PPTC spring century - Fulton, MD

[ny biker]

I wouldn't mind that so much if the roads were marked. But it says that there's no road marking, so that's when I freak out. I'm not a big fan of following cue sheets. A friend of mine who has done PPTC rides (but not this one) says I'd have no trouble finding a group to hang with.
Hmmmmm..

e.t.a. I had sent a query to the point of contact on the website. This was her reply:

We expect 100 - 300 rides. The groups may start out together but basically they form and re-form. We will regroup in Lisbon up to 3 times - that is if you are doing the Century. With the number of riders we expect - I am sure you will have someone to ride with.

Also - you don't have to decide on the 100 until you finish 50. The first 25 loop out is rolling, the second loop is a little hilly, the third has a good climb in downtown Sykesville, coming back the fourth loop is rolling. You have plenty of time to decide how much you feel like riding. With the weather being so nice - for me I want to stay on the bike. But again, with having Libson Rest Stop at the center - it is easy to evaluate your needs.

I wish they had a map of the routes on the site.

Yeah I printed out the cue sheet and followed it on google maps yesterday to see where it goes.

I love maps so I don't mind following cue sheets on rides. I also like to make my own modifications for future use to avoid higher traffic roads, add or subtract a few miles, etc.

I sent a message to a friend who does BB rides to see what his experience is in terms of groups staying together. I'll let you know if I hear back from him today.

[ny biker]

Just heard back from my friend -- he says the BB/B riders don't necessarily ride in a group. Something to bear in mind...

[ny biker]

So, this was a really nice ride. We did the 52-mile option. There are some hills, a couple requiring the granny gear (for me) but also some really fast downhills and nice flat stretches. Lots of farmland and houses with big grassy yards. If you like the Civil War century I think you'd like this area.

There's a Harris Teeter and a gas station across from the ride start in Fulton, plus a gas station/convenience store and other food options at the rest stop in Lisbon, so you could easily do this ride on your own without a club to organize it. 25ish miles to the rest stop in Lisbon and 25ish miles back to Fulton. Two optional loops that begin and end at the Lisbon rest stop let you do a total of 76 or 101 miles, if you want. Or if Lisbon is is close enough to where you live, you could use that for your starting point and do one or more of the loops from there.

It only took me 45 minutes to get there from Arlington. Fulton is not far outside the beltway, southwest of Columbia. Lisbon is NW of Fulton and southeast of Frederick.

Two caveats, at least for the 51-mile ride -- riding past all those open fields means some long stretches without shade, so if you want to try it on a hot day, make sure you start early so you're done before the hottest time of the day kicks in. Also I would not try it on a very windy day.

Cue sheets and info on the ride start and rest stop are here:

http://fulton.sandglass.com

I believe Potomac Pedalers will do this spring century again next year.

[Becky]

I would have loved to do this ride, but had to work today. I think that DH and I will do it some day when we're off, since the club graciously posted their cue sheets.

Thanks for the review, nybiker! It's good to know that it's a nice route with available food stops.

[7rider]

Thanks for the heads-up on the ride! Glad we finally got to ride together.
I rode to the ride from my house and ended up with 74 miles for the day and about 4500 feet of climbing. Since a fair bit of it was on our standard Howard County loops, it's easy for me now to tack on bits and pieces of the route to add to what I already know for some nice long training rides.