Preliminary results of the Stillwater 200k have been posted here:
.... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. I'll be submitting the results shortly, and they will then become final pending RUSA validation. Although this event was originally scheduled as an ACP event, it is now officially a RUSA event due to the rescheduling. So we'll have a few less points going to the U.S.A. for the PBP11 nation cap. And the event cannot go towards an SR award. However, there are still plenty of other ACP 200k events on the calendar this year!
Special thanks to the preride volunteers: Don Jagel, Bill Olsen, and Len Zawodniak. They made sure the cuesheet was as good as it could be, and made sure the course was safe for the rest of us. Bill and Len really took one for the team -- their ride in late January was quite cold, with temperatures in the low teens when they clipped in. And of note, Don Jagel recorded the fastest course time out on his own.
After 3 postponements, it was good to finally get this event in. Although there were a couple of areas with black ice early on, the weather finally cooperated and gave us a spectacular day for riding with plenty of sun and temperatures in the 40F's. There were 11 official finishers out of 12 starters. First-time rider Steve Hanes was riding very strongly when I met up with him at the halfway point. However some navigation problems ultimately prevented him from officially finishing. Despite that, Steve was happy to get in 120 miles and came away with some good lessons learned for next time.
And speaking of lessons learned, I seem to always learn something new as well on each ride -- or rather, **re-learning** some painful lesson that needed a refresher course. About half way through the ride, I started having breathing problems -- the cold, dry air was irritating my lungs. I was finding it increasingly difficult to take a deep breath without a coughing fit. I had the same problem on the January ride, and even commented afterwards about how Andrew Mead had effectively averted this. In mentioning my issue to Shane Beake, he just pointed to his balaclava, which he had pulled up over his mouth. Well, I had one of those too ... and by doing the same, my ride got a whole lot better. The warm-moist air through the balaclava was much more effective than the handful of cough drops I had been using up to that point -- Thanks Shane!
The course featured 2 major climbs. That apparently just was not challenging enough for local randonneur, and Road Bike Rider editor Ed Pavelka. At mile 110, he mistakenly turned right onto Stillwater Rd instead of the left marked on the cuesheet. And after 2 miles, instead of finding the controle in Stillwater, Ed found himself at the top of a long, steep climb -- the recorded profile he sent me shows that it was about as high (and much steeper) as the other 2 major climbs. Ed probably would've been the first finisher, if he hadn't opted for that third major climb. At any rate, it's good to have him clipping-in with us again, and he is clearly returning back to the great form he had in 2007 before his injury.
While riding with Roy Yates, he mentioned a sore knee that he was nursing along. One of the best resources I've found to help deal with all the aches and pains is "Andy Pruitt's Medical Guide for Cyclist". This guide is available on-line as an e-book... highly recommended.
First finisher (and fixed-gear rider) Guy Harris comment: "...Great early season ride and very fixed friendly. The off season riding is great around the Newton-Swartswood Lake area..." If you have any other comments, ride reports or pictures to share, you can post them on the message board or you can forward them to me for posting.
Next up, is Andrew Mead's Spring Forward 200k in just about 2 weeks. This is a fantastic course that takes us through the Lancaster area ... drop him note if you plan to ride.
-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA
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