Actually Jim Thorpe 600K Course Notes ***Update***

Update #1

Pat Gaffney completed a pre-ride of the Actually Jim Thorpe 600K on May 31–June 1. He reports that the course remains in good condition — and yes, Jim Thorpe is still accessible!

Congratulations to Pat for completing the entire 2025 PA Super Randonneur Series as solo pre-rides — a truly commendable achievement, both for the solo riding and for the dedicated volunteering he does for the club. Also notable: this marks Pat’s 8th PA SR Series — an impressive milestone! Thank you, Pat!

The latest route cuesheet is Version 3 and the GPS route was last updated on 2025-05-28 15:29:55 EDT. 

For riders who prefer smaller route files:
Day 1 (245.4mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51076578
Day 2 (129.5mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51076588

And if you want Day 1 in two shorter sections with the Palmerton control as the split point:
Day 1, Part 1 (126.2mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51076592
Day 1, Part 2 (119.2mi): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51076609

Original Post

Alright folks, get ready—this year, we’re actually going to Jim Thorpe! No detours, no reroutes, no “close enough.” The trail and bridge are open, the town is waiting, and the ride is back in its full glory. From quiet country roads to a bustling tourist town, this 600K is equal parts scenic and challenging.

A quiet perch above Jim Thorpe, away from the crowds

The following report is based on my pre-ride on May 24-25. Pat Gaffney is pre-riding this upcoming weekend, so be sure to check this message board again next week. We will add any updates here and post the final route. We will also post the route in shorter sections for riders whose GPS units prefer smaller route files. Take a look at the current route here. The cues are Version 2 and the RWGPS was last updated 2025-05-28 15:29:55 EDT. 

Day One: 245.4 mi, 13,249 ft

The ride begins with a trip through the Philly suburbs and into Bucks County. For the next 100K or so, the route hugs the Delaware River and crosses some of the surrounding hills and creeks that feed into the river. The climb up Sweet Hollow Rd in New Jersey is a highlight - a long, gentle climb with a creek and lush greenery all the way up. There are several good refueling options along the NJ section of the route including Goldberg's Bagels in Milford, the Pilot Travel Center control in Bloomsbury, and Skoogie's Deli in Belvediere (all marked with POIs on RWGPS).

Towards the end of this section, we reach the majestic Delaware Water Gap. There is a one-mile stretch of one-way traffic here that is regulated by a timed traffic light. The timing is optimized for cars, not bicycles. It is possible to encounter oncoming traffic before you reach the end of the one-way section. The road here is only wide enough for one car, so you definitely want to avoid an encounter with oncoming traffic.
Recommendation: Take a moment at the traffic light to take in the scenery of the mountains on each side of the river and gather yourself to be ready to ride all out through the one-mile section. It’s better to sprint through confidently than risk meeting oncoming traffic mid-way. Then reward yourself with a piece of pie or another baked good at the Village Farmer Bakery control.

The next 30 miles follow the valley that runs parallel to the Blue Mountain Ridge. Despite being in a valley, there are several jagged hills here. You'll then reach the Palmerton control which is approximately the halfway point of the first day.

About 8 miles after the Palmerton control, we begin the climb up Penn's Peak, aka Bear Mountain. This climb is approximately 4.5 miles and 1,200 feet of climbing with a respite in the middle. The most challenging aspects of this climb are the limited shoulder space, blind curves, and fast traffic all while trying to get up a long, steep climb. I recommend taking a moment at the beginning and/or middle of the climb to gather yourself in order to tackle the climb with full steam. This is not a road for zig-zag climbing. It would also help to put on your high viz gear, turn on your brightest tail lights, and partner up with another rider. After the climb is a screaming descent into Jim Thorpe, also with fast traffic. Be assertive and claim your space on the road. Be aware that the Jim Thorpe gravesite control is about two-thirds of the way down the mountain on the righthand side of the road.

Then, after spending most of the morning on quiet country lanes, you will be greeted by a town full of tourists. As expected on a holiday weekend, Jim Thorpe was bustling on the day of the pre-ride. The contrast between the quiet roads and the busy downtown is sharp. Riders should use caution and expect pedestrian congestion through town. You might want to walk your bike around the train station due to the crowds. Unless you stop for a meal, your visit to the namesake town will be over before you know it. Once past the train station, the D&L Trail offers instant serenity.

