200K Mardi Gras Brevet

The 200K on 2/13 is our annual Mardi-Gras ride! It is always a hoot.
For those who want few bonus miles, we push off from Dennis's house
about 5:45 and ride a leisurely 6 miles to the ride start at the  Koop
Rd Trail head just off of I-12 and hwy 59. We pick up a couple of
stragglers there and officially start the brevet at 6:30. It is a
short 4 mile ride on the trace into Abita Springs where we take Hwy 59
to Lowe Davis and then do an information control at a local Alligator
Farm. Allen Rd takes us to Tallsheek Hwy which we follow for about 10
miles before turning on to SR-41. We take Watts-Thomas Rd to get off
of the highway for a while and pass through the crowds forming up for
Bush's Mardi-Gras parade. If you are running behind be careful - once
the parade pushes off (usually 9 AM) you can't get through till it
passes and it may make you late at the Bush control. We regroup in
Bush and get a hot biscuit before heading out on Hwy 40. The rolling
hills on 40 are my favorite part of this ride and we take it all the
way to Lee Rd. A quick left turn on Kenzie leads you to 437 and then
the nice rollers on Section. We order lunch when we hit Lee Rd again
and take it to Louisiana Tung, 437 and North Factory before turning on
to 40 for the final leg into Folsom. The Po Boys at Sellers make the
trip more than worthwhile. We then turn around and ride the route in
reverse back to Koop Rd.
The route can easily be done in 10 hours but we regularly take 12 - 13
just so we can enjoy each and every roller we cross! Next it is hot
showers at Dennis's and then to the Chinese buffet to gorge
ourselves.
Sunday is usually a relaxing ride starting in River Ridge through New
Orleans and has been known to include anything from the French Quarter
to the Lower 9th Ward to the Battlefield where Andy and Jean meet the
British in 1812 to Lake Pontchartrain to the West Bank to Algiers
to ???? Who knows where we could end up.
Monday is ofter spent doing a "best" Bank Tour of both the east and
west bank levee. Tuesday the Ponchatoula Perm is available for anyone
who still wants to air out their legs.
No one is ever goes home hungry or wishing they could have cycled more
after this long weekend!
Hope everyone can make it
pat

The route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/30096