Rally route planning

[2wTraveler]

OK, we already had a thread about training physiclly for LD riding. I am more curious as to how other riders plan their rally routes. I have only done a couple of rallys and learn something new each time. I am riding the Cape Fear 1000 in a couple of weeks and I am starting to think about how I want to approach mapping out this rally.

Knowing the length of time the rally runs, and how many miles you can fit into that time frame, Do you pick the top 5 biggest bonii and see if they fit? Do you try to stick to places you are more familiar with, or route around things you want to see?

[jwhite518]

There's no pat answer for rally planning. They all have their own personality. So the answer is: It Depends. I would study past rally reports of the Cape Fear if you want a preview of what you're facing.

For a traditional rally, with no base route but just a bucket of bonii, here's what I would do: Start with a mileage target. Plot the bonii on a map. Color code them according to points value - high/med/low. Look for single high points bonii, or clusters of bonii that combine into high points. Plot a route, see how it fits into your time/mileage budget. Then add any other bonii that are close to your route. Add up the potential points. If there's time, try another scenario and compare points values of your two routes. Once you choose your route, write it down on note cards. Start riding. Use your GPS to route point to point, instead of plotting a big complex route in the GPS.

The funny thing is, I don't think I've ever run a rally like this, and I've run about a dozen.

[nantahala]

I've only done one rally so I'm no expert, but I went for the bonii in areas that I was familiar with, which also happened to be some of the bigger values and stuff I wanted to see (historical stuff you usually don't take time to stop and see).  In order to get a visual on the total distribution and value of the bonii, I plotted the bonii locations and stuck in circles with diameters/radii relative to the value of the points - that way it was pretty easy to see where the groupings of bigger bonii were.  I can't remember which mapping program that was, but that simple symbol feature was nice.

The old rule of always leaving an 'out' if you fall behind is good.  The rally I ran was in the cold rain which really sucked and I fell behind on the schedule and ditched some bonii along the route (altered the route) and dropped some of the last planned bonii.  I planned my route with highways or major roads within 'jumping off' distance so I could catch up if needed - really kinda like a regular day trip where you wander around an area that you want to see and jump ship when you need to get home...

If I were to do the same rally today, I would head for the totally unknown bonii locations and take my time.  So, the final answer is "It Depends".  

M-

[doug5551]

I would add that the most important part of route planning I believe is that if you want to be a finisher, make absolutely certain that you satisfy the minimum requirements for the rally, whatever that may be.

Many people try to bite off more than they can chew.  You should probably try to not do that.

Also, at last years Land of Enchantment rally, a couple of people came in with 980 miles when you needed 1000 miles to be a finisher.  That would have bummed me out if I had done that.