Route design is the responsibility of the RBA. No universal formula describes the ideal course; however, guidelines and suggestions that might influence your choices follow:

• Out-and-back routes are the simplest to design. They allow you to use the same control points for both directions, minimizing the number of volunteers you might need. Out-and-back courses also get the riders the maximum distance away from the start, possi­bly into remote areas far from their familiar riding grounds. This makes the randon­neuring experience richer and helps build the skills for navigating in unfamiliar territory. It discourages shortcutting to find a quick way home. On the downside, out-and-back courses tempt riders to leave necessary items (clothing, lights, etc.) along the course for retrieval on the return leg. While this is within the rules, it is not entirely in keeping with the spirit of randonneuring preparedness.
• A single-loop route takes more effort to design but offers new scenery throughout. Depending on terrain features and road network, a loop may not require many more controls than an out-and-back route; however, even a few extra controls may stress your ability to provide logistical support and volunteers. It also forces you and your volunteers to operate over a larger area and be more spread apart; increasing the time it may take to respond to emergencies. On the plus side, it prepares riders better by constantly subjecting them to new terrain and by removing the opportunity to dump necessary items for later retrieval.
• A "lollipop" or "figure 8" course combines some of the advantages and disadvantages of the above. The most frequent reason for using one of these designs is road or traffic conditions. A particular stretch of road may be wonderful on the outbound leg but busy or dangerous at the time of day when most riders would be returning; choosing an alter­nate path on the return leg might be the best option. Some roads are more scenic when ridden in one direction or the other. Other reasons for riding a road in one direction, but not the other, include the presence of a bike lane or shoulder in one direction only, or to avoid a tricky merge or intersection.
• "Daisy" routes composed of a set of loops or out-and-backs that keep returning to the starting/ending point should be avoided. Riders never get very far from the starting point, so it is likely they will be riding on familiar roads the whole time. Others will be tempted to quit each time they return to the starting/finishing point.
• Point-to-Point routes offer the chance to cover the most geographic territory, and can embody a great route concept (for example, "Mountains to the Sea" in North Carolina or "Denver to Aspen" in Colorado).  But they are logistically challenging both for riders (who need to find a way back) and for organizers (who can't re-use controls, and whose area to monitor is magnified).  Back-to-back events (for example, Globe-to-Show Low followed by Show Low-to-Globe in Arizona) mitigate this challenge … at least for those who can complete both segments.  By extension, a chain of multiple events (for example, a circuit of point-to-point brevets) is also possible, with a great payoff for those who can ride every segment, and hopefully some accomodation for riders who find they can’t complete each event in the chain.
• Routes may not include multiple passes over the same circuit (that is, repeated loops - traversing a segment more than once, in the same or opposite direction, is allowed).