Begin the route with a steep climb up Cady Road, right out of Jacksonville. Cady Road is a brutal punch-to-the-gut with zero warmup, but thankfully it's over after just a few miles. You'll turn onto Sterling Creek Road and have a brief respite on a flat surface.

Sterling Creek forms about half of the ride, rolling through deep forests and small farms as you head to the south. After several rollers, you'll push up and over a big hill, with a fast descent down the opposite side. At the bottom, look for the left-hand turn in the right-hand corner onto the Griffin Lane gravel road.

The next six or so miles comprise the "mixed surface" portion of this ride, with a beautiful section of gravel road running through a rural mountain valley. But again, after some mellow climbing and, the road pushes back up over a big hill and into a fast descent. The descent down the dirt road is dramatically steeper than the previous, dropping into a series of sharp hairpin turns before straightening out again. If you're willing to let off the brakes, you can fly down some sections of this descent—just be aware of the upcoming sharp turns.

The rest of the ride consists of a long, gradual descent back down to Stage Road. Turn left onto Stage Road to complete the loop back into Jacksonville on a mostly-flat (but more highly trafficked) stretch of road.