The 2017 Oktoberfest Ride will offer 2 routes.  The routes feature quintessential bucolic scenery, and with luck, plenty of fall foliage. Following the ride, please join us for the festivities (food, beer, and door prizes) sponsored by the Appalachian Brewing Company.

The Long (Standard) Course is ca 62 miles long with 4000′ of climbing.  You can see the provisional Long Course map and profile here.

The Short Course is ca 46 miles long with 2900′ of climbing.  You can see the provisional Short Course map and profile here.

The Courses are best described by the traditional English wedding rhyme of, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Let’s address these in reverse order.

Something Blue are the lozenges of the Bavarian Flag which will grace the venue.

Something Borrowed. We wish we could claim complete credit for Oktoberfest Ride Course; however a large percentage of the course was designed by Bill McCoach, Chris Shinners, Dave Henninger, and Rick Grater. Though many of the roads have been longtime local favorites, and used in other events, they were made most famous by their use in Sparta Cycling’s Univest Grand Prix (1998 – 2011). The large circuit of the Univest course was last used in 2009, and was sorely missed; thus we decided to incorporate the best parts into the Oktoberfest routes.

Something New. While a large percentage of the course uses roads utilized by the Univest Grand Prix, a lot of the course is original. The Start/Finish location in Collegeville is original, as are the ways the course joins and departs the borrowed sections.

Something Old is the region. Many of the communities on the course pre-date the revolutionary war,  as do quite a number of the buildings along the route, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.  Several of the cemeteries on the route have graves of Revolutionary War Soldiers.

In his description of the 2007 Univest Cyclosportif route, Steve Madden, editor of Bicycling Magazine stated,“The course climbed and plummeted through tight technical corners and hairpins, and jack-hammered through farmland.   Every turn was marked, the support was great, and the riders fast and convivial”.

This description is accurate for the Oktoberfest Ride Route, both for the borrowed and new sections. The ups and downs arrive quickly following the departure from Collegeville, and don’t end until you get back. 

Along the way there are major climbs that will be used for the Strava based KOM/QOM challenge; Old Church/Church Rd. in Upper Salford (both courses), Eichele Rd outside of Green Lane Park (Long Course Only) and Knockel Rd. in Marlborough Township (both courses).  These climbs comprised the heart of the KOM competition at the Univest Grand Prix. The course will be marked to the highest standards.  Cue sheets and links to GPS files will be emailed to all pre-registered participants a few days before the event.