Great Eclipse Century (173k), March 14, 2026, Cleburne, Texas
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StephenH
Mar 3, 2026, 7:44:49 PM (2 days ago) Mar 3
to Lone * Star * Randonneurs
Join us Saturday, March 14, 2026, for the "Great Eclipse Century" out of Cleburne, Texas. This is the route we did a couple of years ago for the solar eclipse. It was a reasonably good, and different, route, so we'll hit it again (just no eclipse this time). This ride is one of the distances required for the Rouleur Award.
Start location: Nolan River Mall, corner of Henderson/ Bus 67 and Nolan River Road. This is a strip shopping center, not a big-city mall. Park near the northwest corner of the parking lot near the convenience stores. If you use the store restrooms, be a good citizen and buy stuff, too.
Start Time: 8:00 AM. This is a daylight start. Sunrise is 7:40. Sunset is 7:36, and allowed time runs out at 7:32, so this is a daylight ride, provided you finish in the allotted time.
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45434883 I'll be generating a paper cue sheet for my own use, if you'd like one, let me know. Check back for any changes prior to the ride.
RUSA membership is required. See the RUSA website for details.
Lone Star Randonneurs membership is required. See the LSR website. Get the form and money in to Dan some time prior to the ride.
A waiver is attached. Complete, print, sign, scan, and email to both me and Dan.
Route Notes:
Outbound, we pass stores in Rio Vista at 12.3 miles, then the next store is at Mile 43.6, with no services in between. With a headwind, that'll be a slow grind, so make sure you bring plenty of fluids and/or calories.
On the return, you have a gap from Mile 43.6 to Mile 83.1 with no services, so stock up at the Mile 43.6 store!
The "Random Cemetery" at Mile 53.3 was our eclipse-watching spot, if you wonder why that control is there.
Long range forecast: Low Friday night is 54 degrees, high Saturday is 77, winds at 15 mph out of the south (headwind out, tailwind back). 61% relative humidity, 23% chance of rain. Forecasts 10 days off are highly unreliable, so check just before the ride and be prepared for whatever it is.
Note: They recently announced the Goatneck Rally was cancelled due to road construction on Nolan River Road. It appears that construction will not start until May, so it does not affect this route. That said, we haven't ridden it since last year, so who knows what else might be going on out there.
Riders so far:
Gary
Dana
Stephen
Start location: Nolan River Mall, corner of Henderson/ Bus 67 and Nolan River Road. This is a strip shopping center, not a big-city mall. Park near the northwest corner of the parking lot near the convenience stores. If you use the store restrooms, be a good citizen and buy stuff, too.
Start Time: 8:00 AM. This is a daylight start. Sunrise is 7:40. Sunset is 7:36, and allowed time runs out at 7:32, so this is a daylight ride, provided you finish in the allotted time.
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45434883 I'll be generating a paper cue sheet for my own use, if you'd like one, let me know. Check back for any changes prior to the ride.
RUSA membership is required. See the RUSA website for details.
Lone Star Randonneurs membership is required. See the LSR website. Get the form and money in to Dan some time prior to the ride.
A waiver is attached. Complete, print, sign, scan, and email to both me and Dan.
Route Notes:
Outbound, we pass stores in Rio Vista at 12.3 miles, then the next store is at Mile 43.6, with no services in between. With a headwind, that'll be a slow grind, so make sure you bring plenty of fluids and/or calories.
On the return, you have a gap from Mile 43.6 to Mile 83.1 with no services, so stock up at the Mile 43.6 store!
The "Random Cemetery" at Mile 53.3 was our eclipse-watching spot, if you wonder why that control is there.
Long range forecast: Low Friday night is 54 degrees, high Saturday is 77, winds at 15 mph out of the south (headwind out, tailwind back). 61% relative humidity, 23% chance of rain. Forecasts 10 days off are highly unreliable, so check just before the ride and be prepared for whatever it is.
Note: They recently announced the Goatneck Rally was cancelled due to road construction on Nolan River Road. It appears that construction will not start until May, so it does not affect this route. That said, we haven't ridden it since last year, so who knows what else might be going on out there.
Riders so far:
Gary
Dana
Stephen
Stephen H
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