Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Stillwater 200k - Feb 6 R-12

------------ Update #5 (2/19/10) -------------------
With the relatively quiet weather and the sun doing it's thing the past few days, it looks like we can finally get this event off this coming Saturday, Feb 20.  The current forecast looks very promising, with plenty of sun and temperatures that might even see the 40F's. 

Don Jagel completed a volunteer preride on Thursday (2/18) to check out the course conditions.  Don reports "...The cue sheet was excellent (as usual). This is a very good winter course because the navigation is simple on roads that are well maintained for the most part. As you mentioned, the ride was pretty sheltered from the wind. I did experience a bit of a headwind on Rt. 612 and on Halsey Road, but it wasn't any big deal. When I got home today I checked the records from my weather station and we had winds in Germansville between 10 and 20 mph throughout the day with several gusts well over 30 mph (oh yeah, the road in front of my house was drifted shut again when I got home). I certainly didn't experience anything like that on my ride. The road conditions were very good throughout the ride. River Road just north of Milford, in the Narrows Section, was pretty narrow, but not much different than it normally is without any snow around. The only slush I saw in the road was on Tunnel Road at the Rt. 78 underpass. It was a very small amount in the right side of the right hand lane, and I would be surprised if that is still there by Saturday. Also, the last tunnel on Rt. 94 was wet and could potentially by slick in freezing temperatures. The only other issue was the amount of anti-skid gravel/salt spread on the roads that could make things a little sketchy at intersections, but that is normal for this time of year...."

Don also pointed out that there are better controle options in Milford than the Citgo (which is currently listed on the cuesheet).  Don writes: ".... I don't know if you have ever been into the Milford Market which is located on Bridge Street immediately across from the Church Street - Bridge Street intersection. They usually have good coffee and a selection of other good stuff, and their prices are better than the Citgo. It might be an option since the Milford Baker closed...."  Good suggestion Don! With this in mind, the controle in Milford is an "open controle" ... you may either stop at the Citgo (as listed on the cuesheet) or the any of the other stores/restaurants on Bridge St.

Please remember to park your car in the Park N' Ride parking lot, not the diner parking lot. And if you're planning to ride and not listed below, drop me a note.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA
------------ Update #4 (2/13/10) -------------------
Due to icy road conditions from the recent storm, the event is postponed again and rescheduled for Saturday, February 20.  Since there is yet more snow in the forecast next week, be sure to monitor the message board for any additional updates.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

------------ Update #3 (2/9/10) -------------------
Due to the major winter storm that is headed our way on Tuesday and expected to last into Wednesday, the event is postponed again and rescheduled for Sunday, February 14.  Andrew Mead will be doing a volunteer preride on Saturday to check out the road conditions for us  -- be sure to check the message board for any last minute updates, in case the roads prove to be unsafe.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

------------ Update #2 (2/4/10) -------------------
Due to winter storm that is headed our way on Friday and expected to last into Saturday, the event is postponed and rescheduled for Saturday, February 13.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

------------ Update #1 (2/1/10) -------------------
The cuesheet has been updated to draft 4 (2/1/10), with some minor corrections and clarifications from the volunteer preride (Thanks to Bill Olsen and Len Zawodniak, who had a very cold check-out ride this past Saturday. Temperatures were around 10F when they clipped in at the start .... Bbbbrrrr). They report that the course was in good shape, and the roads were mostly clear from the recent snowfall. However, the following areas had a few icy patches that you should watch out for:
- Sweet Hollow Rd (starting at mile 43.9) (mainly on the opposite lane)
- Underneath the tunnels/underpasses (mainly between miles 47 and 52)

Please note that since there is limited parking at the start/finish Portland Diner, park your car at the nearby Park n' Ride -- directions are posted here. The start/finish diner is a short 0.3 mile bike ride from the parking area.

And please note: the weather forecast is calling for a possible winter storm by the end of the week ... be sure to check back on the website for any last-minute postponement announcements.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

------------ Original Message ------------
Event details for the upcoming Stillwater 200k on Feb 6 have been posted. This is part of the on-going R-12 series and a current membership is needed in order to participate. Existing members may renew when they sign-in -- please note that I need a new waiver signed for 2010.

With the prospect of winter road conditions, the Stillwater200k is mostly upon open, main roads. The course is a brand new route that includes some new roads I scouted out late last fall in the Stillwater area -- this area is north of Blairstown and east of the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area. We'll eventually travel through the namesake's town and stop at a quaint general store there. Nearby, we'll also see plenty of still water, as we pass through the Swartswood recreation area with it's large lake and many ponds.

We'll start out from the Portland Diner, where you can top-off for breakfast before you start. We'll follow the Delaware River south, upon familiar roads all the way down to Milford. Unfortunately, the Milford Bakery is closed -- one of my all-time favorite stops. But we'll have a controle stop at a very nice bakery in Phillipsburg.

We'll then head up what appears to be a major climb on the course profile, as we travel up Sweet Hollow Road from Little York into Asbury. But the gradient is mostly gentle, and the nice stream along the climb is a good distraction from the effort of going up. At Asbury, we once again ride upon some familiar roads in reverse. Using parts of the 2009 PA300k and Dark Moon 200k, we ride along the Musconetcong River into Port Murray and then up over the ridge into Great Meadows. From Great Meadows, we once again join the Dark Moon course in reverse as we head north of Sparta into the controle at Lafayette. From there, we head west and south into the Stillwater area and on through Blairstown and back across the pedestrian bridge to Portland.

So far, I've heard from the following R-12 participants who plan to ride:
-Shane Beake
-Rick Carpenter
-Matt Farrell
-Bill Fischer
-Don Jagel (preride volunteer)
-Steve Hanes
-Mark Kaufman
-Bill Olsen (preride volunteer)
-Ed Pavelka
-Steve Scheetz
-Mark Sheehan (new member)
-Tom Rosenbauer (organizer)
-Roy Yates (new member)
-Len Zawodniak (preride volunteer)

And a bunch of the other regular riders will probably be clipping in as well. If you do plan to ride also, please send me a note.

Please check back on this link for any updates or changes.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

1 comment:

  1. I wonder how hard it would be to ride a Surly Pugsley on a 200k in deep snow?

    Not really.

    Postponement is a wise decision given the past few months. Even better is that I can make the 13th and keep my PA R12 streak alive.

    ReplyDelete