Water and Wind 300K Pre-Ride Course Notes *** Update 3

The Water and Wind 300K -- a classic brevet course -- starts at 5AM this Saturday. Registration is now closed. Information about the event appears on the event website. Make sure you have read and understood all of it. If you have any questions, contact the organizer.

Ron Anderson completed a pre-ride on Wed 18 April. Some small changes were made in the route, particularly to follow the 200K routing into the SRT rather than use Harts Ln (which has a construction closure).  The latest route data is Version 2 and the GPS route was last updated on 2024-04-18 10:19:15 EDT

 

Ron writes...

I completed my pre-ride on Wednesday, and found it to be a very pleasant tour from Philadelphia to the namesake Water Gap and Wind Gap. Spring is officially in the air with lots of flowering trees and plants everywhere.

The only course notes a feel like I can add are these:

1. The first really ripping good descent comes on Staats Rd. at around mile 60. There are a couple cued turns on the descent, so be prepared to control your speed. I almost overshot the left onto Milford Rd....

2. Be careful on the closed-to-traffic potion of Rt. 611 in Delaware Water Gap, mile 89-90. The roadway is littered with debris. Watch where you put your front wheel.

3. Use care on the Wind Gap climb/Rt. 115, mile 104-107. There is a shoulder but not what I would call a generous one and always a steady stream of 50 mph traffic coming up from behind.

The forecast for Saturday looks nice enough. I hope everyone enjoys their ride as much as I did mine.

A limited selection of PA Rando Wool and Synthetic jerseys will be available for purchase at the start and finish of the 300K. These are new, never worn jerseys. Only certain sizes are available and  quantities are very limited. First come (and paid in full), first served. Prices are $80 for wool, $40 for synthetic. Cash or PayPal.  See one of the PA Rando organizers at Chamounix Carriage house if you are interested. 

Lodging at Chamounix Carriage House is SOLD OUT before and after this event. Beds are available only to riders who booked a bed when registering. Although there should be ample bedding and towels available, it would be wise to bring your an extra towel and/or bedding just in case we run out.

There has been a complaint that people have left the bathrooms at Chamounix in an "untidy" state. Please, if there's a plumbing malfunction, tell an organizer so we can notify the Chamounix staff. 

If you booked lodging at Chamounix and are arriving Friday, please plan to arrive at the Carriage House no sooner than 4:30PM. This is the earliest someone will be there to unlock the door for you. And please no later than 9PM -- or even better, before 8PM, so that your arrival does not disturb riders trying to sleep.

Bonne route!

Covered Bridges 200K Ride Report

The 24 hour postponement to avoid the monsoon on Saturday was definitely the right move.  There were some issues in the morning as the dip in temperature froze some of the puddles, but we successfully dodged a truly miserable day. Of the 76 registered, 61 actually rode. Had the event started on Saturday, it's unlikely that more than 6 would have ridden.  Of the 61 who clipped in for the brevet, 58 finished in good time (95%).  This is an excellent finish rate for a course that is "sneaky difficult". Congratulations and well done to all. Preliminary results have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite right.  The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified.  

Not raining.

 

At least a week out we saw that the weather forecast was going to be problematic for Saturday. The RBA kept hoping the forecast would improve, but it never did. It just got worse. On Friday RBA Emeritus Tom Rosenbauer commented...

I think we may have gone beyond “character building” conditions and we now are looking at “epic”.

By then the need for a postponement was clear to everyone, but PA Rando "luxury" brevets are tricky to reschedule. As we offer both food and lodging with the event, and volunteers have time constraints, it's hard to "just change the date". Fortunately, the various logistical gears and levers were possible to re-engineer for a Sunday event. That and the volunteer workforce found a way to adapt.

Speaking of volunteers, a massive thanks goes to Iwan Barankay for handling both the start and finish as organizer. Once again, a Philly-based PA Rando event is made possible by Iwan's generosity with his time.  Iwan,  you always seem to be stepping-up when nobody else does.  

Other people who helped Iwan at Chamounix include:

• Ben Keenan: breakfast help at start, finish control
• Pat Gaffney: breakfast help and dinner help
• Brad Layman: Costco run
  
• Soph Lofaso: breakfast help (cooked oats without causing gaffneysian mess!)
• George "grandpa" Metzler: Gear delivery 
• Ryan Stanis: Chamounix concierge on Saturday night
• Everybody: really helped keeping the space neat and clean minimizing work for organizers.       
  

