Le Retour du Stillwater 200k

*** Update #2 (11/30) ***
The Stillwater Retour 200k, originally scheduled for 12/1, has been postponed until Sunday, 12/2, due to a weather advisory posted this afternoon that is now calling for freezing rain.

*** Update #1 (11/29) ***
The cuesheet has been updated to draft 5, dated 11/28/11: The update corrects the name of Controle 2, which has changed from a Citgo minimart to a Penn Jersey food market.  Also, the date on the cuesheet has been corrected.  There are no course changes -- the route is exactly the same as the 2011 edition.

I'm keeping a close eye on the (small) chance of some precipitation on Friday night -- at this time, black ice conditions do not seem very likely but be sure to check back for any updates as the weather forecast firms up.  It does appear that there might be some rain spritzes through out the day on Saturday, so packing some spare clothing might be a good idea.

*** Roster (as of 12/1) ***

1 Clair Beiler
2 Patrick Chin-Hong
3 Robert Dye
4 William Fischer
5 Donald Jagel
6 Eric Keller
7 Chris Nadovich
8 Christine Newman
9 William Olsen
10 Peter C Phillips
11 Tom Rosenbauer
12 Hugo Safar
13 Gloria Safar
14 Norman Smeal
15 Bob Torres
16 Leonard Zawodniak


*** Original Post ***
The December R-12 is on Saturday, December 1st. We'll be running the same course as the November R-12 but in the reverse direction: Le Retour du Stillwater 200k.

The start/finish is at the Milford Bakery in Milford, NJ -- the southern most extent of the course.  There is plenty of parking in the large parking lot on Church St in Milford (PA Randonneurs has permission to use the parking lot which is now owned by the Medical supply store at the old bakery location).  The Bakery 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.

Additional event details are posted on the event webpage:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubDec3.html

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 by Thursday. And as always, be sure to monitor the PA message board for any last minute updates.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Stillwater 200k Report

Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results121110.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted this week, and become final, pending RUSA certification.

The weather forecast promised 60F degree temperatures and at least partially sunny skies but we ended up with low 50F's and barely a peek at the sun.  As a couple of drops of rain began to fall, I started to wonder if I should have packed a rain jacket. I also began to see the merit in my riding partner Laurent Chambard's philosophy of "never look at a weather forecast but always prepare for rain."  Thankfully, the rain never amounted to very much.  But it was the effects of the weather nearly two weeks ago with super storm Sandy, that was most memorable for this ride. The fury unleashed was still quite evident with all the damage caused by fallen trees.

All 11 starters made it around the course in very good time for another 100% finish rate: congratulations to everyone, for another excellent result.  The first riders made it in with a time of 8:30, well before nightfall.

Of note, Doug Haluza persevered dispite having 4 flats and using up nearly all his spare tubes, tires, and CO2 cartridges.  Luckily, Doug was able to replenish his supplies at a bike shop along the way.  I was there for 3 of those flats, but I couldn't help out with any spare tubes, since Doug needs extra long valve stems for his deep aero rims.

Don Jagel writes: "...I just wanted to send you a quick thanks for putting together another great 200k.  We had about perfect November weather, being overcast with a quick glimpse of sun, and even about 10 raindrops.  The lack of wind was a real treat.  I always enjoy riding at this time of year as it seems to be quiet, with nobody out cutting grass, most yards are void of people, and traffic is light as the Christmas tree search and holiday traffic has not yet begun. I hope you were able to enjoy the ride as much as I did.  I'll see you in December..."

Eric Keller writes: "...Just wanted to thank you for the ride yesterday but it was really tough:  Ride to Milford, eat a pastry, ride to Big Meadow, eat a deli sandwich, ride to the Millside Cafe, eat a slice of pie, ride to Stillwater, eat a pizza, ride to Teresa's, eat another pizza...."

