PA Randonneurs Message Board

Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k

2012-01-27T06:40:00.000-05:00

The Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k is scheduled for Saturday, February 4. The current long range forecast looks promising, but weather and road conditions this time of year may cause last minute postponements, so be sure to check back the website and message board for any updates.

***Please note the new start/finish location has been moved to Blairstown for this edition***

You can walk across the foot bridge at "Foot Bridge Park" (where you'll be parking your car) and have breakfast at the Blairstown diner. The finish controle at the Blairstown Inn is just a couple of stores away from the diner.

The course routing mainly uses primary roads, since these have the best chance of being cleared and treated for winter conditions.

There is volunteer preride scheduled for January 28th, so check the website for any cuesheet updates.

If you're planning to ride, please send me an e-mail to join the roster -- please let me know by the Thursday before the event.

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

PA Dutch 200k Preliminary Results & Report

2012-01-02T09:54:00.009-05:00

Preliminary results for the January 1st PA Dutch 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results120101.pdf
...please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA shortly, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

Temperatures at the start were around 38F, which was about the high temperature for the volunteer pre-ride just 3 days earlier. By mid-day, temperatures were well into the 50's. Hearty upstate New Yorker Bill Fischer even sported short sleeves with arm warmers and knickers since the day was to be "summer-like" for him. Thankfully, the passage of the cold front held off until later in the day, so those stiff westerly winds did not materialize for the long leg out to Columbia. Clear skies in the morning eventually gave way to darkening clouds and some rain showers later in the afternoon. A reinforcing cold front is in the forecast with wind chills in the single digits -- in less than 48 hours after those balmy 50F's!

All 21 riders who clipped in for the PA Dutch 200k (including 4 volunteer pre-riders) made it to the finish, for a 100% finish rate and excellent start to the Eastern PA 2012 season -- congratulations to everyone for being a part of that success. Thankfully, it was an "uneventful day", and everything went according to plan, due in no small part to the preparations and efforts of organizer Andrew Mead. As Andrew previously noted, the cue sheet was top notch -- with the many tricky turns through the maze of back roads of Lancaster county, this was a big undertaking -- special thanks to my fellow volunteer pre-riders: Andrew Mead, George Metzler, and Norman Smeal, who all contributed towards making the cue sheet as good as possible. Thanks also to volunteer Bill Olsen for manning the finish controle, collecting the brevet cards, and making sure everybody got in safely. With the potential for "epic conditions", which this event has a history of, several volunteers were positioned around the course to greet riders, monitor their progress, and respond to any eventualities. Special thanks to these volunteers who stepped up to help out: Bill Slabonik, (on call at Columbia), Curtis Palmer (Lititz controle), and Ted Straub (Honey Brook controle and Conestoga revitalement controle).

Volunteer Ted Straub became a new PA Member in 2011 but has not yet had the opportunity to clip-in for an event. So this was Ted's first PA event which happened to be in the role as a volunteer. Ted writes: "...Thanks for taking a chance and letting a new guy, sight unseen, support a ride. I enjoyed the morning and meeting the group, however briefly, on a really nice day! I learned a few things about manning a Controle and being a “waypoint”... at the Conestoga Wagon Restaurant, Bill [Fischer] wins my vote for Mr. Congeniality. Not only for shepherding a first time rider, but also his easygoing, upbeat attitude. The kind that comes from being an experienced, strong rider. A pleasure meeting him, and I wish I could hang at the finish to chat with everyone more when the pressure is off...I snapped some photos that I’ll upload and let you know where to access...."

Bill Olsen writes: "...Thanks for running such a great brevet to kick off the new year. As difficult as the ride has been on all of the previous runnings it didn't seem so difficult with the temperatures in the 50s...although Hilltop Road lived up to it's name and where else but PA can one find a River road that includes a 3.7 mile climb?"

Several riders enjoyed breakfast at the Mt. Penn Family Restaurant to get their ride off to a fully fueled start. A visiting Maile Neel realized that her helmet had not made the trip up from the DC area. A quick trip to a nearby 24-hour WalMart solved the problem, though Maile was a little disappointed that there were no more Hello Kittty helmets remaining after Christmas. You can see Maile's photo album here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcn7/sets/72157628691139331/

First finisher, Geoff Brunner started at the back the field, and casually worked his way towards the front as he met up with the other riders. He reached Lititz just after 2PM, with the main pack not too far behind. But with an impressive negative split for the final 37-mile leg that was over 16 MPH, Geoff managed to make it in before sundown and set a new course record of 8:25.

John Capriotti completed his R-12 series. In doing so, John joins a very select group who kicked off their string of 12 consecutive months of brevet finishes with their very first brevet event. Congratulations, and Well Done! Incidentally, John's first event was with PA Randonneurs back in February of 2011 -- his R-12 series was book-ended by two of the toughest months in the northeast, to get in a ride. You can read all about John's first year of randonneuring at his 'Videlos' blog:
http://videlos.wordpress.com/

Joe Fillip writes: "...Tom: A wonderful (and challenging!) ride to start off the New Year. Please pass along my thanks to Andrew for an excellent job in getting us all organized and sending us off at the start (as well as for putting up with this "late registrant"). ... I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to ride with such a wonderful group of riders, and to ride brevets that have been so thoughtfully designed and are so well organized. Great job, Tom. By the way, I nominated you for American Randonneur of the Year before the 12/31/11 deadline. Hope that works out - you certainly deserve it..." [Thanks Joe! But looking at the list of past recipients of that award, I have looonnngg way to go before I can even think of rubbing elbows with that crowd -- I think my only chance would be if nobody else was nominated. -TJR]

Colin Bailey writes: "...It was a wonderful ride. I truly appreciate the camaraderie of the others. It is a wonderful group. ..." You can read Colin's ride report posted here:
http://cascadianrhythms.blogspot.com/2012/01/pa-dutch-200k-my-first-brevet.html

Houston Joost sent me the following note: "...I just wanted to let you know that Jenn, my wife and I and the rest of our family are moving to San Francisco this month. We are very excited and I plan to affliliate with the San Francisco rando club ..." Best of luck Houston, and of course, you're always welcome to join us, if you find your way back to Eastern PA for a visit!

If you have any other comments or photos to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Next up is the Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k, which we also ran in February of 2011. This route is tailored for winter conditions: we'll be mostly on primary roads with good shoulders and gentle gradients to minimize slick road hazards. With limited daylight in mind, there is minimal navigation. Hopefully, our streak of good weather will continue.

Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

PA Dutch 200k

2011-12-28T12:09:00.006-05:00

*** Update #2 ***
A few more mental notes from the pre-ride:
- I cannot overemphasize the need to watch for icy patches, black or otherwise. We received a lot of rain earlier in the week. The temperature was in the low 20s when we started Thursday morning, so we encountered ice in several places. Some extended fully across the road. It is supposed to warm slightly by the weekend, but that's no guarantee that all of the icy spots will thaw.

- While this route is well-known to many, it still requires attention to the cue. There are so many roads criss-crossing all over in Lancaster County that it is very easy to find yourself off course. The cue is top-notch.
- It is a LONG way from Controle 2 to Controle 3, not just because of the mileage. A couple of interim oases have been noted on the cue sheet should you need them. Watch your time.
- You cannot have too much lighting. You will discover this on your way to the finish, especially if you don't have enough.

I plan to have breakfast at the diner at 7am and will handle sign-in from there. I'll be in the parking lot afterwards for bike/equipment checks.

Andrew

*** Update #1 (12/30/11) ***
The cuesheet has been updated to draft 11 dated 12/30, with changes from the volunteer preride. If the current weather forecast holds, temperatures will range from the mid 30F's to 50F's -- the low temperature for Sunday will be around the high temperature we had for Thursday's volunteer preride, which included unexpected snow flurries for much of the day. It also looks like a rather stiff south west wind is in the forecast -- this will make the 45 mile leg from controle 2 to 3 rather difficult. You'll want to bank some time on the way to controle 2, and keep your stop there very short... and finding a friendly wheel to draft behind would be even better. In addition to the many cautions highlighted on the cuesheet, you should watch out for icy patches. In particular, underpasses and run-offs from driveways and farms present a hazard in several spots along the course. Also, there is some precipitation in the forecast for the evening, and you will be descending the colder, north face of some climbs towards the end of the course.

Organizers, Andrew Mead will be at the start to send you on your way, and Bill Olsen will greet you at the finish. If you arrive at the finish before Bill does, there will be a sign-in sheet at the cashier where you should record your time. The cashier will sign your card and hold it until Bill arrives.

Reminder: be sure to park your car in the Rita's lot, away from the diner. And as always, be sure to check back on the website/message board for any last minute updates.

*** Original Post ***
What better way to kick off a new year of randonneuring than by bagging an ACP 200k? The 4th annual PA Dutch 200k brevet will be held on January 1, 2012 (yes, folks, that's SUNDAY) to start the 2012 Pennsylvania Randonneurs R-12 series. We will be riding the route that Rick Carpenter championed, but without Rick since he has now relocated to coastal North Carolina. Unfortunately that also means we'll be missing out on the fine hospitality of Rick and Lora Beth that has made this event so popular in the past. We will miss Rex greatly and wish him and Lora Beth the very best. Since the Carpenter's house on the hill is no longer available for brevet duty, the start location has be moved to the Mt. Penn Family Restaurant. This may be good news for many as that final 500ft climb to Queens Court is no longer required to finish.
Recognizing that many randonneurs may also be ringing in the new year, the starting time has been pushed back until 8:00am. This also allows participants to enjoy breakfast at the start since the Mt. Penn Family Restaurant doesn't open until 7:00am on Sundays. Registration details are posted on the PA Randonneurs website.
A course pre-ride is scheduled for Thursday so check back on Friday for any last-minute updates to the cue sheet.
One final note: lights and reflective gear are MANDATORY for this ride.

- Andrew Mead, Organizer

*** Registered riders (as of 12/31/11) ***

Barbara Anderson

Ronald Anderson

Colin M Bailey
Jim Bondra

Geoff Brunner

John Capriotti
Blaine Chamberlain

Matthew Farrell

William Fischer
Ixsa Gollihur

Doug Haluza

Donald Jagel
Mike Lutz

Andrew D Mead - Organizer/Pre-Ride

George Metzler - Volunteer/Pre-Ride

Maile Neel

William M. Olsen - Organizer

Tom Rosenbauer - RBA/Pre-Ride

Norman Smeal - Volunteer/Pre-Ride
Bob Torres

If you want to join the roster, please send me an e-mail: trosenbauer@rcn.com

-Tom Rosenbauer, RBA

2011 Final Results and Recap

2011-12-17T11:56:00.002-05:00

Eastern PA 2011 Final Results have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/Results2011.pdf

Validated 2011 brevet cards have started rolling out into the mail ... as of 12/17, I'm up the "L's". Congratulations on all those hard-earned brevets -- collectively, we officially tallied over 75,000 Km in completed brevets. Thank you for clipping in and being a part of that success. But of course, none of those brevets would've been possible, if not for all the volunteers who stepped up and helped out:

- Glenn Ammons 600k finish

- Ron & Barb Anderson Jan. R-12, PBP Vests

- Bill Blank Aug R-12 preride

- Shane Beake PA Wool Jersey, Oct. 200k BBQ

- Victoria Beake Oct. 200k finish and BBQ

- Jack Bingham Jan. R-12

- Andy Brenner 400k finish, 600k overnight

- Rick Carpenter Advisor, Jan. R-12 Organizer, Mar. R-12, 300k & 400k preride

- Bob Dye PA Randonneurs logo

- John Freeman 600k sign-in

- Doug Haluza Oct. 200k preride

- Barbara Harris 300k & 600k course sweep

- Guy Harris 400k preride and course sweep, 600k sweep

- Mark Kaufman Jan. R-12

- Don Jagel Feb. R-12, PBP Vests, 600k preride and overnight controle

- Andrew Mead Advisor, Mar. & Sep. R-12 Organizer, 600k sweep, Jun. R-12, PA Message boards

- George Metzler Mar. R-12 Café & Grill, Aug. R-12 preride

- Chris Nadovich 600k overnight controle

- Christine Newman 600k start

- Bill Olsen Advisor, Feb., Jul. & Aug R-12 Organizer, Nov. R-12 finish

- Curtis Palmer Jan. R-12

- Becky Rosenbauer 600k finish

- Keith Spangler Mar. R-12, Dec. R-12 sweep

- Christine Torres 200k finish

- Len Zawodniak 200k course sweep, Jul. R-12 sweep, Oct. 200k sweep

This was a year of many notable accomplishments -- too many to list completely -- but some selected ones I'd like to share with you include:

· Two dozen or so Eastern PA participants made it to the starting line at PBP. While I was pulling for each and every one of you, it was especially gratifying for me to see the following riders have a successful ride: Yiping Lin from Taiwan completed her first U.S.A. brevet with PA Randonneurs; Ron and Barbara Anderson rode their very first event with PA Randonneurs in 2006 (the very first year of Eastern PA events); Christine Newman, with the confidence of an EM1000k and Eastern PA SR series under her belt, found redemption in 2011 after coming up a bit short in 2007. Eric Keller, Chris Nadovich, Joel Flood, Roy Yates, and Cecilie Adams also rode their first brevets with PA Randonneurs; And Cecilie, as many of you already know, became engaged to Patrick Gaffney at the top of Fox Gap back in 2010 – all went according to plan, with their marriage just before PBP and a post-ride honeymoon in France.

· There were a record number of Eastern PA Super Randonneurs: Cecilie Adams (2), Shane Beake, Gavin Biebuyck, Rick Carpenter (3), Tim Conway, Joe Fillip, Bill Fischer, Joel Flood, Patrick Gaffney (2), Doug Haluza, Guy Harris (3), Mark Kaufman, Eric Keller (3), Chris Nadovich, Christine Newman, Bill Olsen (3), and Roy Yates. Well Done!

· Bill Olsen clipped-in and finished 4060 km of the 4760 km on the Eastern PA calendar, missing only three opportunities to ride – most likely because he was instead riding a 1200k somewhere else! Bill also notched another PA R-12 series.

· Several other riders also completed their R-12 series. Of note, Doug Haluza completed an R-12, despite having a number of spectacular mechanicals to deal with on a couple of the rides. Don Jagel joined the Eastern PA honor roll by completing an Eastern PA R-12 this year. Rick Carpenter completed yet another R-12 series and is closing in on an R-12 streak of 5 years – Wow!

In 2012, there will be several domestic 1200k's to choose from. The Eastern PA region will be offering many brevets for qualification and preparation including a complete SR series and an R-12 series of monthly 200k’s. And for those of you who are freshly minted PBP anciens, you just need a Fleche and 1000k to earn the prestigious R-5000 award – and the Eastern PA region will give you an opportunity to do so next year. But in order to keep running all these events, we need some new volunteers to step up and take their turn at the front (and perhaps allow some of the regular volunteers to sit-in for a while).

-Tom Rosenbauer, Eastern PA RBA

K-Hounds Among Us

2011-12-13T15:33:00.001-05:00

From Dan Driscol:

In years past we have done an article in the American Randonneur congratulating all the K-Hounds past and present. This year I’d like to share a spread sheet that shows just how impressive this effort has amounted to (see randon listserv for spreadsheet). A grand total of over 1,417,354 Km's - of individual efforts of more than 10,000 Km's per year within 6 years. No other country in the world comes anywhere close to this accomplishment.

In the past 6 years 54 RUSA members have earned 107 K-Hound Awards for riding more than 10,000 Km in a calendar year, with female RUSA members being responsible for about 30% of these K-Hound Awards.

Although 2011 is not official yet, it will be the biggest pack of hounds ever, with 34 RUSA members earning K-Hound Status.

Congrats to our new 2011 K-Hound Klub members; Ward Beebe, Grover Everett, Stephen Hazelton, Ken Johnson, Spencer Klaassen, Joe Kratovil, Tim Lucas, Maile Neel, Ogden Olmstead, Bill Olsen, John Pogue, Susan Pogue, Bryan Rierson, Bob Riggs, Thomas Russell, and Catherine Shenk.

Congrats again to all for making RUSA such great group of over achievers to run with.

Stillwater 200k Retour Preliminary Results and Report

2011-12-04T19:55:00.003-05:00

Preliminary results for the December 3rd Stillwater 200k Retour have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results111203.pdf
...please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA shortly, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

Given the heavy rain earlier in the week, and another batch in the forecast in the next day or so, we managed to find another perfect December day for a bike ride: it was a crystal clear day, with temperatures starting out around 29F in the morning, and warming up to around 50F by the afternoon. With a high pressure system parked directly on top of the course all day, the winds were thankfully calm. Streams and river were flush from the abundance of rain we've had, with a few frozen seeps along the road early on.

18 of the 20 riders who clipped in at the start made it to the finish. New participants, Cynthia Hearing and AJ Stachelek are both triatheletes from NYC. AJ decided to call it quits at Portland, due to numb toes. Cynthia, despite a 30 minute late start, managed to make up the lost time and just keep ahead of the controle closing time by a handful of minutes. But as she ran out of daylight, she lost her battle against the clock on the Tunnel Rd climb. Although AJ and Cynthia came up a bit short this time, they promised me they'll both be back again next year. Special thanks to volunteer Keith Spangler for manning the controle at Lafayette and sweeping the course to Great Meadows. Not only was it great to have a familiar face greet us at the half way point, it was also reassuring to know Keith was there to make sure everybody made it safely through and was there to handle any unforeseen problems.

Rick Carpenter is known to show up from time to time, with a non-traditional bike for a brevet. On this day, Rick pushed the envelope to a whole new level, with his Fat Sand Boy, which you can see in his photo album posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157628274581067/
As the name and construction suggests, it's meant to be ridden on the beach - specifically, somewhere down in North Carolina where Rick is in the process of moving to. I'm pretty sure that this beast weighs somewhere north of 40 lbs. And despite all of it's heft, it doesn't even descend very well, due to the 4-inch knobby tires. Compounding the difficulty factor with this rig, the gears in the internal hub started slipping on the climbs. Along with this most unusual setup, Rick had a most unusual wild-life close encounter while riding down the road: a small bird smashed squarely into his face. Immediately after the small bird impact, Rick was then slashed by the talon of an accip raptor, who was in pursuit of the panicked bird -- Amazing!

Of note, Doug Haluza completed his R-12 series -- this one, was uneventful with none of the mechanical problems he's had on a couple of the rides this past year. Ron and Barbara Anderson completed their third R-12 series in a row for a streak of 36 months. And speaking of streaks, Rick Carpenter has one of fifty-something, and closing in on 5 years of riding at least a 200k or longer each month and Bill Olsen has a streak of 14 months going with Eastern PA finishes. Bill writes: "...thanks for another great event. It was nice to experience last month's ride in reverse as some climbs are better this direction rather than the other (and some are worse in this direction) giving one a totally different ride. Although I like the Retour start out of Portland, and the return home up through Belvidere in the dark, the change of start to Milford was a nice variation and the climb up Tunnel Road wasn't half bad, knowing that once I made it to the top, it was pretty much down hill all the way back home..."

Also of note, Jon Clamp and Guy Harris made it around the course in good time on their fixed-gear bikes. Remarkably, Jon finished under 9 hours and within minutes of first finisher Geoff Brunner. Guy writes: "...Thanks for another great event. Milford is a great start/finish - don't know how I resisted a trip to the Ship Inn. Very sun friendly direction to run this course, morning sun along the Delaware and a nice decent into the sunset..." Jon writes: "...Many thanks this year for stringing together a host of impeccable courses and cue sheets. Also to all the volunteers for their help in facilitating our sport. It appears seemless but undoubtedly requires alot of time and effort behind the scenes. Saturdays ride was a little brisk and I think everybody must have felt like they had blocks of ice at the end of their legs. I did for one. I rode fixed until the Quick Check control and realizing that we had some steep climbs and a few good descents coming up I decided to "flip" my rear wheel as it offered a lower gear and the ability to freewheel. I also had the benefit of being able to draft Don, Bill and Matt on the downhill sections as I cannot pedal that fast. I think we were all surprised at our time! ..."

Len Zawodniak writes: "...The ReTour was ReWarding! Decidedly cool at the start, bur warming up nicely during the day, a great collection of riders, and good choices for controls. It was really nice to have a volunteer at the lunch stop, Thanks !..."

Nigel Greene writes: "...Another memorable event by the PA Randonneurs. I really enjoyed the course and look forward to riding the opposite direction the next time its offered. The cue sheet was spot on and the controles were well spaced. .... As you know, this was my first year riding with Pa Randonneurs and I have to say I really found it memorable and enjoyable. Thanks for everything. I Look forward to next year's challenges ..."
You can read Nigel's excellent ride report with pictures at his Iron Rider blog:
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2011/12/sweetwater-200k-retour.html#more

If you have any other comments or photos to share, you can post them on the message board or forward them to me.

