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!
The epic conclusion of the 2025 PA SR Series, the Actually Jim Thorpe 600K is coming up on 7 June. All the information about this unforgettable event, including the registration link, is available online.
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