Norman Smeal writes: "...Great plan to reschedule the ride from the previous weekend.  Hurricane Sandy will be a storm that many of us will not forget.  Personally, the climb up Sweet Hollow Road left an impression upon me.  Seeing the force of winds from all of the downed trees, I could only imagine the fear of the residents of the area during the passing of Sandy.  Although, the weather didn't turn out to be as nice as the expected, it could have been worse.  I want to thank you, Tom and all of our riding pals for another successful Randonneuring event....Looking forward to Decembers Le Retour ..."

Bill Olsen writes: " ...

Thanks for the great ride!  While the weather was not as nice as the original forecast it was good to get out and get my mind off of still being "off the grid", and hearing all of those generators still running is a good indication that I'm not the ONLY one still without power.  Seeing all the houses and cars that were flattened by the fallen trees made me thankful that I only needed to clear the ones off of the driveway, rather having any more serious damage.  

Thanks also to Gavin, Bill and Norman for the company on the ride.  It was nice to be able to catch up on the news and the conversation made the ride appear to go by much (like a couple of hours) faster.  As I mentioned at the conclusion of the ride, this was the FIRST time I EVER made around the course when it was still daylight. 

See you all on December 1st.

... "

If you have any other comments to share, you can forward them to me for inclusion on the message board ride report.

Special thanks to Len Zawodniak for stopping by to greet the later finishers at the pizzeria.  Len was on his way back from State College, where he bought a brand new recumbent.  Perhaps we'll see Len on his new ride for the December R-12 event.  We'll be riding the same course, but in reverse and starting at the Milford Bakery.  Event details for the Le Retour du Stillwater 200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubDec3.html

-Tom Rosenbauer, RBA

RUSA Elections

The United States presidential election is tomorrow, and I trust you will be exercising your civic duty to vote.  RUSA members also have a "randonneuring" duty to cast their vote for another election going on for the RUSA board of directors.   Your's truly, is one of the nominees, and I sincerely hope that I have earned your vote -- you can read my statement, along with the other four candidates at this link:
http://www.rusa.org/Download/2012-candidates.pdf

You can cast your ballot via e-mail at this link:
http://www.rusa.org/vote.html

Please note that you can vote for two of the five candidates.  In my humble opinion, Mike Dayton, and fellow RBA, Bill Beck would also be good choices to help lead our organization.  I also endorse John Lee Ellis, who has been my mentor as an RBA, to continue on as RBA Liaison.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Stillwater 200k

*** Update #3 (11/9) ***
The cuesheet has been updated to draft 8: the controle open/close times have been updated to reflect the new start time of 06:30 (no course changes).  The following are some additional items to be aware of:
- There may still be some road debris left over from Hurricane Sandy.  Keep away from any downed power lines, and watch for small twigs that might get caught in your wheel.  Also, watch out for any partially fallen trees that have not been cleared yet -- there was one that partially obstructed the road on Polkville-Kill Rd around mile 121 last weekend.
- Controle #4 in Lafayette is now open for business.
- There is a bridge closed at mile 126.4 but it is passable by foot.

*** Update #2 (11/7) ***
The start time has been changed from 07:30 to 06:30.  This change will maximize the amount of daylight riding, and minimize the time later finishers will need to pick their way through any road debris in the dark.  This change also compensates for the change from daylight savings time (which was in effect before the event was rescheduled).  Unfortunately, the Mount Bethel diner opens at 6 AM, so if you want to have breakfast, the truck stop across the river in Columbia, NJ would be a better option.  There's a 24-hr Travel Center and McDonald's off the Rt 80 access road (which you will be passing by near the finish).

*** Roster (as of 11/9) ***

1 Jeffery S Butt
2 Laurent Chambard
3 William Fischer
4 Diane Goodwin
5 Doug Haluza
6 Donald Jagel
7 Eric Keller
8 Robin C Landis
9 William Olsen
10 Tom Rosenbauer
11 Norman Smeal



*** Update #1 (11/5) ***
I recently scouted portions of the course.  All controles, with the exception of #4 in Lafayette, NJ are open for business.  Controle #5 in Stillwater is running off of a generator and plans to be open on Saturday, but of course, will have limited food selections.  As you can imagine, several areas still have debris on the side of road, including many small twigs and some downed power lines.  I encountered some road closures on Rt 521 near Stillwater, but these are passable by foot.