This wraps up the Eastern PA 2011 calender of events -- for me, it was a satisfying conclusion to a great year of brevets. In the coming weeks, I'll be sending out the year-end mailing with your validated brevet cards, reflections on the past year, and the 2012 calender of events. The first event of the new year, will be on New Year's Day. As you look ahead to the new year, I'd be interested to hear what your cycling goals are.

Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

December R-12: Le Retour du Stillwater 200k

2011-11-22T12:07:00.007-05:00

*** Update #1 (11/28)
The cuesheet has been updated to draft 4, dated 11/28/11, after a scouting ride completed this past weekend. Controle #3 in Lafayette was changed from the Millside Cafe to the QuickChek a bit further down the road. While the Millside Cafe offers some good food and ambiance, it is very busy and slow around noon time when we'll be passing through. So the QuickChek will be a better option for us. There are a couple of other items listed below that you should take note of:

-Mile 70.9: as noted on the cuesheet, there is a very large gap between the road and the shoulder, as you descend down to a small bridge over a creek. This crack is wide enough to swallow your wheel and ruin your day.

-Mile 71.5: as noted on the cuesheet, the driveway entrance to the QuickChek controle is raised above the roadway. You'll be riding along Rt 15 as you turn into the controle -- since this is a busy highway, you'll be riding close to the shoulder, so you'll have a bad angle over the bump as you turn into the driveway. Please take extra caution here or better yet, dismount before the driveway. When you are ready to leave the controle, use the exit in the rear, which will avoid the busy intersection at the traffic light.

-With some chilly weather in the forecast, you might want to stop and get warmed up between the controles. There are options at:
~Mile 15: Stewartsville (deli on left just past TFL)
~Mile 30: Belvidere (Skoogies deli on left)
~Mile 51: Off-course in Blairstown on Rt 94 and in town
~Mile 85.3: Deli in Tranquility at turn
~Mile 110.0: Minimart off-course to the right on Rt 31

*** Rider List (as of 12/1) ***

Barbara Anderson
Ronald Anderson
Geoff Brunner
John Capriotti
Richard G Carpenter
Jonathan Clamp
Ed Dodd
Matthew Farrell
Joe Fillip
William Fischer
Nigel Greene
Doug Haluza
Guy Harris
Cynthia Hearing
Donald Jagel
Christine Newman
William M. Olsen
Peter C Phillips
Tom Rosenbauer
Norman Smeal
Bob Torres
Roy Yates
Leonard Zawodniak

*** Original Post ***
The December R-12 is on Saturday, December 3rd. We'll be running the same course as the November R-12 in the reverse direction: Le Retour du Stillwater 200k.

The start/finish has been moved to Milford, NJ -- the southern most extent of the course. There is plenty of parking in the large parking lot on Church St in Milford. The start controle will be at the Milford Station Bakery, which opens at 6AM and has breakfast sandwichs along with an assortment of baked goods. The finish controle and post ride gathering will be at Pipolo's Pizzera, a couple of stores down the street from the Bakery.

Lights and reflective gear will be checked. Be sure to check back on the PA message board for any updates ... the cuesheet will likely be updated after an upcoming course checkout.

I've already heard from a couple of riders planning to clip-in. If you're planning to join us too, please send me a note.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Membership Renewals

2011-11-11T17:39:00.001-05:00

As we approach the end of another rando-year, please remember to check the status of your RUSA and PA Randonneurs memberships and renew, if necessary.
The RUSA Membership Office has announced the availability of the new RUSA Online Membership Services page on the website. RUSA is now able to accept membership renewals online with payment by PayPal or by check. New memberships and change-of-address requests can also be accepted with the interface. You can reach the RUSA Online Membership services page at
http://www.rusa.org/memberservices.html.
Please direct any comments on the experience to membership@rusa.org.
Renewing your PA Randonneurs membership is still best accomplished by mailing a check to Tom. You can save a stamp by hand-delivering your renewal at the next R12 brevet on December 3.

Stillwater 200k Preliminary Results and Report

2011-11-06T16:18:00.002-05:00

Preliminary results for the November 5th Stillwater 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results111105.pdf
...please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA shortly, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

It was a crystal clear day, with temperatures starting out around 29F in the morning, and warming up to the low 50F's by the afternoon. Despite the recent storms, some fall foliage was still intact along parts of the course. And speaking of storms, there was still a number of areas without power, as evidenced by the drone of the portable power generators.

All 16 riders who clipped in at the start made it to the finish well before the cut-off, for another 100% finish rate -- congratulations to everyone for an excellent result. Special thanks to volunteer Bill Olsen for manning the finish controle and making sure everybody got in safely.

Of note, first-time Eastern PA participant Ted Smith came all the way from New Haven, Connecticut to join us. Ted writes: "... I thoroughly enjoyed the route. There were lots of hills but that goes with the territory... Kudos on the cue sheet as well. The accuracy was perfect. I especially found that the notes/descriptors of turns were very helpful...I enjoyed riding with the Andersons and everyone else in the back group. I will definitely keep an eye on your upcoming rides..."

Also of note, Mark Kaufman completed another R-12 series. Remarkably, Mark has a streak of 24 consecutive months, going all the way back to his very first brevet (which happened to be one of our "epic" December events with an unexpected snowfall).

First finishers, Norman Smeal, Don Jagel, and Andrew Mead made it around the course in 9:40. Norman writes: "...Another perfect day for a great ride. Andrew and Don, thank you for letting me tag along. See you in December, hope everyone does the nice weather dance, again..." Don Jagel writes: "...Thanks for putting together the Stillwater 200K yesterday. The weather was perfect for an early November ride. I really enjoy this route, with a good combination of cruising and views, particularly the view of the Water Gap near the finish of the ride. You just can't get that view with the leaves on the trees. Norm, Andrew, and myself rode together for the entire ride, with Norm being the strong man of the day. He would pull us along on the flats, gap us on the up grades, and drop us on the climbs. Aside from the beautiful scenery, we did see a few surprises, including active construction (on a Saturday!) at the bridge along Cemetery Road, a tractor trailer accident in the process of cleaned up along Route 80, and several areas that were still without power one week after the October snow storm. With regards to the pothole close to the truck stop near the end of the ride; it was everything you had described, and we all gave it a wide berth. I am definitely looking forward to doing this route in reverse in December, and hope we have similar weather. The amount of time and care you put into developing and executing the monthly brevets is very much appreciated. ...Thanks again for a great day..." Andrew Mead writes: "....Yesterday's brevet ranks near the top of my memorable rides. Couldn't have asked for much better weather. It has been a while since I spent most of a brevet with company. Don & Norm were excellent companions and kept me motivated all day. We had a great time. The route was in good shape given the weather of the past month; the cue, as usual, was even better. "Cyclocross" came to mind as I picked my way through the bridge construction coming into Great Meadows. Add in the personal controle service in Milford and the finish and you have one wonderful ride. Thanks!..."

George Swain completed his first Eastern PA brevet, and thankfully, had an "uneventful" ride this time. It was fantastic seeing George clipping-in and meeting him at the finish this time, instead of a hospital room. George has posted a ride report with pictures at his excellent blog:
http://thehudsonvalleyrandonneur.blogspot.com/
Older entries in his blog describe his long road to recovery from his accident last year.

Joe Fillip writes: "... Thanks for organizing yesterday's wonderful brevet. The weather was spectacular (if a bit bone chilling at the start), and the route was pleasantly challenging. I felt very pleased to make it back before darkness truly fell. It was also great to see a number of familiar faces, and to be introduced to some randonneurs whose names I've heard mentioned over the years but had never met before...I neglected to tell you about yesterday's "sight of the day": Just after passing under the I-80 underpass at about mile 77 on the cue sheet, Bill Olson and I discovered that the road was closed. No, it wasn't snow storm damage: Rather, an 18-wheeler had either driven down the road embankment off I-80 on to Alphano Road, or had driven up the embankment on the right side of Alphano Road. The mud covered tractor trailer was stationary on Alphano Road itself, but road crews were busy repairing
the embankment. There were also a number of oil clean up trucks on the scene, suggesting that the big rig had spilled some fuel. It was quite a scene. We were able to walk through after waiting a bit for the back hoes to take a pause in their clean up work....Thanks again, Tom. Really great job ..."
If you have any other comments or photos to share, you can post them on the message board or forward them to me.

Next up is the final event for the 2011: the December R-12 in four weeks. We'll be running the Stillwater 200k again, but this time in the reverse direction. In addition to a few route tweaks, the start/finish controle will be moved to either Milford or Belvidere -- this will avoid having to ride the River Road stretch in the dark. Hopefully, our streak of good weather will continue.

Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Stillwater 200k

2011-10-31T19:25:00.005-04:00

*** Update #1 (11/2) ***
The course was checked out with a volunteer preride that I completed on Tuesday, 11/1. As you can imagine, most of the area was still in recovery mode from the weekend snowstorm. Although this effort is clearly still a work-in-progress as evidenced by the many road crews I saw working, the course was in better shape than I expected -- especially in light of the wide spread destruction that the storm caused. That being said, I'd estimate that more than half of the area that the course passes through was sill without power, given the constant drone of portable power generators I heard throughout the day.

The currently posted cuesheet that's been up the past week (draft 6 dated 10/25) is still the latest. There are a couple of items listed below, that you might want to add to your copy of the cuesheet (which of course, you should be printing out and bringing with you to the ride):

-In general, there is a fair amount of grit and loose gravel on the road, due to the sand and salt treatment from the recent snow storm. Please take extra care in cornering.
-There may still be some low-hanging branches and debris protruding into the roadway.
-Mile 27.1: After crossing Rt 173, the road changes name to Maple Ave.
-Mile 39: I saw a live wire that had fallen and was arcing to the wet ground with an impressive light show. It's likely that this will be repaired by the weekend, but keep in mind that any wires you may encounter on the road may be lethal.
-Mile 47.0: There was a "Road Closed" sign and some road debris further on down the road. But the road was passable, and it's very likely the road crews will have taken care of this issue by Saturday.
-Mile 48.6 to 51.1 (Tunnel Rd): This area was hit pretty hard, and several road crews were busy clearing debris and repairing the power lines. Although I encountered a few temporary road closures, I was able to pass through OK. It's seems likely that most of this repair work will be completed by the weekend.
-Mile 56.9: There was a "Road Closed" sign and further down the road, a fallen tree had blocked one lane. However, I was able to pass through OK, and several cars also seemed to be ignoring this sign as well.
-Mile 64.8: Road is unmarked.
-Mile 70: There is a "Road Closed" sign and some bridge construction. However, the bridge is passable, but you will have to dismount and walk around some heavy equipment. There is also a short stretch of dirt road around the construction. This of course was a bit muddy from the recent snow melt. But it will most likely dry out by the weekend.
-Controle #3 (Mile 71.6): The power was still out in this area and the store was closed due to the outage. Even if power is restored by the weekend, the store may not be fully restocked. You should replenish your supplies at the Milford controle #2 with enough to go beyond controle #3. There are some stores off-course (as indicated on the cuesheet) near mile 78.8 in Allamuchy. This area had just gotten power restored, about 5 minutes before I arrived. The deli owner met me outside -- he had tears of joy at getting his power back. But alas, he had nothing to offer in his store, other than warm drinks and chips...the rest of his inventory was ruined. Further down the road in Tranquility, there is a deli at mile 82.1 on the left. This store never lost power, and would certainly appreciate having a few hungry randonneurs stopping by.
-Mile 88.2: There is a bike repair shop, if you need one.
-Mile 104: There is a short stretch of 1-lane roadway, under control of a traffic light. This appears to be due to be some damage compliments of tropical storm Irene. You should wait for the light to turn green, and let any waiting cars there to go on through first. The one-lane restriction is about 0.1 of a mile.
-Mile 119.9: This is unmarked -- there is a baseball field at the turn, which you can use as an additional "spotting" cue.
-Mile 125.2: (Rt 80 access road) There is a huge crater of a pothole, right in the middle of shoulder. This will most definitely swallow your wheel up whole and ruin your day if you hit it. Please keep an eye out for this hazard, especially if you're passing through after sundown.
-Mile 126.6: The cue is correct, but the road sign has been rotated 90 degrees, so the signage is a bit misleading.
-Mile 127.1: The cue is correct, but the exit is for "Portland / Rt 611" (the cuesheet has "Portland /River Rd").

As a point of interest to any railroad buffs out there, the course crosses the "Lackawanna Cut-off" in several spots: mile 85.4 (fill and tunnel), mile 121.1-122.8 along Polkville-Kill Rd (fill, tunnel and viaducts), mile 124 along Rt 94 (fill and tunnel). The small ridges you see near these points are actually man-made railroad fills, to level out the terrain and minimize the gradient. The Lackawanna Cut-off was a marvel of engineering, constructed in the early 1900's... a fascinating description of it can be found at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lackawanna_Cut-Off

*** Original Post ***
For the November R-12, we'll be running the Stillwater 200k, and hopefully, the recent snow will be melted by then and perhaps, a bit of fall foliage will still be around. With the closing of the Portland Diner, the start location will be the Portland Park and Ride. There is another diner about a half mile away in Mount Bethel, where we can top off for breakfast before the ride -- I'll be there around 6AM if you want to join me for breakfast and collect your brevet card. The finish is at Teresa's Pizza, about one half mile from the Park and Ride start: after signing-in at the finish there, you can coast all the way downhill from there to the Park and Ride and your car.

Additional event details are posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubNov2.html

A volunteer preride is planned for this Tuesday ... be sure to check the PA message board and website for any updates. Also, with the limited daylight, lights and reflective gear will be required.

Rider Roster (As of the 11/1)
-Barbara Anderson
-Ron Anderson
-Geoff Brunner
-John Capriotti
-Dawn Engstrom
-Joe Fillip
-Joel Flood
-Doug Haluza
-Steve Hammel
-Mark Kaufman
-Goon Koch
-Andrew Mead
-Bill Olsen
-Tom Rosenbauer (Organizer)
-Norman Smeal
-George Swain

If you'd like to join the the roster, please send me an e-mail by Thursday.

Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

PA150/200k Ride Report

2011-10-23T20:41:00.009-04:00

Preliminary results for the October 22nd PA150/200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA150200k_Results111022.pdf
...please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA shortly, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

The day started out clear and crisp, with fall foilage nearly in peak color. Some low clouds materialized later in the morning; but given the recent stretch of rainy days, there certainly can't be too many complaints with the weather. It was ideal temperature for the new PA wool jerseys, which were being sported by many of the riders. There were 30 registered riders, with 5 riders opting for the 150k course and the others in for the 200k course and the challenging climb up Fox Gap. All 29 riders who clipped in at the start made it to the finish well before the cut-off, for another 100% finish rate -- congratulations to everyone for another excellent result. .

The field of riders was composed of a good mix of first-time riders and regular riders, as well as a handful of randonneurs who traveled from neighboring regions to ride with us again. Of note, Jim Bondra, one of the riders from the NY Southern Tier contingent brought along Ernie Bayles for his first brevet. Ernie writes: "...Just wanted to thank you again for a thoroughly enjoyable outing. Lucky for me I was able to hook onto Jan and Norman or else I would have had to navigate on my own for which I was poorly prepared (no cyclometer, and a cue sheet that's just a bit too small for my aging eyes) ...I don't know that I have what it takes mentally or physically to ride those really long rides, but this was encouraging. I'm sure this is the longest ride I've probably done in 30 years ...So I'll hope to continue with a 300 some time in the not too distant future...Please extend my thanks to your crew as well, what you all do is clearly a labor of love...."

Frederick Collins, Tim Carry, and Chris Roth were also first time riders, and are now freshly minted randonneurs. Chris, however, is no stranger to randonneuring: he was one of my key volunteers on the Endless Mountains 1240km, driving the SAG van and helping the over night crews at each of the three sleep stops. Jan Dembinski from VT and Michael Anderson from MA, made the long trip down from New England to ride with us again.

Lew Meyer, a 3-time PBP ancien, completed his first Eastern PA brevet. Lew writes: "...Thank you Tom! Such work certainly must take a lot of your time...The most scenic 200k I've been on...You do great work!..." I first met up with Lew near the finish of my very first 300k back in 2003; it was truly a pleasure to catch up with him again, after all these years.

And speaking of PBP, there were a number of freshly minted PBP anciens on the roster, including Jan Dembinski, Chris Nadovich, Roy Yates, and Ron and Barb Anderson. First time riders take note: you have nearly 4 years to get ready for the next PBP in 2015! Also, the first time 200k riders have one month completed, and just 11 more to string together for their R-12 challenge.

2011 Solo RAAM finisher Geoff Brunner made it around the 200k course in 8:25 as first finisher (and nearly beat the 150k first finishers to the hostel!!). Geoff plans to ride RAAM again, in 2012. Also of note, Jon Clamp made it around on his fixed-gear bike, making it up all the big climbs, including the very steep pitch at the end of Red Cliff Rd.

Special thanks to volunteers Doug Haluza (volunteer preride), Len Zawodniak (volunteer preride, course sweep), Shane Beake (also a freshly minted PBP ancien) and his daugther, Victoria (Fox Gap controle, BBQ at the finish). I don't know how I ran this October event in previous years without all this help. But you set the bar very high for excellent support, and made it very easy for the RBA this time around! As usual, Shane has documented the event with many great photos, posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157627835131471/show/

Bob Dye writes: "...Thanks again for another great day of bike riding and bridge walking! You possess a unique ability to combine these two wonderful activities into one stellar event. I now consider myself an authority on Delaware River bridge walkways. I enjoyed it all immensely..."

Norman Smeal writes: "...Great ride Saturday... Loved the snacks at the top of Fox Gap..."

Rick Carpenter write: "..Thanks again for another enjoyable season, and for my special PAR SR “DIY Award Kit” (some assembly required). Thanks to Len, Shane, Victoria, and Doug for their efforts as well, and to the caretakers at Weisel who have been so good to us over the years..."
As many of you know, Rick is in the process of moving south of the Mason Dixon line, and will most definitely be missed as one of the regular riders on the Eastern PA series. But hopefully, Rick will be able to find his way back to the Eastern PA region and join us for some rides when he can. Rick's photos are posted at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/6270973364/in/set-72157627832642207/

If you have any other comments or photos to share, you can post them on the message board or forward them to me.

Next up is the November R-12 in two weeks. We'll be running the Stillwater 200k, and hopefully, some fall foilage will still be around. With the closing of the Portland Diner, the start location will be the Portland Park and Ride. There is another diner about a half mile away in Mount Bethel, where we can top off for breakfast before the ride. The Mount Bethel Diner will also be the finish controle: after signing-in at the finish there, you can coast all the way downhill from there to the Park and Ride and your car. PA members can join the roster by sending me an e-mail by the Thursday before the event.

Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

PA150/200k

2011-10-19T06:49:00.001-04:00

*** Update #1 (10/20) ***
Len Zawodniak and Doug Haluza completed a volunteer preride on Thursday, 10/20. Doug reports: "...OK, we lived to tell about it (hills build strength, but headwinds build character, so you can say we are a couple of characters now). The cue sheet was great. All the roads were good. Just a few notes:

Mile 9.5: SS at bottom of hill. Blind curve left.
Mile 12.5: Caution pine needles on sharp turn on descent at Cascade Lodge.
Mile 75.7: (not unmarked). River road goes right.
In general, beware of fallen leaves and pine needles, especially if wet. Also watch out for sharp dropoffs at the edge of the pavement where rainwater runoff has eroded the shoulder.."

*** Original Post ***
The next event is on October 22 and you have a choice of either a 150k or 200k course. The start/finish will be at the Weisel hostel, with breakfast served 1 hour before the start We'll also have the traditional post-ride BBQ, where we can recap the accomplishments of the past year and look forward to the challenges of the coming year.

PA Members can register by sending me an e-mail, and pay the $25 entry fee when they sign-in. Non-members can register by mailing in the registration form posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA150_200K_A.html

With only about 10.5 hours of daylight available, lights and reflective gear will be required, unless you have previously finished the course in less than 9.5 hours.

There are 2 bridges under construction and not passable. Unfortunately, one of those bridges is on Sweet Hollow Rd, one of my top 10 favorite roads -- there was a road crew ripping up the deck as I passed on through during a recent scouting trip (probably as the last cyclist to do so for the foreseeable future). The other bridge out is on Headquarters Rd. There's actually a third bridge out, also on Headquarters Rd, but that one is still passable. I keep hearing talk about stimulus spending for our nation's crumbling infrastructure but see little evidence of any real progress with our roads and bridges!

