Tscheschter Kaundi 200K Ride Report

There was an incredible turnout of 46 riders, with 45 riders completing the course within the time limit. Thank you to all who helped spread the word about this event.

Camp Linden Rd along the Brandywine (photo by Johannes Burge)

We couldn't have asked for better weather for a November ride. The temperature started around 60 degrees as riders passed through the city. They encountered fog in the creek valleys of Delaware County but by the time they arrived on the quiet roads beyond the reach of the city, the sun came out and cleared the fog away. Temperatures reached the upper 70s by late afternoon.

Riders encountered patches of dense fog in Delaware County (photo taken by CJ Arayata)

12 riders completed their first brevet: Nicole Aptekar, John Falcone, Annie Gibson, Fran Hammond, Steve Horvath, Mackenzie King, Max Liang, Sophia Lofaso, Phil Luong, Frank Markey, Andrew Miller, and Daniel Oh. Chapeau to these new randonneurs! Every rider finished with plenty of time to spare.

Tim Gilligan cruised through and set a new course record with a time of 7:33. This was his first 200k but it must have felt like a more pleasant distance compared to his first brevet, which was the 24-hour flêche earlier this year.

Johannes Burge at the Sheeder-Hall Bridge control (photo by Alex Miklasevich)

Riders reach the South Street Bridge control (video by Iwan Barankay)

The Tscheschter Kaundi course is meant to embody the randonnée, or countryside ramble. After a short ride into Center City Philadelphia, riders eventually found themselves far away from the hustle and bustle and on quiet roads surrounded by scenic landscapes. They encountered two controls located on bridges: one that brought riders face-to-face with the city, and a historic covered bridge where all that can be heard is the peaceful trickle of French Creek. In addition to the scenery changing, the traffic on the road even changed as riders passed horse-and-buggies in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. 

Vadim Gritsus encountered a different kind of traffic (photo by Mario Claussnitzer)

Riders on Apple Grove Rd (photo by CJ Arayata)

A special thank you to George Metzler for opening Cafe Metzler for us. The Cafe is especially helpful on this ride because it provides a friendly spot to recharge at the farthest point from the start/finish. This is part of what makes this event great for riders new to randonneuring. George even opened the cafe the weekend prior to the event for the pre-riders. Along with the October events, he has hosted many randos this season.

Keean Mansour and Ryan Stanis depart Cafe Metzler and begin their attempt to ride back to Philly hands free (photo by CJ Arayata)

CJ displays his stamp from the Cafe Metzler control

Another special thank you to Mackenzie King and Cadence Cycling for opening the shop bathroom and cafe for us at the start. 

Riders gather in front of Cadence Cycling for the start (photo by Ken Cappel)

This ride would not be possible without the support of volunteers. In addition to George's and Mackenzie's help, Ben Keenan participated in the pre-ride and helped with the start control; Iwan Barankay helped with the South St Bridge control; Amanda Jones-Layman helped with the South St Bridge and finish controls; Ivan Umble helped George at Cafe Metzler; Phil Mitch helped with the finish control; and Chris Nadovich provided help with the planning and organizing of the event. Travis Berry completed a pre-ride with the intention of volunteering, but unfortunately fell ill before the event.

Ben Thompson being greeted by Bill Scanga and Pat Gaffney at the finish

The Landing Kitchen made for a great finish as riders and friends gathered to share stories. Thanks to the weather, we did not need to warm up around the fireplaces like we did last year.

Max Liang is checked-in at the finish by volunteers Amanda Jones-Layman and Phil Mitch

Bob Olsen and Gilbert Torres arrive at the finish, along with Dawn Engstrom, Nigel Greene, Ello Shertzer, CJ Arayata, and just out of picture: Erik Wright and Phil Luong

Chris Nadovich, Sophia Lofaso, and Nicole Aptekar reach the finish

Vadim Gritsus writes:

Thank you for organizing a great event. This is by far one of the gentlest PA courses and nice weather did not hurt either. The highlight was a smooth finish on the bike path along Schuylkill River. Great ride and thank you for all the support!

CJ Arayata writes:

Thanks so much for arranging such beautiful weather for yesterday's brevet! I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting many of my old Brandywine Bicycle Club / West Chester Cycling Club stomping grounds, stopping for a rest at *the* Cafe Metzler (now with official brevet card stamp!), enjoying the vast openness of rural riding, and soaking in the scenery and fall colors, It was fun to catch up with the PA Rando veterans and meet many new faces on the same ride. Seeing the "new generation" donning the club colors brought a smile to my face!

Thanks to you, George, Iwan, and Amanda for putting on a great event yesterday. I really appreciate everything you and Iwan are doing to help sustain and grow out our Philadelphia rando community, so another big THANK YOU for running these shows so I don't have to :). My photos from yesterday are here. 

I recommend checking out CJ's photo album linked above. His photos form a ride report of their own.

Chris Nadovich writes

A great day on the bike with great weather. Spent time catching up with old friends and making some new friends. The scenery was spectacular -- almost more of a Fall Classic than the so-named "classic" last month. 

The day was extra sweet for me (as freshly minted RBA) because Brad Layman ran the whole show and did a flawless job of it. Excellent work Brad! With professional-quality volunteers like Brad organizing great events with expanded attendance, the future of our sport is secure here in Eastern PA.

Preliminary results for the brevet are posted. Please review the results and inform me if anything needs to be corrected. The results will be submitted to RUSA for final verification.

Up next is the Rotated Y.A.R.R. 200k on December 3. The ride will start and finish just outside Philadelphia at the Port Providence trailhead of the Schuylkill River Trail. 

Also, be on the lookout for a new SR series with starts and finishes in Philadelphia in 2023. The dates are on the club website but the details are still in the works. Two of the longer rides (400 and 600) will be paired with a 200k.

Brad Layman
Event Organizer