Water Gap 200/300k Ride Report

High Point State Park
Photo compliments of Doug Haluza

19 riders clipped in for the newly revised Water Gap 300k and 4 others for the 200k for a total of 23 participants.  All but 2 (due to mechanicals) of the 300k riders finished -- congratulations to all. Preliminary results have been posted at
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k300k_Results130504.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted this week, and become final, pending RUSA/ACP certification.

Although a bit chilly the start, there can't be too many complaints about the weather which is as close to ideal as you can get in spring. Temperatures at the start were in the low 40F's, but dipped into the 30F's in some of the valley roads.  By afternoon, temperatures were well into the 70F's, and the bright sunny skies probably made it feel much warmer than that.  That +40 degree swing made it feel like getting all four seasons in one day, as Chris Nadovich quipped at the finish.

Of note, Dan Brown completed his very first brevet.  Although Dan has only recently returned to cycling, he has already completed a big challenge with this year's Crush the Commonwealth ride, where he met fellow PA Randonneurs, Norman Smeal, Jon Clamp, and Gavin Biebuyck. And thanks to that fortuitous meeting, Dan has discovered the world of randonnuering.  Also of note, Flavio Pardo and Gloria Safar successfully completed their very first 300k.

Special thanks to volunteers Norman Smeal, Jon Clamp, and Gavin Biebuyck who completed a check-out ride and made sure the cuesheet was as accurate as possible.  Norman also manned the start controle, getting breakfast ready, registering riders, and sending everyone on their way.  And Gavin manned the finish controle, checking in riders and serving the post-ride meal.

Guy Harris, riding a fixed-gear bike, still managed to somehow finish in under 15 hours.  Guy writes: "...Many thanks for the ride yesterday. And, to Norman and Gavin for helping out. The climb over High Point and the section down to Stillwater was great..."

200k participant, Janice Chernekoff writes: "..Thanks for a great ride yesterday.  The route between Danielsville and Delaware Water Gap was stunning, and I had the best grilled cheese sandwich ever at the pie shop...real bread and cheese and excellent pickles on the side.  Please convey my sincere thanks to all of the volunteers as well...."
Unfortunately, although Janice finished the ride, she could not be recognized as an official finisher, since she had previously completed a volunteer ride for the NJ300k, which was also scheduled for May 4th.  The rules do not allow you to have two results posted for overlapping events scheduled on the same day.

Chris Nadovich writes: "..It was very enjoyable version of the WG300 -- a nice mix of old and
new.  Thanks to Norman for helping at the start. And thanks for a nice topological conundrum. A loop course that had an odd number (3) of encounters with the AT? How is this possible unless
we circumnavigated Katahdin or Springer? Come to think of it, with all the climbing, it sure felt like we did exactly that! ..."
Chris has posted a couple of pictures at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9jo5yr117eodpx1/yxRazLh6Pl#/

Andrew Mead writes: "...I really enjoyed the latest changes to the Water Gap route. Definitely a keeper!  The High Point State Park climb was challenging, but not disproportionately so.  The views from the top were spectacular and made it worth the effort.  If only that right turn coming off the mountain could have been a little further down the hill so we could more fully enjoy the roll-out.  
.... Special thanks to Norman & Gavin for superb start-finish work.  ..."

Robin Landis writes: "...Just a quick note to thank you for offering a great 300K yesterday!  The weather (for which I give you full credit) couldn't have been better.  The route was spectacular, and the spring scenery--flowering trees of all varieties, forsythia, daffodils and tulips--spectacular.  As we have come to expect, the cue sheet was exemplary--even I, the poster child for directionally challenged people, didn't manage to log any bonus miles on this brevet.  I had great riding companions--Andrew Mead, Jeff Butts and (at controles, when we managed to catch up to him) Guy Harris.  I especially want to thank Norm and Gavin for their efforts as volunteers.  Norm was bright and cheerful and positive at 3:00 am (no mean feat) and Gavin couldn't have been more welcoming and encouraging at the hostel afterwards.  Their friendly faces and cheerfulness made all the difference..."

