed
Members: $7.00
2 registered

May 04
Sat

Michaux-Meander-300k
Fairfield Inn and Suites - Frederick
05:00
ACP 300
Hilly
Members: $35.00
None registered

May 18
Sat

Kinder-Gentler-400k
Holiday Inn Express - Warrenton
05:00
ACP 400
Hilly
Members: $40.00
1 registered

Jun 01
Sat

South-Mountain-Redux-Revisited-600
Hampton Inn - Frederick
04:00
ACP 600
Hilly
Members: $60.00
1 registered
Ride Leader(s):

Location

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