Both routes ride together until mile 32 at which point they split.
Pony Express Gravel 100 — RWGPS Link — 105km Populaire
105 km (65.7 miles) with 1,738 feet of climbing. Time limit: 7:00 or finish by 2:00 p.m., assuming a 7:00 a.m. start.
There is water and restrooms at mile 30.8 and 35, which are the only “services” on this route. Most of the climbing on this route is during the last half. The high point or “summit” of the 100K is at mile 59.7. The last 3 miles of this route are on a paved surface.
Pony Express Gravel 200 — RWGPS Link — 200km Brevet
200.5 km (124.6 miles) with 3,470 feet of climbing. Time limit: 13:30 or finish by 8:30 p.m, assuming a 7:00 a.m. start.
There is water and restrooms at mile 34.8 and water only at mile 76.6. (The water at mile 76.6 requires a short climb off route, some 1/3 mile & 120 vertical feet uphill from the main road, just below the Simpson Springs campground. Consider sending one rider up there with a musette bag and filling many water bottles for your group!). We may supplement the existing sources of water with drops (a stash of several gallons of water) at a road junction/water tower at mile 59.6. There is a farm house at mile 98.3 which we have permission to “raid the fridge” of bottle water. Leaving a cash donation would be appreciated. The high point or “summit” of the 200K route is at mile 55.5.
Narrative Both of these routes travel on the Pony Express Trail, which is now a gravel road in these parts. The routes start off at the end of pavement some 50 or so miles northwest of Delta Utah. The starting point is not on the actual Pony Express Trail; our route travels some 29 miles before actually gaining it. It goes to a National Wildlife Refuge called Fish Springs. There is potable water and flush-toilet restrooms there. There is also a visitor’s center, but it is closed on Saturdays. The 100K route travels for about 17 miles on the actual Pony Express “Trail,” whereas the 200K travels for about 61 miles on it. The 200K also travels past several monuments and has a turnaround point at historic Simpson Springs (mile 76.6 on our route), which was an outpost for the Pony Express riders. Here, there is a monument, an original log cabin and an informative display.
Start Point At the Junction of Weiss Highway & Brush Highway northwest of Delta. From the north, take Highway 6 south past Lynndyl. Then take SR-174 west for 66 miles (also called the Brush Highway) until you see a sign that says Weiss Highway pointing to the left. We will be gathering and camping at that junction. This is past the turn-off to Topaz Mountain. There is no cell coverage there.
Registration If possible, please register three days in advance so we have time to prepare the personalized brevet cards and cue sheets, but we always welcome walk-ins too.
Motels Nearby (make your own reservation, Google Delta UT motels) or plan to camp at the trailhead on what we believe is BLM property.
Cue Sheet A detailed cue sheet and brevet card will be provided at check in. Do NOT rely on the online cue sheet as it may not be accurate. If you wish to preview the cue sheet, a PDF or OpenOffice (similar to Excel) version can be e-mailed to you upon request, or one will be sent out to everyone on the Google E-Mail Group, about a week before the event date.
Warning — There are NO services on these routes and only a few places where water can be found. It is recommended to bring a 3rd or 4th water bottle and/or a hydration pack. Self-reliance is vital on this route. We recommend that you bring an extra tire, a patch kit, two tubes and a pump.
Support This will be a self-supported brevet in a very remote area of Utah. The RBA or trail boss will be riding with the group as a participant. Most of the route has no cell phone coverage. There is no cell coverage at the start point or anywhere on the 100K route. There is spotty cell coverage from about 110 to mile 122 on the 200K route. Also, if you believe you might require the full amount of time for the 200K (most riders should plan on at least an 11-hour day), bring lighting/reflective clothing for you and your bike.
Equipment Unlike many of the forest service roads in the mountains, these roads are in pretty good shape…except for the wash boards. We recommend at least 32mm-wide knobby or textured tires on a hard tail drop-bar or cyclo-cross style bike.
If you have to abandon your ride, please call or text me (or leave a note on my windshield so cell service is very limited), so I don’t wait for you at the finish.
Sanctioning See our “What is a Brevet?” page for more information on sanctioning.
Reminders All the checkpoints on the route are “Informational,” so have a pen in your bag for this purpose (or take a picture and text me later).
Contact Richard Stum (Regional Brevet Administrator), office 435 – 462 – 2266, mobile 435 – 851 – 9558, or richard@eogear.com
If You Are Late Please call me so I can arrange to leave you a cue sheet and brevet card. You can start up to an hour after the official start time, but subsequent checkpoint cut-off times will remain the same, as if you had started with everyone else. If you know in advance, or wake up Friday morning and decide not to ride, please let me know so I won’t worry about you at the start.
If You Cannot Make It If you pre-registered, but cannot make it, if it is the day before, please text me, as I may not be checking e-mailing while on the road.
