I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses. Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows much travel to distant brevets, but I like to dream about riding in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, climbing passes in Colorado, riding along lakes in upstate NY or Minnesota, or seeing the wildflowers in the Texas Hillcountry.
Here are my favorite courses:
SIR "3-volcano" 300 km: A magnificent course on almost empty roads, skirting the volcanos of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, with Mt. Rainier in the distance. The 10+ km of gravel road over Babyshoe Pass are a nice bonus.
Cascade 1200: Even though this brevet is 1200 km long, there isn't much time to get bored, as the scenery varies so much. The course includes almost every landscape of Washington State, from temperate forests via alpine meadows to semi-desert, plus fields and apple orchards. You pass the volcanos of Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens (depending on snow situation), ride along the majestic Columbia River, climb over and through the huge basalt fields of the Columbia Plateau, and finally skirt the Canadian border in the beautiful Methow Valley, before crossing the Cascades again. If you can time the last bit so you ride at night with a full moon, you will have an experience you will never forget.
SIR "Mtn. 100 km (Un-)Populaire": It's almost all in the suburbs of Seattle, but many of the roads are quiet and scenic. Most of all, the course has a nice rhythm of hills that increase in intensity until the crescendo of the finale on Mount Olympus Drive. It reminds me of a Beethoven symphony that way. I like this one so much that I do it frequently during the season.
By the way, for those visiting the Northwest, the route sheets are available online at www.seattlerandonneurs.org
How about your favorite brevet courses?
Jan Heine Editor Bicycle Quarterly 140 Lakeside Ave #C Seattle WA 98122 www.bikequarterly.com
> I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses. > Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows > much travel to distant brevets, but I like to dream about riding in > the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, climbing passes in Colorado, riding > along lakes in upstate NY or Minnesota, or seeing the wildflowers in > the Texas Hillcountry.
> Here are my favorite courses:
> SIR "3-volcano" 300 km: A magnificent course on almost empty roads, > skirting the volcanos of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, with Mt. > Rainier in the distance. The 10+ km of gravel road over Babyshoe Pass > are a nice bonus.
> Cascade 1200: Even though this brevet is 1200 km long, there isn't > much time to get bored, as the scenery varies so much. The course > includes almost every landscape of Washington State, from temperate > forests via alpine meadows to semi-desert, plus fields and apple > orchards. You pass the volcanos of Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens > (depending on snow situation), ride along the majestic Columbia > River, climb over and through the huge basalt fields of the Columbia > Plateau, and finally skirt the Canadian border in the beautiful > Methow Valley, before crossing the Cascades again. If you can time > the last bit so you ride at night with a full moon, you will have an > experience you will never forget.
> SIR "Mtn. 100 km (Un-)Populaire": It's almost all in the suburbs of > Seattle, but many of the roads are quiet and scenic. Most of all, the > course has a nice rhythm of hills that increase in intensity until > the crescendo of the finale on Mount Olympus Drive. It reminds me of > a Beethoven symphony that way. I like this one so much that I do it > frequently during the season.
> By the way, for those visiting the Northwest, the route sheets are > available online at www.seattlerandonneurs.org
> How about your favorite brevet courses?
> Jan Heine > Editor > Bicycle Quarterly > 140 Lakeside Ave #C > Seattle WA 98122 > www.bikequarterly.com
-- Peter "Seeing the U.S.A. one brevet at a time" 13 regions and Canada - more to come!
321-794-0500 cell - 352-275-5888 home - Skype me at Peter.F.Noris
On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 12:02 PM, Jan Heine <hein...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses. > Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows > much travel to distant brevets, but I like to dream about riding in > the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, climbing passes in Colorado, riding > along lakes in upstate NY or Minnesota, or seeing the wildflowers in > the Texas Hillcountry.
