Preliminary results for the PA Fleche have been posted ... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be submitted to RUSA shortly, and then will become final pending ACP validation.
Once again, the Friday start proved to be best choice to avoid rainy weather. Team Squadra Bricconi, led by Rick Carpenter, finished at 5PM on Saturday, just as the clouds started rolling in. In almost an exact repeat of the 2008 PA Fleche, the other teams generally saw rain starting around midnight and continued through the early Sunday hours all the way to the finish. But at least the Saturady daytime weather was sunny and pleasant ... and lately, any weather without snow, sleet, or excessive wind actually passes for "pretty good" on a PA brevet.
There were total of 5 teams with 21 of the 22 registered riders making it to their designated start. All teams officially finished with their starting roster intact for a 100% finish rate. Congratulations to all the captains for organizing their teams and leading them to success:
Walt Pettigrew (Cumberland Crusers)
Jud Hand (Cyclepaths)
Chip Adams (Italian Ice)
Bill Olsen (Midnight Ride of the Sinister Nuts)
Rick Carpenter (Squadra Briconni)
Once again, team Italian Ice gets my vote for the biggest Over Achievers ... their mileage (275) and terrain were the toughest (although I can attest that the terrain covered by Squadra Briconni is a very close 2nd for difficulty). Italian Ice also score some difficulty points with their 22-hr controle in Pottstown, PA: it's 35km mostly uphill from the Schyullkill River. Of note, Roy Yates and Shane Beake (Cyclepaths) and Clif Dierking (Italian Ice) all set personal records for their longest ride. Also of note, team Sinister Nuts recruited a team mate furtherest away: Audrey Adler came all the way from sunny San Diego, CA. And if I'm not mistaken, this is only Audrey's first or second brevet on a fixed gear setup. Team Cyclepaths scored the most flats with 9, the first one not more than 50 yards from the start. And Paul Shapiro not only single-handily contributed 5 flats toward the total, but also trashed a rim for good measure. Also of note, captains Walt Pettigrew, Bill Olsen, Rick Carpenter, and Chip Adams have successfully led their teams for 3 consecutive years, going back to the very first Eastern PA fleche in 2008.
Team Ride Reports and Photos
Jud Hand's ride report (Cyclepaths)
Shane Beak's photo album (Cyclepaths)
Rick Carpenter's photo album (Squadra Bricolli)
Chip Adam's ride report (Italian Ice)
Quakertown Finish photos (Rick Carpenter)
Please pass along any other team ride reports or photos ... and be sure to check back for any updates to the ride report.
Special thanks to volunteer Rick Carpenter, for helping out at the hostel finish. And thanks to: Jill Hand, Roy Yates, and Shane Beake, for helping with the clean-up -- very much appreciated!
Next up is the Blue Mountain 400k on May 1st ... the course is mostly based on the 2009 edition, with many route tweaks at the start and finish.
-Tom Rosenbauera
Eastern PA RBA
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Here are some photos of the Cyclepaths ride, taken by rider Shane Beake.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157623930686652/
Nine flats, heavy rain, a sick stomach, and a trash rim could not prevent all five of us from finishing on time. I'm not sure why we do this, but I'm very proud of everybody on all the teams, especially the ones that rode through the rain.
Jud
Congrats to all 5 fleche teams on your successful finishes. It was great fun to meet the Cyclepaths at their 22 hour controle Sweet Lorraines in Lahaska, PA and share some breakfast with them.
ReplyDeleteMany of you may have heard that Barbara and I were involved in a pretty serious car accident once we got back home to Hamilton later that morning. We want to let everyone know that we're a little sore and stiff, but otherwise okay. I wrote up an account of our day on my Double Super Secret Tandem Rando Society blog. Check out our story here:
http://doublesupersecrettandemrandosociety.blogspot.com/2010/04/it-was-nice-weekend-until.html
Thanks for the thoughful calls and e-mails checking up on us. With just a little luck we hope to see you all at the PA 400k Saturday...
Ron & Barbara Anderson