The larger towns, for the most part, all seemed to have power.  While riding through the sparsely populated backroads, the drone of generators was quite evident.  However, I saw many utility crews working in these areas; so slowly but surely, the clean-up and recovery efforts are progressing.

*** Original Post ***
Due to the effects of hurricane Sandy, the Stillwater 200k originally scheduled for November 3rd, has been postponed until November 10th.  Hopefully, clean-up and recovery efforts will progress enough by then to allow us to safely ride.

If you plan to participate, please drop me a note by Thursday, November 8th.


Be sure to monitor the message board and website for updates, as we assess the course conditions in the coming week:

http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

PA150/200k Report

Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results121020.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted this week, and become final, pending RUSA/ACP certification.

The October 150/200k is one of my favorite events of the year -- and this year's edition is certainly one that was quite memorable for the fantastic weather, colorful foliage, fresh pavement, and excellent results.  Of course, the weather forecast earlier in the week looked like this event might be memorable, in a "epic character building" sort of way -- thankfully, the last of the torrential rain storms cleared out of the area, merely 6 hours before the start.  But then again, picking a date with "good" weather, is one of the most important jobs of an RBA!

At one point, there were 31 registered riders for the combined 150/200k.  25 made it to the start, with 9 opting for the 150k -- a nice increase over the number we had last year.  All 25 starters (including 2 preriders) made it around the course in very good time for another 100% finish rate.  And quite remarkably, all 13 of the 200k starters on Saturday (who came with gears) all finished in under 10 hours.  While this PA200k edition was missing a few of the "signature" climbs like Lower Saucon Valley and Lommasson Glen, it far from an easy course.  Congratulations to everyone, for such an excellent result, and more importantly, for riding safely through the early more fog and wet leaves.

Of note, Joe Kratovil completed the 200k on a fixed-gear, and still managed to finish under 11 hours.  And he did this by adding at least 8 bonus miles -- about half of these were on the other side of Fox Gap, since he missed the first turn past the info controle at the top, and went all the way down to Bangor.  But at least now, Joe can indeed confirm that the climb up to Fox Gap is much harder with the approach from Cherry Valley, than the one from Bangor!  Joe's 200k finish completed his K-hound challenge, and since all his brevets this year were on a fixed-gear, he can claim that he's now a fixed K-hound dog!   Joe writes: " ..Thanks for the great ride yesterday.  Despite my mental lapses in navigation it was a most enjoyable day on the bike.  I checked my RUSA k's and discovered that prior to the PA 200k I had exactly 9,800.  With the 200k credit for yesterday that will be 10,000k on the button.  Purely by accident and not design, as many of the RUSA permanents finish in odd numbers I never expected to hit it exactly. I hope to see you on future PA rides...."

Recently minted PBP ancien, Christine Newman also rode a fixed gear, and writes: "... Thanks for a great ride yesterday - I think 150K is my new favorite distance.  I saw some folks at the finish I usually only see at the start! The route was beautiful, the leaves seemed to be peaking and the weather was wonderful. If it weren't for all the hills the ride would have been perfect..."
Christine took a bunch of really great photos which have been posted here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/PA150KBrevet?authkey=Gv1sRgCMXmqv_2_ImnJg

Hugo Safar introduced his son Julian to randonneuring by riding the 150k together.  Hugo writes: "..Just a quick note to thank you for the ride and BBQ!  it was a great day, and both Julian and I enjoyed it immensely...it is quite a pleasure to participate in an event like this with your son...look forward participating in more PA rides, completing the series next years is my goal. ..."

Dave Thompson, on his way from Canada back to Florida, rode the PA150k in his quest for the RUSA cup challenge.  Dave writes: "...Thanks again Tom for your efforts pre-riding, putting on the ride, feeding us, great communication -- what can I say!  ... I'm starting to understand a little of what volunteers mean to these organizations with all the work that I'm doing with Randonneurs Ontario right now as Treasurer and playing a significant role in planning for the Granite Anvil 1200k..."

