Velma and Jo 200k ACP Brevet, September 26, 2026; St Jo, Texas
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StephenH
Sep 21, 2026, 12:02:10 AM (7 days ago) Sep 21
to Lone * Star * Randonneurs
Time for Velma and Jo!
Tired of riding in your own backyard? Ready to see some roads you've never seen before?
Come ride Saturday in St. Jo, Texas, on the 200k Velma and Jo ACP Brevet!
The route is here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48418468
This route starts in St. Jo, Texas. The first few miles are on the old Spanish Fort route, and include the big downhill coming out of town. At Mile 15, you branch off into uncharted territory, cross Red River into Oklahoma, and chug through a few miles of bottom land around the river. At Mile 37, you hit the first supply point at Ringling. From there, you head straight north, cross new Hwy 7, and come into Velma on Old Hwy 7. See those bumps on the profile between Mile 58 and 65? That's a series of little hills on Old Hwy 7. You get into Velma, and hit your choice of unimpressive gas stations/convenience stores, then ride back out on those same little bumps. Back to Ringling, back to Red River, but you come back into St Jo by a different route. And this time, you go UP the big hill into town, dang it, but it builds character. This route has 5,114' of climbing, which is more than I was remembering.
This ride is an ACP brevet. That means it qualifies for certain awards and events. Time and mileage credit are based on exactly 200k, regardless of actual length.
Start time: 7:20 AM, Saturday, September 26, 2026. This is 4 seconds after sunrise, so a daylight start.
Start location: St Jo Heritage Park, the town square at Hwy 82 and FM 677. There are no restrooms at the ride start, stop at the convenience store on the way into town. The end control is actually several blocks from this square.
RUSA membership is required to ride. See the RUSA website for details.
Lone Star Randonneurs membership is required to ride. See the LSR site for details. Get the form and money in to Dan prior to the ride.
At some point in the fall, memberships also start including the following calendar year; check into that if you're just now registering.
Sunset is 7:22 PM, allowing just over 12 hours of daylight, while allowed riding time is 13:30. If there is any possibility you will be out after sunset, you will need lights and reflective gear per RUSA standards. Even if you plan to make the 12 hours, it would be prudent to have them along.
A waiver is attached. Please complete, print, sign, scan, and email to both me and Dan, and bring the original to the ride start.
Logistics: There are no regular motels in St. Jo. Gainesville is about 22 miles to the east if you need a motel. I will probably just go to bed two hours early, get up two hours early, and drive up there. St Jo is 99 miles from my house, about 40 miles farther than Italy, and a little closer than Mineral Wells.
Forecast: Long range forecast shows low of 68, high of 89, winds from SSE at 9 mph. That 89 degrees is not too "hot", but bring a Camelbak or whatever it takes you to get through the final 42 mile gap with no services. Surely those bottomlands won't be humid or anything...
Riders:
List pending. Last year, it was just me. So y'all need to get out and explore a bit!
Stephen H
stephen...@yahoo.com
Tired of riding in your own backyard? Ready to see some roads you've never seen before?
Come ride Saturday in St. Jo, Texas, on the 200k Velma and Jo ACP Brevet!
The route is here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48418468
This route starts in St. Jo, Texas. The first few miles are on the old Spanish Fort route, and include the big downhill coming out of town. At Mile 15, you branch off into uncharted territory, cross Red River into Oklahoma, and chug through a few miles of bottom land around the river. At Mile 37, you hit the first supply point at Ringling. From there, you head straight north, cross new Hwy 7, and come into Velma on Old Hwy 7. See those bumps on the profile between Mile 58 and 65? That's a series of little hills on Old Hwy 7. You get into Velma, and hit your choice of unimpressive gas stations/convenience stores, then ride back out on those same little bumps. Back to Ringling, back to Red River, but you come back into St Jo by a different route. And this time, you go UP the big hill into town, dang it, but it builds character. This route has 5,114' of climbing, which is more than I was remembering.
This ride is an ACP brevet. That means it qualifies for certain awards and events. Time and mileage credit are based on exactly 200k, regardless of actual length.
Start time: 7:20 AM, Saturday, September 26, 2026. This is 4 seconds after sunrise, so a daylight start.
Start location: St Jo Heritage Park, the town square at Hwy 82 and FM 677. There are no restrooms at the ride start, stop at the convenience store on the way into town. The end control is actually several blocks from this square.
RUSA membership is required to ride. See the RUSA website for details.
Lone Star Randonneurs membership is required to ride. See the LSR site for details. Get the form and money in to Dan prior to the ride.
At some point in the fall, memberships also start including the following calendar year; check into that if you're just now registering.
Sunset is 7:22 PM, allowing just over 12 hours of daylight, while allowed riding time is 13:30. If there is any possibility you will be out after sunset, you will need lights and reflective gear per RUSA standards. Even if you plan to make the 12 hours, it would be prudent to have them along.
A waiver is attached. Please complete, print, sign, scan, and email to both me and Dan, and bring the original to the ride start.
Logistics: There are no regular motels in St. Jo. Gainesville is about 22 miles to the east if you need a motel. I will probably just go to bed two hours early, get up two hours early, and drive up there. St Jo is 99 miles from my house, about 40 miles farther than Italy, and a little closer than Mineral Wells.
Forecast: Long range forecast shows low of 68, high of 89, winds from SSE at 9 mph. That 89 degrees is not too "hot", but bring a Camelbak or whatever it takes you to get through the final 42 mile gap with no services. Surely those bottomlands won't be humid or anything...
Riders:
List pending. Last year, it was just me. So y'all need to get out and explore a bit!
Stephen H
stephen...@yahoo.com
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