The brunch control at Tinicum was staffed by Chris Nadovich and Joe Ray, along with special guest star Bill Olsen who plied us with freeze dried Milk Dud "meatballs".

There were several newly minted randonneurs. Perhaps a record number! Noah Cason, Tim Crouch, Molly Gleeson, Carrie Grief, Karen Jablonski, Lucio Palazzo, Jakub Piven, Paul Schack,  Kevin Sohnly, Arrick Underhill, and Mark Wilson all completed their first brevet (did I miss anyone?) Welcome to randonneuring!

Once again, we were able to rent the Chamounix Carriage House for the club offering a wonderful space for riders to stay the night before and after the ride and to have a comfortable space to gather in after a long, hilly brevet. Ten riders from Brooklyn and Manhattan arrived Saturday (instead of Friday) to stay at the Carriage House.  

Despite the vastly improved weather on Sunday, it was still difficult to ride. Temperatures had dipped into the high 20's at the 6:30 AM start time, and runoff from the previous day's flooding froze into black ice on some road surfaces.  

Frozen runoff made riding treacherous in the morning

 

The ice caused at least three riders to crash. These wrecks were at slow speed, so there were no serious injuries -- other than to Ken Cappel's rim which was bent beyond rideability and Ken was forced to DNF. Sorry about your run of bad luck on PA brevets, Ken. 

Things might have been a lot worse at the black ice had Pat Gaffney, Noah Cason, and Nick Manta not stopped to warn the groups of riders as they came through.  Thank you Pat, Noah, and Nick. 

Later in the day the sun rose high in the clear sky and warmed things up. It became a fine day to ride a bike. 

There was some concern that there would be downed trees, power lines, and flooded roads in the aftermath of Saturday's rain, but for the most part roads were found to be in reasonable shape. There was kind've a close call with Tohickon creek near the Cabin Run covered bridge, the creek being almost exactly at road level. Fortunately, it wasn't quite over the road. 

 

One of the great things about randonneuring is how riders congratulate and acknowledge each other's accomplishment with little regard for the finish time. This especially includes a lanterne rouge who rolls in DFL.  In this case, the honor fell on Daniel Oh. It should be noted that Dan stopped for some time to render assistance to Ken Cappel. Thank you Dan!

Lanterne Rouge Daniel Oh is greeted at Chamounix

 CJ Arayata writes...

THANK YOU to both Iwan for doing all of the things that needed to be done, and to Chris for the faith in the Philadelphia brevets and a great sausage-egg-potato-pepper lunch at Tinicum! For real, I enjoyed that WAY more than the french-toast-with-bacon situation that was served last time. It felt good to dust off the RUSA number and use eBrevet for the first time (would recommend!), and also great to see record-breaking registration and a lot of new faces.

Besides the OG PA 200k, this may be one of the hardest PA courses I have ridden! The farther distance between controles coupled with very concentrated climbing in the middle left me in a calorie deficit for most of the day. The nice thing about riding with friends is that everyone can lift each other out of dark periods with camaraderie, positive vibes, and snack-sharing! Shout out to my riding companions Zack R., Rob D., and Mike R., and especially to Rob for the delicious brown-rice-and-Bragg's rice cakes and tuna sandwich at Tabora. It was great to enjoy a tailwind for the last stretch and especially wonderful to hang at the finish, meet new folks, and celebrate people's first brevet completions. I also wanted to give a special shout-out to Nicole and Soph for rallying an ever-growing Brooklyn squad to (hopefully) initiate into the dark side that is the PA Super Randonneur series! Thanks again to all of the volunteers, and until next time...  

Pat Gaffney writes...

Thanks to you, Brad, Joe, Chris and Ben for all the hard work on the ride this weekend. While I was mentally prepared for a tough slog through the rain on Saturday, I was much more pleased with a sunny Sunday ride. Thanks for making the switch. The icy patches made the first thirty or so miles interesting and the tailwind on the way back made for a nice afternoon. Thanks again, see you at the 300.

Collected photos here.

Some Strava Links.

• Nick Rogoff                                                                     
• Ross Parfetti                                                                   
• Maria Thompson                                                                  
• Chris Kline                                                                     
• Best sunglasses: Zachary Rachell                                                
• Robert dePaolis 
• Greg Lang 
• Matthew Willet                              

Join us again next month, 20 April, at Chamounix Carriage House for the next event in our Super Randonneur series, the Water and Wind 300K. This event follows the classic PA rando route to Blue Mountain, heading up through Delaware Water Gap and back through Wind Gap. 

Never rode a 300K? Why not? They really aren't that much different than a 200K. It's just a 200K plus another 100K. You have successfully ridden a 200K, right? And you know you can ride a measly100K. Why not give the 300K a go? You'll do fine! 

Information and online registration can be found on the event info website.

***UPDATE (Postponement): Covered Bridges 200K Pre-Ride Course Notes

The event has been postponed by 24 hours due to forecasted heavy rain and potential flooding. The ride will begin at 6:30am on Sunday 24 March. See the email from Iwan for more details.

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

The Covered Bridges 200K is back for a third edition as the 2024 PA Super Randonneur Series kicks off. We are very excited to have 76 riders registered for the brevet, making it our largest-ever event in PA Randonneur history! We welcome a number of riders who are new to the club and/or riding first brevets. Below is a report compiled after three club volunteers completed a "pre-ride" of the route.

Van Sandt Covered Bridge, the first of eight bridges

George Metzler, Joe Ray, and I [Brad Layman] completed our pre-ride on Saturday 16 March. Joe and I rode together, while George started about an hour earlier and rode solo. We did not encounter any road closures along the route. The latest cue sheet is Version 2 and the latest RWGPS route was updated on 2024-03-18 12:59:05 EST.

The route begins from the Chamounix Carriage House Hostel and follows suburban roads out of the city. On the way to New Hope, gently rolling hills will help riders warm up before the big hills. The second control is any business in the town of New Hope. The New Hope Ferry Market on the righthand side of Main Street has public bathrooms (open at 8am) and a coffee shop (open at 9am). There is also a Starbucks and Dunkin in the center of town (both open at 5:30am). Sadly, the beloved French bakery, C’est La Vie, permanently closed last year. Keep in mind that there is a brunch provided by the club about 20 miles later. Since the pre-riders miss out on the club brunch, we stopped at the Lumberville General Store for a nice breakfast (about 6 miles past New Hope).

Joe Ray passes the Stover-Myers Mill next to Tohickon Creek

After moving on from New Hope, the route follows the Delaware River and reaches the heart of the course, which means hills. The first is Tohickon Hill, followed by a control at Cabin Run Covered Bridge. Enjoy the reward of climbing with some nice descents on beautiful roads like Hollow Horn and Dark Hollow.

Riders will later emerge from the hills next to the river again where the club brunch is located in Tinicum Park. Club RBA Chris Nadovich and Joe Ray will be there serving food and drinks (including a vegan option). Unfortunately the park bathrooms are not available at this time of year.

From Tinicum Park, riders can see the wall-like ridge at the edge of the river valley. Shortly after brunch, riders will be heading up that ridge on the notorious Uhlerstown Hill Rd. This climb is the steepest of the route, with a gradient that reaches over 30%. There is a gate at the bottom and another at the top. I was able to ride around the first gate without dismounting thanks to someone who did some brush clearing recently. The climb doesn’t pick up for a little bit so it is possible to remount if you walk around the first gate. We all had to dismount for the gate at the top. Riders get a short respite after the climb before it picks up again on Perry Auger Rd. There is a reward of a fun descent on Kintner Hill Rd.

Gate at the bottom of Uhlerstown Hill

Ealer Hill Rd and the PAR classic Buckwampum Rd are the next big hills. Another scenic descent on Stifer Valley Rd will lead riders to the control at Knechts Covered Bridge. At this point, the most challenging hills are behind but there are some rollers on the way back to Philly. The last control before the finish is at Tabora Farm, widely known by riders in the Philly region for their baked goods. A bathroom at Tabora is unmarked and located behind the coffee counter, so you have to ask permission to use it.

Knechts Covered Bridge

This is a difficult route due to the steep hills in the middle, particularly between miles 45 and 70. None of them are long, but they are steep enough to provide a real challenge. It can also be tempting to think the last 50 miles will be an easy coast back to the city. The rolling hills and occasional waits at traffic lights can throw off your rhythm. The waits at the intersections along the 202 trail can be especially frustrating. You will probably have more fun if you don't aim for a personal best finish time on this route. Eat and drink throughout the ride, be prepared with the right gearing including a 1:1 ratio, don’t attack early in the ride, and don’t be ashamed to walk a steep section like Uhlerstown. Approach each covered bridge with caution; they are often at the bottom of hills, and the bridge surfaces are uneven and slippery, and some have wide gaps between boards.