> Here are my favorite courses:
> SIR "3-volcano" 300 km: A magnificent course on almost empty roads, > skirting the volcanos of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, with Mt. > Rainier in the distance. The 10+ km of gravel road over Babyshoe Pass > are a nice bonus.
> Cascade 1200: Even though this brevet is 1200 km long, there isn't > much time to get bored, as the scenery varies so much. The course > includes almost every landscape of Washington State, from temperate > forests via alpine meadows to semi-desert, plus fields and apple > orchards. You pass the volcanos of Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens > (depending on snow situation), ride along the majestic Columbia > River, climb over and through the huge basalt fields of the Columbia > Plateau, and finally skirt the Canadian border in the beautiful > Methow Valley, before crossing the Cascades again. If you can time > the last bit so you ride at night with a full moon, you will have an > experience you will never forget.
> SIR "Mtn. 100 km (Un-)Populaire": It's almost all in the suburbs of > Seattle, but many of the roads are quiet and scenic. Most of all, the > course has a nice rhythm of hills that increase in intensity until > the crescendo of the finale on Mount Olympus Drive. It reminds me of > a Beethoven symphony that way. I like this one so much that I do it > frequently during the season.
> By the way, for those visiting the Northwest, the route sheets are > available online at www.seattlerandonneurs.org
> How about your favorite brevet courses?
> Jan Heine > Editor > Bicycle Quarterly > 140 Lakeside Ave #C > Seattle WA 98122 > www.bikequarterly.com
My 3 favorite brevets are: Original GA 600k route that climbed both Burnt Mt. and Fort Mt. on both the out and return legs of the route. Tour de Georgia climbs both of these mountains. The route went all the way into TN before re-entering GA and then riding to Rome for the turn around point. Very scenic but with lots of climbing. Spartanburg 400k that climbed Caesar's Head and then had 12 mile climb up to the Blue Ridge parkway before descending 9 miles to the turn around point to reclimb it all again on the inbound leg. Again very scenic but tough with lots of climbing.Cascade 1200k- as previously stated this ride has it all. In 2005 we had temps from 37 to 91, with wind, rain, sun. The Seattle group provides the best support I have ever experienced on a ride. Cary Way Murfreesboro, TN
> I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses. > Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows > much travel to distant brevets, but I like to dream about riding in > the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, climbing passes in Colorado, riding > along lakes in upstate NY or Minnesota, or seeing the wildflowers in > the Texas Hillcountry.
> Here are my favorite courses:
> SIR "3-volcano" 300 km: A magnificent course on almost empty roads, > skirting the volcanos of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, with Mt. > Rainier in the distance. The 10+ km of gravel road over Babyshoe Pass > are a nice bonus.
> Cascade 1200: Even though this brevet is 1200 km long, there isn't > much time to get bored, as the scenery varies so much. The course > includes almost every landscape of Washington State, from temperate > forests via alpine meadows to semi-desert, plus fields and apple > orchards. You pass the volcanos of Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens > (depending on snow situation), ride along the majestic Columbia > River, climb over and through the huge basalt fields of the Columbia > Plateau, and finally skirt the Canadian border in the beautiful > Methow Valley, before crossing the Cascades again. If you can time > the last bit so you ride at night with a full moon, you will have an > experience you will never forget.
> SIR "Mtn. 100 km (Un-)Populaire": It's almost all in the suburbs of > Seattle, but many of the roads are quiet and scenic. Most of all, the > course has a nice rhythm of hills that increase in intensity until > the crescendo of the finale on Mount Olympus Drive. It reminds me of > a Beethoven symphony that way. I like this one so much that I do it > frequently during the season.
> By the way, for those visiting the Northwest, the route sheets are > available online at www.seattlerandonneurs.org
> How about your favorite brevet courses?
> Jan Heine > Editor > Bicycle Quarterly > 140 Lakeside Ave #C > Seattle WA 98122 > www.bikequarterly.com
> Cascade 1200k- as previously stated this ride has it all. In 2005 > we had temps from 37 to 91, with wind, rain, sun. The Seattle group > provides the best support I have ever experienced on a ride.
