Poolesville Road Race

Saturday, April 27, 2024

National Capital Velo Club is pleased to present the 28th Edition of the Poolesville Road Race! One of MABRA's premier local road racing events, the Poolesville Road Race consists of a 10 mile loop on rolling country roads featuring a 1.4 mile section of dirt each lap. What tires will YOU run?

2024 Women's/Non-Binary Initiative: National Capital Velo Club is committed to supporting and growing the sport of bicycle racing among riders eligible for women's and non-binary categories.  For 2024, we have made the Poolesville Road Race FREE* to all participants in the women's and non-binary categories and the women's and non-binary races will have their own wave. We hope you will come race with us!

*We have set the entry fee at $10 in order to register for the race, but all starters in the women’s and non-binary categories will receive a refund after the race. 

MABRA Championships:  Poolesville Road Race is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Master Women MABRA Road Championships and the Non-Binary MABRA Category Road Championships for 2024.  

Championship medals will be awarded in the following categories:

Master Women 35+Master Women 45+Master Women 55+Non-Binary Elite 1/2Non-Binary 3Non-Binary 4/Novice

Master Women will race together but will have separate podiums as will the Non-Binary 1/2 and Non-Binary 3. 

NOTE:  that in order to be eligible for a MABRA championship medal, you must live in the MABRA region and/or be affiliated with a MABRA affiliated club.  Please update your USA Cycling account to reflect your current club. 

Combined Fields:  the Master Women 35+/45+/55+, the Masters 35+/45+/55+ races, the Women's and Non-Binary Pro 1/2/3 and Women's and Non-Binary 4/Novice races feature combined fields which will be scored separately and awarded separate prizes. Results for combined fields will be uploaded to USAC as a single finish order.

Pre-Registration:

Pre-registration opens March 8, 2024 at 9:00 am and closes Thursday, April 25th at 8:30 am.Entry fee:  $60 ($10 for entrants in the women's and non-binary categories with a refund after the race for those who participate)Transfer Policies:  Riders may change the category they are registered for, or transfer their registration to someone else, until the closing of pre-registration on Thursday, April 25.  The registration change/transfer fee is $1.

Race Day Registration:  

Check-in and day-of registration will be at the Poolesville Baptist Church, 17550 West Willard Rd., Poolesville.  Registration opens at 6:30 AM and closes 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of each race.  Priority will be given to riders remaining on the waitlist as of race day.Entry fee:  adults $70 (includes $10 day-of surcharge), waitlisted riders $60 (no surcharge). No cash accepted.

Race goes rain or shine unless officials call off the race.  Please be considerate of our hosts, the residents of Poolesville--littering, obstruction of traffic or other other disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.  For everyone's safety, there there is no warming up/cooling down on the race course.

Licensing:  The Poolesville Road Race is a USA Cycling sanctioned event and all competitors must have a racing license.  Please provide your USAC license # when registering online, and be prepared to show your license at check-in.  Unlicensed riders may only race in categories that are open to Novice men or women, and will be charged an additional $15 in their BikeReg shopping cart for a 1-Day license.  Unlicensed riders entering on race day may purchase a 1-Day license for $15 directly from USA Cycling at the following URL:    

Parking:  Due to construction, there will be no parking available at Poolesville High School this year.  Instead, all participants should park in the lots at either Poolesville Elementary School (19565 Fisher Ave, Poolesville, MD 20837) or Poolesville Middle School (17014 Tom Fox Ave, Poolesville, MD, 20837).  If these lots are full, utilize the grassy lot on the north side of the skateboard park (Dr. Dillingham Park) located at Hoskinson and Wootton (behind and next to the shopping mall about 4 blocks from start.  There is NO COMPETITOR PARKING AT THE CHURCH. 

Course Description and Layout: The Poolesville Road Race course consists of rolling, country roads with a 1.4 mi hard packed dirt section per lap. The race will stage in the Poolesville Baptist Church parking lot and start with a neutral roll-out until West Willard crosses Westerly Road. From Poolesville High School, go South on West Willard.  Right on Offut.  Left on Edwards Ferry. Right on River (dirt). Right on Elmer School. Right on Club Hollow. Right on Edwards Ferry. Left on Westerly 10 miles per lap.  Feed zone on Westerly (see map below).

Staging Area: Staging is on West Willard Rd. at the Poolesville Baptist Church. 

Feed Zone: The feed zone is located on Westerly Rd. about 1/2 mile prior to the finish line, and about 3/4 mile from West Willard Rd.  Feeding is not permitted on the last lap.  

The finish line location is on Westerly Road about 1/4 mile from West Willard.  On the final lap after the sprint, competitors are to slow down before taking the left hand turn onto West Willard on their return to the race headquarters at the church community building across from the high school.

Centerline rule will be in effect except for the final 200-meter finish

Anyone behind the caravan is considered to have withdrawn from the race, and must (1) obey all the rules of the road, including stop signs, (2) Move completely off the pavement or road surface when a field overtakes them, (3) Obey a request by officials to abandon the race.

Cover Photo: Copyright Claudia GM. Poolesville 2018.