N.C. Perms -- What Have People Been Riding?, # 6

Previously, (click here for previous post in this series). 

And now, the routes tthat were ridden in 2012 compared to what was ridden in previous years.

2012 routes ridden versus previous years: 

	Completed Circuits
Permanents (200+ kms)	2012	2011	2010	prior	Total
Lookin' Out My Back Door / 1468	77	0	0	0	77
Triple-L / 831	60	46	32	0	138
Warrenton + Egypt Mtn / 1444	26	0	0	0	26
Ammons-Whiteville / 1380	27	0	0	0	27
Tar Heel 200 / 589	26	87	104	69	286
Lumberton-Ellerbe 200K / 1391	25	0	0	0	25
OakElmOak / 1551	17	0	0	0	17
Carolina Crossroads / 1279	12	23	0	0	35
Showdown in Black Creek / 481	10	41	48	38	137
Lake Gaston 210K / 1242	9	8	0	0	17
Yanceyville Ramble / 480	8	20	11	17	56
Big Bike to Performance Bike / 803	6	3	4	0	13
Sauratown 200K / 412	6	7	4	6	23
Brushy Mountain Lassooo / 1013	6	6	0	0	12
Carthage Coffee Run / 952	6	36	11	0	53
How I ... Love the BOMB / 1290	6	6	0	0	12
Natty Greene 200 / 958	5	1	25	0	31
Kerr Lake Loop / 143	5	51	60	111	227
Siler City Express / 257	3	3	11	35	52
Tread of Tears / 1606	2	0	0	0	2
Coffeedence / 1629	2	0	0	0	2
Blackbeard's Permanent / 58	1	0	1	10	12
Wilkes Foothills 200K / 924	1	3	1	0	5
Triple Mountain View / 926	1	14	2	0	17
Capitols:  Richmond + Raleigh / 345	0	0	2	3	5
Danbury 205K / 492	0	0	2	8	10
Wilkes County Rumble / 879	0	1	5	0	6
Total Perms (200+ kms)	347	356	323	297	1,323

	Completed Circuits
Perm-Populaires (100-199 kms)	2012	2011	2010	prior	Total
Get 'er Dunn / 878	141	140	51	0	332
Bahama Beach / 1404	66	0	0	0	66
Eureka 100 / 1651	32	0	0	0	32
Howling Grits Populaire / 770	26	29	55	0	110
Hope Springs Eternal / 1636	17	0	0	0	17
Sauratown Lite Populaire / 977	19	26	11	0	56
Bunn Warmer / 1583	9	0	0	0	9
Cameron-Carrboro-Cameron / 1399	7	0	0	0	7
Ham and Yam Populaire Jam / 1178	5	15	0	0	20
Hillacious 100+6.5 / 1554	5	0	0	0	5
Benson Mule Pull / 792	4	37	21	0	62
Natty Greene Lite Populaire / 966	3	0	17	0	20
The Whirligig / 1006	2	90	4	0	96
L'Societe d'Adrian Hands Pop / 1377	1	0	0	0	1
Capitol Bailey Pop - 102km / 1289	1	0	0	0	1
Clayton Coffee Jaunt / 1074	0	18	0	0	18
Total Perm-Pops (100 - 100 kms)	338	355	159	0	852

Comments:

• One thing that needs to be understood is that the majority of NC randonneurs (or at least most of those that ride permanents frequently) live in the Triangle area (Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill) of North Carolina. That fact is a significant driver of what routes get ridden, and how much.
•  
• Permanents (200+ kms):
• As can be easily seen from the first chart abovet, five of the most-ridden 200+ km perms were created during 2012:  LOMBD (south of Raleigh), Egypt Mtn (north of Raleigh), Ammons (Lumberton, and east), Ellerbe (Lumberton, and west), and OEO (starts in downtown Raleigh and goes east). 
• The creation of the new routes explains much of the change in what was ridden in 2012 versus what was ridden in previous years. 
•  
• Another major factor is the location of the 10K-Hounds here in North Carolina. 
• There were four 10K-Hounds in 2010:  three in the Triangle and one in the Triad.  
• There were five 10K-Hounds in 2011:  two from eastern NC; two from the south edge of Raleigh; one from the Triad; there were two repeaters from 2010. 
• There were five 10K-Hounds in 2012:  one from the Lumberton area; one from the south edge of Raleigh; one from central Raleigh; two from the north edge of Raleigh; there was one repeater from 2011.
• 
  
