Friday, October 14, 2022

Tscheschter Kaundi 200k ***UPDATED with Course Notes

Update from Pre-Ride

On Oct 29, a pre-ride of the Tscheschter Kaundi 200 route was completed by Brad Layman and Ben Keenan. It was a beautiful day and the fall colors were peaking. They should still be peaking in the Philly region next week, while the areas to the west will be starting to fade.

Birch Run Rd

Overall, the course is good shape. Small tweaks were made to some cues to make navigation clearer. The RWGPS file and cue sheet (version 2) are updated.

Course notes:

The parking lot of the theater, Cadence Cycling, and Fine Wine & Good Spirits is easy to spot from Main Street. Please park away from the businesses and close to Main Street. The organizer will be set up in front of the bike shop for check-in. The closest convenience store is the Shell/Dunkin on Ridge Ave in East Falls.

Be prepared for some urban riding at the start. The first six miles are along the MLK Drive, which is closed to cars on the weekends. There are barriers at the intersection of Sweetbriar Dr, but riders can get through by riding around on the left side. After crossing the bridge over the Schuylkill, look for the pergola on the right, where we turn and get on the SRT.

After the staffed control on the South St Bridge, the route moves to city streets with bike lanes. Be careful crossing the intersection of expressway ramps on the South St Bridge - wait for green straight arrows. When turning onto Baltimore Ave at mile 7.7, be extra cautious in the bike lane because there will be parked cars to your right and trolley tracks to your left. Ride slowly when crossing intersections with trolley tracks and when crossing the tracks to turn left onto Whitby Ave (mile 8.9).

Follow signs for "Bicyclists Baltimore Pike"

After crossing Cobbs Creek we leave Philly, enter Delaware County and ride through some of denser communities of the county. Follow the “Bicyclists Baltimore Pike” signs to Swarthmore.

The next section goes through some quiet, leafy neighborhoods around Media. There are road closure signs for Rose Tree Rd which can be ignored. Look for the Giant Sequoia tree in the Tyler Arboretum around mile 23.7.

There is a Wawa on the left side of Dilworthtown Rd near mile 32. This is the last chance to resupply before Cafe Metzler at mile 64. We enter Tscheschter Kaundi upon crossing the busy Wilmington Pike/US 202.

Creek Rd

The next section follows Brandywine Creek. There is a road closure in Embreeville due to a bridge closure. Ignore the closure signs and take a right on Harveys Bridge Rd.

Brad, George, and Ben at Cafe Metzler

Cafe Metzler is easy to spot as you approach on Noble Road. Look for the garage in the back. As you approach the controle, shift to an easy gear to prepare for the steep climb up the driveway on your way out. Be sure to thank George for hosting our midpoint controle.

Once you reach Ludwigs Corner around mile 91, it is mostly downhill and then flat. The next controle is an info controle at Sheeder Hall Bridge - do not cross the bridge. A short and smooth gravel section follows on French Creek Rd. There is a bridge with steel grate surface following a corner at mile 98.3. Once you cross the Schuylkill River, follow Walnut St and Port Providence Rd to the SRT.

The route leaves the SRT at mile 122.7 and takes streets through Manayunk. Once you make the left on Main St,  follow it back to the parking lot where we started. When you turn right into the lot, look for the Pencoyd Bridge. You can use the wide sidewalk or the road to cross the bridge, but note that the roadway is wide enough for only one car so look to make sure the road is clear. Be careful of bollards if using the sidewalk. The Landing Kitchen is on the left after crossing the bridge. Volunteers will be sitting on the patio outside the cafe. If the weather forecast changes to a rainy day, we will change the final controle to the Manayunk Brewery. If necessary, this change would be announced well before the day of the ride.

Riders will need lights and reflective gear at the start of the brevet and when riding after sunset. Sunrise is at 7:36 and sunset is at 17:52.

Event details and registration are available on the website. Registration is open until midnight on Wednesday, November 2.


***Original Post***

The Tscheschter Kaundi 200 is back on the calendar for November 5. The start/finish is in Manayunk, Philadelphia. Only $20 for PA members. And it includes a stop at Cafe Metzler! The last two photos were taken in early November last year on a pre-pre-ride as I was creating the route, so there should still be some fall foliage to enjoy. Event link: https://parando.org/info/event/378

South Street Bridge

Nick M passing a secret control

Entering Lancaster County

Tscheschter Kaundi scenery

Creek Road along the Brandywine


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