A pre-ride of the Rusty Rail 200K was conducted by the organizer on 8/22, and lord, did I pick a beautiful day to ride! The route was generally in good shape, but stay tuned as there is a new detour for 2023. After the Milroy control at mile 41, you will spend a fair amount of time on East Back Mountain Rd. Do not let the massive piles of horse dung that litter this lane distract you from the potholes created by metal horseshoes in the middle and the longitudinal gouges cut by the buggy wheels along the sides of the pavement. But do look up once in a while to enjoy the spectacular views.
It was all rainbows and unicorns, with three of the epic climbs behind me when I hit the mandatory "Road Closed" sign on Miller Road. PenDot did not consult me and decided to replace the bridge over Laurel Run in the midst of this event. In the tradition of PA Randonneuring, I considered both a dangerous creek ford and an illegal closed-bridge crossing, but, it turned out neither were viable options. Thankfully, the construction crew was not present, so I danced across the rebar, barely making it to the other side.
So, the route was modified to eliminate a beautiful but rugged back road segment, reducing route length by one mile and vertical ascent by a few feet.
So..be sure you download the RWGPS route after this is posted in order to have the 2023 detour included. Trust me, you do not want to try to cross this bridge with Look cleats. Cue sheet version 4 (or later) is the proper one.
After conquering the fourth epic climb that is Tussey Mountain, you are rewarding with a commanding view of Happy Valley from the Jo Hays Vista.
Entering the Sheetz at Centre Hall (mile 86.7) can be tricky due to high traffic volume in this area, I elected to cross the intersection and turn left into the Sheetz driveway about 60 yards past the traffic light.
I used the eBrevet app on my iPhone to record my passage. Believe me, this is the ONLY WAY TO GO and eliminates the need to hassle clerks to sign your brevet card or gather receipts. BUT, you need to enter the FINISH CODE provided by the app on your brevet card in ink or blood. During the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon 200k I got all excited about getting the green checkmarks on my app at each controle and neglected to enter the FINISH CODE at the end. OK, the driving rain, wind, and lightning may have been a distraction. But because of this omission I received a SRBAR (Stern RBA Reprimand), which granted, is better than a DQ. So my final recommendation is to load the eBrevet app on your smartphone NOW so you can use it on the ride. AND ENTER THE DAMN FINISH CODE AND SIGN YOUR CARD AT THE END!
Y'all have a nice ride, hear?!
-Steve Schoenfelder, ride organizer and scofflaw
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