RUSA rules (Article 10) state that riders must use a headlight and taillight in steady mode when riding before sunrise or after sunset and in conditions of limited visibility. Riders must also have reflective vests and ankle straps. Though we might have plenty of light from morning twilight, the ride officially begins about 25 minutes before sunrise. There is also a possibility that riders will finish after sunset, as well as the possibility of limited visibility if it rains. Therefore all riders will be checked at the start for functioning lights, reflective vests, and ankle straps.

Riders using the eBrevet app will be provided with a start code at check-in. Be sure to press the “Update GPS” button in the top left corner of the app before checking in to each control on the app. This will work even if the phone’s data is turned off. (Read more about the eBrevet app here.) Riders who forget to check in at a control are subject to disqualification. Riders also have the option of using the Brevet card to check in at controls. ALL riders must keep their brevet card with them throughout the ride, whether using the app or card for check-ins.

Chamounix Carriage House

We discourage you from coming by car. Ride to the start or use public transportation. If you are driving to the event, please be sure to read the parking details on the event page: "We believe that Chamounix is a generally safe place that is convenient and comfortable, but there have been instances of petty theft in the area. Do not leave valuables in your car. There should be nothing visible that might tempt thieves. If you must leave clothes and minor gear someplace during the event, it would be best to leave these inside the Carriage House, but please don't leave anything of great value. Thank you for your understanding." 

For those coming by train from New York and staying until Sunday, please note that the earliest train you can take back to New York is leaving Philadelphia 30th Street Station at 9:35am. A new rule exists that you can't take a bike on the train on Sundays arriving in New York between 9-12am. See schedule here: https://content.njtransit.com/sites/default/files/NEC-WKND-111223.pdf

Lastly, have fun, ride with friends, make some new ones, enjoy the scenery and treats along the way, and be safe. And plan to stick around afterwards at Chamounix for dinner and to share tales of your adventure.

Brad Layman

Co-organizer

Iwan Barankay

Co-organizer

Chris Nadovich

Regional Brevet Administrator

Wool Endless Mountains Liberty Bell Jerseys

We are now accepting orders for wool Endless Mountains Liberty Bell jerseys. If you order by 15 April 2024 your jerseys should be available to you before the Endless Mountains 1234K grand brevet in September. These jerseys are made by Woolistic and are available in normal weight wool in Philadelphia Eagles Green. Normal weight wool is the warmest longest lasting fabric and is available with long or short sleeves. Graphics are embroidered into these wool fabrics. There is a partial zipper on the front and pockets on the back. There are men's and women's sizes from Small to XXXL. Sizing Chart.

      

These Event Jerseys are intended ONLY for Endless Mountains Riders and Volunteers. Ordering is on the honor system. If you believe in your heart that you will either attempt to ride or really volunteer for the Endless Mountains Liberty Bell in 2024, then you may purchase one of these special jerseys.  For everyone else, ordinary PA Rando jerseys will be available later in the year, along with a second order of EMLB jerseys that will NOT arrive in time for the EMLB event in September. 

Order your jerseys at the PA Randonneurs Team Store

Thanks go to George Retseck for making arrangements with Woolistic for this new jersey design.

Stillwater 200K Ride Report

We were blessed with an excellent February day for the Stillwater 200K.  It was cold, and the moderate wind had some "bite", but the full sunshine and beautiful countryside make it all downright pleasant. All 17 of 17 who clipped in for the brevet finished in good time (100%). Congratulations and well done to all. Preliminary results have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite right.  The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified. 

The Stillwater 200K is one of the most popular PA Rando routes. This course has been used for an official 200K brevet fifteen times since 2011. It was invented by Tom Rosenbauer and is one of several brevets exploring the Great Meadow region of NJ, in and around the Lackawanna Cutoff earthworks and bridges.

