Preliminary results for the Hollywood Hotdog 200K have been posted to the website. Please review the results and let us know if any corrections are needed. Results will be sent to RUSA and will become final pending RUSA confirmation. Twenty riders, including three pre-ride volunteers clipped in for the final Eastern PA brevet of 2023. All riders made it back in good time for a 100% completion rate!
Relatively mild, but damp, conditions greeted the riders at the start. As the day progressed the skies cleared and the temperatures climbed up onto the 50's. Not bad for December! While the 8:00 am start provided a very comfortable schedule for the organizer to get to the start, it meant that there was little more night riding than is expected on a 200K.
The route was a nice way to wrap up the year as it had a little bit of everything; car free trails, suburban meandering, Delaware River crossing, scenic farmland, and of course a major climb. All of the riders seemed to be in good spirits as they came into the finish and satisfied with their rides. Of note Michael Mauel completed his first Eastern PA brevet, congratulations and welcome to the club!
Some evocative pictures are below and here is a folder with even more: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SvxzT5rqvbknUMmo6
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| Iwan modeling his new helmet liner |
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| Heading out on damp roads. Photo by Matt McClone |
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| piglets at Tabora. Photo by Ello Shertzer |
Ben Keenan writes:
"Thanks a million to Pat, Iwan and Chris for organizing a great day of riding. It was a worthy end to a great year, and a good way to clear mind and spirit before the onslaught of the holidays. The stretches along the Delaware River were beautiful with the mist rising off (even if they did allow time for memories better bequeathed to a handsomely-paid therapist to creep in!). I can also report the hills from Easton to the Wassergas General Store have not gotten any easier since the last time I attempted to, uh, “ride” up them. Thanks to all the riders that shared the miles and catching up afterwards at the Iron Hill Pub was a great way to end the day. Hope to see everyone at a ride soon!"
"Strangely warm December day. Shorts weather though! Foggy at the start and foggy at the end. No precipitation but wet roads all day. Caught a puncture in the Southampton area shortly after leaving the unscheduled stop at the Wawa because someone (will remain unnamed) forgot their water bottles. Sealant, well, sealed, and didn't lose much tire pressure at all. Heard a loud crash in one of the small towns on the Jersey side. Pickup truck was not paying attention and crashed into the back of a minivan. Lunch at a hot dog stand and traffic-watching at the Free Bridge tells you a lot about humanity (and their lack of patience).A small, delicious cider donut at Tabora Farms (and some free samples) and off to the last checkpoint/finish. Legs were pretty dead towards the end so thankful that the last few miles were downhill. 4.5 hours in the dark! Thanks again (and so much more for and to the volunteers) for another great day on the bike!"
"I had a great time yesterday! I kept thinking about how different the weather was from last year’s December ride (thank goodness)! I really enjoyed some of the scenery on this ride, especially in the fog in the first half. Great route with some good challenging climbs (*shakes fist at Pat Gaffney Hill and Lower Saucon*) and spicy fun descents. And the highlight was definitely the piglets at Tabora. I asked one of the employees what the deal was with the piglets and she didn’t even know they were out there, so that was kind of funny. Big thanks to Iwan, Pat, and Chris!"
"Thank you to Patrick, Iwan, Chris and any other volunteers/organizers for another well-organized and executed PA brevet. I’m proud to say we discovered an entirely new cycling technique by drafting while walking across the bridge to Easton. I will remember this day for the world’s slowest pace line."
"Nigel Greene's "Breakfast in the Burbs" perm transforms nicely into a
proper PA Rando 200K with Gaffney Hill and the Koalburg (Lower Saucon)
climbs added.
It couldn't have been too, too hard given that 100% of the riders
finished. The fact that it was a nice day with no wind and moderate
temperatures in the 50s probably had something to do with that good
result. Also, while I was hanging out at Jimmy's and greeting riders
at the control. I noticed that many of them had one or
more of the signature Hot Dogs. Surely a Jimmy's hot dog is a
rando climbing superfood.
There was a nice rando gathering at the Iron Hill finish, with many
of the early finishers hanging around to cheer the final arrivals. It's
always great to see that.
Thanks to Iwan and Pat for running a great event. See you all next
month at the latest reversion of the New (but somehow always
the same) Hope to New Hope."
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