Van Sandt Covered Bridge, the first of eight bridges |
Joe Ray passes the Stover-Myers Mill next to Tohickon Creek |
Gate at the bottom of Uhlerstown Hill |
Knechts Covered Bridge |
Chamounix Carriage House |
Van Sandt Covered Bridge, the first of eight bridges |
Joe Ray passes the Stover-Myers Mill next to Tohickon Creek |
Gate at the bottom of Uhlerstown Hill |
Knechts Covered Bridge |
Chamounix Carriage House |
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.
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...
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!
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.
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 |
Start yet another year with the same old New Hope 2 New Hope 200K brevet on 6 January 2024 (in no way commemorating the Capitol attack). 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 event web page.
You will find a link to the RWGPS data for the route (last modified 2023-01-6 13:14:28 EST) and links to cue sheets (version 1 is the
latest). There have been no changes in the route from last year.
Park 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.
A pre-ride was conducted on 29 December by Chris Nadovich and Bob Dye.
Bob Dye writes...
The Hope to New Hope Pre-Ride PA Rando Parable.
When you volunteer to do a pre-ride you can choose the date to ride anytime within a two week window prior to the ride. Chris Nadovich and I chose Friday the 29th based on what the meteorologists were prognosticating - and boy, did we nail it! The temp reached into the fifties with plenty of sunshine and zero precipitation. Not bad for the end of December.
The Hope to New Hope 200K route is a lopsided figure eight with the start, finish and 47 mile controle in the same approximate location. This way you can have provisions and alternate apparel stashed in your car for a mid-ride re-fresh. It's designed for safe winter riding with many major roads with smooth wide shoulders. The early, northern loop was particularly smooth. Pothole season has not yet begun. The second loop had a few somewhat rugged stretches and some flood debris which should hopefully be gone by the weekend. Nothing too alarming. I'm pleased to report the restrooms at Bull Island (mile 79.1) were open and heated.
Expect a plethora of perambulating pedestrians in New Hope. You'll probably want to continue walking your bike for a bit after crossing the bridge from Lambertville.
As Chris will now doubt warn you, you may need to ignore your GPS at the end of Greenwich Road (miles 2.5 & 49.5). It's a left the first time and right the second time. My Garmin yelled at me both times.
Good luck Saturday and I look forward to seeing your cold and smiling faces at the finish!
Plenty of parking.... for bikes! |
Newly-minted randonneurs Maria Thomson and Ross Perfetti (center). We look forward to seeing what you accomplish in 2024! |
The R.E.Load Bags x Coast Cycles PBP Dream Team |
Kate and Ello agree: Randonneuring needs more hardstyling and gender diversity! |
Brad, Iwan, Ryan, and Gerik |