I did the Cascade 1200 in 2006, and I agree, the support was superb. I also liked the style of having overnight controls. I think that makes it easier to support a loop route: the volunteers only have to cover one section at a time since the riders regroup every night. Also, with the long days around the summer solstice at high latitudes, you get 16+ hours of daylight every day. It is possible to do the whole thing in daylight and see all that beautiful scenery. As was previously stated, the best part is the last day on the North Cascades Highway over Washington and Rainy passes.
Chip
--
Charles M. Coldwell, W1CMC "Turn on, log in, tune out" Somerville, Massachusetts, New England (FN42kj)
- Jewett 300K, Italy, TX Ride fast enough and you'll get to Dixie's Little Stop in Mt Calm, TX by closing time for a home cooked meal topped off by pie to die for. You'll need to make 151 miles by 7pm, so on an 8am start, in 11 hours. It's easily doable if you chop-chop at the controls, even if you're a slow rider.
- Portland to Glacier 1000K Lush Western Oregon, Mt Hood, the Columbia Gorge, barren Eastern Washington, forever farmland on the Columbia Plateau, the Palouse Country, Idaho, the Coeur d'alenes rail-to-trail, Dobson Pass, Thompson Pass, the Clark Fork, Flathead lake and finally Whitefish. Enough said! Challenging ride with great beauty.
- Brunes Mill Backroads 200K, Brookshire, TX My favorite 200K. The ride into Fayetteville is a real treat. And of course there is lunch at Orsak's in Fayetteville. Get the chicken sandwich.
On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 11:02 AM, Jan Heine <hein...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses. > Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows > much travel to distant brevets, but I like to dream about riding in > the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, climbing passes in Colorado, riding > along lakes in upstate NY or Minnesota, or seeing the wildflowers in > the Texas Hillcountry.
> Here are my favorite courses:
> SIR "3-volcano" 300 km: A magnificent course on almost empty roads, > skirting the volcanos of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, with Mt. > Rainier in the distance. The 10+ km of gravel road over Babyshoe Pass > are a nice bonus.
> Cascade 1200: Even though this brevet is 1200 km long, there isn't > much time to get bored, as the scenery varies so much. The course > includes almost every landscape of Washington State, from temperate > forests via alpine meadows to semi-desert, plus fields and apple > orchards. You pass the volcanos of Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens > (depending on snow situation), ride along the majestic Columbia > River, climb over and through the huge basalt fields of the Columbia > Plateau, and finally skirt the Canadian border in the beautiful > Methow Valley, before crossing the Cascades again. If you can time > the last bit so you ride at night with a full moon, you will have an > experience you will never forget.
> SIR "Mtn. 100 km (Un-)Populaire": It's almost all in the suburbs of > Seattle, but many of the roads are quiet and scenic. Most of all, the > course has a nice rhythm of hills that increase in intensity until > the crescendo of the finale on Mount Olympus Drive. It reminds me of > a Beethoven symphony that way. I like this one so much that I do it > frequently during the season.
> By the way, for those visiting the Northwest, the route sheets are > available online at www.seattlerandonneurs.org
> How about your favorite brevet courses?
> Jan Heine > Editor > Bicycle Quarterly > 140 Lakeside Ave #C > Seattle WA 98122 > www.bikequarterly.com
-- I'm doing the Houston-Austin MS150 in 2008. I'll be riding 175 miles by bicycle! Please consider supporting me in this worthy cause at my e-donate link: http://www.ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=220459
> Ride fast enough and you'll get to Dixie's Little Stop in Mt Calm, TX > by closing time for a home cooked meal topped off by pie to die for. > And of course there is lunch at Orsak's in Fayetteville. Get the > chicken sandwich.
I'll have to second the Three Volcano 300K Brevet. That one really
was special.