Bill Olsen writes: " ...Tom - Thanks for the great ride yesterday.  You couldn't have asked for a better day, and as an added bonus, all of the climbs had been recently paved.  Stats Road and Geigel Hill Road were so smooth one hardly noticed the climb. :-) ... "

Andrew Mead writes: "...After 5 years it was really nice to be able to make the Fall Classic 200k.  I enjoyed catching up with old rando buddies and meeting a few new ones.  I fell off the lead group at Wind Gap and solo'd my way to Portland where I met up with Robin Landis.  He and I rode together from Portland on.  We had a great ride, good conversation, and kept each other motivated to keep our wheels turning.  Route and cue were top notch as always and plenty of fresh asphalt made for smooth sailing down several scenic descents.  The BBQ at the end made me forget all about those Pennsylvania "rollers" in that last leg ..."

And speaking of old rando buddies, former NJ RBA Diane Goodwin joined us for the 150k.  As many of you may know, I got my start as an RBA by first working as a volunteer under the guidance of Diane.  Diane writes: "...Thanks for the awesome ride yesterday....As usual, everyone had a good time. I'm just now realizing how uncommon that is on club special events, where there's usually complaints about something...."

Don Jagel writes: "..Thank you for all the hard work you did in getting the 200k/150k brevet together.  Your continued effort is really appreciated by everyone more than you can imagine.  The task of putting together two cue sheets, preriding to verify the cues, keeping tabs on everybody, and then getting together great pre and post ride meals is more than anyone should ever expect from one superhuman person.... The ride was about as perfect as an autumn ride can get.  The wet roads and scattered leaves kept the pace reasonable from the start, allowing for good conversation and time to take in the scenery.  The climb up Staats Road was made a little less painful with the new, smooth asphalt.  The traffic was surprisingly heavy when I went up Red Cliff Road, as the other nearby roads (Bridgeton Hill and Jugtown) were closed for construction leaving Red Cliff as the only access for the locals. I did enjoy riding along Geigle Hill Road for a change. The asphalt conditions were very good, it was a good change of scenery, and the traffic was light as a result of the covered bridge closure.  Now if someone would only put in a bridge, or a ferry across Lake Nockamixon so Rt 313 could be avoided the ending would be perfect..." [alternatively, you could also stay on Old Bethlemhem Rd instead of following 3 Mile Run at the end -- the only problem through, is that the road is probably buried under 6 feet of muck, as it passes under Lake Nockamixon (which of course was formed when they built the dam) -Tom R.].


If you have any other comments to share, you can forward them to me for inclusion on the message board ride report.

Special thanks to Chrintine Newman for the pasta salad and Hugo Safar for the cheese cake.  Thanks also, to Eric Keller for the volunteer preride.  The R-12 series continues next week with the Stillwater 200k on November 3.  Event info has been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubNov2.html
... with a bit of luck, there'll still be some fall foliage left to enjoy!

-Tom Rosenbauer, RBA

PA150/200k

*** Update #2 (10/19) ***
The cuesheets have been updated to draft 6 for the 200k and draft 5 for the 150k, dated 10/19/12.  This update includes a correction from my thursday volunteer pre-ride:
- Mile 65.4 (150k) / 97.0 (200k): Added missing cue to turn onto Sweet Hollow Rd.

