Spring Forward 200k - March 6 R-12

------------ Update #1 (3/4/10) -------------------

While the current weather forecast is promising our first hint of spring for Saturday's ride, please be mindful that black ice conditions may exist, especially in the early morning hours.  With the snow melting during the day and the runoff getting splashed across the road, some spots may ice over during the evening hours. 

Also, there is still plenty of loose gravel and grit on the road -- be sure to watch out for this hazard, especially on the corners.

------------ Original Message ------------

Enjoy a scenic ride around Lancaster County, but don't count on a day of entirely gentle terrain. Starting in Ephrata, we'll warm up on the rolling terrain as we make our way toward Annville climbing over the Cornwall Ridge along the way. From Annville, the course follows a southerly track filled with more Pennsylvania rollers as it meanders toward the Susquehanna River. A quick control in Bainbridge provides an opportunity to refill water bottles in preparation for a down river run. Riders will enjoy long stretches of flat roads peppered with a few short climbs, especially as we draw closer to the lunch control in Conestoga. Eat well as the next leg features a seemingly endless array of sawtooth climbs guaranteed to burn a few calories. Two quick controles in Atglen and Compass mark the eastern end of our route as we turn and head for the final leg home. One final climb over the Welsh Mountain then it's all downhill from there.

So far, we've heard from the following R-12 participants who plan to ride:

-Barb Anderson
-Ron Anderson
-Shane Beake
-Rick Carpenter
-Matt Farrell
-Bill Fischer
-Ixsa Gollihur
-Steve Hanes
-Guy Harris
-Don Jagel
-Mark Kaufman
-Mike Lutz
-Andrew Mead (Organizer)
-Mike Moore
-Chris Nadovich
-Bill Olsen
-Curtis Palmer
-Ed Pavelka
-Bill Reagan
-Tom Rosenbauer (RBA)

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

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA


A reminder to those of you who have not yet renewed your Pa Randonneurs membership for 2010: please renew now or talk with Tom before the event. Past brevet starts show that it's all I can do to get everyone signed in and ready to ride by the start time.

A good place for breakfast is The Pancake Farm, just north of the K-Mart along Rt. 272. Given the riding conditions of our recent events, you'll want to start with a full tank. I will be there when they open (5:15) if you want to join me. I should be at the K-Mart parking lot by 6:15 to get a head start on sign-ins.

-Andrew Mead
Organizer