The Three Capes 300K Brevet in Oregon is a great course. There is one
road, it's the one you turn left onto as you leave the ocean, and it
is about as perfect a bicycle road as I can imagine. I wish I could
remember the name of that road, but everyone who's done that brevet
knows which one I mean.
A big tie for third: the Covered Bridges 400K in Oregon, the Seattle
600K that finished on the other side of the Sound last June and where
Kay's Korner was a pleasant surprise, the Seattle 600K that started
and ended in Olympia the year before where Eric and volunteers had a
tarp set up on a late night quiet stretch of road and provided us with
chairs and soup until we had to be shooed away, and the Kerr Lake
Permanent that starts in Durham NC, goes north into Virginina, and
back to Durham.
I'm hoping for a good ride in three hours as we'll start the
Morrisville 400K with good weather this morning and the possibility
that this evening a tailwind will build and blow us home.
Jan Heine wrote: > I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses. > Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows
Emily and I rode the Westfield (Berkshire) 300k this weekend on the suggestion of many seasoned Randonneurs. I've got to say I was blown away by how beautiful this ride was. If you got only one chance to see New England, this would be the ride to do. For us the ride started in less then ideal conditions -- mainly us sleeping the small rental car as the motel was booked and then starting at 3am in the cold, pouring rain. But when the sun came out it was gorgeous. Lush green farms, picturesque Connecticut hills, fun twisty roads, and sparse traffic for nearly the full 300k. I didn't take any pictures but it's just as well as they wouldn't do this route justice.
The Boston 300k and Boston 600k are also some of the rides we enjoy a lot.
This weekend was my second time riding the ROMA 600K through the
Shenandoah Valley, and I think it has to have the most gorgeous
scenery of any brevet route that I know. There are picture-postcard-
perfect views of rolling hills and mountains almost from start to
finish, and those views become absolutely stunning when the lighting
is right. The roads are mostly small, with low traffic, and plenty of
curious cows watching you go by. Of course, you have to climb up and
down all of those beautiful hills and mountains, but it is worth it.
Bill Beck
Woodbine, MD
DC Randonneurs
On May 16, 12:02 pm, Jan Heine <hein...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I'd like to hear about fellow randonneurs' 3 favorite brevet courses.
> Not that my budget of time, money and environmental impact allows
> much travel to distant brevets, but I like to dream about riding in
> the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, climbing passes in Colorado, riding
> along lakes in upstate NY or Minnesota, or seeing the wildflowers in
> the Texas Hillcountry.
> Here are my favorite courses:
> SIR "3-volcano" 300 km: A magnificent course on almost empty roads,
> skirting the volcanos of Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, with Mt.
> Rainier in the distance. The 10+ km of gravel road over Babyshoe Pass
> are a nice bonus.
> Cascade 1200: Even though this brevet is 1200 km long, there isn't
> much time to get bored, as the scenery varies so much. The course
> includes almost every landscape of Washington State, from temperate
> forests via alpine meadows to semi-desert, plus fields and apple
> orchards. You pass the volcanos of Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens
> (depending on snow situation), ride along the majestic Columbia
> River, climb over and through the huge basalt fields of the Columbia
> Plateau, and finally skirt the Canadian border in the beautiful
> Methow Valley, before crossing the Cascades again. If you can time
> the last bit so you ride at night with a full moon, you will have an
> experience you will never forget.
> SIR "Mtn. 100 km (Un-)Populaire": It's almost all in the suburbs of
> Seattle, but many of the roads are quiet and scenic. Most of all, the
> course has a nice rhythm of hills that increase in intensity until
> the crescendo of the finale on Mount Olympus Drive. It reminds me of
> a Beethoven symphony that way. I like this one so much that I do it
> frequently during the season.
> By the way, for those visiting the Northwest, the route sheets are
> available online atwww.seattlerandonneurs.org
> How about your favorite brevet courses?
> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
> Seattle WA 98122www.bikequarterly.com