For my thursday 200k pre-ride, the fall foliage was absolutely gorgeous and the course was in very good shape (with ribbons of fresh asphalt in several spots that have been long overdue to replace crumbling roads) -- at least that's how it was before the rain storm came through on Thursday night.  For Saturday's event, I suspect that many of those colorful leaves might be on the road, so be sure to be watch for wet leaves on the road, especially on the turns.  In addition to that potential hazard, there are a couple of other items to be aware of:
- Mile 5.3-8.3: There are some relatively new patches of chip-seal on Sawmill Rd and Stoney Garden Rd.  I found some loose gravel on these patches -- so watch out for this hazard (particularly if you're still with a large bunch of riders).
- There was some pretty dense fog early in the morning in the valleys and along the Delaware River.  Remember to at least turn on your taillights light if you encounter these conditions.
- As noted on the cuesheet, 200k riders should watch for large sewer grates on the descent after Wind Gap ... you should take a line more towards the left in order to keep away from some very large holes (that most assuredly will ruin your day)
- The store at controle #4 on the 200k has a new name: "Penn Jersey Food Mart".  (The cuesheet has not been updated and still has the previous "Citgo Portmart" name).
- There was some road construction just past the Belvidere bridge, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get past this when you pass through.


*** Update #1 (10/14) ***
The cuesheets have been updated to draft 5 for the 200k and draft 4 for the 150k, dated 10/14/12.  This update incorporates a detour on Geigel Hill Rd to get around a covered bridge that was recently damaged.  A 15 foot high truck tried to cross the bridge, but unfortunately, the bridge clearance is only 14 feet.  The barriers that were erected while repairs are being made are very difficult to get around, so the reroute will give you the opportunity to see some new roads (and hills!) in Tinicum township.

*** Roster (as of 10/18) ***

1 Glenn Ammons 200k
2 Barbara Solis Anderson 150k
3 Ronald Anderson 150k
4 James Aspras 150k
5 Gavin Biebuyck 200k
6 Jeffery S Butt 200k
7 George Carey 200k
8 Laurent Chambard 150k
9 Janice Chernekoff 150k
10 Jonathan Clamp
11 Matthew Farrell 200k
12 Diane Goodwin 150k
13 Nigel Greene 200k
14 Steve Harding 150k
15 Donald Jagel 200k
16 Eric Keller 200k
17 Joe Kratovil 200k
18 Robin C Landis 200k
19 Andrew D Mead 200k
20 Christine Newman 150k
21 William Olsen 200k
22 Walter J Pettigrew 200k
23 Peter C Phillips 200k
24 Tom Reeder 150k
25 Tom Rosenbauer 200k
26 Chris Roth 200k
27 Hugo Safar 150k
28 Julian Safar 150k
29 W David Thompson 150k
30 Gilbert Torres 200k
31 Bob Torres 200k

*** Original Post ***
The next event is on October 20 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 $30 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.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

September R12 Hawk Mountain 200 Report

Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results120908.pdf
... please let Tom know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted this week, and become final, pending RUSA/ACP certification.

Weather conditions at the start were warm and very humid, due to remnants of Hurricane Issac which had been lingering in the area for the better part of a week.  A strong cold front swept through in the middle of the afternoon, and triggered an impressive display of rain, wind, and some lightning.  Thankfully, the front came through very quickly, and the heavy rain lasted only about 20 minutes or so.

First finishers Matt Farrell, Bill Fischer, and Don Jagel were on the southeastern leg of the course when the storms hit.  With the favorable shift of wind when the front came through, they decided to keep riding and take advantage of the strong winds that pushed them along, despite the deluge of rain falling down on them.  The rest of the field was strung out between the Pine Grove and Jonestown controles as the front passed, generally meaning either the second climbing of the Blue Mountain or descending into the strong winds, pouring rain, and flying debris.  Tom Rosenbauer and Clair Beiler waited in Pine Grove for the worst to pass only to report a near-miss when a large branch fell within 3 feet of Clair as they tackled the Rt 645 climb.