Newly minted randonneur, Joaquin Padilla, was first finisher pacing in the lead group of  riders.  Of course, their "speedy" finish times were a full hour and a half slower that the sub-7-hour course record set by Scotty Steingart in 2019. Two other newly minted randonneurs, "Jean Claude" Van Lam and Tai Ta were nearer the caboose end of the train. Again, these beginners were bested by a veteran as the RBA leveraged some wrong turns and road closures to finish three minutes slower on the pre-ride, nabbing Lanterne Rouge from them.  Kidding aside, it's great to see new riders showing up for the Winter brevets. These cats obviously have what it takes to be tough randonneurs. Welcome to our sport Joaquin, Van, and Tai!

Perhaps the most impressive ride of the day was by Ello Shertzer who looked downright exhausted arriving with Ben Keenan for a sub-10 hour finish on this sneaky-tough course. Chapeau Ello!  Solid ride. 

 Ron Anderson writes....

I had a flat exactly 1 mile into the brevet. I pulled to the curb and quickly found a 1¼" decking screw fully embedded in my rear tire. The temperature was hovering right around freezing and we hadn't been riding long enough to warm up yet. As I settled to assess the situation, I watched my 14 club mates ride away up the road (several of them did ask if I was okay, but I waved them on knowing I had the tools and experience to get myself back on the road without too much delay.) IF my tire wasn't ruined. With a screw buried so deeply in the tread it was very possibly game over for me before my ride really ever got started. As it turned out, I removed the tire to find a relatively clean puncture with no damage to the sidewall or rim. I removed the screw, swapped in a fresh tube, (I always carry 2 spares on brevets,) and carefully placed an old dried out Park peel-and-stick patch as a boot on the inside of the tire. Pumped it up with my frame pump (that warmed me up a little ) and voilà, it held air just fine. At this point my hands were frozen and I was 20 minutes behind my pals, but I remounted and went on to enjoy a glorious February day on a classic and very scenic PA Rando route. I even caught up to some riders at the second checkpoint, mile 49, and enjoyed the companionship of George Retseck and Brian Fitzsimmons. for the rest of the afternoon - much better than riding solo all day...

 

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Punxsutawney Phil has predicted Winter will soon end. Thus, we now turn our thoughts to warmer weather and the SR Series events based in Philadelphia.  The first SR event, the Covered Bridges 200K,  starts from Chamounix on one of the first days of Spring:  23 March.  Hope to see you there!

Stillwater 200K Brevet Pre-ride Notes

The Stillwater 200K Brevet on February 3 is your next opportunity in the Pa Randonneurs’ R-12 schedule. The ride starts from Pohatcong Shopping Plaza in Phillipsburg, NJ. Start time is at 7AM. All the information, and an online registration link, are on the the event web page. You will find a link to the RWGPS data for the route (last modified 2024-01-28 10:38:22 EST) and links to cue sheets (version 4 is the latest).

Park near the Regal Movie theater at the start, which is also near the finish control, Franks Trattoria Italian restaurant, located between the Old Navy and the Regal movie theater in Pohatcong Plaza. Leave the parking spots by the shops to the day patrons; please park at some distance away along Bliss Blvd. Park as shown in this map.

If you need coffee or breakfast, there is a Wawa nearby, across from the WalMart. If you are driving in on I-78 from the East (eg from NYC) consider a hearty breakfast at the 24 hour Clinton diner, easy-off-easy-on, about 10 miles to the East.

Do not leave your car over by the Wawa or WalMart as we have had some trouble with the "Walmart Parking Lot Blue Light Special Security Team" in the past. 

Joe Ray's Pre-Ride Report

The pre-ride on Jan 27 was the first good all-day weather day in two weeks. The rain cleared out overnight Friday and the wind stayed fairly light. Temperatures ranged from mid 30s along the Delaware River to Milford to the mid 50s on the return leg around Stillwater. The sun made a brief appearance but otherwise it was overcast all day. In other words it was an ideal day to be out.

This route is one of my favorites. The scenery along the way is terrific and the roads generally quiet or with a wide shoulder. There are loads of “water features” along the entire course, such as the intermittent waterfalls on River Road heading to Milford which were especially active after the last few weeks, and the ice sculptures formed by water seeping out of the cliff on Martins Creek Belvidere Hwy on full display. If the temperatures this week are not too warm they may be still hanging around, otherwise there may be some broken chunks of ice on the road.

The course has five controles, plus the start/finish in Pohatcong Plaza. Every location is open, or in the case of the post office in Milford, the bagel shop next door is open.