It was wonderful to see Doug Haluza fully recovered from his January brevet mishap and having him clipping-in again with us.  Doug writes: "...Glad to be back, and glad you're glad too. Weather was perfect, and I was not, but I lived to tell about it..."
Doug has posted some pictures at:
http://instagram.com/dhaluza

300k first finisher, Don Jagel writes: "... Many thanks for putting together the 300K brevet this past weekend.  The route was thoroughly enjoyable and challenging. After a chilly start that included tights, full finger gloves, a shell, and helmet liner, the day finely turned into a perfect sunny day with dry roads.  From the start, a group of us had a pleasantly paced ride to the control in Danielsville.  Not wanting to sit too long and let the muscles tighten up before the climb over Blue Mountain, I headed out by myself.  By the Water Gap it was warm enough to shed the shell, helmet liner, and full finger gloves.   Arriving at the Hainesville control, it was time for a quick lunch.  My timing was perfect, as I hit the late morning rush in the deli and had to wait almost 10 minutes to place my order.  Then it was time for the tights and arm warmers to come off in anticipation of the Deckertown Pike climb.  In the early 90's I spent a couple of years doing detailed field work in that area, and knew the roads well, so was mentally prepared for the multi-pitch climb.  The cloudless sky allowed for spectacular views that few would realize are possible in New Jersey.  After weaving my way through the spaced-out pedestrian traffic at Space Farm in Beemerville, it was onto the familiar roads all the way back to the Hostel.  Arriving at the bridge in Reiglesville, I took a quick look at my cues sheet and realized it was still 14 miles back to the Hostel.  For some reason I was thinking it was only 8 miles, but the time passed by swiftly as I got closer to the finish. Many thanks to Norman for starting us off in the early morning.  The good hot coffee he had waiting was just what I needed to get going.  And thanks to Gavin for greeting us at the finish.  It is always nice to see a smiling face congratulating you after a long day in the saddle..."

Local PA Randonneur, Bill Olsen finished the Texas Rando Stampede 1200k.  Bill tells me they had adverse winds for much of the ride.  Mark Thomas reported on the RANDON message board that he: "...Enjoyed a unique grand randonnee experience at the Texas 1200.... A rolling pack of around 30 randos rode nearly the entire ride together. A few riders were off the front and a few off the back, and a crash 45 miles from the end split the group, but otherwise the "herd" rode hundreds and hundreds of miles together. Although a pack that large was certainly inefficient at controls and other stops, the teamwork and camaraderie displayed in the group provided a joyful reminder of the essential nature of randonneuring. A wonderful group of volunteers provided great Texas hospitality all along the way. Kudos to Dan Driscoll and his merry band for what they created...."
Congratulations to Bill and all the other finishers. Preliminary results have been posted at:
https://sites.google.com/site/texasstampede1200/rider-progress


Next up is the Blue Mountain 400k on May 18th.  Again, the start/finish is at the Weisel hostel, where the usual preride breakfast and postride meals will be available.  Event details have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA400K.html
... as usual, PA members in good standing can register via e-mail by the Thursday before the event.

Please note that the bike inspection checklist has been recently revised:  You will need to have two taillights permanently mounted to the bike frame  (previously, only one was required).  You will also need an independent front lighting system, which can just be carried and does not need to be permanently mounted  (previously, a spare bulb was accepted as a backup).  The checklist has been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/BikeInspectionCheckList.pdf


Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Water Gap 300/200k

A volunteer preride was completed this past weekend by Norman Smeal, Jon Clamp, and Gavin Biebuyck.  Here is their ride report::