Whether storm related or not, first-time participant Tim Creyts experienced the failure of a vintage 7-speed freewheel, which was problemmatic for most of the day and finally gave out completely and allowed freewheeling in both directions.  Despite the best efforts to make repairs, this unfortunately was the end Tim's ride -- just 20 miles from the finish:  just a tad far for a kick-bike.  Tim writes: "...The 'peloton' was mainly together for the first 10 miles or so.  Eventually, we hit Galen Hall road after about 45 minutes.... my body was not warmed up, so I went up this set of hills slowly. This was the first time I had used the bail out gear on the Univega for any length of time. ..."
Read the rest of Tim's very detailed report at:
 http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/TimCreytsReport.pdf

Special thanks to organizer and volunteer prerider, Andrew Mead, for putting together a fantastic ride -- without a doubt, one of the more challenging courses on the PA series, and arguably, one of the most scenic.  Special thanks also, to Bill Slabonik for manning all the controles and making sure every one cleared the course, safely.  Bill Slabonik, Keith Spangler, and Mike Lutz also completed prerides to make sure that the cue sheet was as accurate as possible and the course was in good shape.

Bill Olsen writes: "... Thanks again for the great ride yesterday.  Hawk Mountain didn't seem so long this year.  Perhaps it was the cooler temperatures and overcast that made the climb quite pleasant. ... Although I like the original Swatara Gap route, this new routing was a nice change, and makes this brevet a great training ride for anything we might encounter on other brevets.   There was even a silver lining with the rain we encountered at the Jonestown controle as the steady headwinds we had all morning changed to a tailwind when the front blew through ..."

Don Jagel writes: "...Thanks for putting together the Hawk Mountain brevet yesterday.  It was a day of good riding, good company, and good conversation.  What started as an overcast day with 100% humidity turned to 110% humidity (rain) by the end of the day.  Matt, Bill and myself encountered heavy, sometimes stinging, rain for the last 20 miles, or so of the ride, but it also provided a welcome tail wind.  As I write this, all of my equipment and clothing is drying in the sun.

For me, the big surprise of the day was the climb out of the Pine Grove control.  I had not really paid much attention when folks were talking about the route modification, and I did not look at that portion of the cue sheet until we were leaving the Pine Grove Turkey Hill.  Up to that point, I had just assumed we were going through Swatera Gap as was done in the past.  I have ridden the "new" climb a couple of times in the past, and knew that it was a grunt, but yesterday I did not have myself mentally prepared for it (my mistake).

Bill, Matt and I think you should consider updating the name of this brevet route to more accurately reflect the new nature of the course.  Hawk Mountain is relatively easy and constant grade, and is only a warm-up for the crux climb later in the ride.  A name like "AT Double-Cross", or "Blue Mountain Double-Cross" would suggest to potential riders in the future that there is more than one crossing of this geographical feature. [And if we keep the original route discription the same, which of course mentions the Swatara Gap, the Double-Cross is even more appropos! -Tom R]
Overall the ride was a fitting way for me to finish up an R-12.  It had heat, humidity, rain, and climbing, all of which added to the sense of satisfaction at the completion of the ride.  Thanks for organizing and running the show, and many thanks to Bill S. for being at the controls to make sure everything was going smoothly. ..."

Newly minted randonneur Eric Dahl began his first brevet by riding to the start from Newark, DE setting out around 9:30pm Friday evening.  He arrived at the Pancake Farm around 5:45 after a mis-cue in his route extended it to around 75 miles and catching a few winks along the side of the road.  Eric then went on to complete the brevet in fine form with a 9:00 finish.  After grabbing some serious chow at the Turkey Hill finish and debating whether to press on Saturday, he finally set out for home around 5:30pm and felt like he could finish by midnight for a 27-hour 400k finish.  Did he make it?  Eric replies at 12:06am:  "Yes he did.  Albeit, after a certain point, I had to coax myself to keep on riding with skittles.  My brain was very tired and my feet hurt and all I wanted to do was lie down.  But I made it back just a few minutes ago."    We will see more of this randonneur.

If you have any other comments, you can forward them to Tom or Andrew for inclusion to the message board ride report.

Next up, we head back to the Weisel Hostel in Quakertown on October 20 for the classic 150/200k rides followed by a post ride BBQ -- come share your epic tales of the past season, and start looking forward to the 2013 calender of events:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/Schedule2013.html

-Andrew Mead, Organizer
-Tom Rosenbauer, RBA