September Brevet - Hawk Mountain Ride Report

Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://parando.org/PA200k_Results150912.pdf
Results will be submitted in a couple of days to RUSA, and then become final pending ACP certification.

After weeks of hot, dry conditions, riders on the Hawk Mountain brevet got wet.  Really wet.  Early forecasts indicated scattered showers for much of the day with probabilities and intensity increasing toward the day's end.  The rain started early and never really stopped until after 6 pm.  Weather notwithstanding, all 20 riders who started under partly cloudy skies in the morning finished.  Another 100% completion under challenging conditions.  The completions are more impressive when one considers that four riders were attempting their very first brevets.  Congratulations to freshly minted randonneurs Larry Collins, Paul Curry, Steven Schoenfelder, and Julius Silberman-Gorn.

Zach Goodrich weathered the event to claim his first R12 which included the PA 600k in May.  Congratulations!  Equally impressive was watching Zach and the three friends he convinced to join him on the event squeeze their soggy selves and four bikes into a compact sedan at the finish for the trip home.  

The perseverance award goes to Ed Schantz.  Ed experienced a mechanical early in the day which put him alone at the back in the rain for most of the day.  He arrived in good shape and smiling.   True randonneuring spirit.

Patrick Gaffney writes:   I thought that the course was great.  Although the clouds and rain hampered some of the views there was still plenty to enjoy.  I particularly like the old rail trail and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very rideable even in the heavy rain.  It was also nice to have some nice riding companions when the rain was at its heaviest; which made the time pass a little more quickly.  Thanks again.  It's worth noting that Patrick rode on a single-speed bike and managed to be among the first finishers.  Well done!

Greg K. writes:   Thank you Andrew for organizing such a nice route. The smooth tar on the decent from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was a treat but the rain and more conservative riding soon set in. I finally got caught in a true rando rain, my rain repellent fenders did not scare the rain away this time. The Harrisburg gauge said 1.98 inches for the day. My guess is that the depth on the road was at least that much, at times my tire was submerged in running water.  FYI: My cue sheet was printed on “Rite in the rain” paper, an despite it sitting in a puddle for the last 4 hours of the ride it is still 100% in tact and legible.  This product actually works.   The company of Gavin, Patrick, Don, Peter and Jono and a popup visit from Tom made this one of my most enjoyable rides despite the “humidity.” Thanks to all. 

Next up we return to our PA Rando headquarters in Quakertown for everyone's favorite fall classic 150/200k events on October 17. Event details have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/PA150_200K_A.html

Andrew Mead
-organizer