The 2024 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 Brass Collar Brewing Company & Menagerie Foods

Please note the courses in 2024 will NOT be marked with directional arrows.  However, GPS Files will be provided as well as Free Access to the Ride With GPS App.

The Long Course is ca 59 miles long with 4400′ of climbing (according to Ride With GPS):

The Short Course is ca 39 miles long with 3100′ of climbing (according to Ride With GPS):

The courses are subject to change at any time

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 most 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 as a race in 2009, and was sorely missed; thus we decided to incorporate the best parts into the Oktoberfest routes.

Something New. While most of the course uses roads utilized by the Univest Grand Prix, some of the course is new.  Most notably, until recently, Souderton didn’t have a brewery in town, so the Start/Finish location is original.  We’ve also tweaked the route a bit to accommodate changes to traffic patterns in the region as well as the numerous bridge closures and subsequent repairs.  

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.  Some 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 start, and don’t end until you get back.

Along the way there are 2 – 3 major climbs that comprised the KOM competition at the Univest Grand Prix: 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). 

While the Course won’t be marked, Cue sheets and links to GPS files will be posted to the download page of this website, and all pre-registered participants will be able to use the RideWithGPS App for free on event day.