The Full Route:
Will
start from Beef O'Brady's in the Millhopper Square shopping center and
go
out the west main entrance onto NW 43rd Street going north, up to NW 39th
Ave
where we will turn west and take it to CR241, then jog south to NW 32nd Ave
and
take it west and then north as it turns into NW 186th St and then west
until it
"T"s into CR235, which we will follow northeast until it intersects CR232
(NW
74th Ave) which we will take west to US27/41. We will then turn north
and
go to NW 94th Ave and turn east, following it to CR2054, where we will turn
north and follow that until it intersects with NW 202nd St, which we will
take
north to US441 which we will take southeast to CR 235A, which we willl take
back
to CR2054 (Peggy Rd) and take that northeast to CR241, jog briefly south,
then
continue on CR2054 eastward until it merges with US441, which we will
follow
southeast to NW 43rd Street, which will take south back to Millhopper
Square,
for a total of ~48 miles.
This is the same initial route as the Jingle
Bell Ride, so if you start
with
us and run out of raindeer power or shopping time when we get to the
Peggy
Road turnoff, you can take a short rest break and join the Jingle Bell Ride as they come jingling by and shorten your trip by
about 10 miles.
The Time: Meet
at 8:00AM for the pre-ride
breakfast, or 9:15AM if you cannot make the optional breakfast
opportunity. Ride
at 9:30AM,
Saturday, December 17th.
Expect a full ride time of ~3:30 hours including
the
rest stop.
The Ride: This is
a moderately easy ride of
~48 miles, of
mostly
flat roads with a few longer
hills. Expect ride speeds of 15-19 mph with a
target pedaling speed of 17 mph and an average speed of
16-17 mph. This is a
no-drop friendly ride for riders in reasonable physical condition; we
will
soft pedal as necessary to keep the core of the group together because
riders on this ride are expected to be able to ride at the stated
group
speed; nevertheless we will wait for everyone to regroup at
each major turn and after fun sprints, if necessary to
prevent
drops. Helmets
are required.
The Rest Stop:
Will
be in Alachua at
approximately 30 miles at a convenience store/gas station with
restrooms,
slightly off the marked route.
The Start Point: The
Millhopper Shopping Center is located at the intersection of NW 23rd Ave/
NW
16th Blvd and NW 43rd Street. Beef O'Bradys is located in the
shopping
center on the south side of the shopping center (south of NW 16th Blvd),
with a
mailing address of 1999 NW 43rd Street. Familiar landmarks in this
shopping center are the Millhopper Publix, a US Post Office, and
Leonardo's Pizza for reference. Note that this is
NOT the Hunter's Crossing shopping center near
millhopper
Road and the Chevron, but is further south on NW 43rd
Street. Please park away from the stores anywhere you
choose,
but we will congregate on our bikes near the Beef O'Brady entrance
shortly before the departure time for our safety meeting, and will
depart onto NW 43rd Avenue from the west side of the parking lot into the
northbound bike lane.
The Ride Aids:
Route
maps will be available at the start of the ride and at the breakfast; if
you
want a preview map of the ride or a
Garmin route file, email Ed at the address below. A copy of
the
General Plan for the Bee-17s has been posted on the GCC mail list and is
also available
from me upon request.
Weather: In the
event
of questionable weather as we near ride time, a GO or cancellation
notice
will be posted on the list server approximately 1 hour or sooner before
posted
ride meeting time; if you don't see anything by then, the ride is most
likely a
GO; if you still have concerns or useful specific information
about bad weather along the ride route, please give me a
call.