 "...We set out for our scouting ride Sunday morning at 5:35.  The three of us on single speeds not really realizing the 14,467 feet of climbing that we lay ahead of us.  Personally, I was worried about that climb up to the top of Blue Mountain so I choose to have a 68 inch wheel.  At the start, the weather was a bit chilly until we got the blood flowing.  But it did warm up nicely by the afternoon. At mile 7, there is paving in the opposite lane on Passer before Rt 309.  This was not an issue and the lane may be paved by Saturday.  At mile 35.5 we did experience a road closure on Walnut Lane.  The bridge was being rebuilt, the new concrete deck was present and we were able to cross the bridge.  Shortly after the bridge crossing, we arrived at the first controle in Danielsville only to find the places to refuel ourselves, closed -- the problems of pre-riding the route on a Sunday but should not be an issue for the Saturday event.  We started out from  Danielsville where we made our way up to the top of the Blue Mountain ridge crossing the Appalachian Trail for the first time of the day.  Over the ridge and on our way to the Water Gap, but before you get to the Gap, there is the nasty climb up Greenbrier Road due to the road closure.  Leaving the Bakery, there is an orange fence that marks the entrance to the pedestrian walkway on the I-80 Bridge.  This bridge takes you into New Jersey and onto Old Mine road for the steady assent to Millbrook Village.  At Millbrook Village, a rather stiff climb awaits you, followed a very rough descent down to Old Mine Road -- bes sure to take extra caution on this hazardous descent, as noted on the cuesheet.  The route then trends upward as you head up to Hainesville and the Flats Deli controle.  Heading east from the Deli and crossing Rt. 206 takes you to the latest revision to the PA 300k: the right turn onto Rt. 650 begins your ascent up to High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest and the road only goes up from there.  At 100+ miles into the day, we were not enjoying the fact that we were riding single speed bicycles.  Making our way up to the highest point of our trek at 1,392 feet above sea level, we were surprised that our ears were popping and we were still in the state of New Jersey.  With every climb, there is a descent bringing us back to normal elevation to find a daunting head wind to contend with on our return.  The route took us back to the familiar Stillwater General Store which was pleasantly open for business.  Leaving Stillwater we fought the headwinds on the roads travelled on the Beyond Hope to New Hope route.  Onto the Quickcheck in Belvidere, the last chance for food on the way back, on nice rolling roads and the single speed friendly roads back to Riegelsville still battling a relentless headwind.  After Crossing the Delaware River the 13 mile climb back to the Hostel in Quakertown the winds seemed to diminish and gravity was our enemy.   Making it back to the Hostel slightly after 9:00, it was nice to get off the bikes and be finished for the day. In all, the cue sheet was spot-on and easy to follow..." -Norman Smeal


The roster, as of 5/2, has also been posted:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/Roster.pdf

... please take a moment to double check the hostel reservations and course option I have listed for you.  For those of you staying at the hostel, please note that there has been a price increase this year: $30/night -- but still a pretty good value.  If you haven't stayed at the hostel before, there are some hostel guidelines posted at the end of this link:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/WhatToExpect.pdf

Please remember to park you car in the big lot to your right, between the road and the hostel, and be sure to stay on the gravel areas.  The few parking spots near the house are reserved.

Breakfast items will be available 1 hour before the start, and as usual, there will be postride food available.

Volunteers, Norman Smeal will sending you off on your way in the morning, and Gavin Biebuyck will be meeting you at the finish.  There are 2 showers in the upstairs bathroom, and I encourage you to rest in the dorm before getting in your car to drive home.

As always, be sure to check the website and PA Message board for any last minute updates -- and remember to refresh you browser to flush any stale pages that may be cached.

And most importantly, be sure to have a **safe ride**!

-Tom Rosenbauer

Eastern PA RBA

Blue Mountain 200k/200k Ride Report

Blue Mountain, between Wind Gap and Little Gap
(photo compliments of Christine Newman)

14 riders clipped in for the inaugural Blue Mountain 300k and 13 others for the 200k for a total of 27 participants.  All finished for another 100% finish -- Well done, and congratulations to all. Preliminary results have been posted at
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k300k_Results130420.pdf
... please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted this week, and become final, pending RUSA/ACP certification.

With over an inch of rain that stopped just in time for the 5AM departure for the 300k, the streams and waterfalls along the course were flush with running water.  Temperatures at the start were in the mid 40F's and warmed up to the 50F's, with sun poking through the clouds all day.  The powerful storm that came through during the night left its mark in the form of strong gusty winds out of the west.  That certainly made the leg from Wind Gap to Little Gap harder.  And after the climb of Little Gap, those winds through the S-turns on the downhill, made the descent rather treacherous -- thankfully, the Guardian Angels for everybody were able to keep up without any incidents!