Serenity on the D&L Trail

We take the trail for the next 23 miles and then make our way to Bethlehem for a Wawa control. This is a good opportunity to refuel for the final 100K of the day. Note that there aren't many options for refueling after this Wawa. There is a convenience store about 18 miles later, along the main drag in Quakertown, and a Wawa about 10 miles out from Chamounix (each is marked with a POI on RWGPS). After the Bethlehem control, there is road construction on Main Street in Freemansburg. Ignore the road closure signs - it is passable, but it is a bumpy surface as the road is torn up.

Main Street in Freemansburg - closed but passable

Riders who are familiar with the Saucon Rail Trail will be delighted to see that the section over Preston Lane - which was closed for years and involved an annoying detour around a bunch of soccer fields - has been completed. There are some annoying bollards on this trail at each road intersection and these can break up momentum and rhythm. The return to Philly route will be familiar to anyone who rode our 200, 300, or 400 this spring.

Once you get back to the Chamounix Mansion, you'll be greeted by volunteers who will have a warm dinner ready.

Day Two: 129.5 mi, 7,303 ft

The second day is identical to the Tscheschter Kaundi 200K. Once you get past the Wawa around mile 28 of the second day, the scenery really opens up. There are beautiful roads past horse farms, through forests, and along creeks in Chester County. Then the route briefly visits PA Dutch Country where you'll probably see some horse-and-buggies. The second day is quite easier than the first day in terms of climbing. There are rolling hills throughout, but no big climbs and the final 25 miles are flat along the Schuylkill River Trail as you return to Philadelphia. There is one section of construction on E Doe Run Rd. The new bridge is complete but there are still road closure signs. I found it easy to ride across - it might even be open to traffic by the event weekend.

Parking: In our opinion, the safest place to park your car is the the Hilton/Homewood lot just off of City Avenue. Here is a Google map link.  Price is $13/day. As far as we know, this fenced-in lot is secure and it's a very short, easy bike ride from this parking area to Chamounix.  There are free on-street parking alternatives a short distance away, including along W Ford Rd, that may be reasonably secure because of the residences and businesses nearby.

If you are reading this and are not yet registered: the registration deadline is Saturday, May 31, at midnight!

Brad Layman
Ride Organizer

Four State 400K, TK 200K Ride Reports

The 2025 Pennsylvania Super Randonneur Series continued Saturday May 10, 2025 with riders embarking on both the Four State 400K, which is the third leg of the SR series, and the classic Tscheschter Kaundi 200K. Reports for each ride are below. There are also  numerous photos.

 

Four State 400K

Five riders clipped in (or set foot to platform pedal) at 4:00 a.m. under the dim porchlight of the Chamounix Carriage House and rolled into the silence and darkness of the early morning. Approximately 20 hours later, four of the five reappeared, headlights bobbing one by one over the top of the last hill on Greenland Drive after a journey of more than 250 miles, having traversed four states and more than 16,000 feet of hills over the course of a beautiful but windy May day. As the riders rolled in, they shared the smiles and nods of people that have accomplished a feat that very few have shared (or, for that matter, would probably even think of trying). A succinct summary of the difficulty of the day may have been rendered by the final finisher, who, laying his bike against the wall, quietly observed “I have never been so happy to see a building.”

Along with pre-rider Pat Gaffney, five of six starters completed the third running of the Four State 400K, a finish rate of 83%. The preliminary results from the ride have been posted. Please review them and let me know if anything does not look right. The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified.

The riders’ day began with a southerly jaunt out of Philadelphia, rolling into Delaware and through the hills of the Brandywine Valley on their way into Maryland. A restless wind out of the northwest was present even in the early morning hours when the air tends to be calm and usually allows riders to bank a few miles. After reaching the control in Elkton, the riders turned directly into the 15-plus mile an hour wind for a challenging leg to the Bird-in-Hand/Ronks control. Riders reported the wind was especially difficult in the Amish country where there are few trees to act as a break. The wind took its toll on Bryan Niederberger, who reported feeling exhausted and abandoned at Ronks. Scratching from a ride is always a difficult decision, but is the smart one on a day when you are not feeling it. 

