There was plenty of water and wind for the Water and Wind 300K, along with near freezing temperatures and up to 3 inches of fresh snow in the mountains. Of 30 registered riders, 12 brave souls clipped in at the start despite these seemingly "impossible" conditions, seven did most of the ride and five finished.
And what an epic ride it was. Proving that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear (and bad attitude), these magnificent seven riders exemplify what randonneuring is all about. Chapeau bas aux grands cyclistes!
Unfortunately, badassness and rando spirit only gets you so far. Two of our rando warriors ultimately lost the battle. Both made it about 150 miles, the equivalent of rando spitting distance from the finish, but were forced to withdraw. Anton's digestive problems became a safety hazard and Nigel's machine had a mechanical issue. Nevertheless, both had epic rides. Had their luck been a little different, they would have triumphed along with the others.
Results of the five day-of finishers, and one volunteer prerider (Pat Gaffney, who had to stop to buy sunblock on the warm sunny day as he checked out the course), have been posted.
Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite
right. The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will
become official once certified.
Thanks to Ron Anderson and Pat Gaffney for running the start, with the help of Nick Asby. Pat came back to help clean up after the finish, with the assistance of Ben Keenan, Nick VdK, and Anton Lindberg.
Among the magnificent finishers was recently minted randonneur Michael Burns who rode a memorable first 300K and clearly demonstrated that his rando mettle is true and strong.
Michael Burns writes...
Water and wind and rain and snow! Looking at the conditions leading up to the ride, I told myself that I would pull the plug as soon as I wasn’t having fun. Well, the fun never stopped! I rode my pace, took what the road gave me, and grooved the whole way. I'm fortunate to have the resources and time to spend 17 hours on bike ride!
Nigel Greene writes...
"Sometimes it snows in April"
The Wind and Water Gap 300k exceeded its name. We had wind and we had water in the form of rain, then sleet, then snow. Add to that, the Pennsylvania climbs; 10%, 12%, even 16%, so many sharp, steep climbs. And the Gaps. My legs got so tired that even the 3% grades required the easiest gear, and the patience, to keep trudging up those climbs.
Nick from Vermont and I were closely matched in pace. We often saw each other at controls and rode together for a bit.
Full rain gear, wet roads, multiple climbs, and a constant headwind made for slow progress. By the time I got to the turnaround in Delaware Gap, it was obvious that this was going to be a full value ride, at best.
Then 40 miles from the end, a mechanical led to a dilemma: do I try to botch together an uncertain solution and spend the next 3+ hours riding in the freezing dark hoping it worked or call it a day. I called it day. 148 miles and over 9000 feet of climbing in a "wintery mix" would just have to do. Overall, a few lessons learned and some Rando rust removed. Another step taken toward LEL.Here's a picture from the Village Bakery. You can see Nick in the background and the snow on the grass.
Brad Layman writes...
The first sign that it was going to be more than just April showers was when the rain turned to sleet in Bucks County. And then as we climbed up Sweet Hollow Rd over Musconetcong Mountain the rain turned to snow. But we were rewarded for dealing with the cold precipitation and headwind from the north when we reached a winter wonderland in the Delaware Water Gap. It was magical scenery from Water Gap to Wind Gap, and lucky for us the pavement was too warm for snow or ice. A lot of great PA winter riding this year had me prepared with gear dialed in for this event. Eventually it stopped raining and a friendly tailwind helped me back to the finish. Two of the three editions of the Water & Wind 300 experienced extreme weather and both were unforgettable. See you at the flèche and 400! Thank you Chris, Pat, Ron, and Nick for taking care of us today.
Nick vanderKloot writes...
Yes, water there was aplenty in all its forms and the wind made its presence known as well. It was not really a warm day either. But I happily suffer from "early onset randonesia" and just a day later I remember only the many beautiful sights: cherry blossoms contrasting with snow covered ground -like Winter not yet quite ready to give up its podium spot to Spring- ,a white streaked Delaware Water Gap, and many scenic spots along the Delaware river. Of course, I made sure I got my money's worth with more time on the bike than in the car driving down and back from VT (19hrs vs 15hrs :>). It was great riding apace with Nigel for about 150 miles.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers (Ron, Pat, Nick A, Ben) for a perfect organization and hospitality; not to mention the very warm welcome by Chris at the finish! PA Randonneurs is the best!
Next month the PA SR Series continues with the Four State 400K on 10 May, but before that adventure, we have the funnest rando event of all, the PA Flèche finishing at Chamounix on 24 April. We have teams coming in from DC, NYC, and even Massachusetts! There is still room on some teams if you want to ride. Or, if you live near Philly and want to support randonneuring, come cheer the finishing teams on Sunday morning.
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