# September 9th, 2023 New routes need a first-time rider, The Double D's was my opportunity to be the inaugural rider. This ride looked interesting for many reasons, but my draw to it was the general flatness of the route. Peaking at 5,000 feet of elevation would allow me to shoot for a personal record of under eight hours total ride time for a 200k. My planned start time was 07:30, at 07:31 I hit the start button and headed out. Starting on Cornell Road my first task was not missing the mostly unmarked snicket dropping me into the suburban neighborhoods. Riding the same neighborhood route as the [Dairy Creek 100k](https://ridewithgps.com/ride_reports/8912-dairy-creek-100k "https://ridewithgps.com/ride_reports/8912-dairy-creek-100k") I cruised through the busier parts of Washington County winding my way to Dairy Creek Road, the road taking me to the highest point of the route. After the ascent and descent on Diary Creek Road, I was back on Mountaindale Road. On the south side of Highway 26, I was headed towards the bulk of the route mileage. Following the usual randonneuring roads through the hamlets of Roy and Verboort, I eventually got to the now closed Porter Road. Passing quickly through Forest Grove I was onto my favorite sections in Washington County, Fern Hill, and Spring Hill Roads. Having ridden these roads since my first randonneuring ride in 2012, they are like an old friend. Routing over a couple of punchy hills and a few hundred meters of gravel I passed through Carlton. From Carlton, it was a quick ride to Lafayette, and then over to the turnaround spot in Dayton. After a quick water stop at the Center Market in Dayton, I was back on the road. I was doing well on time, Dayton is at mile 72 on the route, and I was sitting at a total ride time of 4h24m. With a solid effort for the remaining 50 miles, I felt I would be able to hit my sub-8-hour goal. From Dayton, I retraced the roads back to Roy, covering nearly 40 miles in just over 2 hours. With time in the bank and only sixteen miles to go, the only obstacle I had was the slow neighborhood streets and higher traffic areas. Arriving back at the parking lot I logged a total ride time of 7h45m, and I felt I still had gas in the tank. The Double D's ride is a fun ride through all the usual rando spots most of us love. It will now be part of my all-season endurance training ride list. If you're looking for a good ride, that can be completed in any range of time, check the Double D's 200k out.