Cycling Routes
A Quick One (19 miles)
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Route Summary
A great 19 mile route when short on time or when weather threatens, A Quick One also makes for a great Friday evening warmup for cyclists arriving from out of town and facing limited daylight.
Although covering a short distance, and not venturing too far from town, this route includes plenty of Hill Country scenery. It also includes a notable section of climbing toward the end, which pays off with a spectacular view of Fredericksburg looking down on the city and down on Cross Mountain.
No commercial food or drink resources are available on this route outside of Fredericksburg.
Start/Finish: Marktplatz
This route begins at the Marktplatz in downtown Fredericksburg, Texas. Find this main town square located on the North side of Main Street (also HWY 290/HWY 87) at the intersection of S. TX16. (North of this intersection, S. TX16 becomes N. Adams St.)
When groups meet here, generally they form up at the facility's northeast corner, where W. Austin St. intersects N. Adams St., which is not too far from the restrooms and off busy Main St. (Infrequently these restrooms may be closed for festival setup; find alternatives two blocks southeast at Fredericksburg's Visitor's Center).
Route Narrative
This route starts at the Marktplatz on Main Street in Fredericksburg. Find bathrooms and water fountains located on the east side of the Marktplatz.
Follow the map and directions under "Start/Finish" (above) to navigate through and out of town. You could just ride down Main Street and turn left at the bike shop (Columbus St.), but we don't advise that because crossing the bridge between the McDonalds and the quick lube puts you in close proximity to fast traffic. Instead, we recommend taking the "scenic route" described.
Before exiting town, and before you cross Main St. for the second time, find the best last commercial resource for sustenance before heading out of the city limits on the right, in the form of a a convenience store/gas station.
Cross Main St. BE VERY CAREFUL HERE--FAST TRAFFIC FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS. Follow our directions to RR1631. Be alert for traffic here as well and turn left on RR1631. Although one of Fredericksburg's main cycling arteries, RR1631 also carries a load of car traffic. Polite and wise cyclists ride single file here. Periodically this stretch of road generates Letters to the Editor written to the local newspaper by motorists accusing cyclists of not sharing the road, and vice versa. Please, share the road.
Ride along RR1631 for about five miles, beginning with the not-too-steep climb up Landfill Hill, so-named because it climbs past the town dump. (The view gets better from here!). It then levels off and descends for a long stretch before crossing Palo Alto Creek. Shortly after the creek, turn left on Knopp School Rd. From here traffic dwindles dramatically, with a slight exception for a short stretch on TX16.
Knopp School Rd. offers a combination of rural vistas and suburban Fredericksburg neighborhoods. Very nice. It climbs gently, but so much so that you will feel it, then levels off before descending to TX16.
TX16 offers a busy, fast moving highway. Turn left (south) onto it, stay far to the right, single file, and hammer out the short distance to the right turn at Middle Creek Rd. Watch this bumpy corner, which may be strewn with gravel.
Middle Creek Rd. offers a scenic ex-urban road. Turn right at Kneese Rd. but be watchful for gravel here too. Keese features a dip down to a creek toward its western terminus and then a short, sharp bump up to Lower Crabapple Rd. Turn right on Lower Crabapple (another major cycling artery) and then left on Hillmar-Jung road.
A sign reading "Private Road, No Tresspassing" welcomes cyclists turning on to this road. Actually, this county road is not private at all, although the land on either side of it is a different story. Assume that a landowner motivated to put up such a sign is not likely to great you with lemonade and chocolate chip cookies if you venture onto his/her land. Sticking to the road and minding your own business would be the best practice here. The road is great, and to date, we have never been threatened by any local landowner, but neither have we ventured off of the county right of way.
Turn left on RR965. This road carries fast traffic but usually little of it. Ride single file; the ascent up Climb 965 will probably cause that anyway. The road rolls for awhile, and then it just climbs. Grit your way up and eventually find a spectacular view of Fredericksburg. The wide shoulder on the righthand side before the descent makes a great place to stop and regard the great view of town and a chance to see Cross Mountain from above. The "mountain" may not be entirely apparent because this particular perspective gives you a view of the back side; look for the smaller hill with the big cross on the top. A great vista looking down on Fredericksburg, this may be the best of all from a public road.
Enjoy the steep descent back in to town but stay mindful of motorized traffic, what there is of it. Once back in town enjoy the mostly straightforward ride back to the Marktplatz.
© 2008 Oxalis, Inc.
