Race Resources: Poolesville Road Race

by David Kirkpatrick, Features Editor

NCVC’s Poolesville Road Race is a prize that most MABRA racers dream of capturing.  The iconic 10 mile course winds through rolling back roads and includes a 1.5 mile unpaved section of River Road.  Whether due to the race’s speed, the course’s length, topography, or the multitude of flats and crashes incurred on the pave, it’s always a race of attrition. 

The race begins with a neutral rollout along West Willard Road from the Poolesville Baptist Church, which is across the street from the traditional Poolesville High School staging location.  Once you’ve crossed Westerly Road, the flag drops.  The run from West Willard to West Offutt Road is gently rolling and gradually loses elevation.  Speeds can be really fast along this section, but apart from the inherent action in a smoking fast peloton, there’s nothing exceptional about this part of the course. 

Through turn one, you head onto West Offutt Road.  West Offutt is considerably narrower than West Willard, so the group will tend to elongate coming out of that turn.  If you were in the back before, you’re going to be even further away from the head of the race after the turn.  Being a narrow road, it doesn’t offer much opportunity to make a big move on the outside for those inclined to mind the centerline rule.  West Offutt also has an inconsistent shoulder, which keeps the guys on the right side of the field on their toes. 

West Offutt snakes through several turns, some of which can have a bit of a pucker factor, before intersecting with Edwards Ferry Road, where the route takes a left.  Edwards Ferry would be a totally innocuous part of the race were it not for two factors: wind and impending dirt.  There is a stand of trees on the right side of the road that disappears about a half mile from the West Offutt intersection.  Invariably, there is some sort of west wind blowing on race day, and when the tress go away, the right side gets a sudden cross wind. 

Compounding that issue is the scramble to be first into the dirt – or rather second or third into the dirt.  Because the one thing that everyone’s been told about the race is that you want to be near the front going into the dirt (and it’s good info), there’s a bit of a bum rush to the front.  Just in time for the group to have half-wheeled each other up to warp speed, you’ll see a sign that says “Dirt Section in 200 Meters” or some such, immediately after which is a short but sharp downhill that leads into the right turn onto the dirt.  You can tell who’s in the volunteer coordinator’s good graces because they will be road guarding the turn into the dirt.  It’s a heck of a show.

Before bikes were laterally stiff and vertically compliant, there were sections of the race where the race couldn’t be won, but sure could be lost (cliché hall of fame right there).  This turn is the granddaddy of all of them.  The surface into the turn stinks, and it only deteriorates as you go through the turn.  Last year, I road guarded this turn and watched Keck Baker, who won the men’s elite race, take a great approach to this turn, basically fully completing his turn on the pavement and entering the dirt as squarely as possible.    His race position of solo breakaway allowed him free reign to take this line, but if you had traced his route over the three or four laps he was away, it wouldn’t have varied by six inches on any lap.  Those who fail in their quest to make the turn clean have a double whammy in store for them: the outside corner of the turn is home to one of North America’s largest poison ivy patches, which is always in full bloom during the race.  It’s hard to deny having crashed at Poolesville when road rash and poison ivy are having a competition for control of the left half of your body. 

The dirt itself is great fun when it’s in good shape.  Some sturdy wheels and tires are always well advised at Poolesville.  If you have some 25c tires, maybe throw them on, Roubaix style.  The surface is generally super fast, but the potholes and random patches of loose over hard keep you on your toes and punish the white knuckle death grip technique.  There is generally a nice selection of water bottles lining the route (hit ‘em square and hope the tops pop open) and the further back you are, the less you see of any of this stuff.  There are two tracks, and switching between them is possible at several points along the stretch should you need to.  As you near the end of the section, you will cross a small creek overpass, where you might catch air.  Relax and enjoy the ride. 

Coming out of the dirt, you make a right onto Elmer School Road.  While you can feel the general sigh of relief from those who’ve survived another trip through the dirt, there’s still the matter of the short sharp climb up to the USDA Experimental Animal Farm.  LOTS of people like to give this hill completely full gas, which mostly serves to make them vulnerable to malicious droppage at the next acceleration.  The false flat after the hill can be a brute. 

The next turn is onto Club Hollow Road, which is a beautiful tree lined stretch which is generally about 15 degrees cooler than the road you just came off of.  There are some sharp rolls on Club Hollow, and there always seems to be a lot of attrition on this section.  The accordion effect of some turns that lead into climbs is what does it.  As you exit the trees, you are climbing up to an exposed, fast section.  This ends in a sharp hill, with a right/left combo immediately following the rise.  The left puts you onto Westerly, which is the home stretch.  Westerly is largely featureless and wide open.  Intermediate trips down Westerly end with a right onto West Willard, but the final lap ends with a left back to the Church. 

The final section of the last lap is always a fun one.  First, you have to focus on making a left, not a right as you’ve been doing all day.  The front yard of the people immediately on the outside of this turn is an oft-traveled lane.  Second, the length of the section always entices people to jump too early.  Last, the left side of the road narrows considerably as you approach the finish, which can leave you horribly boxed in just when you are trying to get going (of course I wouldn’t know anything about that first hand. 

Most people who have any designs on a good finish at Poolesville will pre-ride the course.  It’s a great idea to get familiar with the turn into the dirt and the general layout.  Also, pre-riding the River Road section will give you an idea of whether your bottle cages are up to the task or not.  No love for the people ejecting water bottles onto the course, and the dust from that section generally puts liquid refreshment at a premium. 

NCVC always has a challenge on their hands to keep this venue and course alive.  The town of Poolesville puts up with it grudgingly at best.  I worked with a guy who lived out there who told me straight up that everyone out there hates race day.  Keeping that in mind, please be super mindful of being a good visitor.  No litter, no taking up the whole road when you’re warming up, no racing on the left side of the road (the police have threatened to arrest people for that one), and just generally try to display your best citizenship.  It’s a great race and everyone would love to keep it going for a few more years. 

Course Map and Elevations:
Via Veloroutes.org

Directions:
Google Map to Poolesville High School: 17501 West Willard Road, Poolesville, MD

Weather:
10-Day forecast for Poolesville, MD
Hour-by-Hour forecast for Poolesville, MD

Start Times, Distances, Payout:

Your Competition:
Pre-Registered Racers by Category

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David Kirkpatrick is a Features Editor with GamJams. He is enjoying growing fame through his blog Flamenco Chuckwagon, and as promoter of the lauded Lost River Classic.

Comments

[Faber]

Nice write-up!
I wonder if the payouts will be by check, large bills or small bills??

[Charles (Chuck) Hutcheson]

Hopefully they will count how many team mates you have, estimate how much you will make and seperate it for you, with you and your team mates names prewritten on the envelopes.

[Dave Kirkpatrick]

Gigantic Happy Gilmore checks for elite races, jars of pennies for everyone else.