Welsh Tract Wander 200k & Holiday Soirée Report

On Saturday, December 7, the Pennsylvania Randonneurs gathered for their 2024 grand finale, featuring a 200K brevet and a festive holiday soirée. Both events were organized and hosted by the ever-gracious Iwan Barankay.

Organizer Iwan Barankay gives final instructions before the start (photo by Mike Riley)

Ride Participation and Results

The Welsh Tract Wander 200K saw 33 participants at the start, with 29 riders (including 3 pre-riders) successfully finishing the course—a solid 88% completion rate. Preliminary results have been posted to the website for review. If you spot any discrepancies, please let us know before results are submitted to RUSA for final verification.

Ben Keenan and Jakub Piven make their way through the city (photo by Matt McCloone) 

Chilly Morning Start

The day began at Café chez Iwan, where riders gathered on a frosty morning to enjoy donuts, slices of stollen, and camaraderie. With winter temperatures arriving suddenly in the Philadelphia region, gear strategy became a hot topic of discussion. Riders shared their approaches to cold-weather layering, with some later admitting they overdressed, leading to challenges with sweat and chills. Overall, though, most managed to stay warm throughout the ride.

Daniel Oh won the Most Visible Rider Award

Congratulations to First-Time Finishers

Special kudos to Tibor Barankay (age 17!), Katie Bishop, Stacie Brunner, and Joe Doherty, who completed their first brevets. Tackling a challenging ride like this in winter conditions is no small feat and earns them extra respect in the randonneuring community. 

Riders stick together as they make their way out of Center City (photo by Matt McCloone)

A time-proven strategy to finish a tough route in adverse conditions is to team up with a fellow rider. This helped Simona Dwass and Stacie Brunner as well as Nigel Greene and George Swain to complete the brevet. Bravo!

Weather and Route Highlights

As the day progressed, temperatures crept above freezing, but riders faced stiff winds in the open countryside west of Cochranville. Fortunately, the route turned north and east after that stretch, sparing riders a full day of headwinds. Riders knew the real milestone was reaching Phoenixville around mile 100, where the remainder of the ride promised an easier spin along the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT).

Festive Finish

Most riders finished after nightfall but were welcomed back warmly to Café chez Iwan for the end-of-year holiday soirée. Finishers and friends shared stories of their day over drinks, snacks, and a hearty vegan chili, enjoying the chance to relax after a chilly but rewarding adventure.

Ride finisher Nova Patch and volunteer extraordinaire Ulli Barankay

A Look Back at 2024

This event capped a productive and memorable year for the Pennsylvania Randonneurs. The 2024 calendar included a populaire (154K), eleven 200Ks, an SR series (200K, 300K, 400K, & 600K), and a grand brevet (1234K). Thank you to everyone who participated or volunteered—you made this year a success.

Tracey Hinder proudly displays her SR Series medals (photo by Iwan Barankay)

During the post-ride soiree, RBA Chris Nadovich presented SR Series finishers with their medals, which were beautifully arranged on a commemorative plaque celebrating their achievement. Michael Evangelista actually earned his PA SR Series by completing this 200K. Congratulations to all SR Series finishers for their dedication and hard work throughout the year!

Thank You to the Volunteers

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event a success. Tibor and Iwan Barankay, along with Brad Layman, completed a pre-ride to ensure the new route was ready and safe for the day. Iwan and his wife Ulli went above and beyond by graciously opening their home to the club for the entire event, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Chris Nadovich and George Retseck were on hand to greet finishers and make the end of the ride feel celebratory.

Special thanks also go to the friends who joined us at the soirée to support the riders and contribute to the festive spirit, even if they couldn’t ride that day. Your presence and contributions are deeply appreciated!

Riders shared stories and warmed up with vegan chili at Cafe chez Iwan

Ben Keenan writes:

This ride was a certifiable butt freezer (which somehow made it all the better). If anyone heard me on the course whining and complaining and/or inventing new suggested names for “Pumpkin Hill,”  I hereby (from the warmth of my office) retract the comments!  Thanks to everyone that shared the miles, especially those that traveled to be there.  Special thanks to Brad for another thoughtfully designed and beautiful course and to Iwan for another great soiree and vegan stew (five stars from the team of reviewers!).  Everyone enjoy the holidays and hope to see you on a ride soon!

George Swain writes:

Thanks again for hosting a great event at your place. I loved the ride - please pass that along to Brad - and the party was great fun. Looking forward to seeing you down the road. I'll definitely be back for more PA Rando rides in 2025.

