A full, self-supported pre-ride of the Endless Mountains 1234K was completed by Pat Gaffney and Brad Layman on 12-15 September. Chapeau to these two brave and indefatigable randonneurs for accomplishing this audacious task.
Not only did they ride the difficult course with panache, they took the time to make detailed notes along the way. Their notes have been incorporated into version 9 of the official route that has a link to the full RWGPS data last modified 2024-09-17 23:09:28 EDT. For those of you that need the route split to fit into a limited GPS unit, for your convenience we have unofficially split the data into Day1, Day2, Day3, and Day4. Be aware that last minute route changes might not make it into the unofficial split version. Check the official route info page to be sure.
You should carefully study the cue sheet that is available on the the official route info page and carry a paper copy (or at least a PDF on your phone). Refer to it! It's OK if you mostly use your GPS for navigation, but the cue sheet contains important notes, including safety warnings that might not display on your particular GPS. Many cues have comments about nearby available services and riding strategy. Our volunteers have spent many hours curating this route and compiling detailed cues. Use their work to your advantage. Ignore the cuesheet at your peril. Don't ride blindly with only GPS.
Course Notes
The course is very difficult, especially day1. If you have trouble, don't despair. It's not you. Keep riding. Many people hit their darkest times at around mile 166-210. It doesn't matter if you have to walk -- keep moving. If you have one goal for this event, it should be to get through this soul sucking section. If you make it through those difficult miles, you will ride on in relative ease to the first overnight. Then, if you somehow get your ass back on the bike day 2, you'll almost certainly finish the whole damn thing.
Road Closures and Construction
The preriders noted several construction zones and closures along the course. Refer to the cue sheet for details. Based on their experience, generally speaking the course is in good shape and you should be able to get through everywhere without bonus miles. That said, closures on Pennsylvania roads appear and disappear daily. You should never enter an area illegally or ride where it is unsafe. Get off your bike to walk, or go another way.
Old Mine Rd (mi 112) is the oldest road still in use in the country.
Dating back beyond before the US was founded, this road has been long
in need of repair -- but seems to be forever ignored by it's federal
caretakers (blame the George Washington administration, I guess).
Nevertheless, this road travels through beautiful countryside along the
Delaware and is worth savoring. It's home to diverse wildlife, including
many black bears. Old Mine Road is fun to explore. The bears won't
bother you but the potholes could swallow a grizzly, so pay attention --
especially on descents. Even the smaller descents have
wheel-pretzeling-ditches hidden on them. There's a "closed" section
(noted in the cuesheet) blocked of with concrete barriers. You should be
able to carry over the barriers and continue without issue, but do be
careful. Look out for debris, potholes, and animals.
The Dingman's Ferry bridge (mi 126) is a gem -- and one of the few bridges across the Delaware you can legally ride. Unfortunately, it's often closed for maintenance. We believe it should be open on the day of the ride. The cuesheet notes a possible detour using 206/209 if the bridge is still closed when you get there. This detour adds some bonus miles. Cross your fingers that Dingman's wonderful old bridge is open for you.
Little Pine Rd (mi 350) is a long, gentle descent along the splendid creek for which it's named. After the brutal climbs that came before, Little Pine road is a welcome treat. At the end of the road when you reach the control in Waterville, you'll find even a better treat as they have excellent ice cream, albeit dodgy WiFi. Sadly, recent storms washed out some bridges on Little Pine, which are now being repaired. The preriders were able to get through, needing to walk only once, but YMMV. Look out for longitudinal cracks on some of the bridges that could swallow a tire. Should it turn out that this road is impassable, there will be a detour offered that takes 287 to 973 to 44. When you get to 44 on this detour you will be at course mile 367.6 where you can turn left and continue forward on the course. No need to backtrack to the Waterville control if you were forced to take this Little Pine detour on 287.
General thoughts shared from Pre-ride
Here's how Brad and Pat described the days.
- Day 1 is a long one with a lot of climbing. Expect a late arrival at the overnight hotel. Mile 166 to 210 is a particularly difficult stretch with several steep climbs. The last 28 miles are flat.
- Day 2 is pleasant with long flat and downhill sections. The stretch from Towanda to Liberty has some tough exposed climbs that add up. Once you get to Liberty, there is a nice, long gradual descent to McConnell's General Store. The last 20 miles of the day are downhill and go by quickly.
- Day 3 is a blast. The climbs are tough but there are only four. We took advantage of the shorter day with a relaxed meal at the Rusty Rail Brewery. Note that it closes at 8pm. Easy 9 mile ride back to the hotel.
- Day 4 has a lot of shorter hills and exposed terrain. Last 20 miles on the SRT will go by quickly. Pat said we went "from endless mountains to endless hills" and that was spot-on.
Each day ends with a relatively easy and quick ~20 miles.