Ride Summary: Blue Mountain 400

Photo by Rudi Mayr

Preliminary results from the 400k brevet have been posted at:
http://parando.org/PA400k_Results170520.pdf

Preliminary results from the 200k brevet are posted at:
http://parando.org/PA200k_Results170520.pdf

Results will be submitted in a couple of days to RUSA, and then become final pending ACP certification.

By all accounts the reverse running of the Blue Mountain 400 (dubbed Mountain Blue by some) was a success.  There was a little rain and the winds were never really favorable all day, but all 18 riders who clipped in at Quakertown unclipped after negotiating 400 kilometers of viewing the Blue Mountain from all angles.   Several riders finished in 20 hours or less, always a significant accomplishment, led by ultra-racer speedster Sean Connelly who flew around in 16:21. 

Aleksey Vishnyakov writes:  

Just wanted to thank you and all volunteers, especially Guy H and Bill for such a great brevet. That was my first 400K and first ride west of the Little Gap. An excellent course and scenery. My favorite in the late evening view of Delaware Water Gap from Portland bridge.
Also thanks to Eoghan for towing me from second controle to Wind Gap!
I placed my recap here: http://alwayseasygear.blogspot.com/2017/05/mountain-blue-400k-eastern-pa-brevet.html

Well worth the read as Aleksey had a little more excitement that he lets on.

Rudi Mayr also sent in a note:

I took quite a few photos on Saturday, and uploaded some of them to Flickr.  Please feel free to share as you see fit.

Here's the album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm1eKQPK

(The photo of me is by Greg Keenan.)

After two separate course checkout rides with three sets of eyes, Rudi managed to find a remaining miscue in the cue sheet which resulted in an additional scaling of Second Mountain (that steep ridge to the north on the return legs).  Sorry about that Rudi.

And Jimmy Asparas writes:

Thanks to you (I understand how monumental of a task it is to rewrite an entire cue sheet) and all of the volunteers that put this ride on. It is definitely a huge sacrifice to donate your time to waiting around for hours for riders to come in.

As was the case with the 300k, the forecast promised no rain and cloudy skies, and mother nature delivered wet roads and drizzling rain, though not enough to soak any of us through. I had the misfortune of breaking a spoke about 20 miles in. Sean gave me some electrical tape to keep the spoke from doing any damage, and I loosened my brake cable. But when we started up again, it was clear that the tire was rubbing the frame, so I told Sean to ride ahead and thanked him for his offer of help. It was nice in a way though because when I was just about done, CJ rolled up, and we had the opportunity to catch up all the way to the first controle.

Sometime after this I caught up to Doug, and we rode about 50 or so miles together. I had initially thought about just trying to breeze through Blondies. Doug kept talking about egg salads and other great food there, and as we got closer, the idea of sitting down for a few minutes grew more and more appealing. I had a great black and white milkshake with sweet potato fries that powered me through the rest of the ride. After the truck stop, I ran into Matt F. & co and briefly rode up ahead before they caught me again and helped me limp back to the hostel.

Two things about the course that I think most people will have a similar opinion on: thank you, thank you, thank you for not taking us down Foul Rift Rd/River Rd after the crossing into Belvidere. Belvidere Rd was a bit more highly trafficked, but my legs were thankful for the gentler climb. Also, I definitely have a better understanding of the animosity that riders have for Gallows Hill Rd. I never thought it was all that bad, but riding on it in the dark after a day of hard riding really adds a whole other element to it.

Finally, thanks to the organizing team of Bill Olsen, Guy Harris, and Chris Nadovich for pulling off yet another successful brevet.  Volunteers Bob Torres and James Haddad also stepped up and pitched in to make sure things went smoothly and provide a little relief to the organizers.  We all should appreciate their dedication to the event:  Bob rode the initial course checkout ride on a cold, rainy day a couple weeks ago.  James and Guy conducted a second check a few days before the brevet in 90+ degree heat.

Next up is the 600k on June 10 with the 200k companion ride scheduled for June 11.  We will be using the traditional 600k route and are currently checking cues and making our usual minor refinements based on lessons learned.  Watch this space for more details.

Andrew Mead

Eastern PA RBA