Escaped Inmate Loop
Inspired by the route that inmate Henry Smith took, this is a mostly gravel road suffer fest that should be good prep for either the Rouge Roubaix (March 7 2010) or the Ouachita Challenge (March 27-28). The 13-mile loop can be ridden 4-5 times counter-clockwise to simluate the mileage for the OC, and to climb Big Bertha.
The Hwy 66 section is best ridden on the grassy median with a mountain bike. It has the approximate consistency of a trail. Due to ATV traffic, there's ample room on the roadside, except for a couple of bridge crossings. If you're into it, you can ride the road and the gravel on a road bike (this is part of the RR route), but it's rough and the traffic from Angola on 66 drives fast.
The route can be expanded to 33 miles total by heading North on Farrar Davis Road into the North Tract of the Wildlife Management Area. 7-mile loop in the WMA, then back on Farrar Davis. Probably best to wear orange this time of year, but you're within your rights to be out there.
Join Andy and I for a Ouachita Challenge training ride through this loop as many times as we can stand. It should be chilly Sunday so bundle up. We'll start in the South Tract of the WMA, email me for directions if you'd like to meet up.
We did two laps, or about 28-29 miles with the ride from my house. He warmed up and gained confidence the second time and rode it all faster on the second lap. That's saying something because the climbs are pretty brutal.