Current Cuesheets:

200k: Draft 3 (updated 10/13/11)

150k: Draft 2 (updated 10/18/11)

Registered Riders:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/Registration150k200k_111022.pdf

PAR Wool Jerseys Have Arrived

2011-09-28T08:52:00.002-04:00

*** Update 10/2/11 ***

Shane informs me that the jerseys are officially in the mail via USPS Priority Mail. He's included a wool care document so you don't accidentally shrink it to a child's size. One of the things it say is "DON'T USE WOOLITE"

A big THANK YOU, Shane, for your initiative and follow-through with this project -- PA Jerseys have been something a number of riders have asked about over the years, but I never seemed to get around to.

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

*** Original Post ***

From Shane Beake:

Hey Folks,
Good news the PA wool jerseys are finally in! I'm going to be sending them out this Saturday (Oct. 1) via the struggling USPS (my way of trying to help out).
If you don't receive them by the following Saturday Oct. the 8th please get in touch with me.
Enjoy the jerseys,
Shane

Thanks for a great job Shane!

Hawk Mountain 200k

2011-09-18T16:30:00.002-04:00

*** Update 9/24 ***
Keith Spangler's photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kspangler/sets/72157627714270022/

*** Original Report ***
The September edition of the Pennsylvania Randonneurs R12 series saw the second annual running of the Hawk Mountain 200k. Twenty-three riders started and twenty-two finished. Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110917.pdf
...Please let Tom R. know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA shortly, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

The weather provided nearly ideal conditions for cycling, though I'm certain a few riders wished it had been a little warmer at the start. Fortunately, early afternoon rains that appeared in the Lancaster area didn't soak the riders. I heard reports of wet roadways, but no rain. After all the rainfall that has innundated the area in the past few weeks, a precipitation reprieve was quite welcome.

Six riders took advantage of conditions and bested the course record by a few minutes. PA Randonneur regulars Bill Fischer, Matt Farrell and Gavin Biebuyck along with rando rookies Geoff Brunner, Jimmy Aspras, and Thomas Vendetta zipped around the course in 8:34 in spite of an extra two miles in course length and a bonus mile early on. Rando rookies they may have been, but they are hardly new to cycling. Geoff is a 2011 RAAM finisher while Jimmy and Tom are regulars in the NJ racing scene.

The rest of the field completed the course in better than average times. I saw lots of smiles as I checked in riders at the finish, though most were quite glad to be finished. Even well-known controle dining connoisseurs Bill Slabonik and Keith Spangler finished with nearly an hour and a half to spare. (See guys, you really did have time to go to the DQ in Lickdale for a Blizzard!).

Peter Y & his Brompton

Rick Carpenter brought his Bianchi fixie to ride, a move which would usually garner a "most interesting equipment" mention on this route, but newcomer Peter Yuskauskas took the honors this year by completing the route on a Brompton folding bicycle. Perhaps more impressive is that Peter took the train from his home in NYC to Lancaster Friday evening, rode to the start and camped out under the stars in the truest randonneuring spirit.

Houston Joost took a spill in the first leg and eventually decided to withdraw. He reports being fine with just some road rash to show. Reports from the road indicate that Houston may have gone down in the same turn that claimed Len Z. last year. I think a pre-cautionary note will be added when I get in to remove the stray TFL cue that frustrated so many. [RBA Follow-up: I spoke to Houston on Sunday, and he assured me that he is OK, thankfully. While he was able to keep riding after his spill, he prudently decided that it was better to call it day. He also mentioned that contributing factors were 1) Not having his glasses, and hence, not seeing the gravel until he was right upon it and 2) A recent change of tires. - Tom Rosenbauer, RBA]

In what has become an informal "pictures per mile" competition, Nigel Greene shows that he's taking no back seat to Shane. You can find Nigel's pictures on his Flickr site and read his excellent report on his Iron Rider blog. Rick Carpenter took a few pictures as well. You can find them here.

Next up is the fall classic populaire and brevet on October 22 at Quakertown. Hope to see you then.

Andrew Mead

- organizer

September 17 R12 Event - Hawk Mountain 200

2011-09-09T10:20:00.017-04:00

*** Update #4 - 9/16/2011***

Reminder: Sundown is 7:07PM. While it certainly is possible to finish before then, unforeseen circumstances may keep you out on course longer than anticipated, so lights and reflective gear are strongly recommended. If you are out riding past sundown without lights and reflective gear, a DQ will be the least of your problems!

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

*** Update #3 - 9/15/2011***

Cuesheet Updated: Draft 7 dated 9/15/11:
1) Minor corrections to mileage between Controle 3 and 4
2) Minor correction at mile 124.3.

*** Update #2 - 9/14/2011***

Cuesheet Updated: Draft 6 dated 9/14/11

A road crew was repairing the washed out area on Mt. Zion Rd Wednesday, but I identified a better detour which is incorporated into the Draft 6 cue. Walking across/through/around the Union Rd bridge construction (remaining on the original Hawk Mountain route) is not safe as the bridge is currently a sea of protruding rebar and the creek banks are quite muddy. If you look at the map you'll notice that taking a right on Beagle would be even shorter, but a big portion of Beagle Rd in that direction is a dirt road that looks like something from a Jeep Jamboree.

The portion of the route to the east of Rt 61 has not been scouted since the rains of Lee. The route was ridden twice in August without problem and the rain was not nearly as heavy in that area. I noted that the area east of Rt 183/west of Rt 61 did not appear to have received nearly as much rain as the Pine Grove/Swatera Creek area. There shouldn't be any problems other than plenty of gravel on the roadway.

The weather forecast remains promising for this weekend with cooler temperatures and little chance of precipitation. I am expecting to see the current course record challenged.

-Andrew M.

*** Preliminary Scouting Update #1 - 9/12/2011***

I surveyed a significant portion of the route (essentially everything west of Rt 61) yesterday afternoon to assess the impact of Tropical Storm Lee. There is much gravel, stone, and debris on the roadways, especially in corners at the bottom of hills. Extra caution will be the word of the day.

The area from Pine Grove south took the brunt of the rain, which coincides with the Swatera Creek watershed. The bridge crossing the Swatera Creek coming into Pine Grove survived as did the Turkey Hill controle. High water marks in Pine Grove were scary.  The smell was overwhelming, but the community was out in force cleaning up as I passed through.

The Hess controle in Lickdale (the 95 mile controle) is closed as a result of the flooding. Cleanup was well underway on Sunday; it is unknown whether the store will be open by next weekend. If not, there are several stores (Wendys, Subway, Dairy Queen, Sbarros, and a Loves Travel Stop) visible from the intersection of Rt. 72 and Lickdale Rd that may be used as alternate controles. I plan to revisit this area before the weekend to get an update. Take note of the Swatera Creek on your left as you descend along Rt 72 on the approach to Lickdale and you'll better appreciate the extent of the water rise and the destructive power of floodwaters in this area.

The revised route currently planed follows a posted PennDOT detour on Union Rd (around mile 103) to avoid a bridge that is being replaced. The detour jogs up Greble Rd and then south on Mt. Zion Rd where it rejoins the course in the village of Mt. Zion. Unfortunately, approximately 100 ft of the south approach to the Mt. Zion Rd bridge over the Little Swatera Creek was washed out. The road is currently passible by bicycle, but that could change if a significant reconstruction effort begins this week. I am working on a revised detour and plan to confirm that it is passible on Thursday.

On a good note, the weather for this weekend looks promising.

Andrew Mead
- organizer

****************** Original Post   ***********************
Pennsylvania Randonneurs presents The Hawk Mountain 200 for the September R12 series. Newly created last year, the route has been tweeked slightly this year based on rider feedback. Gone is the knee-busting climb up Cushion Peak Road at mile 13, replaced now by a slightly gentler route past the Galen Hall golf course. Riders who have ridden this route as a permanent during the past few months may appreciate that we will be bypassing the missing bridge on Union Rd. While the bypass increases the route lentgh slightly, recent rains would assure a muddy portage around the bridge construction. An updated cue sheet will be posted early next week.  The rest of the route is unchanged and features the signature ascent and descent over Hawk Mountain and the always scenic Summer Hill Road in Schuylkill County. Check out last year's cue sheet to preview the route.

The recent deluge from Tropical Storm Lee submerged several parts of the route this week. I am planning a pre-ride course checkout early next week to confirm that we have viable roadways for the brevet. Watch the PA Randonneurs website and this messge board for an updated cue sheet and continue to check in for any last-minute updates.

As always, I plan to begin the day with a hearty breakfast at The Pancake Farm in Ephrata just around the corner from the starting location. It opens at 5:15am
Those planning to clip in so far include:

*** As of 9/16/11 ***
Dan Aaron
James Aspras
Gavin Biebuyck
Geoff Brunner
John Capriotti
Rick Carpenter
Jon Clamp
Matt Farrell
Joe Fillip
Bill Fischer
Nigel Greene
Doug Haluza
Don Jagel
Houston Joost
Chris Nadovich
Patrick S. O'Donnell
Bill Olsen
Tom Rosenbauer (RBA)
Bill Slabonik
Keith Spangler
Peter Yuskauskas
Len Zawodniak

Drop me or Tom a note if you would like to join the roster.

Andrew Mead
- organizer

August R-12 Hawk's Nest 200k Ride Report

2011-08-14T15:44:00.003-04:00

Preliminary results for the August 13th Hawk's Nest 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110813.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA shortly, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

Once again, there couldn't be too many complaints about the weather -- while it's been a very "Hazy, Hot, and Humid" all summer, we just got the "Humid" for Saturday's ride. Overcast skies kept the Hazy and Hot at bay, although the sun did poke through the clouds a couple of times. Some riders saw a couple of little rain spritz's at the end, but everybody made it in to the finish before the heavy rain moved in.

All of the 16riders who clipped in for this event, including three riders who did a pre-ride last weekend, made it around the course in good time for another 100% finish rate. Congratulations to everyone for an excellent result. Of note, Geoff Brunner and Evan Crovo finished their very first brevets. Geoff also arrived with fellow first finishers, Jonathan Clamp and Don Jagel. But this was little surprise to me, since Geoff just happens to have completed RAAM this year as an official finisher. You can read more about Geoff's remarkable accomplishment at:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/06/geoff_brunner_of_allentown_off.html

With their first R-12 event completed, Geoff and Evan only have 11 more to go! And speaking of R-12's, volunteer prerider George Metzler has a streak of 11 going, and is looking to complete his series next month. Also of note, Don Jagel, decided that 200k wasn't quite enough of a workout, so he rode the 50 or so miles from his home in Germantown to the start. Of course, that meant another 50 miles to get back home after the finish. And although we all know Don is a very fast rider, he wasn't quite fast enough to make it back home before the drenching rains started. Don writes: "...Thank you for putting together The Revised Hawks Nest Brevet yesterday. The weather, route and good company made for a great day on the bike. The route revisions definitely get two thumbs up! It was nice to get the views of Lake Wallenpaupack. The Eldred control (The Corner) seemed to be a good choice. The girls working were quite pleasant and efficient. They quickly made burgers for Geoff, Norman and Jon,and even delivered them outside. It took afew minutes to get the pedaling rhythm back for the climb out of
Eldred after relaxing for awhile at the control. However, the descent that followed certainly made it worthwhile. I hope everyone made it back before the rain started. I got a good soaking while riding home..."

Roy Yates writes "...yesterday was a perfect day for a perfect ride. Also, the modified route through Eldred with smooth roads, not too much traffic and a plethora of truck-on-cheese signs was very agreeable..."

Guy Harris writes: "...Great route change going up to Eldred. I think it makes the route just a little tougher but more pleasant and a bit safer to ride. Barryville to Hawks Nest on 97 was my least favorite part of the old route. The Eldred controle was friendly and fast as well - hamburgers were
recommended by the group in just ahead of me and hit the spot. Thanks to Bill for organizing and pre-riding the new route...."

Norman Smeal writes: "...Great day for a great ride. Thank you Bill for putting on the show..."

Bob Dye writes: "...A great big thank you to you and Bill for a wonderful day in the saddle! Not only is the course beautiful but you guys did a great job on the weather, too. The cycling gods were smiling on me today and I don't believe I've ever had a more enjoyable ride. BTW, I'm not so sure I believe Bill regarding the new extension around Eldred being no more difficult than the old route. I did like the change however. Thanks again and I can't wait to do it again..."

Geoff Brunner writes: "....Thanks for a great day! The route was wonderful. I would concur with others on the side trip to Eldred as it was an accommodating controle and a nice break from 97 - personally, I'll take hills over traffic any day. The route was overall very well thought out, and made for an enjoyable time with certainly some significant challenges! I particularly enjoyed the company of all of the riders in the group with whom I had the pleasure of riding with at various stages....Thanks again to you and Bill and the others who were involved in organizing the event. I'll look forward to the Hawk Mtn ride next month!...."

Nigel Greene writes: "...Thanks for putting on this ride. It was a fast course and a challenging one, which made and interesting combination. I also enjoyed sharing the road with you (Tom) for a bit. I look forward to the next edition. If you are interested, my ride report is at:

http://eprider.blogspot.com/2011/08/hawks-nest-200k-through-promised-land.html

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Special thanks to Bill Olsen for a superb job of organizing the ride. In addition to preriding the revised route, he swept the course in his car, making sure everybody was safely accounted for. Thanks also, to volunteers Bill Blank and George Metzler for joining Bill on the volunteer preride.

After two visits to Hawk's Nest, next up, we'll be headed out to Hawk Mountain for the September R-12 event. As you can see from last year's ride report:
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-r12-results-hawk-mountain.html
... this is an absolutely fantastic route that organizer Andrew Mead has put together.

Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

August R-12: Revised Hawks Nest 200k

2011-08-08T21:41:00.122-04:00

We'll be headed back to Hawk's Nest for the August 13th R-12 event. But this edition has some extensive route changes to avoid some deteriorating roads and some of the heavy traffic on Rt 97. Organizer Bill Olsen, along with volunteers George Metzler and Bill Blank, completed a preride of the revised course last weekend, and Bill's preride report below highlights the changes for you.

For those of you headed to PBP, this will be a good chance to get in a final shake down ride before heading to Paris . Best of luck to all the PA Randonneurs clipping-in for the Big Ride -- I'm confident that the Eastern PA series has prepared you well. Unfortunately, one long-time Eastern PA participant, John Fuoco, will not be making it to the starting line this year. His medical condition that was recently diagnosed, is a sobering reminder of how tenuous life can be. John is a two-time PBP finisher, and in the true Ancien spirit of leading the way for those to follow, has offered his insights posted at this link:
http://thedailyrandonneur.wordpress.com/
... Thanks John for your good insights, and on behalf of all the PA Randonneurs, we'll be pulling for you to have a complete recovery.

So far, I've heard from the following riders who plan to clip-in:
- Bill Blank (volunteer preride)
- George Metzler (volunteer preride)
- Chris Nadovich
- Patrick O'Donnell
- Bill Olsen (organizer)
- Tom Rosenbauer (RBA)
- Lisa Sracatino

... if you'd like to join the roster, please drop me a note.

-Tom Rosenbauer, RBA

*** Volunteer Preride Report ***
George Metzler, Bill Blank and I completed a pre-ride of the revised Hawks Nest route on Saturday, 8/6. The humidity was near saturation for most of the ride but fortunately the temperatures held off until early afternoon when we were able to reach the shaded sections of Old Mine Road. George and Bill made it in before the rain but I found that the humidity gradually increased until it reached oversaturation and I was rewarded with a cooling drizzle for the last couple of miles into Water Gap.

For the August 13th Hawks Nest 200K those who are familiar with the previous route will be pleased to see the extensive revisions Tom has made to avoid some rough pavement between Promised Land and Hawley and avoid some rough pavement (and traffic) on Rt. 97. An added benefit of these changes is even more shaded roads and the additional climbing as one gets away from the exposed stretch of the Delaware south of Barryville is only 500 feet which really isn't all that bad (coming from someone who you all KNOW does not like climbing). I couldn't believe it but in checking Delorme after the ride I found that although one gains altitude leaving the new Eldred controle, the overall elevation gain is the same as the lumps on 97 that come on the section between Barryville and Pond Eddy. I especially enjoyed the long downhill as Rt. 31 rejoined Rt. 97 just before the Hawks Nest bump - but watch your speed as there is a stop sign at the end of the downhill. :-(

Although you'll still pass the River Market in Barryville, you need not worry about stopping for refreshments as The Corner controle 5 miles up the road in Eldred has a good selection of ice cream and beverages that will get you through to either Muller's Port Jervis Diner or the Layton Country Store. For those of you that didn't ride with us on July 30th, the Layton Country Store is under new management and in addition to having a better hours, a wider selection of items from the grill, the burgers and tuna subs will definitely fill you up!

Things to be aware of for Saturday:

- The 4-mile stretch of fresh chip seal starting at Canedesis that was being laid down when Tom rode the pre-ride on the 27th has been fully cleaned up. They must have used a roller on one of the warm days last week as the exposed stones that we experienced on the 30th have been smoothed into the pavement so that the resulting surface is just a "normal" chip and seal. They've also repainted the lines along the road and demarcated the shoulder for that section.

- The new route on Rt. 507 (Lake Wallenpaupack Road) has a couple of areas where the previous winter frost heaves have not yet been repaired. We're only on this road for a mile an a half and it isn't a problem if traffic is light but if you're riding in a group, you might want to give some additional spacing.
- At Hawk's Nest, road construction continues that has the road closed to a single lane with a temporary traffic light. The single lane is rather long and the light is a bit on the short side. But you'll have a enough time to clear the construction if you wait for the light to turn from red to green. I found that even when I waited to let all of the cars that were line pass me go ahead (so they didn't have to maneuver around me) I had plenty of time to make it though the construction and well out beyond the waiting line of oncoming traffic before the light changed.
- If you've never been across the Rt. 80 bridge near Water Gap, it's a little bit tricky. Please see the note that Tom provided for last month's ride for details on the crossing:
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2011/07/hawks-nest-200k.html

The Water Gap Diner will be opening at 6AM if you'd like to top off with a good breakfast before the start. I've let them know to expect us.

We'll see you Saturday.

Bill Olsen, Organizer

Hawk's Nest 200k Ride Report

2011-07-31T21:29:00.001-04:00

Preliminary results for the Hawk's Nest 200k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110730.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later today, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

Given the very hot and humid weather this past month, there couldn't be too many complaints with the manageable weather conditions. Temperatures were a couple degrees above normal, but the low humidity was a welcome relief, and the winds out of the northwest sped the riders along Towpath Rd and Rt 97. All of the 20 riders who clipped in for this event, including yours truly who did the pre-ride earlier in the week, made it around the course in good time for another 100% finish rate. Congratulations to everyone for an excellent result.

Of note, first-time Eastern PA participant, Bryan Nelson completed his SR series -- congratulations, and well done! Bryan was accompanied by fellow Maryland rider, Clint Provenza. Over the past couple of years, Clint has done a great job of promoting our sport of randonneuring with his local Severna Park Peloton bike club:
https://sites.google.com/site/severnaparkpeloton/

I originally had Mary Johnson also listed as a first-time Eastern PA participant, until Rick Carpenter pointed out " ...This is technically Mary’s 2nd PAR completion. Mary and I rode-in together from Layton to the finish, and during one of our converastions found that she did her first brevet some four years ago with PAR. Coincidentally, Mary and I rode our first brevets ever together on your 31 Mar 2007 Eastern PA ACP 200; how cool is that!..."

First finisher, Don Jagel writes: "...Thanks for putting together the Hawks Nest Brevet today. Also, Great Thanks to Len for popping up everywhere throughout the day to sign brevet cards and provide much needed water, always with a smile. ...The weather was about perfect for a late July ride. I spent much of the day riding on and off with Rick C, Jon C, and John C, which allowed for some good company and conversation. .... The best thing about the Old Mine Road climb today was the slight lowering of temperature and a cooling breeze at the top of the climb. Unfortunately the cool breeze disappeared upon reaching the bottom of the hill on the other side. ... One final note for those that like cheeseburgers. Rick got a burger at the Layton General Store. The thing was a monster that had to be cut in half just to allow it to be picked up with two hands. ... Everyone's help in continually putting together and executing wonderful rides is really appreciated...."

Shane Beake writes: "...Thanks for another great running of the tried and tested Hawks Nest 200. Big thank you to Lenny for taking his whole day to volunteer!!! ..."
And once again, Shane has posted a bunch of great pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157627193939715/

... it seems that Shane manages to capture new details of the route, each time he rides it!

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Special thanks to the volunteers who stepped up to help make this event a success:

- Len Zawodniak (on-road support all day!!)

- Bill Olsen (R-12 Organizer, finish controle)

... without volunteers like these who step up to the call for support, it would simply not be possible to run these events!

Next up, we'll be running the Hawk's Nest 200k again in 2 weeks on August 13th ... with the prospect of a continuation of the hot summer we've had, this is the best option for shaded roads and cooler temperatures. However, I'm looking at some extensive route tweaks to:
- avoid some rough pavement between Promised Land and Hawley
- avoid some rough pavement (and traffic) on Rt 97

Drop me a note if you plan to clip-in, and stay tuned for updates.

Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

Hawk's Nest 200k

2011-07-26T08:25:00.004-04:00

*** Update #1 7/28 ***
I completed a volunteer pre-ride on Wednesday 7/27. The weather was nearly ideal, although the humidity seemed to increase just south of Port Jervis -- I think a rain shower came through before I did. Here are a couple of things I encountered that you should be aware of:
- There is a 4-mile stretch of fresh chip seal starting at Canedesis -- it was being laid down that day, and the tar was still very sticky. It was nearly unrideable -- I was beginning to think that we might have to cancel. But in talking to a workman, I found out that the tar was fresh that day, and that a sweeper will be coming through the next day to clean off the excess stones. There should be a 1-foot wide shoulder clear of tar/stones for most of the 4-mile stretch. There still might be some "sticky" areas, but I'm hopeful that conditions will improve over the next couple of days as the road gets swept and the tar dries and gets covered with dirt.
- At Hawk's Nest, there is road construction that has the road closed to a single lane with a temporary traffic light. The single lane is rather long and the light is a bit on the short side. But you'll have a enough time to clear the construction if you wait for the light to turn from red to green. You should get at the end of the line of cars that will be waiting there, so they don't have to maneuver around you.

If you've never been across the Rt 80 bridge near Water Gap, it's a little bit tricky. You need to look for a sidewalk/ramp about 50 yards past the Rt 80 underpass which you will cross under. The picture below shows the ramp on the left, which is in between the road you will be traveling (on the right) and Rt 80 (far left):

You will be facing on-coming traffic as you go across the bridge.

The Water Gap Diner will be opening at 6AM if you'd like to top off with a good breakfast before the start.

*** Original Post ***
The weather forecast is calling for another heatwave this weekend, for the the July 30th R-12 event. But the Hawk's Nest 200k course will be heading north into Promised Land, where the temperatures are typically a couple of degrees cooler. Most of the route is shaded, which will also bring some relief from the heat.

Reminder: Parking is behind the Water Gap Diner - Directions are posted here:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/WaterGapParking.pdf

*** Rider Roster (updated 7/28) ***
- Glenn Ammons
- Shane Beake
- Gavin Biebuyck
- John Capriotti
- Jonathan Clamp
- Margaret Green
- Monty Green
- Nigel Greene
- Doug Haluza
- John Hsu
- Donald Jagel
- Houston Joost
- Chris Nadovich
- Bryan Nelson
- Patrick S O Donnell
- William M. Olsen (Organizer)
- Clint Provenza
- Tom Rosenbauer (Volunteer Preride)

Ride Needed for September R12 Brevet

2011-07-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

There is a new to PA Randonneurs rider looking for a ride out to Ephrata for the September running of the Hawk Mountain 200k. He is located in the NYC area and has determined that Amtrak doesn't allow bikes on the Keystone lines that service the Lancaster area. Anyone with extra space should contact Peter Yuskauskas at py.bass@yahoo.com.

Long Distance Cycling

2011-07-18T09:17:00.001-04:00

Pennsylvania Randonneurs Wool Jersey

2011-07-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

*** Update #1 (7/8/11) ***

Today is the last day to get your PA Randonneurs jersey order in ... we just need a few more orders to reach the minimum quantities. So if you've been meaning to get around to ordering one, today's your last chance. You can e-mail Shane Beake, who will be happy to take your order.

*** Original Post ***

PA Randonneurs is pleased to announce the availability of a high quality Woolistic jersey. The jersey is available in either long or short sleeves for the regular wool jersey (same as the EM1240 and RUSA offerings) or a new light weight wool summer jersey (short sleeves only). Please submit your order form:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PaWoolJerseyOrderForm_fill-in_revised.pdf

... by ~~June 26~~. ~~July 14~~ July 8 (Final Day! -- we need a few more orders for the minimum quantity)

Special thanks to Shane Beake, for designing the jersey and coordinating this project! Please contact Shane

stb0423@optonline.net

for additional details or if you have any questions. Sample jerseys will be available for sizing at upcoming events.

June Events Ride Report

2011-06-27T08:52:00.004-04:00

Preliminary results for the June 25 600k 200k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA600k_Results110625.pdf

... and for the June 26 200k at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110626.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later today, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

Despite nearly ideal conditions, and essentially the same course and many of the same riders who contributed to a 100% completion rate for the May 600k, only 3 of 9 riders completed the June 25 600k. The DNF fever spread struck at the Water Gap Diner. The 33% completion rate makes the completion rate for the EM1240k, where slightly less than half of the starters made it around the course in 2009, look pretty good in comparison.

For the inaugural New Holland 200k, all 22 starters made it around the course in very good time. Of note, Roy Yates completed his Eastern PA Super Randonneur series, and joined the PA Honor Roll -- congratulations, and well done!

Once again, Shane Beake has chronicled the event with a photo album posted here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157626930501167/

Bill Olsen writes: "...Thanks for the great 600K. The first 400K offers some of the best cycling NE PA/West Jersey has to offer, and the French Creek route is always a crowd pleaser. ... While I always wondered why we rode 191instead of going up Woodale Drive after Cherry Lane now I know, although I'm not sure the reward of descending Circle H Road was worth all that climbing....Those who missed the new routing up Lehnenberg to avoid Buckwumpum will be in for a treat. The quiet back-roads are a good alternative to 611 - without an excessive cost to bay for the reward..."

Walt Pettigrew writes: "...thanks once again for a great 200k. ...could this be a record for one of your rides with at least 20 riders and all finish in under 10 hours?" [Yes, I think this is indeed is a first! -Tom R.]

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Special thanks to the many volunteers who stepped up to help out for this busy weekend:

- Christine Newman (Hostel setup and 600k start)

- Guy Harris (Course sweep Saturday night)

- Don Jagel (Volunteer pre-ride and overnight controle)

- Chris Nadovich (overnight controle)

- Andrew Mead (200k start and Sunday course sweep)

- Glenn Ammons (Hostel finish controle)

... without volunteers like these who step up to the call for support, it would simply not be possible to run these events!

Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

June 2011 Events

2011-06-10T13:54:00.003-04:00

*** Update #1 (6/20) ***
The 600k cuesheet has been updated to draft 3, dated 6/20/11. Some minor corrections have been made, along with a small route tweak, all based on Don Jagels recent volunteer preride which he completed last Friday. Don sent me the following volunteer preride report:

"Thanks for putting together the 600K route. I found it to be quite enjoyable. The cue sheet was excellent (as always). The weather Thursday (6/16) and Friday (6/17) was just about perfect; partly to mostly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 70's. About 5 miles before I got back to the hostel on Thursday night the sky opened up and I got a brief soaking. Upon arriving back at the hostel I hunkered down hoping the rain would stop and took a 1.5 hour nap before starting out again around 01:40. It did rain lightly on and off for the remainder of the night, but cleared out around sunrise.

Below are several items I noted along my travels:

- Route 378 (approx. mile 11) is being resurfaced (Yeah!!). When I went through the lanes were in various stages of completion. If they are not completed by 6/25, there may be some uneven pavement to be aware of, particularly if riding quickly in a group near the start of the ride.

- The windy stretch of road with the scenic overlooks through Hawk's Nest is under construction. The road is a single lane controlled by a temporary traffic light. You may have to move quickly through the construction zone.

- Along Route 209, at mile 173.1, the road takes a slight detour onto Egypt Mills Road for approximately 0.9 miles. I think this detour has been there for a while. Egypt Mills Road parallels close to Rt. 209, so no one should be alarmed.

- Perkiomen Road, between mile 352.0 and 354.8 is scheduled to be tar & chipped during the week of 6/20, so there may be loose gravel.

- The bridge on Swamp Creek Road (mile 357.3) is closed for construction, but is still passable by bike.

- Rockhill Road (mile 370.4) was recently tar & chipped, so loose gravel may still be present.

Two very minor items noted on the cue sheet. (1) at mile 20.3 Macada Rd is misspelled (only has a single "a"), and (2) at mile 32.9 "Wpt72" seems to be an unnecessary cue.

Also, as an alternative to Buckwampum Road, it is possible to continue on Gallows Hill Road, then take the next right onto Hunter Road. Turn left onto 412 (SS), and quick right onto School Road. Then turn left at SS onto Maple Road and continue as before. This route is approximately 0.68 miles shorter than the Buckwampum route, skips the abrupt hill, and IMO provides a safer crossing of Route 412. I drove through Hunter Road and School Road yesterday and it seemed to me like a good route.

I did like revised variation of taking Deerwood Lane out to 563 on the return to the hostel. Thanks again for putting together a great course."

- Don Jagel

*** Original Post ***
PA600k (June 25)
This is essentially the same course run in May as part of the Brevet Week series. However, the start/finish and overnight controles will be the Weisel Hostel. Also there are a couple of route tweaks in response to some good feedback from Eric Keller, who finished the May event and writes: "I would like it if you would take us the back way from Sawmill road to the hostel, skipping Old Bethlehem. I think Old Bethlehem is a little too scary between the hours of about 6:00 pm to 3:00 am. ... The only part of the 600k route that gives me heartburn is the section on 191 between Cherry and 447. Lots of close passing, high speed differential, debris everywhere and deep holes in the tiny shoulders...." In addition to yet another route tweak from Reigelsville to the hostel, a change has been made to get you off Rt 191 after 0.2 miles onto a much quieter side road. But as you know, those quiet back roads often come with a "high price."

Don Jagel will be checking out the course this weekend (June 11-12) with a volunteer preride. Since much of the course has already been recently ridden, I don't expect too many changes to the posted cuesheet, however, any corrections or clarification would be posted some time the following week.

New Holland 200k (June 26)
The June R-12 event will start on Sunday morning, and will run concurrently with Day 2 of the 600k. The course follows the final 200k loop of the 600k. Food will be available at the start and the finish. Due to the extra expense of the meals and renting out the hostel, the registration fee will be $20 for this event.

PA Members can join the roster for either the 600k or 200k by sending me an e-mail.

RAAM 2011
Local Eastern PA member George Metzler will be crewing for Mark Pattinson. Andrew Mead and your's truly, have signed on to help chronical Mark's RAAM campaign as blog contributors. You can follow along at this link:
http://markpattinson.com
The action starts this Wednesday, June 15th.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Randonneuring in the News

2011-06-07T14:24:00.003-04:00

It seems our sport enjoys enhanced media exposure every four years.
New York Times Article
(subscription required)

From the article:

“People either fall in love with it or think it’s nuts,” said Jud Hand, a lawyer and the organizer of the Princeton 200 and a shorter 120-kilometer ride held the same day.

“It doesn’t impress people when you tell them that you ride 10 miles per hour,” said Katie Raschdorf, 42, who was training for a 1,200-kilometer ride in Alaska in August. “But if you tell them that you ride 10 miles per hour for 80 hours, it does.”

Brevet Week 600k Ride Report

2011-05-24T21:44:00.002-04:00

Preliminary results for the May 21 Brevet Week 600k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA600k_Results110521.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA in a couple of days, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

After a rather wet and stormy week, the clouds and rain cleared out in time for a dry start. At the first controle stop in Danielsville, the skies were completely clear, and it was hard to believe the forecast for rain showers later in the afternoon. But some isolated rain showers did manage to drench some riders as they headed along Old Mine Road. Sunday turned out to be overcast and cool with a bit of a headwind for the return leg to the finish.

The PA600k is a tough course; but all 25 riders who clipped-in at the start proved to be even tougher and certainly prepared for the many challenges that the Eastern PA terrain offers. All made it back within the time limit for a remarkable 100% finish rate. Congratulations to you all, for a job well done!

Of note, Mark Kaufman and Gavin Biebuyck completed their very first 600k. Gavin did so with fast company, coming in with fellow first finishers Bill Fischer and Tim Conway. Tim writes: "...many thanks for all of your hard work during the past week, and throughout the season. I can't say enough about how much I have enjoyed my first season riding with the Eastern PA Randonneurs, how much I have learned, and I have met a number of great new people. I not only really enjoyed riding the 600 with Gavin & Bill, as we had all ridden together before, but it was also really helpful, and we did stick together. ..." Bill adds "...thanks for another wonderful 600! The sights through Promised Land and Hawks Nest were as gorgeous as ever and as always your planning and attention to detail were second to none. I was further blessed to have 2 fantastic riding partners in Tim Conway and Gavin Biebuyck, making this an experience I won't soon forget...." Gavin writes"...Many thanks for all your hard work organizing the brevets. As a first time rider this year I have been amazed at all the logistics and the work you and your team put into running these events. I have really enjoyed myself and pushed myself beyond what I thought possible. I really started this to show myself I could come back from a bad bike accident last year and expected to only do the 200K and target the 300K next year. Instead I am now hooked on long evenly paced riding in good company..."

Of special note, 16 riders completed their SR series with Eastern PA events. Congratulations to these riders who now join the Eastern PA Roll of Honor with this accomplishment:
Cecilie Adams (2)
Shane Beake
Gavin Biebuyck
Richard G Carpenter (3)
Tim Conway
Joe Fillip
William Fischer
Joel Flood
Patrick Gaffney (2)
Doug Haluza
Guy Harris (3)
R. Mark Kaufman
Eric Keller (3)
Chris Nadovich
Christine Newman
William Olsen (3)
In addition, Roy Yates has completed the PA300, PA400, and PA600k, and just needs to find a PA200k before October in order to join this distinct group. With a record number of Eastern PA Super Randonneurs this year, my daughter is going to very busy this fall, assembling all those 2011 trophies:

Of note, Guy Harris completed the course on a fixed-gear. Guy writes: "...Thanks for running another great 600K and lining up a fantastic groups of folks to ride with. I hope the raspberries I gave you at the overnight about Peppermint Rd. didn't come across too strong. [Yes, my ears were ringing all night at the overnight controle about that! So next time when you only get Bumpwampum Rd, you'll be very grateful! -Tom R.] I truely do enjoy these new little gems and I check my pride about walking them, on the fixed at least, at the start! These add a nice character to the rides. Keep'm coming! Riding the course on the fixed certainly gave me a different perspective on it, all good except that I really missed the full speed descents on Harmonyville Rd..."
Yiping Lin writes: "...I'm proud of being a Eastern PA member, and had a great time to attend the events you organized. .... This 600k was tougher than what I expected. When I looked at the map (last year), my initial thought was, "Great. After the controle 4 the rest is easy." I was wrong again. Your routes are never easy... However, the [hardest] ones [for me] were the last two sections, because I was tired (& it's windy too). I underestimated these continuous steep, despite short, climbs. ..Thanks again for organizing these events, As well as volunteers ...."

Christine Newman writes: "...After PBP in 2007 I decided the best way to train for the next PBP was to complete a PA SR series. It has taken me 4 years but I finally accomplished that goal Sunday afternoon. I feel confident that your brevets have readied me for anything PBP can throw my way and for that I am truly grateful. .... And now that we have ridden (or walked) up Peppermint, I think I speak for many of us when I say, Bring back butt-wumpin - or whatever the name of that other hellish road is ... As always, thank you and your volunteers for your smiling faces, warm food and for keeping an eye on all of us. ...."
Christine has taken some excellent pictures which have been posted here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/PA600KBrevet#

Shane Beake writes: "...Ride was really nice this weekend, weather seemed to hold out for most of us, although some got caught in downpours. I know some of us complain a little about the surprise climbs you throw in there at the end e.g. Lehnenberg, Slifer Valley and the now infamous Peppermint Rd, but if they weren't there then it just wouldn't be an Eastern PA brevet would it?. ."
And once again, Shane has taken a bunch of great photos posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157626786654316/

Joe Fillip writes: "...Thanks for all of your hard work (and that of your volunteers) on Brevet Week. Seeing you stumble off for a few hours of sleep at 5 am on Sunday, when I was ready to hit the road for the second leg of the 600 Km, really brought home to me how much time and effort you have put in to make these events such a success. Just want you know that it is greatly appreciated. P.S. Remember the scene from "Wrath of Khan" when Captain Kirk is stranded inside the center of the Genesis Planet, and, in a sweeping overhead shot, screams "KHAN!!!!!!"? Just picture me screaming "TOM!!!!!" as I was faced with the climb up Peppermint Road at about 11:30 pm Saturday night... .."

Rick Carpenter writes: "...Joe Fillip and I had such a great time riding together. Joe’s a very enjoyable person to spend the miles with. ...thanks for a wonderful season and a memorable four years. I’ll miss the PAR camaraderie, for sure...."

Rick's photos are posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157626791049042/

Larry Midura writes: "...Just a quick note of thanks for all the hard work you put into the PA brevets. Really enjoyed the recent PA 600K as the weather was just great with a nice group of riders. Your choice of the Hampton Inn in Quakertown is a very convenient start/finish location. Hope to join you again next year for brevet(s)..."

Doug Haluza writes: "...Well, it was a hell of a ride. I wasn't sure we would finish it, since we only started 13 hours before armageddon. What would be better than riding down the Delaware Valley when the world is about to end anyway? But it wasn't the end of days, so we found out what Tom had in store for us at the end of day one--what seemed like a never-ending climb in the dark. It was like climbing a stairway to heaven, with another step up just over every rise. That was enough to make you wish for the rapture, or at least a rapture-like ride to the top of the last climb!..."

Ed Dodd writes: "...I want to thank you once more for a really great event. I come to the PA hills, not for the sound of music, (Although I think I did hear music going up a hill or two in the dark early Sunday morning. But it wasn't Julie Andrews. It was more like Mozart's Requiem.) but for the challenge. And I have never once been disappointed. The anticipation, preparation, planning and finally accomplishing a difficult physical and mental challenge makes life exciting. Thanks for giving us such opportunities. ..."

Patrick Gaffney and Cecilie Adams write: "...Cecily and I wanted to thank you again for all of your efforts that go into the PA Brevet Series. Each ride is beautiful and challenging and this weekends 600K was no different. We'll never forget Peppermint Road. Thanks again for everything you do for those of us working towards PBP. .."

Judd Hand writes: "...Thanks for another great course. Unfortunately, I had to skip the 400k and cut down on my mileage the past seven weeks since the 300k and that left me with less than ideal conditioning going in. Fortunately, I had three strong and compassionate riding companions in Shane Beake, Roy Yates and John Hsu, all three registrants for PBP in August. Given how hilly your long rides are, I am amazed at the riders' completion rate. Having all 25 starters on Saturday finish is remarkable, particularly as many did it with little or no sleep. You had a perfect finish rate with 17 riders last year on the 600k. Add in 17-19 for 2009, 8-10 for 2008 and 10-12 for 2007 and you have a 93 overall average. Your 1000k rides have an 89 percent finish rate. I think the word has gone out and people don't sign up for your rides unless they are ready for the climbing. In fact, the only 600k or longer ride you've held with a less than 75 percent finish rate was the Endless Mountains 1240k (22-48). That ride attracted people from all over the country, some of whom, I suspect, may not have believed your written warnings about the elevation gain. Plus there was that 40-degree rain. Becky was great checking us in and even playing a little autoharp for the sleepy participants. I saw Roy catching some Z's while she was playing... "

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Special thanks to volunteers: John Freeman, for signing in riders on Friday night (so I could attend my daughters' concert), Barbara Harris for sweeping the course at Bloomsbury, Andy Brenner for running the overnight controle (despite being ill), and Andrew Mead for sweeping the course at Leola. And special thanks to Ed Dodd, Mark Kaufman and several other participants for helping out at the finish, and especially my wife Becky, while I was incompacitated with one the worst migraine headaches I've ever had.

The Eastern PA series has some of the very best volunteers around and are a key part of the quality events PA Randonneurs endeavor to put on. An additional volunteer or two were sorely needed on this event, and I'll be counting on additional volunteers stepping up to help share the load on future events.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Brevet Week 200k & 300k Ride Report

2011-05-18T13:34:00.003-04:00

Preliminary results for the May 14 Brevet Week 200k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110514.pdf

... and for the May 15 300k at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/SR_Week300K.html

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA in a couple of days, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

Despite a dismal weather forecast for the weekend that promised plenty of "wet", participants managed to mostly dodge the many rain showers and stay dry. A big exception however, was Sunday night: some very impressive thunderstorms rolled in as the riders were headed back across the Delaware River near Reigelsville.

12 of the 14 200k participants completed the course in good time. Of note, Guy Harris completed the course on a fixed-gear (with audacious plans to ride the entire Brevet Week of events on a fixed-gear!). Jonathan Clamp, a regular fixed-gear rider as well, brought along some gears this time, and managed to get in as the first finisher just under 9 hours.

