D2R2 Ride Info

The routes of the D2R2 are as a true randonnee, where navigation is part of the challenge. You are responsible for your navigation tools and skills. We provide turn-by-turn directions and sometimes even a sign or two, but many riders still miss turns so please pay attention as a randonneur should.

The cue sheet is the primary navigation aid and has the most complete information about hazards and ambiguous turns.

GPS files will be provided as we get closer to ride day.

Maps and GPS files have inconsistencies so the cue sheet is best. If you intend to use a GPS to navigate the route, please read through the cue sheet pre-ride as it also contains important cautionary information as well as useful route divergence information.

Many of our intersections lack signs or are otherwise unclear, so track your mileage or location.

Different routes intersect each other, so don’t assume that other riders are going your way.

Recovering from straying off course can add massive amounts of climbing to your ride. You can’t rely on your cell phone mapping to recover because there’s often no cell service. Around here GPS maps are often optimistic about which roads still exist so you can’t ride every road shown on their maps. Because of all that, staying on course can make your day much better, so please take care to do so. We do our best to help, but navigation is still a part of the challenge of the ride.

Equipment is a personal decision and self-knowledge is the only appropriate guide, but we’ll try to help. These suggestions are for all routes beyond the Family Ride and Green River Tour.

• Most riders will require a bicycle with tires at least 30mm wide and very low gearing (a 1:1 ratio or lower).
• You should be able to change your own flats and cut tires. Carry equipment to fix sidewall cuts and multiple punctures (a tire boot, patch kit, tubes, and pump or many CO2 cartridges).
• Carry enough water to last you 30 miles uphill in whatever heat is forecast. If you use water bottles instead of a hydration pack, use bottle cages strong enough to retain your bottle over extremely rough roads, and retrieve your bottle if it does come out. Many riders get very excited on some descents, then very sad later about leaving their bottles behind.

Please choose your equipment conservatively because you’ll be riding in a rural area lacking bike shops and cell service, so if your bike breaks you may have a very long walk home (if you walk away from the break).

Riders complete the D2R2 on bikes ranging from mountain bikes to road bikes with 25mm tires to fat bikes, and the number of purpose-built gravel bikes grows each year.

What bike you choose should be based on the course you’re going to ride, weather conditions, and your experience riding dirt/gravel roads (read “roads” loosely for the longer routes as they include jeep tracks, discontinued roads, and trails).

Skill is more important than equipment. There is no bike that corners on loose gravel like on pavement. If you haven’t ridden gravel roads before please ride very carefully because the skill of riding on a loose surface takes experience to acquire.

Most riders on a road bike (tires narrower than 30mm) will walk some sections and need to descend extremely gingerly at points.

While some riders use carbon rims they are mostly disc brakes. Carbon rims have delaminated in the D2R2 from rim-braking heat.

Wider tires make for a far more comfortable long day in the saddle, and aren’t necessarily slower over the whole course. Mountain bikes with slicks or small knobs are quite competitive. However, drop bars provide more hand positions, which can help prevent sore hands.

Choose gearing that you can spin up a 16% grade seated (not standing) when you’re extremely tired. For most people this means at least a 1:1 ratio or lower, such as a 34-tooth chainring with a 36-tooth cog.

A word of caution: If you make any custom alterations to your bike for this event, make them a week in advance and go for a test cruise.There is nothing worse than equipment failure 3 miles into the ride!