After Ronks, the route turned to the northeast, lessening the effect of the wind. The four remaining riders – Brad Layman, Anton Lindberg, Amy Lippe and Jakub Piven – fell into a pattern that would serve them well until the end, riding steadily and patiently and holding pace over the big climbs on Hammertown and California Roads before Birdsboro and then through the difficult (and constant) hills of the Oley Valley on the way to the Cooperstown Wawa control, where they were greeted by volunteer Chris Nadovich (who also greeted them at the penultimate control at Bloomsbury), and finally over the last big climb of Staats Road before turning south on the homeward leg along the Delaware River and back to Philadelphia. The level of skill in handling the course was especially impressive by Jakub Piven, who was riding his first 400K but showed the resilience and patience of a seasoned veteran. 

Special thanks to volunteers Pat Gaffney and Chris Nadovich for helping to organize and execute this event and to Amy and Anton for helping to clean up on Sunday. 

Jakub Piven writes...

What to say of the ride? It was a spectacularly long day on the bike, with hill after relentless hill. Fueled by equal parts dung fumes in Lancaster County and the sugary elixir of Gatorade, relief finally came when we turned west towards Jersey and away from the brutal headwinds of the morning. Another well-timed infusion of endorphins came with the rolling descent to Milford after climbing Staats Rd. just as the sun was setting behind the hills.

Kudos to the designer of this route [Ed: Brad]  for including ALMOST every foot of elevation possible and providing a bit of relief in the dark, final hours as we rolled back to Philadelphia from the Delaware Valley. And a big thank you to Chris Nadovich for checking in and supporting us in Bloomsbury, NJ, where the final 100km seemed both a piece of cake and the last thing I wanted to do. And, of course, thanks to the riders, prerider, and organizers for making this memorable event happen.

Brad Layman writes...

I had an amazing day on the bike. I love the 400K distance because it means spending nearly every waking moment of the day riding my bike. How can you do better than that? Our group was small, but that worked in our favor—we all crossed paths at each control. I rode with Anton most of the day but still had time to catch up with Amy and Jakub at the stops. The headwinds between Maryland and Lancaster were challenging, but the temperature and humidity were perfect all day.

Thank you to Ben, Chris, and Pat for taking such great care of us. Chris met us at both the Coopersburg and Bloomsbury controls, providing much-needed support. And Ben truly was the hero of the event—I know he would have loved to ride on such a beautiful day, but he volunteered instead, making sure we all had everything we needed. Thank you, Ben!

Amy Lippe writes..

Please share my gratitude for the route and the volunteers!! It was a great, monster-thigh building ride!

 

Tscheschter Kaundi 200K

A few hours after the 400K riders embarked, 23 riders left Chamounix for a day of riding the classic 200K Tscheschter Kaundi route through the scenic roads of Chester County and the Pennsylvania Dutch country. Like the 400K riders, they were blessed with a sunny May day, but also had to contend with brisk winds for much of the route. Several scenic roads were added to the 200 for this edition, including winding descents on Wylie Terrace Road, Greenlawn Road and Baileys Crossroads Road .

Of the 24  who started, 20 finished, a finish rate of 83%. Well done all! The preliminary results from the ride have been posted. Please review them and let me know if anything does not look right. The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified. 

Riders enjoyed pizza and snacks at the finish while recounting their rides.

Two riders completed their first brevets: Mike Wham and Matthew Altea. Chapeau and welcome to randonneuring!

Andrew Miller writes...

An awesome course. The organization was de la plus haute excellence.  

One memory. My buddy and I were going down hill and a 5 inch thick branch was blocking the rode. At fairly high speed we went around opposite sides on the grass and mud. That is something I will always remember. Very cool because we made it.

Joey Doubek writes.... 

Could not have asked for better conditions than yesterday! Thanks so much for staffing, Ben and Pat!  

Sayantan Khan writes...  

Couldn't have picked any better weather for a ride like this. The temperature was perfect all through the day, and so was the sunlight. While it was pretty windy, the initial headwinds did reliably turn into commensurate tailwinds, so I cannot complain on the wind front. I'd also been told by many veterans of the PA rando 200ks that this was their favorite 200k route: I was skeptical for the first hour as we made our way through urban Philly roads, but as soon as we were out of the city, I immediately agreed with them, and my opinion did not change for the rest of the ride.