Also of note, our DC area friends Crista and Chuck completed yet another Eastern PA event. I am way overdue to return the favor, and look forward to joining Crista and Chuck real soon on one of their weekend centuries they've been leading for as long as I can remember. Crista's weekend rides are renowned for their scenic beauty and I highly recommend you check it out if you're headed to the DC area:

http://www.dcrand.org/dcr/calendar.php?page=training

Crista writes: "...Just wanted to thank you again for the great ride on Saturday. It was exquisite! Chuck took a few photos, and here's the link:"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52169353@N05/

Only 3 of the 7 registered riders for the 300k made it to the starting line -- the truly dismal weather forecast perhaps had something to do with that, along with the steady rain in the early morning hours on Sunday. However, the 3 intrepid starters did have a reasonably fair day for cycling. New Eastern PA participant, David Eisenberg, made it as far as Water Gap, just under the cut-off where volunteer Len Zawodniak was on hand. David decided that he had little chance of finishing within the time limit, and opted instead to the offer of a ride back to hostel start. In light of the storms that later raged all through Sunday night, that proved to be a prudent descision. Robin Landis and Chris Nadovich distinguished themselves as finishers for the 200k on Saturday, as well as the Sunday 300k.

Chris writes: "...I'd like to repeat my heartfelt thanks to you and your volunteers for a most memorable 300K brevet. With the tiny turnout of riders, and so many voluneers, I felt like I had a personal support crew! If it's any compensation for sacrificing a Sunday to keep tabs on my ride, maybe you can take some satisfaction from the knowledge that your brevet helped to toughen my soul. If riding 20 miles in the dark, on shoulderless, narrow, windy, hilly, bumpy, chipsealed roads, in the rain, with thunder and lightning, didn't rattle me, I'm not sure what ever could? And yet it was sunny and mild up to Dingman's Ferry and the whole way down Old Mine Road, and through the Gap, with the Del looking as beautiful as ever. I saw an eagle. When I reached the Hostel, the full moon was out. Quite a ride. Thanks!..."

Houston Joost writes: "...Tom, another great ride. Your rides are always painfully pleasurable!..." John Capriotti writes: "...Tom, thanks again for a fantastic, fun ride and thanks to all the riders who helped made it enjoyable! What a great way start to the week. ..." You can read John's complete ride report at his blog:

http://videlos.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/pa-randonneurs-brevet-week-200k/#more-341

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Special thanks to volunteer Christiane Torres, for staffing the 200k finish controle. And special thanks to 300k volunteers: Len Zawodniak for manning the Water Gap controle, and returning David back to the start, and Guy Harris, for sweeping the course at Bloomsbury. Thanks also to Christine Newman, for standing by to help with any unforeseen eventualities.

Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

Brevet Week

2011-05-10T12:54:00.087-04:00

**** Update #3 (5/19) ****
Cuesheet correction to Draft 11 at mile 370.3:

~~370.3 B R Walnut Ln~~
370.3 B R TRO (unmarked) Doerr Rd (Walnut Ln on left)

**** Update #2 (5/18) ****
Cuesheets have been updated and the current versions as of 5/18 are:
-400k: Draft 4 (5/18)
-600k: Draft 11 (5/16)
This should be final, unless of course, a last minute correction is needed. However, nearly all of the routing for the 400k and 600k has either been recently ridden, or checked out with scouting trips over the last month. I've also received a few corrections from some of the participants, which is very much appreciated.

While it looks like the weather will trending better into the weekend for the 600k participants, the weather forecast for the 400k is calling for a continuation of the torrential rain and thunderstorms that we've had all week. 400k participants are advised that they should be extremely confident of their foul-weather gear, as well as their ability to navigate in the dark under poor conditions. Although safety in numbers is the rule for night riding, the limited number of 400k participants will limit the opportunities to find a suitable riding partner through the night.

400k notes:
-Sign-in for the 400k will be between 5PM and 6PM in the lobby.
-There is bridge construction at mile 9.3 that should be passable by pedestrians (dismount and walk around the barrier).
-If there are no volunteers at the finish controle, the front desk receptionist will sign your card.

600k notes:
-In addition to the 3AM sign-in time, there will be sign-in and bike inspection on Friday in the lobby from ~5-6PM and from ~7-9PM.
-At the overnight controle, there will be a message board in the lobby directing you to the volunteer room for signing in.
-For an overnight sleep break, I recommend reserving a room in one of the many hotels near the Hampton Inn. Alternatively, there will be 4 or 5 volunteer rooms available for you to take a quick shower and short nap. These rooms have a single king size bed and a convertible couch/bed. There may be up to 3 people per room, if there are arrivals all at once.
-If you would like to share a room with another participant, please leave a comment at this link to hook up with somebody:
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2011/05/brevet-week.html
-If you need a wake-up call, the hotel can provide this service.
-You may leave your drop bag either in your car, or in the volunteer room.
-There will be food available at the start, overnight, and finish controles. At the start/finish controle, there is also an Italian restaurant/pizzeria across the street and two 24-hr mini-marts next door (one is a mega-WaWa with deli, etc.).
-The first controle on day 2 after the sleep stop is a postcard controle. Since postcard controles are untimed, you have until controle #10 (58 miles after the sleep controle) to make up any time, in case you get a late start after resting. This relaxed timing will perhaps allow you to get an extra hour of sleep.
-There is bridge construction at mile 362.8 that should be passable by pedestrians (dismount and walk around the barrier).
-The Hampton Inn is full this weekend, and if the hotel parking lot is full, there is plenty of parking in the parking lot next door at a restaurant's lot (the restaurant is currently out-of-business).

**** Update #1 (5/11) ****
Join Crista and Chuck, and your's truly for dinner at McCoole's at 6PM on Friday night (5/13). Drop me a note if you plan to swing by, and we'll add you to our reservations.

**** Original Post ****
Event details and registration for the upcoming Brevet Week events have been posted on the PA Randonneurs website:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/

The 200k and 300k will start/finish at the Weisel hostel (overnight accommodations are available for $25/night). The other events (400k, 600k, and 1000k), will start/finish at the Quakertown Hampton Inn. Make your own hotel reservations at the Hampton Inn, or one of the several other nearby hotels.

The 200k on Saturday, May 14 features the classic edition of the PA200k with a few route tweaks at the end to make it a bit kinder and gentler, and to bypass the Milford bridge which is under construction and closed. As noted on the cue-sheet, there is also bridge construction at mile 111, however, this one is passable by cyclists/pedestrians.

The 300k on Sunday, May 15 will be almost exactly the same as the Water Gap 300 run earlier this year.

The 400k on Thursday, May 19, will feature a 6PM evening start -- this will be a good preparation for those headed to PBP and planning on the 90-hr start. The course will be based on the recent Blue Mountain 400k but in reverse, heading into the Lancaster area first. After passing through the Swatara Gap, the route will follow the main valley roads instead of the ridges -- the terrain will be a bit gentler and the navigation easier, as you pedal through the early morning hours.

The 600k on Saturday, May 21 is based on the recent editions run in 2009 and 2010. There is a ~400k loop on the first day that returns you to the start/finish hotel for the overnight controle. There will be 3 volunteer rooms available for showers and a short nap. If you would like a private hotel room, you can make your own hotel reservations at one of the many hotels along the Rt 663 corridor in Quakertown. Day 2 features an out-and-back 200k segment into the Lancaster area.

The 1000k on Friday, May 20 is based on the edition run in 2010. A bag drop service will be provided at 2 overnight hotel controles. There will be a single volunteer room available for showers/napping. You can make your own hotel reservations if you want a private room.

RAAM Pre-View

2011-05-08T06:14:00.002-04:00

It is easy to develop "PBP Vision" (related to tunnel vision) with registration, reflective vests, and qualifying brevets and forget that there are other significant activities occurring in the world of cycling. The Race Across America begins in about 5 weeks. Our own George Metzler is planning to crew for a RAAM team again this year and will be working on Mark Pattinson's team. George is currently out on a "training ride" in the west and, as usual, blogging about the experience. You can follow his adventures at http://georgemetzler.wordpress.com/. Apparently George's experience with Rick Carpenter last year merely whetted his appetite for Ultra Cycling's big dance.

Blue Mountain 400k Ride Report

2011-05-01T16:03:00.003-04:00

*** Update 5/4/11 ***
Christine Newman writes: "...Thanks for another great ride and for arranging such perfect weather. The course was just beautiful and the the conditions perfect for an enjoyable day on the bike. And thanks for taking out Lower Saucon Rd.....now if you could just do something about all the other climbs!... Here is the link to my photos...a view from the tail end of the ride:"
https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/BlueMountain400K#

Patrick G. & Cecily A. write: "...Thanks again for organizing the 400K, we had a great time. The weather and course were wonderful...."

Mike Lutz writes: "...Thanks gain for another great edition of the Blue Mountain 400K and all of the volunteers that helped. If there is such an award, I would like to nominate Blondie's for "Controle of the Year". The service was friendly and attentive including an outdoor water station. I liked the route change between controle 3 and 4. The ride on the Summer Hill Rd. ridge afforded beautiful views of the valleys between Blue and Second Mountains..."

Nigel Greene writes: "...I wanted to say thanks for another well run event. The course was beautiful and the amount of low traffic roads you use amazes me. It took (is taking) me a while to recover from the climbing, but I am glad I made it out...." You can read Nigel's poetic report at:
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2011/05/blue-mountain-400k-april-30-2011.html

Joe Kravotil writes: "...Thanks again for the great ride and hospitality ..."
You can read his entire ride report at his Mellow Yellow Blog:
http://mellowyellowbent.blogspot.com/2011/05/blue-mountain-400k-best-of-pennsylvania.html

*** Original Post ***
Preliminary results for the April 30 "Blue Mountain 400k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA400k_Results110430.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

What a difference a year makes. Although a bit chilly at the start and overnight hours, with temperatures in the low 40F's, the high 60F's during the day were certainly much better than the 90F's riders endured in 2010. Winds were generally favorable out of the northwest, which were mainly beneficial on the Jonestown to Brownstown leg.

The 2011 edition of the Blue Mountain 400k featured a major route tweak to incorporate portions Andrew Mead's Hawk Mountain 200k. The new section started in Orwigsburg and included what many considered the steepest climb of the day up Hickory Lane. Thanks Andrew, for the help in updating the route!

35 of 38 registered riders made it to start, and 33 finished for a completion rate of 94%. Congratulations to everyone for such an excellent result on a very challenging course. Of note, several riders completed their very first 400k ever: Gavin Biebuyck, Mark Kaufman and Nigel Greene. Well done, and congratulations on reaching this big milestone for every randonneur -- the longer randonnees are certainly now within your reach. There were a couple of first time Eastern PA participants, including John Hsu from Short Hills, NJ and Jan Dembinski, who came all the way down from Woodstock, VT. Also of note, Chris Schulten set a new course record of 15:24, shattering the old one by a good 2 hours. Chris writes: "...thanks for an amazing course. I had tons of fun!.." Well done Chris! that 16.1 MPH pace is going to be pretty tough to top.

Special thanks to volunteer Guy Harris, for his volunteer preride and sweeping the course at Brownstown. And a very special thanks to Andy Brenner, for the great lasagna he prepared for the finish controle, and holding the fort for the first finishers. Rick Carpenter, also completed a last-minute volunteer preride to check out the course conditions on Friday after all the strong storms blew through the area on Thursday. Thanks also, to Mark Thomas and SIR for lending their PBP vests for sizing. If you would like to get a PA Randonneurs branded vest, place your on-rider order by May 6. The on-line order form and additional info is linked on the PA Randonneurs website:
www.parandonneurs.com

Shane Beake writes: "...Just wanted to say thanks for putting together yesterdays 400, the course
and the weather were absolutely perfect..." Shane has once again, taken a bunch of really nice photos that he has posted at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157626621083498/show/

Rick Carpenter's preride photos are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157626489610759/with/5672586220/

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Next up in two weeks, is the SR Week of events. A Saturday 200k and 300k on Sunday will be offered on the weekend of May 14th. The recent Blue Mountain 400k will be run in reverse, with a 6PM start time on Thursday, May 19th. For those of you headed to PBP in the 90-hour start, this will give you a good idea of what a night start will be like. A 600k will be offered on Saturday, May 21, along with a 1000k on Friday, May 20th. The 400, 600, and 1000k will have start/finishes at the Quakertown Hampton Inn.

Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

Volunteers Needed!

2011-04-22T08:38:00.006-04:00

With the spring SR qualifiers getting into full swing, I need some volunteers to step up and help out for the following events:

200k - Saturday May 14
-Afternoon course sweep
-Finish controle

300k - Sunday May 15
-Evening course sweep: Len Zawodniak
-Finish controle: Christine Newman

400k - Friday May 20
-Afternoon course sweep
-Finish controle

1000k - Friday May 20
-Drop Bag / Overnight controle (2 nights)

600k - Saturday May 21
-Overnight controle: Andy Brenner

600k/1000k Finish - Sunday May 22
-Afternoon Course sweep
-Finish Controle

600k - Saturday June 25
-Overnight Controle: Don Jagel
-Course sweep (Sunday afternoon): Len Zawodniak
-Finish Controle (Sunday): Glen Ammons

All volunteers may elect to do a volunteer pre-ride up to 15 days in advance of any event.
With many PBP aspirants headed to Paris this summer, you could make the difference in making somebody's a dream a reality.
Please drop me a note if you can lend me a hand:
trosenbauer@rcn.com

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Blue Mountain 400k

2011-04-20T18:57:00.006-04:00

****** Update #1 (4/26/11) ******

The cuesheet has been updated to draft 9 (4/26/11) with minor clarifications from Guy Harris' volunteer pre-ride (Thanks Guy, and well done!). The following is a summary of the changes as reported by Guy:

75.5mi

I would mention to riders that this turn has a lot of gravel. It is also a bit blind from the right so if you are tempted avoid the gravel by letting the turn swing wide it could be an issue.

102.1mi
Might add a note about the bad angle, rough tracks here. It could also serve as a spotting cue. I think this is a pretty close mileage.

105.2mi
The road sign lines up with Hickory well, Berne Dr. not so well. It is really almost a straight/diagonal over Berne. I think this cue should work as written though:

*** TL + BR (SS) Hickory Ln (crossing Berne Dr) (BR onto small side road).

(The map below illustrates this tricky turn):

112.9, 113.1, 113.3mi
These are all unmarked. The distance is short though and they are marked on the opposite end.

232.9mi
There is a bridge that was under construction. I was able to ride straight over it. No problem at all. But, there is heavy equipment everywhere and there were drill holes in the middle of the deck. [Although] the work-site looks active...no one would bother a rider going over at the times we'll use it, of course.

Note: The course has not been changed, with the presumption that the bridge construction will be passable by cyclists. However as a contingency, if the bridge is NOT passable, the map below illustrates an alternate route around the construction:

Additional Volunteer Pre-Ride comments:
...Made it back to the hostel at 1:39 for a total 20:49. Not my best but not too far bad either. This course can kick your butt. I was not prepared for the heat after Jonestown,especially after the previous stretch of rollers. It went from cloudy cool and nice to a relative furnace all at once at Jonestown. Plus, the wind was at its worst on this stretch. I think the main problem for me was accumulated dehydration - I was still 7 pounds light this morning! First heat of the year will do that. The course is in good shape. The Swamp Creek section is a fantastic ride that time of night, sometime I have to see it during the day. This is a nice way to finish the route. I don't think I saw a car between Rt29 and 313.

Hostel Accommodations

- Ladies will be staying in the FAMILY Dorm

- Early arrivals (before 9PM) will be staying in the WOMENS Dorm

- Later arrivals (after 10PM) will be staying in the MENS Dorm

The hostel dorm is pretty full, so please try to arrive as early as possible and get your bunk ready as soon as you get there -- this will minimize the disruption of those trying to sleep.

Reminder: park your car in the big parking lot half way between the entrance and the house which will be off to your right as you arrive. The few parking spots near the house are reserved.

I'll be at the hostel around 7PM on Friday night.

Have a safe ride!

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

****** Original Post ******
Event details for Blue Mountain 400k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA400K.html

The cuesheet has been updated to draft 8 as of 4/20. There will probably be one additional revision that will be posted early next week, after the volunteer pre-ride (which is scheduled for Monday). As always, be sure to check back on the website and message board for all updates.

If you're headed to PBP, you'll need a PBP-compliant vest. It'd be a good idea to get one before you head over to France, so you can get used to it. We plan to have PBP-compliant vests in various sizes available at the 400k start/finish so you can check out the sizing. Additional details and an on-line order form has been posted at:
http://pbpfaq.blogspot.com/2011/04/pa-randonneurs-pbp-style-reflective.html
...We'll probably be placing our order shortly after the 400k.

Course Notes:
The 2011 edition is largely based on last year's edition, with the notable exception of a major route tweak to include portions of Andrew Mead's Hawk Mountain 200k from last September. Also for 2011, I'm hoping to avoid the +90F temperatures we had last year!

The list of registered riders (and hostel reservations) has been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA400Regs.pdf

PA Randonneur members can join the roster (and take both the early registration and $5 member discount) by sending me an e-mail confirmation.

Regards,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Moving Sale

2011-04-20T07:50:00.006-04:00

Long time PA Randonneurs member and cycling legend Ed Pavelka is clearing out his garage in anticipation of moving to Florida (Ed, there are NO hills down there). He has the following items available:

1. Four sets of reflective red-and-white CAUTION BICYCLES AHEAD signs and three triangular slow-moving-vehicle signs, all for putting on RAAM follow vehicles. Ed inherited these from Pete Penseyres after their '96 RAAM team. The signs previously used by Pete for his solo RAAM victories. Here's a chance to inherit a piece of cycling history. Free to good home. SOLD!!
~~2. A Hoist V-5A Multigym with Leg Press. You can see more details on Craigslist~~
~~Update: price on Craigslist lowered to $795 or Best Offer ...~~ that's about $2,500 below retail. SOLD!!

We will miss you, Ed. Tailwinds!

Fleche Preliminary Results and Ride Report

2011-04-17T12:46:00.003-04:00

Preliminary results have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA_Fleche_Results110415.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be submitted in a couple of days, and then become final, pending ACP certification.

Once again, the Friday start proved to be the better choice for better weather ... and that's been the case for 3 of the 4 Eastern PA Fleche events.

The picture below shows the weather situation around 9PM on Saturday:

Nearly 2 inches of rain fell, starting Saturday morning, through the entire day and into the night, accompanied by sustained winds around 20MPH, with gusts in the upper 30's. The following was posted on the NOAA website:

....OUR ATTENTION TURNS TO A CONVECTIVE LINE COMING IN FROM THE WEST. THIS APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRONG THERMAL/FRONTAL FORCING WITH THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT. ALSO, A SURFACE LOW HAS DEVELOPED ALONG THE TRIPLE POINT IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA WHICH IS MOVING EAST-NORTHEASTWARD. THIS IS ALL COMBINING TO PRODUCE A CONVECTIVE LINE AS ENOUGH INSTABILITY IS BEING REALIZED. SOME DAMAGING WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY THIS LINE AS IF SLIDES EASTWARD. GIVEN THE DEEP-LAYER SHEAR, CANNOT RULE OUT A SPIN-UP ALONG THE LINE ESPECIALLY WITH ANY LEWP OR SMALL BOWING SEGMENTS. WE HAVE NOTED THAT THE TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS ACROSS ESPECIALLY THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR CWA ARE CREEPING UP. THE TORNADO WATCH
PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FOR PARTS OF THE CWA REMAINS IN EFFECT AS WE AWAIT THE CONVECTIVE LINE. ....

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the ride reports and pictures you may have ... please forward them to me and Andrew, and we'll compile them for the website. Be sure to check back for report updates ...

*** Update 4/25 ***
Christine Newman has posted here photos here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/Fleche#

Nigel Greene has posted a ride report with some very pictures here:
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2011/04/images-from-unfinished-fleche.html

-Tom Rosenbauer, RBA
- Andrew Mead, Organizer

2011 Fleche

2011-04-09T11:59:00.014-04:00

********* UPDATE #1 *************

All Fleche cards were mailed out this past weekend. Any team captain who has not yet received the cards should email me (Andrew) and I will send you an electronic template so you can print your own. I don't want to jinx you, so I'll reserve any comment on the weather forecast.

************************************

The 2011 PA Randonneurs Fleche will be held on April 15-17, 2011. Three teams had signed up by the April 3 entry deadline. These include:

The Midnight Ride of the Sinister Nuts
Les Escargot Volants, Part Deux
Cumberland Cruisers

Sinister Nuts return with a quintet of fixed gear riders. Captain Bill Olsen will be joined by Jon Clamp, Guy Harris, Paul Searce, and Mordecai Silver. Word has it that a 70-inch gear should be fine for the mostly level route. Beginning high on a mountaintop in Asbury, NJ, the team will head southeasterly toward the shore at Bayville and continue to the southern turnaround at Tuckerton. From there the team heads northeasterly, bypassing Trenton, to its 22-hour control at Mueller's Restaurant near Reigelsville. From there it's just a short 25k to the hostel. Team captain Olsen confirms that the Nuts will NOT be using the Lehnenberg/Gallows Hill/Buckwampum finish from the recent 200k/300k ride; they are not THAT nuts!. Estimated arrival at the hostel is 0900 on Sunday.