• LOMBD has replaced the Tar Heel 200 as the go-to route for many Triangle area randonneurs and also sometimes for southeast NC randonneurs. 
• Triple-L is the favorite of Triangle area randos looking for a local hill-fest.  It also is a choice for eastern NC randos looking for a hill-fest, without driving all the way to the mountains.
• Egypt Mtn was created in early 2012 and is my route.  I am therefore a bit biased about it, and choose to type nothing.
• MaryF and Lumberton and Fayettville area friends (several whom joined RUSA just to ride those routes) rode the heck out of those Ammon and Ellerbe routes in 2012.  Mary's routes also attract southeast NC randonneurs. 
• OakElmOak is one of the three relatively new perms that starts in downtown Raleigh.  OEO is a nice route mostly along quiet country back-roads, with a few unexpected scenic gems, and with more climbing than one might expect given the turn-around is in Elm City.  It might not be a preferred choice for a weekday ride due to afternoon traffic issues on one section of the route. 
• The other two routes that start downtown were created in late 2011:  Carolina Crossroads and the BOMB.  I rode CC in Feb-2012 and enjoyed the route (Garner Rd might have more traffic on a weekday ride than I would prefer to deal with). 
• The Black Creek perm continues to show-down, er, attract some cyclists.  It starts on the northeast edge of Raleigh and one is quickly onto the country roads that make up NC Bike Route #2 and NC BR #7.  The first and last 20-kms of the route are hilly; the middle 160+ kms are relatively flat.  Based on personal experience, it is a reasonable route seven days a week. 
• The Yanceyville route rambles about north and northwest of Durham.  It is also a hill-fest, but as I've not ridden the route, I can't offer a real opinion.  I have, however, ridden many of the roads that make up the route as part of "club" or JRA rides -- based on those rides:  there's some climbing to be done out there. 
•  
• In 2012, Luke created a couple routes out in the Asheville area that he and AndyA apparently rode once (1 ride of 2 people equals 2 completed-circuits).  It appears that Luke has also created another couple routes, but has yet to ride either (by the end of 2012). I know nothing about those routes; I would, however, be willing to bet that there is quite of bit of climbing involved.
• Some people ask, "why aren't there more routes on the Blue Ridge?"  There are likely several contributing factors, but (it is my opinion that) the main one is that few randonneurs live near the BRP, and the randonneurs in the Boone area have not caught the "Permanents Bug". 
•  
• TimL created the Lake Gaston route that starts on the northwest edge of Wilson late in 2011.  That's a good start location for eastern (and possibly northeastern) NC randonneurs.  I'd like to do Tim's Lake Gaston route. 
• I've never managed to do the Carthage Coffee Run on US Bike Route #1, so I cannot comment from personal experience.  Unlike the Yanceyville route, I have no knowledge of any of the roads from non-rando cycling about. 
• The Siler City Express sometimes gets attention from people wanting to scout the middle 200k of Alan's 400-km brevet route and from some others looking for a hill-fest.  The route starts in Siler City and proceeds through the heart of Uwharries, then turns-around.  [Gee, I think I haven't ridden with "Fearless Leader" Alan since the 300 brevet pre-ride.  Anyway, it must have been on that 300 pre-ride back in April-2012 when I commented to Alan that I'd like to do the Siler City perm since I'd never done it; Alan, with a twinkle in his eyes, immediately responded, "yes you have."  I chuckled and replied, "well, I know, but there is that half-mile or so at the start and the finish that I haven't ridden."] 
• Kerr Lake Loop is important in the history of NC permanent routes and riders; it was the first NC route created that ended where it started, and as mentioned before was "the only route available back then."  As other routes have become available in recent years, it seems that many like exploring the newer routes and KLL has gotten "less business".  I like the Kerr Lake Loop route and hope to ride it again in 2013. 
• I don't mean to ignore the other 200+ km routes shown in the above chart, but in general, I know nothing about them.  Except the Sauartown route:  that route beat me in 2010; I want to make it back to reverse the score.  
•  
• Permanent-Populaires (100-199 kms): 
• Howling Grits (near Chapel Hill), the Benson Mule Pull (starts in Garner, just southeast of Raleigh) and Get 'er Dunn (starts south of Raleigh) were created in early 2010.  Each was an instant hit.  See Dean's post on Research Trailer Park for more on 2010 perm-pops in North Carolina.
• Howling Grits continues to attract randonneurs at a reasonable rate and includes what is reputedly the toughest climb in the Triangle:  Lystra Rd. 
• Get 'er Dunn.  What can be said about Get 'er Dunn?  I like it.  MickH really like it.  Dean REALLY likes it; he can usually be found riding it at least once or twice a week. 
• I think the Benson Mule Pull would be a good route for those visiting the Triangle, assuming that the required paperwork exchange could be effectuated without undue burden on route-organizer Dean.  The start is next to US-70 and therefore easy to get to; the entire route, except for one quarter-mile connection, is on quiet rural roads.  
• I know nothing about the Eureka route except that it was created late in 2012 and that it starts near Zebulon and turns around in Eureka (?).  Al P informs that his Garmin reports significantly more climbing than shown on the Trimble map one can access from the RUSA website Permanent Search function; that is likely partially due to the fact that Al apparently mapped only the outbound portion of the route.  
• The Bunn Warmer is a short version of Hope Springs Eternal, which is a short version of the 209k OakElmOak permanent.  All three were created essentially mid-year-2012; any of the three gives a nice route mostly along quiet country back-roads, with a few unexpected scenic gems, and with more climbing than one might expect given that they head east of Raleigh. 
• The Sauartown and Natty Green Lite routes start in the Triad area of North Carolina (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point).  It seems that the Sauartown Lite is Joel's ride of choice for a quick, fun rando ride.   
• I assume that main attraction on the Whirligig route is the visit to the Volis Simpson Whirligig Farm.  There is a very nice write-up of a ride on the Whirligig route and a separate one about Volis Simpson on the Research Trailer Park blog.  The extra attention the route received in 2011 was because two randonneurs rode the heck out of it on the way to 10K-Hound status that year. 
• Bahama Beach was created early in 2012 and is my route.  I am therefore a bit biased about it, and choose to type nothing. 
• I choose to type nothing or (in most cases) actually know nothing about the other perm-pops.  If you know something you would like to share:  that's what comments are for. 

[I've struggled with this particular post long enough.  Time to either publish, or delete it.  I choose to publish it.  

There will be one more post in this series; a post I had not planned, but the core of which came to me in a flash the other day.  It might serve nicely as a wrap-up.]
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[For the next post in the series, click-here.]