Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Do you recon?

I'm thinking of doing a 3-4 day short tour.
I've heard of people driving the route first to see if the road is fit for cycling etc...to me that sounds like a good/safe idea but takes alot of the adventure out of it.

Do you perform this sort of reconnaissance?

Hey powerglide. My recon is by car and sections of the tour by bike. I will drive to a certain part, unload my bike and "recon" that section for places to eat, parks, rest stops, bathrooms, etc. I also take notes and transfer to a map things like, mileage, hilly sections, and any unsafe routes. For me, this is all part of the fun of the "tour".

I'm thinking of doing a 3-4 day short tour.
I've heard of people driving the route first to see if the road is fit for cycling etc...to me that sounds like a good/safe idea but takes alot of the adventure out of it.

Do you perform this sort of reconnaissance? If it's just me, I don't recon. If I'm leading a few friends, I'll ride some portions of it so that I can draft up a good set of cue sheets and also make sure that folks will be comfortable with the routes (ie. nothing w/ super high traffic or super deadly climbing)

Interseting! I would have thought I'd have more "no" a votes...I wonder how this poll will develop.

blue steal, I see you're my neighbor (hi!) can you give me some pointers about good places to go?
I'll PM you to keep this thread on track :-)

Here's a No vote from me ..... pretty hard for me to drive to Australia or Europe or even the other side of North America to check out the roads. :D Plus exploration is the best part!!

The only time I have driven the routes I ride is when I created my Super Randonneur series (200K, 300K, 400K, & 600K). I was creating the series in the middle of winter so it would be ready for spring, and some of those days were a bit challenging for cycling ... a little on the cold, snowy, and icy side to be cycling a 600K! :D


You might also ask this in the touring forum ... I sort of suspect you'll get quite a few "No" votes over there.

Sure, driving certain parts of a route are an excellent idea. Especially if you are traveling back roads that are subject to flooding or yearly resurfacing. (chip-seal)

Viewing and riding a state road-race course prior to the race is a must. Mapping out a Brevet on the Internet is a good idea.

The more information you have about where you are riding the better. When in doubt, ride with the local riders.

I'd think it would destroy the adventure- I've never done it.

Of course, I bike in order to avoid driving, so I'm more than a little biased ;)

I organize a bunch of RUSA permanent routes and I recon them when I put them together. But I don't drive them, I ride them. Riding is the only proper way to do it.

I have maps the indicate which roads are paved and unpaved and topographic mapping software to see where the climbs are. I use Yahoo maps and internet searches to find services along the route.

Aerial photography available at google maps or yahoo maps can give you a good idea of the traffic density. More buildings along the road or divided highways equal higher traffic. General familiarity with the region helps as well. Obviously, a state highway that is the direct route between two large towns is going to be busy, eh?

Local, or county roads are the trickiest. Paving quality can vary considerably, but so it goes. The early randonneurs dealt with unpaved roads. So can we.

I also fly the route with google maps. What you can learn about traffic density is limited because you don't know what time of day the photos were taken. But you can often get an idea about the shoulders, how many lanes of traffic and whether its a divided road (undesirable), what kind of intersections there are (I avoid cloverleafed roads), and whether the environs are stip malls, industry, housing or natural.

I would like to do recon, but for long distance rides it's too much time and trouble. I don't want to go on a 100 or 200 mile car trip just to check out the roads.

I also fly the route with google maps. What you can learn about traffic density is limited because you don't know what time of day the photos were taken. But you can often get an idea about the shoulders, how many lanes of traffic and whether its a divided road (undesirable), what kind of intersections there are (I avoid cloverleafed roads), and whether the environs are stip malls, industry, housing or natural.

I would like to do recon, but for long distance rides it's too much time and trouble. I don't want to go on a 100 or 200 mile car trip just to check out the roads.

Aerial photos appear to be taken in early morning hours, based on the long shadows usually present. there also seems to be less traffic than normal, making me wonder if they are typically taken on weekend mornings.

You might also ask this in the touring forum ... I sort of suspect you'll get quite a few "No" votes over there.


You could also ask them if anyone there has ever ridden any of the routes, and get some heads up that way.

I'm thinking of doing a 3-4 day short tour.
I've heard of people driving the route first to see if the road is fit for cycling etc...to me that sounds like a good/safe idea but takes alot of the adventure out of it.

Do you perform this sort of reconnaissance?
I try to if possible! :D