Stillwater-Guthrie Circuit (gravel)

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Stillwater, OK, US

Route-overzicht

District Bicycles

#unlearnpavement

136 km

1.140 m

84.5mi training ride / mostly unpaved / full services in Guthrie and Perkins

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Routedetails

The network of gravel roads between Stillwater and Guthrie, OK (the first state capitol) is extensive. This route is a scaled-down version of the course followed by riders in [The Land Run 100](https://landrun100.com/) in 2017, which had Guthrie as its halfway point. Many of these roads consist of @photo[Oklahoma red dirt](2941713). They're hard-packed when dry, slippery when moist, sticky and sometimes unridable when sodden. Traffic from the oil and gas industry results in sections of this route being often resurfaced with thick, rocky gravel, which can render the steepest climbs and longest descents a test of your bike-handling skills.

There's no real break from climbing on this route. Ascending out of Stillwater to the south on Washington (one the favorite gravel thoroughfares of the area) leads you to @slice[a string of punishing rollers](d,12230.07,29186.68) which carry you westward to Guthrie via 68th, Hackleman, and 92nd. A @slice[steep and trecherous descent at mile 19](d,29186.68,33298.79) turns you southward to cross the Cimmarron River, but this brief lag in elevation gain begins a long ascent into Guthrie. At @poi[mile 37](4718900), one of the best imaginable locations for a mid-ride break awaits you a mere 100 yard off course at [Hoboken Coffee Roasters](http://hoboken.coffee/), where you'll find artisan coffee drinks, pastries, and kind hospitality toward cyclists. Take some time to rest and refuel at this oasis; less than five miles out resides the highest point of the course at 1,200 ft.

After leaving Guthrie you'll encounter some of the most challenging segments of an already challenging ride. The @slice[long climb out of Meridian, OK, on broken pavement](d,81444.92,85804.27) offers no shelter from the elements and little rest for fatigued tired legs. A brief, fun descent from miles 54-57 leads you to @slice[Country Road 75](d,92470.92,110469.29), bound to exhaust whatever power you have remaining with its interval of long climbs featuring punchy summits. The paved roads leading you through Perkins, OK, will come as a welcome reprieve. Should you wish to take a more extended break in Perkins before pedaling through the remaining miles to Stillwater, then you should know about a beloved local instituion, @poi[Keith's Bike Fort](4718899).

Maintained by a local rider and community organizer behind his private residence, Keith's Bike Fort is a registered [Warm Showers](https://www.warmshowers.org/) Host which also serves as a haven and gathering place for local cyclists. It offers drinks and snacks, some bike maintainence tools and supplies, a hanging bed beneath a porch, a shelf of take-it-or-leave-it cycling apparel and gear, and more. Message Keith Reed via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reed523/) or email him directly (keith.reed@okstate.edu) for more information about Keith's Bike Fort.

If you can pry yourself away from the Bike Fort, then you have a relatively easy ten miles left to ride back to Stillwater. @slice[Miles 74-75](d,118882.58,120606.25) take you along a heavily trafficed highway with a shoulder before turning you back on gravel, so exercise caution along this stretch.

## Points of interest: 
* Mile 37 (almost halfway point) - recommended oasis: [Hoboken Coffee Roasters](http://hoboken.coffee/), 100 yds off-route to the left.
* Mile 72.3 - @point[turn right on private drive](d,116316.99) for Keith's Bike Fort.
* Miles @poi[28.4](4719781), @slice[70-72](d,113277.32,115690.76), @slice[74-75](d,118873.7,120436.91) put cyclists on or across heavily trafficed highways - exercise caution in these areas.

Stillwater-Guthrie Circuit (gravel)

Route-overzicht

Routedetails

Andere routes van District Bicycles

Envy of Stillwater (gravel)

Ingalls out-and-back (gravel)

Lake McMurtry Loop (gravel)

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