Les Escargot Volants, Part Deux, as the name implies, is also marking a return to the PA Fleche for 2011. Captain Joe Fillip is joined by Janice Chernekoff, Nigel Greene, Christine Newman, and Katie Raschdorf. Beginning near Lyons, PA (a mere 30 miles from the finish), the team generally follows the Schuylkill River to Philadelphia, utilizing the river trail around Philadelphia as much as possible. The team crosses the Ben Franklin Bridge into Camden and continues its southeasterly trek to West Berlin and Tabernacle, NJ at which point the team heads back toward the finish. Escargot Volants also plans to visit Mueller's for its 22-hour controle before finishing at the hostel. This team plans to confirm the number of Wawa convenience stores along the route and report that information to the RBA at the finish. Estimated arrival at the finish is 1000 on Sunday.

The Cumberland Cruisers return with its "dash from the beach" route. Captain Walt Pettigrew will be accompanied by Jim Costello, Dawn Engstrom, and Rick Lentz on an arrow-like route from Cape May, NJ to the northernmost controle in Columbia, NJ. From there, the team draws the point on its arrow and returns to hostel by way of a 22-hour controle at Mueller's. The Cruisers plan to finish at 0900 on Saturday.

Best of luck to you all and have a safe ride!

Andrew

Water Gap 300/200k Ride Report

2011-04-03T16:13:00.004-04:00

Preliminary results for the April 2 "Water Gap 300k/200k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA300k_Results110402.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

The Eastern PA SR series kicked into gear with 34 riders clipping in: 8 for the 200k and the other 26 in for full 300k. After a long winter break, it was certainly nice getting back to our rando-clubhouse at the Weisel Hostel. Contrary to a doom and gloom weather forecast that originally was calling for rain and snow showers, plentiful sunshine was on tap throughout the day. Temperatures at start were definitely a bit chilly: low 30's, but rose into the 50's as the day progressed. Winds were calm at the start and later picked up into a brisk 15MPH from the west, just in time to speed our way from Little Gap to Water Gap. The 200k riders fought the west wind from Bloomsbury to the hostel finish, but it then abated and shifted a bit to the north for the later 300k finishers.

The 2011 edition of the Water Gap 300k/200k had a couple of route tweaks from the previous running in 2010. The most memorable change, judging from rider comments at the end, was the run to the finish that featured a very stiff climb up Buckwampum -- which apparently for many, laid on a serious butt-wumping!

All 34 riders made it to the finish well ahead of the time limit. Congratulations to everyone for such an excellent result on a challenging course. Of note, Gavin Biebuyck completed his 2nd brevet ever, and very first 300k. Mark Kaufman and Michael Moore also completed their very first 300k -- well done! Yiping Lin completed her very first brevet in the U.S.A., having recently moved to Long Island from Taiwan (where she completed an SR series last summer). Andrew Mead completed his R-12 series -- and opting for the harder 300k course for some extra style points!

Special thanks for volunteer Rick Carpenter, for his volunteer preride. By the way, Rick's feedback on the original routing along Rt 412, inspired the route tweak that included Gallows Hill and Buckwampum. And special thanks to Barbara Harris for sweeping the course at Bloomsbury. Thanks also to Doug Haluza, who suggested the later start time and also helped with setup and cleanup at the hostel. And thanks to Don Jagel and Ron Anderson for organizing the PBP vest display. Stay tuned for additional info on the PA Randonneurs branded PBP vests at the new PBP FAQ blog:

http://pbpfaq.blogspot.com/

Photojournalist extraordinaire, Shane Beake, unfortunately dropped and broke his camera shortly after passing through Belvidere. He was however, able to salvage the pictures he took up to that point, which are posted here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157626418994940/

... without a doubt, the events Shane rides are all very well documented!
Shane writes: "...Nice ride yesterday, weather turned out to be perfect, just imagine if it were 24 hrs earlier all that rain and wind, eewww. I know we complained a little about the surprise climbing we had at the end in the dark, but it was certainly better & safer than riding on 611 in the dark. ... "

George Metzler writes: "...I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's ride. Pushing the start to 6AM was a good plan to deal with the weather. The (very) few icy patches were avoidable and better yet I didn't have to worry about what might be on the road. After thoroughly enjoying Controle #3 at Water Gap with Don Jagel, he headed north to continue on his 300K. .... I hopped on my bike only to realize I had accidently discarded the first 9 miles of [200k] cues out of Water Gap when I laminated my card together the day before. I felt I knew where you were going to route the 200K but I didn't want to ride 9 miles to test my assumption. What to do? What to do? I thought about calling you but just hated to bug you with my goof up and then it occurred to me. Duh! You have all the cue sheets posted online, so I used my iPhone to look up the cue sheet and a few minutes later I was on my way. [Good thinking George!! -TJR] .... My favorite return to the Youth Hostel is the return from Reigelsville that begins on Lehnenberg road and winds it's way up Gallows and Buckwampum. It was awesome to ride it in the day light.... Thanks again for the terrific ride."

Guy Harris writes: "Many thanks for a great ride. With the new routing tweeks this course is developing into a classic PA 300K. I give the Buckwampum finish route two thumbs up. A nice option when the finish is during the 8:00 - midnight party drive time. The climbs are steep but short and most of the climbing is productive elevation gain from the river."

Joe Fillip writes: "Yesterday's 300 Km was a wonderful (if "vigorous" event). I learned one valuable lesson yesterday: Never assume that a road named "River Road" will be flat! [indeed! ... I think some of the steepest climbs in the area are on a road call "River" - Tom R.] ... Thanks for all of your hard work, as well as those of your volunteers. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You're one of the hardest working RBAs in the randonneuring business!" [Thanks! ... having appreciative riders like you, makes it all worthwhile. -Tom R.]

Bill Olsen write: "Thanks for the great ride yesterday. As much as I don't plan to ride that last section from Riegelsville to the hostel on the fleche - all of us are riding 70" gearing (42x16 or 45x17) it really wasn't all that bad with a 30x34 gear ... I was feeling "frisky" near the end and was pulling the pack in from Stewartsville to Riegelsville at a 20+ mph pace. Unfortunately they couldn't reciprocate and allow me to draft them up the hills..."

Doug Haluza writes: "...thanks again for organizing a memorable event. I don't think we'll soon forget Buckwampum Rd!..."

Nigel Green writes: "...I wanted to say thanks to you and the volunteers for the thorough and thoughtful ride organization. The course was challenging but enjoyable. Its hard to believe there are that many miles of low trafficked roads in the mid-atlantic and the ride was absolutely picturesque. It seemed like hours went by without my seeing cars on the road. The food at the Hostel before and after the ride were a welcome treat. All in all a very well run event..."
You can read Nigel's complete ride report at:
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2011/04/next-up.html

Houston Joost writes: "Thank you for hosting another great ride. The weather was near perfect and the routes were challenging and majestic. Being a new father, I greatly appreciate you choosing routes with very little traffic. I enjoyed visiting with Tim at the beginning of the ride and Roy, Jud, Gavin and Shane as they found me lost and guide me in for the last twenty miles. As we say in the south the PA randonneurs are “good folks”. I enjoyed the buckwampum reroute, riding up the hill through the forest at night was a slightly surreal experience. Finally the food and hospitality are always great. Thank you again."

Michael Moore writes: "...Thanks again for a pleasant ride. I especially enjoyed sunset on the Delaware River."

Christine Newman writes: "Thanks for another great ride. The course was as scenic as usual and overall quite enjoyable. I would like to be the dissenting voice and say I much prefer the gentle climb up Route 611 instead of the soul-killing route which included Buckwampum Rd. But you know I like to complain about my least favorite climbs. Thanks also to the volunteers especially to Barbara Harris who was a friendly and encouraging presence in the middle-of-nowhere!"

Christine has kindly shared her photos at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/WaterGap300K#

See you in a few weeks!

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me or post them on the message board.

Next up in two weeks, is the fleche event -- team captains should have their routes submitted by now. Team members should mail in their registrations.

Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

April 2011 - Water Gap 200/300

2011-03-28T13:12:00.008-04:00

************************ Update #4 (4/1/11) *********************

The event is on as scheduled for this Saturday, April 2. However, the start time has been changed to 6AM, which is right around first light. This will make it easier to spot any icy patches that may have formed in the overnight hours. This will also allow for things to warm up a bit more as you head over Blue Mountain at Little Gap. The cuesheets will be updated later today with the new start time, but you can use the current one if you've already have printed it out (just add an hour to all the open/close times listed).

************************ Update #3 (3/31/11) *********************

Due to the potential for a significant snowfall in the Poconos in northeastern PA, there is a good chance that the event will need to be postponed. A final determination will be made after it stops snowing around midday on Friday.

************************ Update #2 (3/29/11) *********************
Ron Anderson has arranged to borrow a complete set of the PBP Compliant Reflective Vests and have them available this weekend for size checks and color preference selection. See Ron early Saturday morning to express interest and place an order. Thanks to Bill Beck, Nick Bull and the generosity of DC Randonneurs for loaning their vests to us for the weekend.

************************ Update #1 (3/28/11) *********************
The cuesheets have been updated to Draft 5, dated 3/26/11. Pending any last minute corrections, these should be final.

Rick Carpenter completed a volunteer preride this past weekend. With the very chilly weather, Rick "took one for the team" -- temperatures were in the mid 20's when he clipped in. And the descent from Little Gap saw temperatures in the teens, *before* factoring in a +40MPH windchill. Rick's preride pictures are posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157626364218536/

Along with the updated cuesheets, updated maps and an updated ride description has been posted on the event webpage:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA300K.html

Course Notes:
- The course is very similar to the 2010 edition, with the notable exception of the start/finish which is the Weisel Youth Hostel this year (instead of the Hampton Inn Quakertown).
- The leg to Controle 2 in Cherryville has some route tweaks for quieter roads.
- For those not familiar with the Rt 80 pedestrian walk near Water Gap, there are some details posted at the end of this link:
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2010/04/pa300k.html
- The penultimate controle has been changed from the Stewartsville Deli to a 24-hr truckstop.
- The final leg to the finish has a major route tweak for quieter roads from Reigelsville.
- At mile 176 (300k) / 117 (200k), please take some extra caution. You will be coming to a T stop on a moderate descent. There is a fair bit of gravel at the end, and if you overshoot, you'll skid into a busy road (Rt 412). You'll be making a left followed by quick right to cross Rt 412. However, the traffic is very fast on Rt 412, and there is a limited-sight hazard to your left -- so be sure that road is clear before heading across.

Other notes:
The list of registered riders, along with hostel reservations and fees due, has been posted here:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA300Regs.pdf

There's still some room at the hostel, if you'd like stay either Friday and/or Saturday night. PA Members can join the roster (taking both the early registration discount and member discount) by sending me an e-mail before Friday. If you're not riding this time, I could use the help of one or two volunteers for route sweeping in the early evening.

For those unfamiliar with the hostel start/finish, there is an overview of what to expect posted here:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/WhatToExpect.pdf
.... please note the parking guidelines to use the big parking lot between the road and the house (the few parking spots near the house are reserved). Breakfast will be served 1 hour before the start and a postride meal will also be provided.

As always, please be sure to monitor the website and message board for any last minute updates -- I'm keeping a close eye on the weather forecast which is calling for snow showers at this time.

Future Events
The PA Fleche follows 2 weeks after the 300k. Team Captains need to provide their list of controles by April 3. Andrew Mead will be helping out with route approval.

************************** Original Post ***********************

photo courtesy of Mary Gersema

The event page has been updated and registration is now open for the PA Randonneurs' Water Gap brevet to be held on April 2. Two different courses are being offered, each staged from PA Randonneurs "headquarters" at the Weisel Youth Hostel in Quakertown. Riders working on early qualification for PBP or pursuing a Super Randonneur award can opt for the 300k course. Riders wanting to keep a R12 series alive or just getting started on their SR series can opt for the 200k course (a second 300k event will be offered in May). The 200k and the 300k are RUSA and ACP sanctioned.

Don't delay. Register today. Remember that pre-registration is required for the "classic" brevets.

PBP Reflective Vests

2011-03-24T20:34:00.005-04:00

Article 9 : Equipment

According to French traffic law, a reflective vest MUST be worn when riding at night (safety standard number EN1150). This equipment must be presented at the bike check.

Please see the PA Randonneurs PBP FAQ page for more information on EN1150 approved reflective vests.

Spring Forward 200k - March 5, 2011

2011-03-06T13:00:00.020-05:00

Preliminary results for the Mar 5 "Spring Forward" 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110305.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending ACP approval.

Twenty-eight riders showed up on a damp morning to ready to ride. While the weather radar showed no rain and the forecast included no chance during the day, it was hard to believe as the riders rolled out of Ephrata at 7am in a misty, drizzly fog. Damp conditions prevailed until mid-morning when the sun finally broke through the cloud cover. Then the winds picked up and challenged the riders as they made their way to and along the river.

Reports from volunteer Keith Spangler at the Bainbridge controle indicated that a large group was leading the way at near-record pace and had already outpaced much of the pack by as much as an hour in 48 miles. Apparently a few flats also help to spread out the riders. Drizzly conditions and wind was reported as the lead group passed through.

The Controle 5 Grill opened for business around 1 and the first riders arrived around 1:30. This was a hopping place for the next 2-1/2 hours as host George Metzler worked the grill on overtime to feed the hungry riders. All who arrived looked tired, ate heartily, and seemed truly relieved to learn that the final 30 miles to Ephrata would keep the wind predominately at their backs.

Tim Conway & Jon Clamp taking a well-deserved break at the Controle 5 Grill

Volunteer Rick Carpenter accompanied the lead group from Controle 5 back to the finish in order to staff the finish controle. I understand there might have been a few bonus miles logged along the way, but it wasn't enough to change the result. All six of the lead-group riders handily bested the existing course record. This includes yet another "rookie" randonneur Gavin Biebuyck who showed up and aced the course. Kudos to Len Zawodniak who finished in 8:45 to set the new brevet course record. Apparently Len has recovered from last season's cracked ribs. The rest of the field arrived in due time all logging very respectable times on the route.

I want to express my appreciation to Keith and Rick for their efforts to improve the caliber of the PA R12 series by staffing controles. It's a small gesture that means a lot to the riders and even more to an organizer. Special thanks also to George Metzler and his very tolerant family for hosting us in fine style again. (Cafe Metzler: Cheerfully increasing brevet times since 2009.) George & I are already looking ahead to 2012. These guys made my job much easier and treated me to a very memorable pre-ride that was some of the most fun I've ever had riding a bike.

I have loaded the pictures from the brevet into my photo set. Rick Carpenter also updated his PAR March Brevet photo set. Be sure to check out the photo collections linked in the rider comments. Loads of great pictures.

From Shane Beake:
Hey Andrew,
Great ride today. This course always surprises me there aren't any super climbs but there's alot of sawtooth stuff to make you legs ache, the wind didn't help. Ended up being a great day, weather was nice.

Thanks to all the volunteers, especially George Metzler for opening up his home and cooking for us, the bacon cheeseburger hit the spot.

Thanks,
Shane

Shane's as-always extensive collection of photos can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157626204751766/

Len Zawodniak writes:
Thanks for a terrific day- the course was really wonderful,with the misty start, great terrain and a bit of wind to keep it interesting. Send my thanks to George for his hospitality. That was just what I needed to get me into the finish.

From Craig Martek:
. . . It was an awesome ride - very scenic, with just enough challenging climbs to make it a challenge. I need to learn how to ramp up into these longer rides though - yesterday was my 2nd time riding - the 1st time was 35 miles.

Don Jagel added:
Andrew,
Thanks to you and all of the volunteers for putting together a great March ride. It was good to see Keith at the Annville control. The spread that George put together was tasty and timely, allow us to relax and fuel up for the final jaunt back to Ephrata. Rick Carpenter met us at George's house and paced us back to the final control on his beloved fixie.

The weather was stereotypical March; starting with fog/mist becoming mist/fog, then a few raindrops ending with a stiff March breeze. Several of us got in a couple of bonus miles near the end by not paying attention to our cue sheets and getting suckered into bearing right with a strong and pleasurable tail wind, only to find out that we should have really turned left. That meant slowly retracing our way into the not-so-pleasurable head wind to get back on course. Oh - the lessons we learn over and over.

I really had a wonderful time. This is a very good early season ride.
Thanks to you and everyone else who helped put the ride together.
See you next month,

Don Jagel

Joe Fillip completed his R12 with yesterday's ride an says:
Andrew: Thanks to you and to all of the volunteers for a wonderful event yesterday. Special thanks to George for hosting the great barbecue at his home -- I really needed the rest and refuel at that point (as well as the course turn to the northwest that resulted in tailwinds blowing me home from that point to the finish!).

It's a challenging and scenic course, and the strong winds gusting from the southeast made the 70 miles from Annville to George's house made for a particularly vigorous ride. But, as Rick Carpenter so aptly remarked at the finish, March is SUPPOSED to be windy . . . .

Thanks again, Andrew. I am constantly struck by the friendship and support of our little randonneuring "tribe." We are truly lucky to be able to ride together.

Best, Joe

Congratulations Joe! And from Chris Newman:

Andrew,
Thanks for organizing a great ride yesterday. It was an impressive turnout for so early in the year. And special thanks to George for the barbecue - a burger never tasted so good. Here is a link to the photos I took.

https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/SpringForward2011#

Chris Newman

Our next event offers both 200k and 300k options starting from the Weisel Youth Hostel in Quakertown on April 2.

Andrew Mead
- organizer

March R12 Event- Spring Forward 200k

2011-02-20T16:47:00.043-05:00

Rick C., Andrew M., and Keith S. at Cafe Metzler on the volunteer pre-ride (photo by George M.)

********** Final Notes **********

Thirty riders plan to clip-in tomorrow, a new high for this event. Wow!! I'll be at the Pancake Farm for breakfast and then available to begin registration and inspections by 6:30. A Rider's Meeting will be held at 6:55 and then you'll be on your way to enjoy the beauty of Lancaster County. I'll have a limited number of cue sheet copies at the start, so please try to remember to bring your own. Lights and reflective gear are strongly encouraged, even if only to assure a daylight finish (Murphy's law). I look forward to see you all tomorrow morning. It looks to be a great day.

-Andrew

********** Pre-Ride Notes **********

Four of us rode the Spring Forward course yesterday (2/26). Our goal was to perform a final check of the cue sheet, discuss "the plan" for next weekend, and bag our March 200k so we'd be free to help and encourage all the rest of you next weekend. We succeeded on all fronts.

1. Breakfast at the Pancake Farm is a good way to start the day. Moo.
2. The cue sheet is in very good shape. Draft 8 has been posted on the website. It is the final, official version. The mileages are spot-on. Some road signs continue to make unexpected reappearances/disappearances.
3. The course is as scenic as ever. Be sure to look around while you're riding. The ridge top vistas are superb.
4. Be on the lookout for unexpected scenery. We happened across a large gathering of snow geese early on. We now know what a gaggle looks like.
5. It is springtime in Pennsylvania, so you should anticipate the presence of sand/gravel at the most inconvenient places on course, particularly if you're pushing the limits. This is especially true for the 5 or so miles immediately after the Conestoga controle.
6. I noted a fair number of potholes. Some may not not always immediately visible due to shadows, water on the road, etc. Bonus points to riders who can locate a rather obvious heart-shaped pothole on course, assuming it is not repaired this week.

A few photos taken by George Metzler during the pre-ride are here.
Not to be outdone, Rick Carpenter's pictures are here.

Anyone who has not yet handled their PA Randonneurs 2011 membership should bring their completed paperwork to the start or send it to Tom early this week (2/28).

We're all looking forward to seeing you next Saturday!

Andrew & the Spring Forward Organizers!

********** Original Post **********

Greetings PA Randonneurs,

We will be heading west for the next R12 event, the March 5 running of the Spring Forward 200k. I completed a pre- Pre-Ride this past Friday. Several road signs disappeared over the winter so I'll be updating the cue with a few additional spotting cues for anyone new to the course. Hopefully the updated cue will be available by March 1.

For those of you familiar with the area, the route is unchanged from 2010. There is some new scenery (see above) and roads are in generally good shape. Barring any significant snowfall between now and then, I can report that a majority of the snowpack melted on Friday so we should have nice road conditions. There were times during my ride that I wondered if perhaps a canoe might have been a better vehicular choice. As always for this time of the year, you can expect to find traces of gravel & sand in the turns, so don't outpace your guardian angel.

