My poor hubby :(

[zoom-zoom]

He is helping organize a big century ride in our area. The ride is 2 weeks from this Saturday and he just discovered that a fairly large section of the ride early on the route was just chip-sealed. So now he has to figure out an alternative route--hoping that all the roads around the route weren't also chip-sealed. The lame thing about our county road commissions is that they like to re-do roads that are in good condition every couple of years, but other roads that really do NEED to be re-done are ignored (at least this is the case in our county. The ride is mostly on roads 2 counties South of us). So often the choice is horribly pot-holed road or fresh chip-seal. Not much of a choice. :rolleyes:

[limewave]

Oh no! It does seem like every time I find a good route around here, a few weeks later it's chip'n'sealed! Ugh! Hope he can find a good alternate route.

I just wish they would repave Scenic Drive already!

[OakLeaf]

Are they reasonably well-traveled? Two weeks is plenty of time for chip-seal to set, in most places.

[zoom-zoom]

Oh no! It does seem like every time I find a good route around here, a few weeks later it's chip'n'sealed! Ugh! Hope he can find a good alternate route.

I just wish they would repave Scenic Drive already!

Yup...there are roads all over Montague that were just re-sealed 2-3 years ago and are now ridable...and they are redoing them. Yet roads like Lamos headed North could really use the re-do, but isn't on the list of roads they plan to do.

You know they finally are redoing Scenic from Michillinda to Ruddiman, though. YAY!!!

[zoom-zoom]

Are they reasonably well-traveled? Two weeks is plenty of time for chip-seal to set, in most places.

I think if we got a few 90º days that this would be true, but I'm not sure it's supposed to be all that warm in the next few. My experience is that it takes a couple of months before they really settle-down in these parts. :(

[bmccasland]

Can also depend on the length of the route. There was one infamous MS tour where a section was in bad shape. Apparently the road was supposed to be repaved before the tour, but wasn't. Painted on the road was:

Now
Begins
7 miles
of
HELL

And they weren't kidding. Some things can't be helped.

So can you find alternative routing by pouring over maps? May only use part of the "newly improved" section?

[limewave]

Are they reasonably well-traveled? Two weeks is plenty of time for chip-seal to set, in most places.

That's funny because when the chip n seal some of my favorite roads, I find myself driving way over on the should to smooth it out for riding. And then I'll drive back and do it again :D

[limewave]

you know they finally are redoing scenic from michillinda to ruddiman, though. Yay!!!

:d:d:d:d:d
yay!

[zoom-zoom]

So can you find alternative routing by pouring over maps? May only use part of the "newly improved" section?

Someone is going to go drive around and see what roads might work (it kind of stinks that we live an hour from the start of the ride and the entire route is in the opposite direction of us, so it's not easy for him to go drive out to see what might work). His main concern is that if all of the parallel streets in that area were "improved" that there may be no good way around it.

[zoom-zoom]

That's funny because when the chip n seal some of my favorite roads, I find myself driving way over on the should to smooth it out for riding. And then I'll drive back and do it again :D

That is so awesome! You know you're a cyclist when... :D

[zoom-zoom]

:d:d:d:d:d
yay!

I know...totally overdue by about 15 years! :D

[Kiwi Stoker]

Can you put a request in for the road to be re-swept beforehand? And tell them that the contractor is NOT to leave gravel piled up at corners and intersections?

NZ is pretty much all chip seal roads. In events we give out brooms to the marshals on the corners to clear the loose gravel off the road. However to be honest riding different road surfaces is all part of the "fun" of an event. Imagine riding the cobbled roads in France!

[Tri Girl]

Now
Begins
7 miles
of
HELL

And they weren't kidding. Some things can't be helped.


That's funny! On the tour I just did there was a 4 mile section of horrid road. The worst road I've ever ridden on.
They spray-painted on the road:

"Hold on tight- it's about to get rough up in here"

Then a little while later:

"Think of it as a butt massage"

There were lots of funny messages along the way. I guess they figured if they couldn't fix the road, they'd try to make us laugh along the way. It worked to make me laugh (in between the pain of the riding on that road).

I hope your hubs can find a good way to work around the roads. If not, spray paint funny messages to keep the riders smiling through the pain. ;)

[WindingRoad]

"Think of it as a butt massage"

OK that's pretty funny! I like that, helps keep people in the right state of mind, having fun.:D

[zoom-zoom]

That's funny! On the tour I just did there was a 4 mile section of horrid road. The worst road I've ever ridden on.
They spray-painted on the road:

"Hold on tight- it's about to get rough up in here"

Then a little while later:

"Think of it as a butt massage"

There were lots of funny messages along the way. I guess they figured if they couldn't fix the road, they'd try to make us laugh along the way. It worked to make me laugh (in between the pain of the riding on that road).

I hope your hubs can find a good way to work around the roads. If not, spray paint funny messages to keep the riders smiling through the pain. ;)

I like this idea! I'll share this one with the guys doing the route marking. :D

Luckily some of the roads that show as Summer 2010 chip-sealed on the county map have not yet been hit. Some will be easy for the ride organizers to work-around, but there is one longish stretch that goes right by one of the break spots, so there may be no option but to ride that. My first century ride could be extra challenging, for sure!

[Aggie_Ama]

In Texas I don't remember ever doing a century without chip seal, we love it here for paving. But fresh chip seal is another problem! Those little chips stick to your tires and are way rougher. If you can't re-route funny signs will at least make the ride memorable. I have had rides where they comically announce water over the road ("We filled the low water crossings just for the ride") or rough roads ("They didn't realize we weren't hosting cyclocross") or a controlled burn ("In case you don't get hot enough the forest service built a fire for you on the route"). I just giggled each time when I got to those sections. People will complain but some for a lot of people a little humor goes a long way.

[zoom-zoom]

Our county just got nailed up by us. I haven't ridden up our way in at least a week and now huge swaths of my regular routes are unrideable (I rode a few blocks on an area that was freshly done and it was yucko). These are the roads that were in beautiful condition to begin with. The roads that actually NEEDED to be resurfaced are ignored. Sheesh.