Mike Riley writes:

Thank you for organizing a fantastic ride.  See you in January. 

Looking Ahead to 2025

The new year kicks off with a 200K brevet on January 4, 2025. Details are available on the club website, and registration is now open for this ride, as well as the February brevet. The full 2025 ride calendar has also been posted, so mark your dates!

Thank you for a fantastic year, and we’ll see you on the road in 2025! 

Welsh Tract Wander Course Notes

A pre-ride of the Welsh Tract Wander 200k was completed on December 1 by Iwan Barankay, Tibor Barankay, and Brad Layman. Congratulations to Tibor (17) for completing his first 200k—a remarkable feat, especially in frigid conditions!

Tibor (left) and Brad were feeling victorious after reaching a spot to eat lunch

The latest cue sheet is VERSION 5, and the RWGPS file was last modified on 2024-12-3 13:13:11 EST. RWGPS file and cue sheets can be found here.

Weather and Gear Recommendations

The forecast for Saturday’s event looks similar to what we experienced during the pre-ride: sub-freezing temperatures in the morning with a slight warm-up in the afternoon. Dress warmly, and consider layering with thermal gloves, hats, buffs, a windbreaker vest, insulated shoe covers, and chemical hand warmers (e.g. Hothands). Avoid waterproof clothes or those that are too airtight, as you will sweat in them on the climbs and then shiver on the flats. Use insulated water bottles or carry them in your jacket pockets or bike bags to prevent freezing. Check out our post on instagram (link) for further tips on how to stay warm. 

EBrevet

We encourage riders to use the ebrevet app to check in at the controls. Search for "ebrevet" by Chris Nadovich in the app store. Your brevet card will have a code to check into the app at the start. Then, you need to open the app at each control, hit “GPS Update” and check in at each control. You can close the app between controls and keep your phone in airplane mode if you prefer. This is not a tracking app - it just allows you to check and upload the time when you are at a control. For any questions, contact the ride organizer.

Route Highlights

This new route has a similar feel to the Tscheschter Kaundi 200k. Riders will escape the city through suburban roads, eventually reaching quiet country lanes and the picturesque farmlands of Amish Country.

Runnymede Rd

Be prepared for some traffic lights during the first 10 miles. Please be patient and obey all traffic laws. After clearing the suburbs near Philly, the roads open up with fewer stops and more scenic stretches.

Controls

The first control is a Wawa near West Chester at mile 31. It does not have indoor seating, so we recommend keeping your stop short to avoid losing body heat—especially with a descent right after.

None of the route’s controls have indoor seating (except the start/finish). For those looking for a warm break, two food establishments with indoor seating are noted in the cuesheet and RWGPS:

• Victory Brewing (mile 61): Plenty of seating and food options (two vegan food options) with a fast service.
• Little Anthony’s Pizza (mile 74).

Bridge Closure (Mile 46.5)

There is a closed bridge on the route near mile 46.5 on PA-82. During the pre-rides, we found it to be passable by walking through the barriers. According to PennDOT, engineers are in the early stages of assessing the bridge and no construction has been planned yet. 

PA-82 bridge over Doe Run is closed to cars but passable on foot

(If the bridge is impassable on December 7, riders will have to backtrack on PA-82 briefly and turn right on Wilson Rd, right on Ryan Rd, right on PA-842/Clomnell Upland Rd, right on PA-841/Chatham Rd, and then left on Greenlawn Rd where you can rejoin the route.)

Climbing and Final Stretch

This route doesn’t have as much climbing compared to other PA Rando rides, but the rolling hills in Chester County can be taxing. The climb up Pumpkin Hill (mile 78, 1km at 8%) might be the toughest. If you’re feeling fatigued, remind yourself that the last 30 miles are flat and mostly follow the Schuylkill River Trail. Given the cold temperature, it is sometimes better to take it easy on the climbs to avoid excessive sweating.

Safety and RUSA Requirements

Riders and bikes will be inspected before the start to ensure that all RUSA safety requirements are met. The ride starts before sunrise and we want you to be safe in the evening! Per RUSA rules, front and rear lights set to “steady,” reflective vests, and ankle straps are required for riding before sunrise and after sunset. A new RUSA rule also requires bikes to have brakes. If you have questions about these requirements, contact Iwan, the event organizer.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday! Stay safe, dress warmly, enjoy the ride, and look forward to enjoying some holiday festivities with your fellow riders after the ride.