indieVelo's Drome to Dome Direct Lap route is 22.8 km (14.12 miles) with 460 m (1509 feet) of elevation-VLOdrome to the mountain top finish, again and again.
Route Description
The Drome to Dome Direct Lap route is simply the Drome to Dome twice but with a quick spin around the mountaintop and a return trip to the Drome in the middle.
The race kicks off with a half lap on the VLOdrome, followed by a thrilling descent down the velodrome hill to the coastal road. This is a strategic point to stay in the peloton, as launching an attack here might not be fruitful due to the numerous sharp bends on the descent that require frequent braking.
You might see some attacks on the very flat coastal road, particularly in windy conditions, but with a challenging climb to come, they are rarely decisive moves.
You turn inland toward South Lake at 2.5 km (1.55 miles). On The Island, anytime you turn inland from the coast, you will encounter foothills or proper hill climbing, but this road is the most forgiving and flat as you skirt the southwest corner of South Lake. Your climb begins in earnest at 3.6 km (2.23 miles) with a left turn into a 12% pitch on your way up to the Dome.
This climb’s first 1.4 km (0.87 miles) is undulating, including a short descending section, so it favors riders who make the best gear selection choices and anticipate them well. The remainder of the climb is far steadier, between 5% and 7%, and fast enough to pace steadily in the group draft.
The next important racing feature on this course is at 6.9 km (4.29 miles) when you approach the Dome summit, but you first have to overcome the 150 m (492 feet) ramp climb, which touches 17%. Punchy racers who saved energy on the climb can use this steep but short climb to attack.
As you pass the banner, your 7.2 km (4.47 miles) lead-in is complete, and your only lap of the course has begun, starting with a spin around the ring road on the mountain summit.
As you descend the mountain along the only road, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to recover using a supertuck by freewheeling once your avatar is going faster than ~53 kph (32.9 mph). You will follow the same path you rode from the velodrome to return there. You’ll begin the velodrome hill climb at 14 km (8.7 miles). This climb touches only 4% briefly and is draftable for the entire distance.
You’ll only lap the velodrome once, and halfway, you’ll pass a banner with 7.1 km (4.41 miles) to go. It is your race’s starting point, so you’ll have seen the rest of the route from here. This time, you’ll finish just as you crest the Dome summit after that 17% ramp climb to the top.
Route Profile
Route details and description courtesy of Beta-tester Rob Miller!
Check out the indieVelo-Route Descriptions page for more useful recon information.
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
