The locations of the routes are driven by the location of the Annual Conference each year. The route planners look for paths that will be the right length and can start at a United Methodist church. We try to pass as many UMC churches as possible along the way. The generosity of local churches makes our rides possible and inspires us to keep going. The development of our routes is limited by Virginia’s terrain: we aim to design a route that is challenging, but not so challenging that the average rider cannot complete it. We look at distance and at elevation gain.

Once we have a plan, we get in a car and drive the route – over and over – specifically watching for road conditions, traffic issues, or anything that could pose a hazard or problem for bicyclists. We look for logical places to use as rest stops. We massage the route until we are confident that the chosen path is fair, well-balanced, and as safe as possible.