Of note, Flavio Pardo and Matthew Groff successfully completed their very first brevets.  As freshly minted randonneurs, they just need to complete 11 more in the coming months for their R-12 award.  Thanks to Hugo and Gloria Safar for introducing Flavio, and to Clair Beiler for introducing Matthew to our sport.

Special thanks to organizer, Bill Olsen, who checked out the 300k course the weekend before, and made sure the cuesheet was as perfect as it could be.   Bill also sent us on our way at the start, and was on hand to greet all the 200k finishers, and first couple of 300k finishers.  Without volunteers like Bill, these events would not be possible -- and I'm still looking for help on some of the remaining events, particularly for the 600k.  If you can step up to help, you can indicate your availability at this webpage:
http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=pa_volunteers2013

200k first finisher (on a fixed gear!), Guy Harris writes: "...Thanks to you and Bill O for putting this on. This was a nicely balanced course containing many favorite roads. The re-surfaced Staats was an improvement, made walking the last little bit smoother! Too early in the year to make the whole thing on the fixed. I saw one eagle of the pair south of Portland perched in a tree next to what looked like a real nest..."

Nigel Greene, who set a new personal best for a 300k, writes: "...Thanks to Bill and you for putting on the 300K. The cue sheet was spot on. The roads were quiet and scenic. I enjoyed the course from morning to night. ..."  You can read Nigel's complete ride report at:
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2013/04/blue-mountain-300k-river-lessons.html#more

Chris Nadovich writes: "...With great trepidation I turned left at the base of Millbrook hill, but there were no dragons to be found:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons
.... Rather, I was treated to a quiet and gently rolling country lane with glimpses of pretty
waterfalls and the glimmering Delaware entering magestic Walpack bend. Very nice road. A keeper..."

Chris also was one of a couple of riders who stopped at the recently re-opened Layton store, which now is being run by a Greek couple.  He reports: "... I had a most excellent Gyro platter served acceptably quick.  No tuna subs or rabbit food on the menu ... but good for a big, fragrant, artery clogging meal should that be a rider's need.  The burgers seemed awesome as well. ..."

300k first finisher, Don Jagel, writes: "...Thanks to you and Bill for putting together the 300K brevet.  The route was on many of the roads we have all seen before.  Changing directions, and adding a few new segments really made it seem like a new course, yet still familiar.  The weather was just about perfect for a spring ride.  The cold front that blew through over night before the start of the ride really cleared the air, and the rain made sure there were plenty of cascading water falls to add to the scenery.  Of significant note; the rough, but much improved, and patched, descent of Old Mine Road allowed me to actually descend at a speed of more than about 10 MPH.  That has got to be a first in many years.  Hopefully they will actually re-surface that section and make both the climbing and descending a little less epic....."

Christine Newman writes: "...Thanks for organizing the ride and developing the new route. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the new route through Peter's Valley was quite nice and very quiet with almost no cars while we were there ..."
Christine has taken some beautiful pictures along the course, which you can view at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/PABlueMountain300K?authkey=Gv1sRgCMeZsZPPneuJZQ#

Len Zawodniak, riding on his newly painted recumbent, writes: "...thanks for the great day on the bike. I used every gear I had, including the elusive 24 inch gear and really enjoyed the challenge ..."

Local PA Randonneurs, Norman Smeal, Jon Clamp, and Gavin Biebuyck set out to Crush the Commonwealth: a 400-mile challenge to ride unsupported from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.  They set out on Friday morning at 5AM, and experienced the full brunt of the storms that blew through our area.  An account of their epic adventure has been posted at:
http://parandonneurs.blogspot.com/2013/04/crush-commonwealth.html


Next up is another opportunity to ride either a 200k or a newly revised Water Gap 300k on May 4th.  This time, the start/finish is at the Weisel hostel, where the usual preride breakfast and postride meals will be available -- and the later finishers won't have to worry about pizzerias closing before they arrive.  Event details have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA300K.html
... as usual, PA members in good standing can register via e-mail by the Thursday before the event.

Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Crush the Commonwealth

Local PA Randonneurs, Norman Smeal, Jon Clamp, and Gavin Biebuyck set out this past weekend, to Crush the Commonwealth -- a 400 mile challenge, to ride unsupported from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia:

http://www.crushthecommonwealth.com/

Norm sent me the following ride report of his epic ride:

".. Gavin, Jon and I set out to Crushed the Commonwealth, starting 5:00 Friday morning.  We traveled to Pittsburg with the plan to show them what Eastern PA Randonneurs is all about.  When we hit the Gap trail on the Pittsburg end, I got a flat that slowed Jon and I down from the pack.  After fixing the flat Jon and I were making good time on the clay & cinder trail.  Somewhere before Connellsville Jon dropped off, and then it started to rain.  That hard pack clay trail turned into a sponge, making our way to Rockwood very difficult.  After leaving the trail, the real rain started to fall between Somerset and Bedford.  Luckily I was packing a dependable rain jacket. When I got to Bedford, I spotted a Burger King that I could get out of the rain and get some real road food.  A whopper never tasted so good.  Leaving Bedford with Breezewood only 20 miles down the road, and the rain slowed down to a drizzle and a strong tail wind made that 20 miles go by fast.  In Breezewood, I caught up to Gavin with Jon bring up the rear.  Leaving Breezewood, we set out to take the easy way using the abandoned PA turnpike instead of going over the mountain.  Now in a party of 5, we hit the first tunnel of the old PA turnpike at dusk and when we left tunnel number 2, it was dark.  I had difficulty keeping up with the rest of the group stopping to fix the handle bar bag, I lost them.  Getting to the end of the road, I couldn't find my way off the old road.  Consulting the maps on my phone was no help.  I did see that I got a call from Jon saying that he was going to stay the night in Breezewood with a fellow Philly guy (Bob).  I gave him a call and chatted, but there was no way I was going back over the old Turnpike to Breezewood to spend the night.  Eventually, I did find the access road off the old highway and made my way to Chambersburg arriving there around midnight.  In the true Rando spirit I used the Sheetz as my rest spot getting some sleep on the sidewalk outside.  Waking up about 2:00, it took me nearly an hour to thaw out, drinking hot water then coffees to caffeinate my system.  When I was leaving, another rider Sarah was just coming in, we made small talk as she fixed her flat tire.  Off I go with 150 miles to go, open roads and dry weather. Making York by 6:50, crossing the Susquehanna River at 7:50 then Lancaster 9:00, I knew I was getting close.  I have been riding alone without the whereabouts of my fellows Gavin or Jon.  Arriving in Morgantown on familiar territory home was near.  Checking the phone I found out that Jon had a major mechanical before arriving to Breezewood and had to drop out of the ride.  In the Morgantown Sheetz, a lady asked me how far I rode today; she lost it when I told her that I started in Pittsburgh Friday morning.  I arrived at the Liberty Bell before 3:00 pm Saturday, completing the ride in less than 34 hours, 380 +/- miles.  Checking my phone, I realized that Gavin was behind me the whole way since Chambersburg and finish right behind me.

What an epic ride. ..."

Jon Clamp sent the following report of how his ride did not exactly go according to plan:

