Originally Posted by
freetors
I am in the Tulsa area. Most of the popular routes I've seen are just as you describe, go straight, turn after a few miles, go straight, after a few miles turn the other way. I'm definitely not in the hilliest area around but there's still plenty of elevation gain to be had if you know where to look. It really just seems like nobody is looking.
I wonder if many of these routes came from before the days where everyone had a gps in their pocket so that routes were kept simple and easy to follow.
For group rides, especially those that frequently have new riders, you're probably right. Long complicated routes with lots of turns, you might have to have a sweeper so no one gets lost when they get dropped. Not many people volunteer for that job. Straight out and back? Just tell anyone who gets dropped or has a mechanical to just turn around and go back the way they came.