We rode through beautiful terrain, first through the little valleys formed by the many creeks flowing into the bigger rivers in the area, and then eventually climbed out of the creek valleys into proper rural countryside.

I had been meaning to ride out these rural parts ever since I moved to Philadelphia, and this brevet finally got me out there, which I'm very grateful for.

I also appreciated the choice of climbs on this route: they never felt too cruel, and several of the descents following the climbs were excellent, and a well deserved reward for all the climbing work. I will definitely be revisiting some of these roads again, even if a brevet does not call for them.
Thanks to all the organizers and the route creators.

Mike Wham writes...

That was a wonderful day and I’m glad I signed up. It was challenging but I learned a lot and am excited to try it again! Everyone was so helpful and supportive. Nothing but positive vibes. Couldn’t be more excited to finish my first brevet!

Four State 400 & Tscheschter Kaundi 200 Preride Notes (UPDATE #1 with TK notes)

Update from Ben Keenan who completed a pre-ride of the Tscheschter Kaundi 200:

Friends Meetinghouse Rd

A preride of the Tscheschter Kaundi 200K Brevet was conducted Wednesday, May 7th.  The course is generally in good shape, through there was some construction on the route out of Philadelphia at Whitby Ave. (mile 8.3) and Baily Rd (9.8).  In each case, the construction should be passable, though the road was dug up at Baily Rd, so it is possible riders will need to dismount and walk on the sidewalk to get around it.  The course is beautiful any time of year, but especially so now. I am hopeful everyone will get as nice a day as I had.  For those have ridden the course before, you will notice some revised routing that will make it feel new – a few standouts are the winding descents of Wylie Terrace Road, Greenlawn Road and Baileys Crossroads Road leading down to the Mercer’s Mill Covered Bridge.  

Everyone please make sure you have the latest course update, which is available on the ride website.  It is labeled B2842_R3_TscheschterKaundi200_DoeRunDetour 2025 and was updated at 2025-05-8 10:39:27. Look forward to seeing everyone Saturday! 

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Original Post of Four State 400 Preride Notes:

A preride was conducted on May 2, 2025.  The route, which is the same as last year's was found to be in generally good condition. It is a challenging and scenic ride and since it crosses state lines four times there is a lot of credit for anyone working towards and American Explorer Award.  

There is one slight detour at mile 132, as bridge repair has deemed Weaverland Road impassable. The latest cue sheet is version 2 and the RWGPS file was last modified 2025-05-4 13:47:59 EDT.  RWGPS files and cue sheets can be found HERE.

 Course Notes

While riding through Philadelphia be mindful that  many of the bike lanes and shoulders have debris and glass in them, particularly Greenland Drive (just after crossing the Strawberry Mansion Bridge).  It should be early enough that riders can use the full lane without too much worry of heavy traffic.  

Around mile 8.8 riders will encounter a road closure sign.  There is work being done on the intersection at 56th street, but it is easy to get around.  Shortly after this, at mile 9.1, just after crossing Cobbs Creek Pkwy, there are quite a few potholes on the descent.  Please be careful here.                                                                              

At Mile 80.9 there is a tree down across the gravel road.  The gravel in the area of the tree is somewhat soft so it is probably best to dismount to get around the tree.  At mile 174 there is a large amount of gravel in the turn on to Lehnenberg Road and in the descent a little further down the road.  Please use caution.  

Fleecy Dale Road, mile 210.4, is closed to traffic, however bicycles can navigate through the construction.  This road has been closed to cars for over a year now, so surface conditions are not the best.  Please be mindful of potholes and debris.  

 If, by the time you reach the penultimate control in Bloomsbury, NJ, you have had you fill of convenience store/gas station fare, Casola's Pizza is located at mile 189.4. Just before the last hard climb of the day and about a mile past the control. After checking in at the control you can keep moving and stop at Casola's for a slice or two before making your way to the finish.  

There is a considerable amount of nighttime riding on this brevet.  Please ensure that all of you safety gear (lights (front and rear), reflective vest, reflective ankle bands) are in working order.  Bike and gear inspections will be completed prior to the start.