We are upping our game a bit this year and hope to staff a few of the controles so that weary randonneurs can be greeted by a friendly and familiar face (not that any of our convenience store clerks aren't). And I'm happy to announce everyone's favorite 95 mile controle at the house of George "Mr. 412" Metzler remains in the controle lineup. Definitely worth the ride.

So stay tuned for updates and drop me a line if you're planning to ride.

*** Ride Roster (as of 3/3)***

Cecilie Adams
Barbara Anderson
Ron Anderson
Dan Barbasch
Shane Beake
Rick Carpenter - pre-ride/volunteer
Jon Clamp
Tim Conway
Ed Dodd
Dawn Engstrom
Matt Farrell
Joe Fillip
Bill Fischer
Joel Flood
Pat Gaffney
Ixsa Gollihur
Jud Hand
Don Jagel
Mark Kaufman
Eric Keller
Mike Lutz
Craig Martek
Andrew Mead - pre-ride/organizer
George Metzler - pre-ride/host
Mike Moore
Chris Newman
Patrick O'Donnell
Bill Olsen
Curtis Palmer
Walter Pettigrew
Tom Rosenbauer - RBA
Keith Spangler - pre-ride/volunteer
Ivan Umble
Len Zawodniak

Andrew Mead
- Organizer

Beyond Hope to New Hope Permanent - We have a Taker

2011-02-18T20:03:00.003-05:00

Ixsa Golliur writes "...Hope all went well with the ride yesterday. Bill (Reagan) and I were a bit sad we were not able to participate. I was wondering if this ride is available as a permanent or a post-ride(if there is such a thing)?

Tom Rosenbauer responds " -- No, unfortunately there is no such thing as a "post-ride make-up", but if anyone is interested in adopting the revised "Beyond Hope to New Hope" course as a permanent, it's up for grabs.

The Randonnerd replies "After doing all the upfront work to lay out this new route and get it approved as a PA Brevet, Tom has graciously allowed me to adopt this route as a Permanent. I've spent the last couple of days putting it into a Permanent format for submission and will be looking to delete the Milford controle but add two controles in Riegelsville to keep folks from short-circuiting the course along the Delaware. YES!!! All you who thought to take that climb you couldn't imagine Tom neglected to include in the routing would have actually shaved a coule of miles off of the course. (Q: What is the exchange rate for climbing vs. mileage?)

In lieu of the Riegelsville controles I had considered changing the route slightly but in the end decided to keep the course pretty much as is, as some may want to use it as a tool to measure their fitness throughout the year.

Hopefully I'll get these new controles set tommorow and submit the Permanent Application over the weekend. Since this route is already approved as a brevet, I anticipate a fairly quick approval turnaround from Christa. Thanks again Tom for doing all of the upfront work.

Beyond Hope to New Hope Feb 5 R-12: Ride Report

2011-02-14T18:49:00.015-05:00

Photo courtesy of Shane Beake

Preliminary results for the Feb 5 "Beyond Hope to New Hope" 200k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110205.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

Although the event was postponed 1 week until the 12th, it's officially considered as being ridden on the 5th. And since we managed to get this ride in within 1 week of the scheduled date, it is still an ACP sanctioned event and can be used as a PBP qualifier. As the miserable January weather unfolded, it was very apparent that:
A) The snow/daytime melt/overnight freeze conditions were not going away anytime soon
B) Nobody in the area was getting much (if any) training miles in.
So with this in mind, the new course was cobbled together at the last minute, and put on a fast track to get RUSA approval (special thanks to Dan Wallace at RUSA-HQ for expediting this!).

All 14 riders clipping-in made it around the course in excellent time. Of note, John Capriotti completed his very first brevet ever, joining the ranks of several riders who completed their 1st event on a winter R-12 event. Congratulations John, and now that you have the February ride under your belt, you have 11 more months to complete your R-12 series -- and one that would be special, since it started with your very 1st brevet. John's ride report is posted here, and offers a good perspective of a 1st time rider:

http://videlos.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/my-first-brevet/

Nigel Greene got off to a late start, and ended up fighting those stiff winds in a solo effort. But he still made it around the course in good time, to complete his 11th brevet on his R-12 series (which I believe may have started with his very first brevet). Nigel writes: "...Just wanted to say thanks to you, Bill and Don for a staging an excellent ride under cold conditions. I think the course change was well suited for the weather and the cheerful, get done and keep it safe approach of the organizers and volunteers, was just what was needed..." Nigel's eloquent ride report is posted here:

http://eprider.blogspot.com/2011/02/beyond-hope-to-new-hope.html

Organizer Bill Olsen completed yet another R-12 series with this ride (how many is that, Bill?!) ... well done!

First finisher, John Fuoco writes: "...I wanted to thank you, Bill, and Don for putting on yesterdays 200k. It turned out to be an excellent route selection, sparing us icy roads yet affording wide shoulders on the busier roads chosen. It was not a heavy traffic day and drivers were courteous. The added bonus was that the course was easy! I know that must sadden you but I'm sure you'll be able to compensate for this one shortcoming in future events. I wouldn't mind revisiting this route in warmer weather when I'm in better shape..."

And fellow first finisher George Metzler writes: "...I think the route choices that you made were excellent for a mid-February brevet in Northeastern PA and northern Jersey. While the routing was far from the typical tough as nails PA Rando event, it gave us a chance to get a safe ride in with snow and ice just inches away from my wheels all day. I’m also not complaining about the lack of climbing either, my riding companions John Fuoco and Jon Levitt figured you must have been twitching as you laid out a route so easy on the knees with all those good climbs available just off of Rt 519..."

Shane Beake writes: "...Nice early season ride today, definitely not your hardest course, in fact it might of been your easiest, which was ok with me and I think some others.Mother nature must of known this and thrown in the wind just to make sure we didn't have it to easy..."

And once again, Shane has taken many excellent photos which can be viewed at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45325491@N05/sets/72157626035342514/

Ixsa Golliur writes "...Hope all went well with the ride yesterday. Bill (Reagan) and I were a bit sad we were not able to participate. I was wondering if this ride is available as a permanent or a post-ride(if there is such a thing)? ..." -- No, unfortunately there is no such thing as a "post-ride make-up", but if anyone is interested in adopting the revised "Beyond Hope to New Hope" course as a permanent, it's up for grabs.

Guy Harris completed yet another 200k on his fixie, and writes "....A good course to have in reserve for months and winters like this. A nice long training ride without much cue sheet reading. Thanks to Don for the scouting and for meeting up with us in Milford...."

Doug Haluza writes "... I would like to make the thumbs up vote on the route selection unanimous. Much better than riding on the L.I.E. Service Road, which is about all we can do back home on Long Island right now. This route was especially good for me bacause I was trying out my new Trek Speed Concept 7.0. .... I had only been able to do a few test rides on it with all the snow, so it was trial by fire. I liked that the route was an out and back, so if I had a problem, I could always turn around and still be on course. And I did appreciate being able to just keep my head down and hammer on the flat sections, which is usually an impossible dream on a PA brevet. ... I'm really glad I came. Thanks to Tom and crew for scouting out a ridable route to break the winter doldrums! ..."

Special thanks to volunteer Don Jagel, who completed a pre-ride checkout on Super Bowl Sunday and helped ensure that the course was safe for the rest of us. Don also swept the course through Milford, and manned the controle there. Special thanks also, to organizer Bill Olsen, for manning the finish controle. Bill's extensive ride report is below.

Next up on March 5th, organizer Andrew Mead, with the help of George Metzler, will be running his Spring Forward 200k (a.k.a. Loop Around Lancaster). This is a fantastic course that really shows off the many quiet back roads through the Amish farmland. And spring really is just around the corner, which of course means that it's time to start getting those fleche teams together.

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

*** Organizer Bill Olsen's Ride Report ***

Fourteen Riders started February 5th PA R-12 Brevet Beyond Hope to New Hope delayed until Saturday February 12th due to the ice storm the week before and all fourteen finished for a 100% completion rate.

Due to the problems trying to schedule the February R-12 last year, Tom Rosenbauer, the PA RBA totally re-routed the previous Beyond Hope route to make it a relatively flat course on State and County roads with wide, paved shoulders that would be relatively free of any ice from the recent ice storms. The first section of the out-and-back course followed the Beaver Brook valley from Belvidere to Johnsonburg with the second section being an out-and-back route to New Hope along the Musconetcong and Delaware rivers.

Prior to the ride, Tom was apologetic about the course being both an out-and-back (vs. the usual looped route) and relatively flat (vs. the routes all have come to expect from Tom.) Comments from the riders concluded that this revised route was a "success" and one that we might want to consider keeping "in the back pocket" for future year's winter brevets. The roads, although well traveled, had wide paved shoulders that considering the recent weather, were in excellent shape. There could be no complaints about the scenery since the route along the Delaware is classified as a "National Scenic Route," and although the route along the Musky is not "classified" it is equally, if not even more scenic than the Delaware. There didn't appear to be any complaints about the less than usual amount of climbing, and most figured that this was the FIRST and probably LAST time they'd see a route as flat as this from Tom. :-)

With the gentle rollers on the first leg, and the relatively light breeze, the group pretty much stayed together reaching the first controle as a group. After Johnsonburg, John Fuoco and George Metzler pulled out ahead leaving a second group of Jon Levitt, Shane Beake, Bill Fischer, Doug Haluza, Joel Flood, and Bill Olsen to work together against the headwinds that were starting to build. A little further back was Guy Harris on his fixie, first time brevet rider, John Capriotti, and Robert Dye, with Nigel Greene making up for lost time due to a late start. The second group managed to arrive at the Stewartsville controle just as the John and George were getting ready to leave so Jon chose to ride with them. The temperature had warmed up to around 25 deg, F from the starting temperature of 18 deg. and Jon wanted to ride a little faster to stay warmer than he would riding at the pace of the second group.

Although the gaps between the groups opened up slightly as the day wore on, the heavy winds from the West (25-30mph with gusts to 40mph) kept the first two groups together. The weather forecast of temperatures reaching the mid 30's was finally reached around 1PM when the sun finally came out but by then the winds were at their full force. The river valley blocked most of the wind and once could hear the wind roaring in the trees at the top of the river valley. The wind shifted as it wound down the valleys to find its course and the majority of the tailwinds were felt on the route to New Hope. The return route was into the headwind but with the protection of the valley and the benefit of the being able to share the work of fighting the wind, the first two groups managed to finish the course in 8 to 9 hours. All riders managed to complete the ride in under 11 hours. Several riders commented that they might have preferred a couple of hills to the headwinds but they reserved offering this as an option to Tom knowing that he could have just as easily provided BOTH hills and headwinds. A highlight of the ride was the last 12 miles when the route headed directly north and what had been headwinds and quartering headwinds for the previous 35 miles were now quartering tailwinds. What a way to wrap up a beautiful, albeit somewhat cold and windy, February brevet. Thanks Tom for pulling together such a nice route and also thanks to Don Jagel who pre=rode the course the previous Sunday and volunteered to sweep the course. The goodies he had at the Milford controle really hit the spot.

Thanks also to all of the businesses that served as controles along the way and especially the folks at the Belvidere diner who allowed us to park at their lot during the ride and also had such great menu offerings (and ample sized servings) at the pre-ride breakfast and post ride dinner. Hopefully we can continue to use this facility as a controle for future brevets.

-Bill Olsen
Eastern PA Organizer

Beyond Hope to New Hope Feb 5 R-12: Update #2

2011-02-08T20:25:00.001-05:00

The cuesheet has been updated (draft 5 dated 2/8/11), with a minor route tweak to the first controle stop in Johnsonburg. The cell phone numbers for volunteers Don Jagel and Bill Olsen were also added. Don will be out sweeping the course towards the end, and Bill will be at the finish controle.

Don Jagel completed a volunteer preride this past Sunday (and did manage to finish in time for the Super Bowl). Don reports that the course was in reasonably good shape, considering all the snow and limited number of days above freezing over the past month. Based on his scouting report, a minor route tweak was made to avoid a shaded secondary road on the approach to controle #2. Along with the usual cautions of winter riding, Don pointed out the following areas that you should take some extra caution:
- The Rt 80 underpass (which you will cross twice) may be icy (a note has been added to the cuesheet to remind you of this hazard)
- A couple areas of the course are a bit narrow and have potholes (e.g. Rt 32) -- this will be especially hazardous if you're traveling in large, fast paceline.

It looks like the weather at least will be dry, and trending warmer as we head into the weekend. However, there is still plenty of snow on the ground which will be melting during the day and freezing overnight, so be on the watch for any black ice. The forecast is also calling for some breezy conditions.

There is plenty of parking at the Belvidere diner start/finish. But please keep to the area to the left as you pull into the parking lot (away from the spots near the building).

*** Ride Roster (as of 2/9) ****
-Barb Anderson
-Ron Anderson
-Shane Beake
-John Capriotti
-Rick Carpenter
-Bob Dye
-Bill Fischer
-Joel Flood
-John Fuoco
-Nigel Greene
-Doug Haluza
-Guy Harris
-Don Jagel (volunteer preride)
-Rick Lentz
-Jonathan Levitt
-George Metzler
-Bill Olsen (organizer)

Please drop me a note if you decide to join us on the 12th.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k Update #1: Postponed and Rescheduled for Feb 12th

2011-02-03T16:25:00.000-05:00

Due to black ice conditions and a weather forecast calling for snow/sleet/rain starting Friday night and continuing through Saturday, the event has been postponed for one week and rescheduled for Feb 12th.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Beyond Hope to New Hope Feb 5 R-12

2011-01-31T07:37:00.000-05:00

The next R-12 event is scheduled for February 5. However, given the current road conditions and upcoming winter storm, there's a very good chance that we'll need to reschedule this event.

Road conditions permitting, we'll be running a new version of the "Beyond Hope to New Hope" course -- a new cuesheet and map were posted this weekend. ***Please note the new start/finish location at the Belvidere Diner***.

The new routing mainly uses primary roads, since these have the best chance of being cleared and salted, given all the snow we've gotten in the past month. But despite that effort, road conditions were not good enough this past weekend to run a volunteer preride.

Please be sure to check back on the website and message board later in the week for updates.

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

2011 PBP News

2011-01-26T20:29:00.008-05:00

Looking for information on PBP? RUSA advises that the ACP should be the primary source for information. You can learn much at the 2011 PBP Website.

RUSA has provided a few highlights aimed to make the ride experience in 2011 more enjoyable.

IMPORTANT
RUSA will not be involved in rider registration as it has been in the past, so riders should be very, very familiar with the registration information - http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/pbp2011/index2.php?lang=en&cat=inscription&page=comment_sinscrire - as well as the rules of the event - http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/pbp2011/index2.php?lang=en&cat=randonnee&page=reglement - and other information on the site.

For the Facebook users, the ACP is also communicating to PBP participants through the PBP Facebook Page.

Bike Check and Brevet Card Collection
As in previous editions, the bike check will make sure that your bike is in accordance with the rules and enable you to fix last-minute problems. After the bike check, you will pick up your brevet card as well as the various ordered items (jersey, reflective vest, meals, etc.).

In 2011, those who start at 5:00 a.m. will be accommodated by a bike check and brevet card collection for them alone on Sunday morning. This way, they can avoid spending two nights there before the start. All other riders will have their bike check on the day before, Saturday, August 20.

Pre-ride Party
The Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur is a great opportunity to celebrate and to have a good time all together. That's why we invite you to meet on Saturday evening for a party which will end with fireworks around the 'gymnase des Oroits de I'Homme'.

Charity
Since 1991, the Audax Club Parisien donates a part of the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur revenues to charity. This year the ACP chose to help the 'Institut Curie' to fund cancer research. You are invited to join with your own contribution. You will find several links to the 'Institut Curie' on the ACP website.

Earlier Starting Times
The first riders will start Sunday, August 21 at 4:00 p.m. The last ones are expected to leave around 8:00 p.m. This should enable riders to ride further before the first overnight stop on Monday evening. The hope is to avoid further overcrowding at the Loudeac control.

Free Starting Times
In addition to the traditional group starts, free starting times are offered on Sunday evening from 09h00 to 10h00 p.m. and on Monday morning from 5:30 to 8:00 a.m.

No crowds, no stress, riders will simply validate their brevet cards, cross the starting line, and begin the randonnee. But beware, only small groups of less than 20 people will be allowed to start at once, and if there is too much demand restrictions will be imposed. Of course, riders will immediately be riding in the flow of traffic and thus riders are urged to be vigilant from the very beginning.

Simplified Registration
In 2011, the registration process is simplified: only offer online registration is offered the PBP website (www.paris-brest-paris.org) with integrated payment. Riders no longer have to send any documents by mail.

Rider Tracking
No more long lines at the controls to validate both brevet card and magnetic badge! The organization will still use the brevet card to document that riders passed through the various controls, but rider passage will be automatically recorded with a magnetic chip carried across a mat on the floor. At the end of the ride, riders can keep the chip as memory.

Sleeping Option at Saint Nicolas du Pelem
Starting earlier than in previous editions, riders may ride further than Loudeac for their first sleep stop ... if they consider sleeping at all! But the need to sleep can show up all of a sudden. Saint-Nicolas-du-Pelem should allow riders to tackle this stage without worries. Located midway between Loudeac and Carhaix, it will offer an ideal sleeping opportunity for riders hesitant to ride all the way to the next control. In addition to many sleeping mats, there are: showers - restrooms - cold and hot snacks (breakfast) - and a bike mechanic.

Arrival at Brest City Centre
Previous PBP finishers will tell you how strange it is to look forward to Brest for many hours and finally see only a few corners of the city. In 2011, riders will be forced to discover a little more of Brest's assets by riding along the port and in the city centre. The goal is for your arrival in Brest to become one of the greatest memories of your randonnee.

PBP 2011 'High Visibility' Reflective Vest
Since 2007, French law has changed and all riders must wear a high visibility vest during hours of darkness or other low-light conditions. Long before it became compulsory in France, the ACP mandated the wearing of a reflective sash when riding at night. In 2011 , all reflective vests must comply with the safety norm no. EN471. At registration, riders can purchase a reflective vest, to ensure compliance with French traffic law. This vest will be marked with the PBP Randonneur 2011 logo.

Thanks to Mark Thomas for providing this digest.

The Daily Randonneur Photo Contest

2011-01-26T20:19:00.011-05:00

Just in case you don't follow, don't have time to follow, or simply aren't aware that you should be following, Ed Felker and company (Jon Gardner & Mary Gersema) are posting results of the latest TDR photo contest during the week of January 21. There are quite a few familiar faces and places among the entries. You can check out all the photos and results of the judging at The Daily Randonneur.

Congratulations to Shane Beake for his runner-up finish in the Spirit of Randonneuring category with his picture of the 2010 Cyclepath fleche team warming up at the Quakertown Hostel following a very wet 24 hours.

Kaufman's Clicks - PA Dutch New Years ACP 200

2011-01-07T15:24:00.003-05:00

Folks,

Additional photos taken by Mark Kaufman during our New Years Day Brevet can be accessed from my FLICKR Account for your viewing pleasure - thanks Mark!

And the link to my additional photos can be accessed HERE

Enjoy,

Rick / Rex

Preliminary Results & Ride Report - PA Dutch ACP 200k

2011-01-03T20:18:00.018-05:00

Preliminary results for the New Years Day running of the PA Dutch ACP 200k are posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results110101.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending RUSA & ACP approval.

Weather

Temperatures at the start were above the freezing mark at 36 F, and rose steadily to 50 F which maintained throughout the afternoon and evening hours. In fact, at midnight Saturday the local temperature in Reading was 53 F, unheard of for the first of January! The sun was out early on, then became increasingly overcast to maintain the comfortable - or for some overdressed riders - balmy temperature. The winds were calm initially, with a slight southerly breeze developing later on to welcome the riders home.

What a difference one year makes, compared to the 14 F / 25 mph sustained NW wind conditions at the start of last years' event, as described in Tom R's post-ride commentary: http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2010/01/pa-dutch-200k-surviving-extreme.html

Results Summary:

17 of the 19 starters made it around the course within the time limit (including Mark Kaufman and me who did the volunteer pre-ride two weeks prior), for an 89% completion. Ixsa Gollihur and Bill Reagan, who bravely rode over 50 miles in the arctic conditions of last years PAD, completed the entire course together this time around, although arriving one-half hour behind the limit.

Controle Complications:

Arranging a brevet on a holiday can present challenges with businesses operating on Holiday schedules, and this was no exception. Despite the best efforts of Mark and I to obtain direct confirmation from the owners and staff that the Subway in Columbia and the Cafe Chocolate in Lititz would remain open on New Years Day, for whatever reason this was not the case.

The outstanding quick efforts of Mark Kaufman in relocating the Columbia controle to the nearby Turkey Hill, and Andrew Mead (assisted by Curtis Palmer & Jack Bingham) in relocating the Lititz controle to an open pizza place a few doors down, resulted in minimal disruption for the participants. This made for an especially long day by Mark, who swept the riders through at Columbia, then later relived Andrew and company to greet and report on the remaining riders progress through Lititz.

