Originally Posted by greaterbrown

Thurmont is the hotspot.
BBC is staging the civil war century route this sunday. (not the event, just an unsupported BBC ride.)
and...
DCRand is also leaving from there a half hour earlier.


BBC:
15/17 and 18 - 8:30 am - 103 mi - Janet Goldstein 410-366-1466
START: Thurmont Community Park: 70W -> I5N -> SECOND Thurmont exit (Rt. 806). Right off ramp; left at light; park is 1/2 mi. on left. Please park in BACK parking lot.
Civil War Century. Get ready for Tour de Montes with Slow-Twitch Sally! Four major climbs in first 71 miles. Last 30 miles gently rolling. Rest stops at about 28, 43, and 73 miles.Mostly low-traffic roads through Fairfield, Keedysville, Antietam, Boonsboro, Sabillasville, and Gettysburg (not in that order).

DCRand:
"DOCTOR DISC'S CENTURY OF CENTURIES," starting from McDonald's in Thurmont, Maryland. ***MEETING TIME 8:00 am (1/2 hour later than usual)!*** This is one of our favorite good ol' rides, beginning with the pretty climb up MD550 to Blue Ridge Summit. We'll descend via Mentzer Gap, then visit "Ewetopia" as we continue west through the Cumberland Valley to our lunch stop at Al's in Mercersburg. After lunch we'll pass by Anderson's Mill and Homestead, ride through the Witherspoon "Red" Covered Bridge, and cross over the Hays double-arch stone bridge over Conococheague Creek. The scenery is lovely and the terrain moderate for a good part of the day, but keep in mind that the big climb up PenMar awaits us in the afternoon. We have to get back over the mountain one way or another, after all. We'll forgo an immediate descent to Thurmont by riding the length of scenic Foxville-Deerfield Road and then returning to Thurmont via the lovely swoopy descent on MD77, but if you're in a hurry to get back or just don't want to climb anymore, you can high-tail it down MD550 back to the parking lot. 100 miles, with many short options.