Stillwater 200k Retour Ride Report

Photo compliments of Chris N.

Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/PA200k_Results151101.pdf
...Please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted shortly, and become final, pending RUSA certification.

The 40% chance of rain in the forecast never materialized.  Clouds in the morning gave way to some peeks of sunshine with very mild temperatures for this time of year. All 25 starters made it to the finish in good time for another 100% finish,  -- congratulations and well done for an excellent result. Of note, first finisher Ed B. set a new course record of 8:04, despite logging an extra 5 miles when his Garmin GPS went haywire.  Ed completed PBP this year in Charly Miller time (under 56:40) -- you can read all about his preparations at:
http://pbpfaq.blogspot.com/2015/11/charly-miller-society-member-ed.html
Next up for Ed, is the 24 Hour World TT Championship next week in Borrego Springs where he hopes to crack 400 miles.  Best of luck to him for a successful and safe race!

Jeff G writes: "... I waited for 2 weeks with great anticipation for this ride and I must say I was not disappointed. The smells of autumn, the remnants of the fall leaves, the beautiful lakes with their reflections, the great views while riding across the ridge lines and the haunting ride across the “Shades of Death Road”, ( at least I found “Hope” to carry on at the end of this road), made for a memorable day.  Thanks for devoting so much time and effort to these events. I truly do enjoy them...."

Photo compliments of Chris N.

Mordecai S. writes: "...Beautiful scenery, light traffic, roads mainly in very good condition, great weather, and the camaraderie of fellow randonneurs made for a perfect day on the bike.  I really liked the start at the bakery (it was nice to head out after warming up with good coffee), the finish at Ship Inn, and everything in between.  The Tunnel Road climb wasn't quite as hard as I remembered, and there was the bonus of knowing that I'd be rewarded with mostly downhill roads to the finish. Thank you for creating this great route, thanks to Norman, Jon, and Len for volunteering, and thanks again to Patrick and Cecilie for giving me a cue sheet, since I had unaccountably neglected to print one out. Congratulations on successfully guiding the Eastern PA series for ten years....."

Fixed-gear rider Chris N. writes: "...Thanks for organizing the ride this past Sunday - it was great to be back riding in PA. Thanks to volunteers Norm, Jon and Len for making the day run so smoothly..."
Chris took some fantastic pictures along the course which can be viewed here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153021634381853.1073741855.696631852&type=1&l=dccd1bc209

Jim H writes: "...Just a brief note to thank you for yesterday's ride.  Thanks also to Norm and Jon.  And Len, who was cheering me on Javes Road as I neared the finish.  Some decent pockets of late autumn color along the route and, as usual, a very nice post-ride atmosphere at the Ship Inn...."

Patrick and Cecilie. write: "...Just a quick note to say thanks for the wonderful ride yesterday.  Cecilie and I had a great time enjoying some truly beautiful scenery and what was left of the Fall colors.  As I mentioned to some of the guys as we pulled into Nykun's, a trip down Shades of Death Road seemed very appropriate for a 200K on the Day of the Dead.  Also, many thanks to Norman and Jon for seeing us off and Jon and Len for meeting us at the finish. ..."

If you have any other comments or pictures to share, you can forward them to me for inclusion on the PA Message board.

Your safety is the number priority on an Eastern PA event. Please mention any safety hazard you might have spotted, or near-miss incident you saw. We value this feedback highly and it will help PA Randonneurs improve the next edition of the event.

Special thanks to a large number of volunteers who stepped up to make this event possible: Len Z not only helped with the course checkout the weekend before, but also manned controle 3, swept the course on the way back to the finish, and helped man the finish controle - whew! Organizer Norman S. ran the start controle and sent the riders on their way. Jon C. helped out at both the start and finish controles.  And Bill O. and Chris N. wrapped up the finish controle, collecting the SPOT trackers and getting the brevet cards back to me.

The Eastern PA fall series continues with the brand new Milford 100k populaire on November 15th.  This course is based on the lower loop of the Blairstown 200k we ran last December.  Hopefully, some of the colorful fall foliage will still be around by then.  Take note that this is another rare Sunday event.  Event details have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/Milford100k.html
Use the on-line registration form by 5PM on November 13th if you would like to join the roster.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA