How Routes are Made, Part 1

Behind the Cue Sheets, Part I

Why We Pick the Roads We Do

From hotel hurdles to steep grades, every mile is a balancing act.
Here’s how safety and rider experience shape the Ride’s 500-mile journey.

By MARK ANDREW

Ride for Runaways Committee

As I take on the lead route design role, one of my immediate goals is to make the process more transparent. Over the next few newsletters, I’ll share how routes are chosen, scouted, and finalized so the work behind the ride feels a little less cryptic.

This first installment focuses on the roads themselves. After this year’s ride, the August survey showed that about 80% of riders did not raise concerns about the route. Around 20% mentioned safety or climbing issues. Both matter—the smaller group highlights areas to improve, while the majority suggests the design worked for most.

Designing a 500-mile, seven-day ride is not a trivial exercise. Every day must balance safety, flow, and logistics. Safety means judging traffic, visibility, and shoulders. Flow means avoiding highways,left turns,or steep passages.Logistics means finding towns that can house and feed 140+ riders and supporters. That part has grown tougher as hotels have become more costly and rigid, often requiring two-night minimums. Lodging realities now dictate not only which towns we can use but also which roads must connect them.

Grades are another challenge. Riders understandably dread long climbs that sap energy and split our groups. Whenever possible, we favor rolling terrain, but flatter roads often mean highways with trucks, while quieter roads tend to be hillier. The Scranton departure was a perfect example: there was only one safe way out, and it involved steep streets that tested all of us.

This is where the identity of the Ride matters. The Ride for Runaways is not a commercial tour designed for comfort at every turn. It’s a grassroots fundraiser that asks more of its riders. Over the years, riders have relied on their cycling experience—riding single file, holding steady lines, signaling clearly, and adapting when terrain or traffic demands it.

Survey feedback helps us adjust. Concerns about trucks confirm challenges we already track andpushustoexplorealternatives.Notesaboutpavementor debris are logged for review, and where possible we look to replace sections or add SAG/rover support.

Some stretches remain unavoidable—the only bridge, the only connector, or the only town with space for us. In those cases, we strive to keep them short and surround them with SAG stops and rovers.

The big picture: safety always comes first, with rider experience a close second.