Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Endless Mountains Liberty Bell 1234K Course Notes

A full, self-supported pre-ride of the Endless Mountains 1234K was completed by Pat Gaffney and Brad Layman on 12-15 September. Chapeau to these two brave and indefatigable randonneurs for accomplishing this audacious task. 


Not only did they ride the difficult course with panache, they took the time to make detailed notes along the way. Their notes have been incorporated into version 9 of the official route that has a link to the full RWGPS data last modified 2024-09-17 23:09:28 EDT.  For those of you that need the route split to fit into a limited GPS unit, for your convenience we have unofficially split the data into Day1, Day2, Day3, and Day4.  Be aware that last minute route changes might not make it into the unofficial split version. Check the official route info page to be sure. 

You should carefully study the cue sheet that is available on the the official route info page and carry a paper copy (or at least a PDF on your phone). Refer to it!  It's OK if you mostly use your GPS for navigation, but the cue sheet contains important notes, including safety warnings that might not display on your particular GPS. Many cues have comments about nearby available services and riding strategy. Our volunteers have spent many hours curating this route and compiling detailed cues. Use their work to your advantage. Ignore the cuesheet at your peril. Don't ride blindly with only GPS.

Course Notes

The course is very difficult, especially day1. If you have trouble, don't despair. It's not you. Keep riding. Many people hit their darkest times at around mile 166-210. It doesn't matter if you have to walk -- keep moving. If you have one goal for this event, it should be to get through this soul sucking section. If you make it through those difficult miles, you will ride on in relative ease to the first overnight.  Then, if you somehow get your ass back on the bike day 2,  you'll almost certainly finish the whole damn thing. 

Road Closures and Construction

The preriders noted several construction zones and closures along the course. Refer to the cue sheet for details. Based on their experience, generally speaking the course is in good shape and you should be able to get through everywhere without bonus miles. That said, closures on Pennsylvania roads appear and disappear daily.  You should never enter an area illegally or ride where it is unsafe. Get off your bike to walk, or go another way. 

Old Mine Rd (mi 112) is the oldest road still in use in the country. Dating back beyond before the US was founded, this road has been long in need of repair -- but seems to be forever ignored by it's federal caretakers (blame the George Washington administration, I guess).  Nevertheless, this road travels through beautiful countryside along the Delaware and is worth savoring. It's home to diverse wildlife, including many black bears. Old Mine Road is fun to explore. The bears won't bother you but the potholes could swallow a grizzly, so pay attention -- especially on descents. Even the smaller descents have wheel-pretzeling-ditches hidden on them. There's a "closed" section (noted in the cuesheet) blocked of with concrete barriers. You should be able to carry over the barriers and continue without issue, but do be careful. Look out for debris, potholes, and animals.

The Dingman's Ferry bridge (mi 126) is a gem -- and one of the few bridges across the Delaware you can legally ride. Unfortunately, it's often closed for maintenance. We believe it should be open on the day of the ride. The cuesheet notes a possible detour using 206/209 if the bridge is still closed when you get there. This detour adds some bonus miles. Cross your fingers that Dingman's wonderful old bridge is open for you.

Little Pine Rd (mi 350) is a long, gentle descent along the splendid creek for which it's named. After the brutal climbs that came before, Little Pine road is a welcome treat.  At  the end of the road when you reach the control in Waterville, you'll find even a better treat as they have excellent ice cream, albeit dodgy WiFi. Sadly, recent storms washed out some bridges on Little Pine, which are now being repaired. The preriders were able to get through, needing to walk only once, but YMMV. Look out for longitudinal cracks on some of the bridges that could swallow a tire. Should it turn out that this road is impassable, there will be a detour offered that takes 287 to 973 to 44. When you get to 44 on this detour you will be at course mile 367.6 where you can turn left and continue forward on the course. No need to backtrack to the Waterville control if you were forced to take this Little Pine detour on  287.

General thoughts shared from Pre-ride                    

Here's how Brad and Pat described the days.                    

  • Day 1 is a long one with a lot of climbing. Expect a late arrival at the overnight hotel. Mile 166 to 210 is a particularly difficult stretch with several steep climbs. The last 28 miles are flat.                               
  • Day 2 is pleasant with long flat and downhill sections. The stretch from  Towanda to Liberty has some tough exposed climbs that add up. Once you get to Liberty, there is a nice, long gradual descent to McConnell's General  Store. The last 20 miles of the day are downhill and go by quickly.             
  • Day 3 is a blast. The climbs are tough but there are only four. We took advantage of the shorter day with a relaxed meal at the Rusty Rail Brewery. Note that it closes at 8pm. Easy 9 mile ride back to the hotel.     
  • Day 4 has a lot of shorter hills and exposed terrain. Last 20 miles on the  SRT will go by quickly. Pat said we went "from endless mountains to endless hills" and that was spot-on.                                                    

Each day ends with a relatively easy and quick ~20 miles.               


 

     

 

   

Monday, September 16, 2024

2024 Rusty Rail 200K Ride Report

 Four intrepid riders accepted the challenge of the 5th running of the Rusty Rail 200k, successfully assaulting the four epic climbs and finishing the event with aplomb, resulting in a 100% completion rate for 2024.  We were graced with two guest riders on the course: Brad Layman and Patrick Gaffney, pedaling their way through the PA Randonneurs' Endless Mountains Liberty Bell 1234K pre-ride.

Brad and Pat arrive in Lewisburg after riding 440 miles

George

Nigel

Paul

Brad

Pat


Thursday, September 5, 2024

Rusty Rail 200k Pre-ride Report

A pre-ride of the Rusty Rail 200k course was conducted on September 4th by me.  In 2024, we return to the original route since the bridge on Miller Rd (mile 64) is back in place.  


The roads are generally in good condition, however, heavy regional rain resulted in a few gravel washes that cross the road and deep erosion of a number of the drainage ditches that line the shoulder.


Back Mountain Road (mile 42), that follows the Milroy controle features the usual deep longitudinal ruts torn out by buggy wheels.  Try not to land your front wheel into one of them.  There is also a fun central depression of the lane from shod horse hooves.  I found it best to ride in the the center of the road when possible.  All attempts to avoid riding through the horse poop on this road are futile-adjust!


Try to suppress your inner Wout van Aert and take care on the steep mountain descents!  Past events have seen crashes on both Ulsh Gap and Tussey Mountain.  Please spare me the paperwork.


The route is generally on tranquil roads, but there are a few high traffic areas to note.  For the most part, there is not a rideable shoulder on the Stone Mountain climb on PA-305 (mile 53).  Stay as far right as possible and hold your line as the cars and trucks blast past.  The climb up Tussey Mountain on PA-26 (mile 65) also involves high speed traffic, but there is a wide shoulder to ride in.  I used a full lane on these two descents when my speed exceeded 25 mph.


The PA-45 intersection at the Centre Hall Sheetz controle (mile 87) can be dangerous due to high traffic volume.  I recommend entering the left turn lane, and then using the curb cut on the corner once you cross PA-45 (immediate right turn).  This will get you onto a sidewalk that leads to the Sheetz parking lot.  When exiting this controle, travel south (same direction, away from PA-45) through the parking lot and exit carefully onto PA-144/Old Fort Rd via a left turn.


The Rusty Rail 200k is a beautiful, but challenging ride.  Bonne route and godspeed to all souls brave enough to clip in at the start on September 14th.


Respectfully,


Steven J. Schoenfelder, RUSA #10659



Jo Hays Vista at the top of the Tussey Mountain climb overlooking Happy Valley