Summary:

My congratulations go out to all of the riders once again for their effort and teamwork, as especially exhibited by Ixsa & Bill in traveling and completing the course together. And for the volunteer commitments demonstrated above in managing the controles - well done!

Of course, with my wife Lora Beth out of town, I would have been lost without the overnight and all-day assistance of Ron & Barb Anderson here in Reading! Barb and Ron were there to help register riders at the ride start, assist me with food preparation, and in greeting the returning riders at the post-ride celebration (which lasted well into the evening). Thanks a bunch you two!

Of special note, Nigel Greene, Tom Reeder, and Bill Russell successfully completed their first Eastern PA Brevet on this ride, with Tom coming north to visit from Alexandria VA, and Bill visiting our "balmy" weather from his icy home in Martha's Vineyard MA - Thanks for joining us!

And once again, the combo team of George "Baggy Jeans" Metzler & John "Fair Weather" Fuoco rocked the course with a new course record time of 9h 00m. Not bad for a ragged pair of Pennsyltuckians, and so apropos a title for George to hold; one of our "token" Dutchmen. And as George and Mike Lutz are reportedly heard to say, "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much!"

Additonal photos taken by Ron and Barb can be accessed on their FLICKR site at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8679468@N07/sets/72157625606956383/

My pics, and those contributed by Curtis from the Lititz controle are found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157625619179265/

Rider Comments:

As of this posting, a few rider comments were received. Please feel free to submit any you may have, and I'll add to this segment.

Rick Carpenter - Organizer

From Patrick O'Donnell:

"Hey, thanks again for all that you've done in organizing the New Years brevet. From the opening of your home, to the endless correspondence, to the genuine concern for all the participants, and so much more. My experience yesterday makes for an excellent foundation in getting back into Randonneuring. Your efforts, along with Ron and Barb Anderson's, Mark Kaufman's and Andrew Mead's demonstrate everything that is right about this aspect of bicycling and that past negative experiences with motorists aren't going to keep me from participating in it. Thank you all!"

From Joe Fillip:

"Rick, Thanks to you and the volunteers for a great (and challenging!) ride yesterday. It was a lot of fun, and a wonderful way to start the New Year. Great to meet you. Thanks again! -- Joe"

From Doug Haluza:

"Yes, great job. I expected we would be on our own. It was nice to see volunteers at the closed controls. I hope we didn't p*ss off Rick's neighbors! It was really nice of Rick to host us from his house.

P.S. Rick, I stopped in Philipsburg on the way out, and I see why you like Cycle Funattic. It's probably the only place around that has more Bianchi's than your garage!"

From Nigel Greene:

"I wanted to thank Rick and the volunteers for staging a great event. Having just completed my first eastern PA Randonneur ride, I can now see why you get such a strong year round turn out for courses whose reputation for difficulty precede them. From the warm greetings on my arrival at the start, the friendly riders on the course, the helpful volunteers at the controles, to the delicious food and warm welcome on the return, the people involved made it a very memorable day. Add to that a course that was scenic, low traffic, and challenging (without being brutal), and you have a combination that made an excellent day of riding.

Look forward to riding with the group again. Thanks!"

From George Metzler:

"Rick,

Did you find Doug? :-) Thanks again for all the food and organizing great support for the day"

A Sweet Deal on a Great Rain Jacket

2011-01-02T17:47:00.002-05:00

While I know there are a few among us leading charmed lives that never encounter bad weather while riding brevets. I've never been much for charm and have wished on more than a few occasions for a little more water-proofness from my clothing.

RUSA has come to the rescue. For a limited time, RUSA members can order a RUSA-branded Showers Pass jacket at a special discounted price. The Showers Pass Elite 2.0 is one of the best rated rain jackets available, drawing rave reviews from the kings of wet-weather randonneuring, Seattle International Radonneurs. The Double Century jacket is lighter weight and packs into a smaller package.

Additional details and ordering instructions are available on the RUSA website at: http://rusa.org/ShowersPassOffer2011/. The order deadline is January 31, 2011 so don't wait too long.

PA Dutch ACP 200k Update - 50 deg F???

2010-12-27T22:44:00.015-05:00

30 Dec Current Riders Status:

As of noon Thursday, we have thirteen riders confirmed for Saturday's start:

Jon CLAMP

Matt FARRELL

Joe FILLIP

Bill FISCHER

John "F.W." FUOCO

Nigel GREENE

Doug HALUZA

Guy HARRIS

Don JAGEL

George METZLER

Patrick O'DONNELL

Althea Grace PINEDA

Bill RUSSELL

Listed as possibles are:

Andrew MEAD

Tom ROSENBAUER

...both still thawing-out from last January's adventure

Course Volunteers:

Mark Kaufman will be attending to Lancaster operations at Columbia and Lititz, and Ron & Barb Anderson assisting me with the "Berks works".

Additional Route Pics:

Possibly reaching 50 deg F this Saturday? For a flashback of last year's festivities, check out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157623111059628/

and

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157623147276444/

Hope to see you in the New Year,

Rick

Oh, a few other things to ponder...

the Coveted "Hill Slug" Award Challenge

For those considering taking-up this particularly difficult challenge in the New Year, here is the post describing the history-making record showing of last January:

http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2010/01/schuykill-to-susquehanna-pa-dutch.html

Have at-it, if you dare...

Brevet Cards & Cues

As this is a 'free ride', I will only have a limited number of spare, unassigned Controle Cards and Cue Sheets available on a first-come, first-served basis.

To assure that you have a Controle Card reserved in your name, notify me BY NOON THURSDAY at rexycarpenter@gmail.com of your intention to post Saturday morning. Also, remember to print & bring with you your personal copy of the cues from the PA Rando site link; if you cannot do this, again contact me by noon Thursday and I will reserve a copy for you.

Ciao,

Riccardo

PA Dutch 200k - Jan 1 R-12

2010-12-21T20:59:00.002-05:00

Details for the January 1,2011 PA Dutch 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubJan2.html
Organizer Rick Carpenter, and fellow PA Randonneur Mark Kaufman recently completed a check-out ride. RIck posted a brief report and some pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157625520157729/

In order to celebrate the start of the 2011 season, there is no registration fee for this ride (although a current club membership is still required).

As noted on the event page, there is a diner near the start/finish to meet and top-off before you clip-in. And our organizer, Rick Carpenter, will be hosting a post-ride gathering at his house.

So far, I heard from the following riders planning to start off the New Year by clipping-in for this event:
-Rick Carpenter (organizer)
-Mark Kaufman (volunteer)
-Doug Haluza
-Guy Harris
-Don Jagel
-George Metzler
...If you're planning to join us as well, send an e-mail confirmation to organizer Rick Carpenter:
rexycarpenter@gmail.com

2010 Recap

2010-12-20T07:19:00.001-05:00

December 2010

A summary of the 2010 results for the Eastern PA region has been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/Results2010.pdf

Congratulations on all those hard-earned brevets -- collectively, we officially tallied 104,510 Km in completed brevets. For the second year in a row, those results pushed the Eastern PA region to over 1000 points in the RUSA standings, one of only a handful of regions to do so. Thank you for clipping in and being a part of that success. But of course, none of those brevets would've been possible, if not for all the volunteers who stepped up and helped out:

- Ron Anderson (PA1000 overnight controle)

- Dan Barbasch (PA1000 overnight controle)

- Rick Carpenter (Advisor, R-12 organizer, PA Fleche, PA600 preride & overnight controle, PA150/200 BBQ)

- Carrie Clamp (PA200k BBQ, PA400)

- Jud Hand (PA150/200 BBQ)

- Guy Harris (PA1000 course sweep & overnight controles)

- Bill Fischer (Scouting)

- Don Jagel (R-12)

- Jim Logan (PA1000 overnight controles)

- Andrew Mead (Advisor, R-12 organizer)

- George Metzler (R-12 controle)

- Maile Neel (R-12)

- Bill Olsen (Advisor, R-12 organizer)

- Curtis Palmer (R-12)

- Bill Slabonik (PA 200/300)

- Gilbert Torres (PA1000 finish)

- Christine Torres (PA1000 finish)

- Len Zawodniak (R-12, PA600 overnight controle)

The Eastern PA volunteers can attest to the fact that rider safety is the primary concern for each event. But despite all the safety precautions, this year there was a sobering reminder of the risks inherent in our sport: George Swain was severely injured by a distracted driver who hit him from behind. Thankfully, George is now back on his feet and is hopeful of a complete recovery. You can follow along on George's road to recovery and deliver your get well-wishes at his blog:

http://thehudsonvalleyrandonneur.blogspot.com/

As George writes in his inspirational blog, randonneuring is one outlet to explore "…what is humanly possible." This year, a number of riders completed many notable accomplishments -- too many to list completely -- but some selected ones I'd like to share with you include:

- Ixsa Gollihur officially completing her first brevet, despite coming up a bit short on three previous occasions (including her very first brevet, which was the infamous January R-12 event with 40+ MPH winds and temperatures in the teens).

- Daniel Aaron, Cecilie Adams, Dan Barbasch, Jonathan Clamp, Ed Dodd, Patrick Gaffney, Judson Hand, Don Jagel, Eric Keller, and Bill Olsen are all Eastern PA Super Randonneurs -- Well Done!

- Several riders completed their R-12 series. Of note, Mark Kaufman book-ended his R-12 with a pair of Eastern PA events: his very first brevet ever was the snowy R-12 December event in 2009, which until the following January, had set the mark for epic winter conditions. He joins Eric Keller as one of the few riders to earn an R-12 starting with their very first brevet ever. And yours truly, completed a hard-earned Eastern PA R-12 series that included January's tough winter conditions -- thanks to fellow riders Andrew Mead and Len Zawodniak for helping me finish that one!

- Don Jagel tallied the highest number of Eastern PA kilometers with 4500, just nipping Bill Olsen by a mere 240k … probably because Bill opted to ride a 1200k somewhere instead of a PA event! Don participated in all but 2 events on the Eastern PA 2010 schedule: January's R-12 and the Fleche.

- Jud Hand, Guy Harris, and Bill Olsen have the distinction of completing a PA-5000, which consists of the following Eastern PA events: PA SR series, Endless Mountains 1240k and 1000k, a Fleche, and 900k in other PA brevets, all within a 4-year period. Jud Hand and Bill Olsen have the further distinction of earning their PA-5000 within a 12-month period.

For 2011, it will be a very busy year with PBP and several domestic 1200k's to choose from. The Eastern PA region will be offering many brevets for qualification and preparation including two complete SR series. In addition to a regularly scheduled SR series, a second one is being offered in a compressed “brevet week” format. But we need some new volunteers to step up and take their turn at the front (and perhaps allow some of the regular volunteers to sit-in for a while).

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

Le Retour du Stillwater 200k: Preliminary Results & Ride Report

2010-12-05T14:29:00.005-05:00

Preliminary results for the Dec. 4 Le Retour du Stillwater 200k have been posted at:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results101204.pdf

... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

Temperatures at the start were around 28F. The "Mostly Sunny" weather forecast did not materialize..instead, it was a decidedly mostly cloudy day, with a brisk northwest wind making the mid 30F's feel much chillier. But the few times the sun manage to poke through the clouds was very welcome. And for the 3rd year in a row, we had some snow for the December event -- although the brief snow showers were hardly comparable to the epic all-day snow storm from last December:
http://www.njrando.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=443#p1451

28 of the 28 starters made it around the course within the time limit, for another 100% completion ... congratulations to all the riders, for this excellent result. Depending upon how many finishers the LA region had for their December 200k dart, the PA region just might nip them and move into 7th place in RUSA points:
http://www.rusa.org/points.html
At any rate, the 1000+ RUSA points racked up by Eastern PA riders is an excellent result, and a milestone that only a handful of regions reach -- well done, and thanks for being a part of this success!

Of note, Ron and Barbara Anderson completed another R-12 -- well done! Alan Blanchette also officially completed an R-12, although he actually completed rides for 13 months in a row. His first event was a permanent last December, that was not officially recognized, due to a misplaced brevet card.

Also of note, Kieran White completed his first Eastern PA brevet and John Silkowski completed his very first brevet, ever. In doing so, John proved once again, that being a strong, fast rider helps compensate for other shortcomings, including no cue sheet and flat lander gears! John was highly motivated to mash those big gears up the many short, steep climbs, in order to hang with riding partners, Walt Pettigrew and Jon Levitt (who he counted on to lead the way).

George Metzler writes: "...I thoroughly enjoyed the ride today. The route was well designed and the cue sheet was top notch. After the long (but gentle) climb up Tunnel Road, John Fuoco and I had a blast on the fast and scenic descent down Sweet Hollow Rd..."

Don Jagel writes: "...Thanks for putting together the brevet yesterday. The Stillwater route works just as well in the reverse direction. The Pizzeria in Milford is a good controle in the reverse direction, allowing
for a good place to warm up and a quick replenishing of the fuel supplies before the final leg back to Portland. There was even a brief snow flurry just to make it really feel like December...."

Special thanks to Bill Olsen, for organizing the event and also to Jon Clamp, for leading the way with the sign-in sheets.

If you have any other comments, stories, or pictures to share, you can forward them to me.

This concludes the 2010 Eastern PA brevet season...validated brevet cards and a season recap will be going out in the mail over the coming weeks. Happy holidays, and hope to see you clipping in again in 2011, for a busy PBP year of brevets. The 2011 brevet calender kicks off with the traditional PA Dutch 200k on 1-1-11, organized by Rick Carpenter.

December R-12: Le Retour du Stillwater 200k

2010-11-26T20:35:00.013-05:00

*** Update #1 (11/30) ***
The cuesheet has been updated to draft 2, dated 11/28/10, with several minor corrections and clarifications from a scouting trip. This is most likely the final draft. Current forecast looks at least dry, but some chilly temperatures and strong northwest winds appear to be on tap. Those winds should speed our way on the Lafayette to Milford leg. And with a bit of luck, the winds might start abating as we head back north in the later part of the afternoon.

Course notes:
Mile 1.3: As noted on the cuesheet, please watch for fast traffic on your right as you merge with Rt 94 North.
Mile 15.9: The Stillwater General store is off course, ~0.2 miles to the right -- if you need a hot drink to warm up, this would be a good option.
Mile 17.6 (Controle 2): This is an information controle that happens to be at a post office (answer the question that will be listed on your brevet card). The post office will probably be open, if you need to get warmed up, but there are no services available. As you approach this controle, you will actually see the words "Robins General Store" painted on the outside of the building (as indicated on the cuesheet). But the general store is long gone, and has now been converted into a post office. Be sure to bring a pencil along, to record your answer. Please note that this controle is un-timed, so if you get a mechanical or are delayed at the start, you have until controle 3 at mile 29.9 to make up some time.
Mile 25.3: As noted on the cuesheet, this is a steep twisty descent, with two 1-lane bridges at the bottom that might have on-coming traffic. Please take extra care through this area.
Mile 29.9 (Controle 3): The hot chocolate w/whipped cream and pies are highly recommended.
Mile 124.3 (Controle 6): As you approach Portland near the end, you will be passing the Portland Park N' Ride (where you will be parking your car). The Park N' Ride is the official end of the brevet and is listed at the final controle. So you can stop there, and load your bike in your car. However, you need to then drive the remaining 0.4 miles back to the Portland Diner and get your card signed at the cashier. There will also be a final sign-in sheet at the cashier to record your time (use your arrival time at the Park N RIde) and leave your brevet card in the envelope there as well.

There will be sign-in sheets at controle #4 (Great Meadows) and controle #5 (Milford) ... please remember to initial these and record your time.

*** Original Post ***
The December R-12 is on Saturday, December 4th. The website has been recently updated with draft 1 of the cuesheet. We'll be running the same course as the November R-12 in the reverse direction: Le Retour du Stillwater 200k. The November event was certainly a well documented event; the ride report:
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2010/11/stillwater-200k-preliminary-results-and.html
... has links to ride reports and photo albums.

The start/finish is at the Portland diner, where you can top-off with a good breakfast and finish with a post-ride gathering. Please note that the parking is at the Park N' Ride lot, 0.3 miles from the start:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PortlandParking.pdf

Lights and reflective gear will be checked. Be sure to check back on the PA message board for any updates ... the cuesheet will likely be updated after an upcoming course checkout.

I've already heard from a couple of riders planning to clip-in. If you're planning to join us too, send a note to ride organizer Bill Olsen: randonnerd@gmail.com

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

*** Rider List (as of 12/3) ***
Barb Anderson
Ron Anderson
Michael Anderson
Al Blanchette
Jon Clamp
Bob Dye
John Fuco
Ixsa Gollihur
Houston Joost
Mark Kaufman
Joe Kratovil
Robin Landis
Jonathan Levitt
Andrew Mead
George Metzler
Christine Newman
Bill Olsen (Organizer)
Ed Pavelka
Bill Reagan
Tom Rosenbauer (RBA)
Paul Shapiro
John Silkowski
Kieran White
Len Zawodniak

Stillwater 200k Preliminary Results and Report

2010-11-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

Preliminary results for the Nov. 6 Stillwater 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results101106.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be sent to RUSA later this week, and then become final, pending RUSA approval.

The mid-30F's at the start were a bit warmer than forecasted. The bright early morning sunshine made for a spectacular run down the Delaware River, with the mist and fog making quite sight to behold. I saw at least one photographer along the way, capturing the moment. It truly was a wonderful time to be out on the bike and enjoy the last remnants of fall -- one of my favorite time of the year. The clouds moved in shortly after midday, and along with the stiff northwest wind, the afternoon actually felt colder than the morning. The hot chocolate at the Millside Cafe really hit the spot (I think it was one part whipped cream to one part hot chocolate). And special thanks to Len Zawodniak for recommending the pecan pie -- that really hit the spot. And thanks also, to Don Jagel for leading the way with the sign-in sheets.

24 of the 24 starters made it around the course within the time limit, for another 100% completion ... congratulations to all the riders, for this excellent result. Of note, Ixsa Gollihur recorded her first official Eastern PA completion, after coming up a bit short on 3 previous tries (one of which was the infamously cold and windy brevet this past January). It certainly was a hard earned result, riding mostly solo all day through the head winds and a couple of hours of night riding in unfamiliar terrain. Well done Ixsa!

Also of note, Mark Kaufman completed his R-12 series. Mark joins Eric Keller in what has to be a very exclusive club: an R-12 series that starts with one's very first brevet. And in Mark's case, his first R-12 event last December, was the infamously snowy one, that until January's ride, had set the standard for "Epic Winter Conditions" on the Eastern PA series. As Mark said after that one, 'the rest should be easy, after that!' Well done Mark!

First finisher's Rick Carpenter and Bill Fischer got around in 8:35, with Rick again riding his fixed-gear bike. Rick writes: "...A uniquely enjoyable route through NW NJ; particularly the latter portion from Great Meadows to Columbia. Oh, and you earned my heartfelt gratitude in excluding "The Finest Pizza Money Can Buy" - nicely done... " Rick is of course, referring to 'Louie's Pizza', used as a controle in Great Meadows on previous events:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/3462644404/in/set-72157617125699458/

Peter Phillips is now 2 for 2 with yet another broken chain (will he perhaps go for a 3-peat?). Having inadvertently left his chain repair at home, Peter fortunately had St. Bill Olsen behind him, our local "patron saint of on-the-road bike repairs". Bill luckily had a campy pin among his spare parts.

The DC area tandem team piloted by Ed Felker and stoker Mary Gersema were pleasantly surprised to find a "Tandem Friendly" course, after all the challenging climbs they faced this past summer on the Endless Mountains 1000k. And fellow rider Paul Shapiro noted that the course went near some of the toughest climbs in the area -- Lommasson's Glen, Rt 519 (into Milford), Adamic, Bellis, Iron Bridge, and Millbrook to name a few. Ed has posted a great ride report (along with pictures) at:
http://thedailyrandonneur.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/pa-randonneurs-stillwater-200k-friendly-to-tandems-and-visitors-alike/
... and be sure to check out Mary's excellent blog and pictures at:
http://chasingmailboxes.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/pennsylvania-randonneurs-stillwater-200k/
Between Ed and Mary, this was one well documented ride!
Fellow DC randonneur, Lane Giardina writes: "...Thanks again for yesterday's great ride. It was a lovely route shared with a really nice group of riders....".

-- Thanks! It's always a real pleasure when the DC folks come up for a visit.

If you have any other comments, stories, or pictures to share, you can forward them to me.

Next up, is "Le Retour du Stillwater 200k" on December 4, which wraps up the 2010 brevet season. This is basically the same course as the Stillwater 200k, but in the reverse direction (clockwise) heading to Stillwater first.