Now that the 1000k has been pre-ridden there are some important news and announcements for riders on this event. A detailed route description has been posted which riders should read as well.
Update (Tuesday Morning): The Downeast 1000k route has been updated and posted. The cue sheet is in Excel format and the RWGPS route link has been updated. Both should be considered preliminary but we don’t anticipate further changes before Thursday.
Click below to read the full announcement.
- Day before rider check-in & bike inspection will take place next Wednesday, 7/29 from 6 – 8 PM in the meeting room at the start location, the Comfort Inn & Suites.
- Day of event rider check-in & bike inspection will take place on Thursday, 7/30 from 3:30 – 3:45 AM in the meeting room at the start location.
- Pre-ride announcements will take place on Thursday, 7/30 from 3:45 – 3:55 AM in the meeting room at the start location.
- Riders will gather outside the lobby of the hotel at 3:55 AM to be ready for a 4 AM departure.
- Please be respectful of other hotel guests & keep voices to a minimum inside the hotel prior to the start.
- One drop bag will be transported from the start to the sleep stop in Colby College & back to the finish by midday Saturday, 8/1. You will be provided a special tag for the bag but please include your name somewhere on your drop bag in addition. You will be staying in the same room for both nights at the college so items may be left in the room.
- Sheets, towels, pillows & blankets will all be provided by the college at the sleep stop.
Pre-ride Notes:
- Three of us took part in a pre-ride of the route this past weekend. Thanks to Jan Dembinski & Henry van den Broek for joining me [Anthony Mennona] on a successful pre-ride & for their helpful feedback/suggestions on the route. Downeast 1000k Pre-ride Pictures Thanks Henry for taking & sharing these pictures!
- The Downeast 1000k is a challenging, yet very rewarding route. The terrain becomes more & more demanding as the days progress. It is advised that riders be as efficient as possible on days 1 & 2 to provide themselves with a buffer for day 3.
- There was a bit of road construction & a closed road along the route which both require re-routing. Unfortunately both of these changes will add several miles to an already long route. Fortunately the miles added for these two re-routes are along flat, quiet roads.
- The route on the 2nd day will mainly be an out & back to Acadia. The draft version of the map & cue sheet had different routes for the out & back between Waterville & Bucksport. Due to rough roads along one of these routes, this section has been revised.
- A revised cue sheet & map are being created & will be distributed as soon as they are completed.
- The roads are mainly in good condition. There are several sections of dirt road along the route, which were in good shape for the pre-ride. Many of the state highways in Maine have very small shoulders, but fortunately most of the ones the route traverses have light traffic.
- Highlights of the ride include riding along quiet roads & past rivers & lakes on day 1. The ride through Acadia National Park & up Cadillac Mountain on day 2 was spectacular & very much something to look forward to. Pre-riders experienced dense fog as they made their way up to the higher elevations near the Kancamagus Pass on day 3. Though limited at times, the views of the imposing mountains on the way up still made this a great, challenging climb.