DRR 400 - May 26, 2012

This route will be identical to the previous two versions of this event. This ride turns out to be more challenging than it would appear based on the elevation profile. The ride will be largely unsupported.

Ride: Desert River 400km
Organizer: Paul Whitney - post questions to this blog or email.
Ride Date: May 26, 2012
Start Time: 06:00am, Registration - 5:30-5:55. Sunrise/set 5:13/8:37
Start/End Location: Albertson's Parking lot; Leslie&Gage in Richland, WA. 690 Gage Boulevard.
Finish by: 9:00am, May 27, 2012
Registration: Pre-register here. To see who else is riding, check here.
Entry Fee: $10 (Insurance, route cards/sheets).
Medals: Available directly from the RUSA online store.
Route Sheet: Updated 5-21-2012: Draft (last year's final) is here. Maps for out and back are available on Ride with GPS.

The ride-end will NOT be staffed. Please have your card signed at a local establishment (the Albertsons is always open) and place in the indicated vehicle.

Some night riding is almost inevitable for 400k's in the continental US. Accordingly, be sure and have:

• A front and read light attached to the bike
• A reflective vest/sash
• Reflective ankle bands

The above, and other rules for Brevets are available on the RUSA web site.

The route extends the 200km route and continues exploring desert rivers. We take the same route out from Richland to Toppenish. From Toppenish, the route parallels the main highway on Track road, sidestepping back onto the main road before Track Rd veers right. There's a gradual climb on the south side of Yakima to Wiley City. Note: the Wiley Market has no restrooms - but, there are options before this control in Union Gap and after in Yakima and Selah. After Wiley City - the ride cuts across to Summitt Road, and over to the bike path system to cross to Selah. From Selah the ride goes through the Yakima River Valley up to Ellensburg - the control and turn-around point in Ellensburg is the Safeway. Then it's back through the canyon, into Selah, the bike-path, and controls on Nob Hill Blvd. From there we circumnavigate Moxee, and head down to Zillah - to take advantage of the services along the Interstate. We head through Zillah to the Yakima Valley Hwy - which changes names while passing through Sunnyside (more services), Grandview (more services), but essentially is a direct route to the Prosser control (more services). From Prosser, we essentially backtrack to Richland - w/ a good intermediate stop, if needed, in Benton City (you can't miss it:).

The longest stretches w/o easy access to services are through the Canyon between Selah and Ellensburg - this amounts ~50km.