Water and Wind 300K Ride Report

The morning started cold and drizzly, but developed into a beautiful, mild day for bike riding.  Of the 35 who clipped in for the brevet, 33 finished in good time (94%).  A very good turnout for a non-PBP year. Congratulations and well done to all. Preliminary results have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite right.  The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified.  

I was very happy to see new riders conquer a 300K. In fact, fourteen riders finished their first 300K. Congratulations and welcome to randonneuring. This group of newly minted 300K riders included Marcus Bonner and Samuel Weitekamp who skipped over a "mere" 200K and took on a 300K a their first brevet ever! 

A round of applause for start control volunteer Ron Anderson who organized the start with the assistance of Brad Layman. The finish was organized by Chris Nadovich with assistance from Bryce Lackey. Sunday morning cleanup was accomplished by Brad along with Iwan Barankay and a crew of other helpers wrangled by Nicole Aptekar.

Additional  thanks go to Nicole for pied-pipering into Pennsylvania so many new riders, particularly from Brooklyn. This is a wonderful contribution to our club, and to randonneuring, that will grow into something really special in the next few years, I believe. 

Ben Keenan writes...

Thanks Ron, Brad, Chris and everyone for a wonderful day of riding. I had a great time! The late April conditions made the course especially beautiful, though my legs are still aching courtesy of the hills after Easton. Congratulations to everyone on completing a challenging day with aplomb and hope see you at the 400.

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Join us again in May at Chamounix Carriage House for the next event in our Super Randonneur series, the Four State 400K. This event heads south through Maryland and Delaware before returning to PA and NJ. Four states. More than four hills. 

Never rode a 400K? Why not? They really aren't that much different than a 200K. It's just a 200K plus another 200K. You have successfully ridden a 200K, right? So ride one. Then take a break. Have a nice sit down meal. Then go ride another 200K. I mean, how much recovery do you really need?  You'll do fine! 

OK, if you really don't want to ride a 400K (??!!) we are also offering the TK 200K brevet in parallel with the 400K. 

Information and online registration can be found online:  400K and 200K.

Water and Wind 300K Pre-Ride Course Notes *** Update 3

The Water and Wind 300K -- a classic brevet course -- starts at 5AM this Saturday. Registration is now closed. Information about the event appears on the event website. Make sure you have read and understood all of it. If you have any questions, contact the organizer.

Ron Anderson completed a pre-ride on Wed 18 April. Some small changes were made in the route, particularly to follow the 200K routing into the SRT rather than use Harts Ln (which has a construction closure).  The latest route data is Version 2 and the GPS route was last updated on 2024-04-18 10:19:15 EDT

 

Ron writes...

I completed my pre-ride on Wednesday, and found it to be a very pleasant tour from Philadelphia to the namesake Water Gap and Wind Gap. Spring is officially in the air with lots of flowering trees and plants everywhere.

The only course notes a feel like I can add are these:

1. The first really ripping good descent comes on Staats Rd. at around mile 60. There are a couple cued turns on the descent, so be prepared to control your speed. I almost overshot the left onto Milford Rd....

2. Be careful on the closed-to-traffic potion of Rt. 611 in Delaware Water Gap, mile 89-90. The roadway is littered with debris. Watch where you put your front wheel.

3. Use care on the Wind Gap climb/Rt. 115, mile 104-107. There is a shoulder but not what I would call a generous one and always a steady stream of 50 mph traffic coming up from behind.

The forecast for Saturday looks nice enough. I hope everyone enjoys their ride as much as I did mine.

A limited selection of PA Rando Wool and Synthetic jerseys will be available for purchase at the start and finish of the 300K. These are new, never worn jerseys. Only certain sizes are available and  quantities are very limited. First come (and paid in full), first served. Prices are $80 for wool, $40 for synthetic. Cash or PayPal.  See one of the PA Rando organizers at Chamounix Carriage house if you are interested. 

Lodging at Chamounix Carriage House is SOLD OUT before and after this event. Beds are available only to riders who booked a bed when registering. Although there should be ample bedding and towels available, it would be wise to bring your an extra towel and/or bedding just in case we run out.

There has been a complaint that people have left the bathrooms at Chamounix in an "untidy" state. Please, if there's a plumbing malfunction, tell an organizer so we can notify the Chamounix staff. 

If you booked lodging at Chamounix and are arriving Friday, please plan to arrive at the Carriage House no sooner than 4:30PM. This is the earliest someone will be there to unlock the door for you. And please no later than 9PM -- or even better, before 8PM, so that your arrival does not disturb riders trying to sleep.

Bonne route!