A winter brevet can often feature loads of branches, leaves and chunks of salt from the most recent storm, but the rain and motor vehicle traffic had cleared all of the sort of hazard away. The only exception was the Pennsylvania stretch between Portland and Riverton where some of the grit was still on the road. Fortunately, there was zero grit and gravel at the bottom of the descent on Riverton Road at the sharp left turn onto Martins Creek Belvedere Highway.

The roads themselves were in good shape, with a few lateral cuts for water lines in Milford on York Road soon after departing the controle. The cuts were all filled with dirt and gravel and were not a problem but simply something to be aware of.

The stretches between controles do not generally offer much in the way of food stops; however I did make a lunch stop a few miles before the Quik Check controle at AG Pizza on Lake Iliff Road and that kids’-portion chicken parm over spaghetti was the one of best Rando lunches ever. The timing was right since the route is not very hilly at all for the next few miles.

There are a few port-a-johns along the way in case anyone needs them. One is on Cemetery Road in Independence about a mile before the controle, across the road from the fire department. During one Stillwater brevet a few years ago several if us had a long chilly wait at the controle to use their bathroom.

Hopefully the weather on February 3 will be as good. If so, then riders are in for a treat. 

RBA Note

The Lafayette Quik Check is a MERCHANT control. Anyone NOT using the eBrevet app is required to get a receipt here. You can make a small purchase or check your bank balance at the ATM. Mark your card with your arrival time and include the receipt. If you are using the eBrevet app, you don't need a receipt, but I still recommend stopping at the Quik Check if you didn't stop at AG Pizza. The QC has an indoor eating area and excellent soup. 

Enjoy the ride and be careful out there.

Hope to New Hope 2024 Ride Report

What a day for a bike ride! Snow, rain, cold and slush, not to mention an early sunset.

Nevertheless, the course was completed by an impressive 3 of 6 snowday riders, and 2 pre-riders (on a much nicer day) for an overall 5 of 8 (63%). Congratulations and well done to all. Preliminary results have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite right.  The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified. 

RBA Chris made sure everyone knew what to expect. He also wisely moved the official start up to 6AM for more pre-snow miles. 10 of the registered Randos decided caution is the better part of valor and opted to DNS. That left 6 foolhardy courageous warriors hoping to overcome the elements. Riders Patrick Gaffney, Benjamin Keenan and Andreas Prandelli all made it back to the warmth of Frank's Trattoria having bested the gods of winter. Vadim Gritsus, Dale Houck, and George Retseck  all made valiant efforts but succumbed to the forces of reason with snow packed fenders and a worsening forecast.

 

"There were very few cars, so the riding was pleasant."

Each of our three heroes finished in great spirits. In particular, Andreas seemed positively gleeful he got to go for a long bike ride. It would take much worse to deter him. All three said the final miles were especially treacherous as tire traction abandoned them. 

The yellow jersey from that "other" bike ride has nothing over Andreas triumphant in his giallo.

Every rider who registered deserves major kudos, either for the judicious decision to take a pass or to clip in and brave January's wrath.


Pat Gaffney writes... 

Patrick's mustache hardly collected any ice.

Thanks for all your efforts with eh 200 this past Saturday. Chris, for seeing us off earlier than normal and Bob for braving the storm to see us at the finish. The cold was not as bad as I thought it would be, but the snow made the last stretch of 15 miles or so some of the hardest in recent memory. Riding directly into the storm made some pretty mundane roads seem like a real slog. Thanks again, see you down the road.

Ben Keenan writes...

Thanks Bob and Chris for organizing this ride. The cold and snow in the later miles made for a memorable day. Highlights were seeing a hard frost (rare these days) on the fields outside Hope as day broke and riding under the clouds, feeling the snow in them and wondering when the storm would begin. Special thanks to Bob for staying at the end to make sure all riders got in safely (we all owe you one). Honorable mention to Pat Gaffney for leaving a good set of tracks in the snow. No need for GPS last 15 miles!

Ben Keenan had some eyewear challenges

We return to Pohatcong Plaza shopping center again next month for another Winter classic brevet, The Stillwater 200K on 3 February. Please keep an eye on this blog and the PA Rando website for possible announcements relating to this event. The brevet will be rescheduled if possible or canceled if there is a realistic chance of black ice or other unsafe riding conditions. But just a little snow? We ride on!