"... I was just getting my second wind after talking to Norm on the phone from The Burger King just before Breezewood. Anyway going up a little growler hill before Breezewood and planning on at that point riding through as I was now warm and dry I heard a small clicking from the rear wheel. I stopped but could not see anything in the spokes or anything else that would indicate something catching in the wheel. Anyway I proceeded on and no sooner had I remounted and gone 10 yards that my whole drive train jammed up. I got off and looked and basically saw the "Perfect Storm" of Rando angst. Seen as though I was riding with Bob from the Philly bike shop Trophy Bikes he immediately diagnosed what had happened. So, on the GAP trail my chain had become dry with the gravel and rain blasting away the lube. At some point on the climb one of the side plates on the chain link had lifted away from the pin and was causing the clicking sound as it travelled through the derailleur cage and was why at 10pm at the side of the road with just a headlight and some fatigue I could not see the problem as it was almost invisible even to a trained eye. So what happened next was maybe predictable. The chain got caught in the derailleur cage as I was putting a lot of stress into the cranks on the climb. I pulled the derailleur from facing down vertically to horizontal facing the rear. This in turn pulled the derailleur hanger horizontal and into the cassette, the whole wheel jammed up, broke the chain in three places, cut the derailleur cage into two pieces and knocked the wheel out of alignment. Talk about a mechanical at night in the middle of nowhere.
                     Anyway, I managed to get the wheel out and true it up and cut the derailleur away. I had just enough chain left that Bob and I could piece it together to try and make a single speed, but without a tensioner. We pounded the derailleur hanger away from the cassette with a roadside hammer, otherwise known as a large stone. Once this was done (1 hour fix for two riders) we set off and I was quite confident that we may have got lucky as the bike seemed to be riding OK. The problem now was that the chain line was slightly off as we had to choose a cog for the length of the chain I had and we had nothing for tension or keeping a good chain line. So what happened was the chain kept jumping up to the next larger cog. This was severely stretching the chain, so much so that after several manual down changes by dropping out the wheel to shift the chain back onto the correct cog the chain finally gave out and essentially disintegrated. 
                     This was now five miles from Breezewood, Bob rode on so that he would not be too late to check in at the hotel. So now I was down to straddling the bike and doing leg pushes and coasting where possible. To compound it all I had a rear flat two miles from the hotel. Finally at 1am I joined Bob at the hotel for a rest and a re-think on what could be done. Luckily Bob had a smart phone and we quickly found that there were no bike shops around for a potential interim fix that would let me finish . So I had my first abandonment in my Rando career. Should have put a new chain on, the one I was riding was about 2 years old.
                     Anyway my titanium frame will have to be sent away to have a new drive side dropout put in and a realignment. Anybody know who may do this locally (frame is a Litespeed).
Norm I can do the 300k pre-ride on a fixed or single but no gears!!"

Gavin sent me the following report:

".,,My second and last Crush the Commonwealth (please remind me of this next year!) – 385 miles from Point State Park in Pittsburgh to the Liberty Bell in Philly.  Finished this year’s CTC in 34:15 hours with bike racer Kris.  One hour slower than last year due to torrential rains in Bedford Friday afternoon leading to hotel stay for shower and 4 hour sleep in Chambersburg. I believe 20 or so finished (some late Sunday) of about 30 who started.  It is an unsanctioned race so no formal list of starters exists.  Finished in 4th place, 5 hours behind winner Tom Oswald, a bike frame builder from Mansfield, PA.  Below is a photo of Oswald on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail at about mile 60.  

I rode with Oswald for about 3 hours (we were in second place at that point) until I dropped him just after Ohiopyle State Park at mile 78.  I rode the next 100 miles through Somerset and Bedford to Breezewood on my own.  I was so wet and cold at Breezewood I drank 5-6 coffees, ate a Sheetz burrito and Ben and Jerrys pint, and waited an hour or so for help - Oswald passed me at Breezewood.  Rode the last 200 miles or so with Kris, an amateur road racer from Easton.  We had a 15-20 mph west tailwind that pushed us to Philly by 3:30 pm Saturday. The first 103 miles on the GAP trail along the Youghigheny River is very pretty but when rain began at mile 90 the packed limestone turned to peanut butter.  The 15 miles south from Somerset into 30 mph headwind while passing the numerous wind turbines along the highest ridge in PA also sucked. ...

My new bike with fat 650x42 tires run at 60 psi had no mechanical problems (no flats) and was super comfortable on the 140 miles of trails and I had no problem keeping up with the racer boy on the pavement

An entertaining but scatological account of the race from first woman finisher, Steph, can be found here:
http://stefannburch.blogspot.com/2013/04/ctc-2013.html
... Kris and I caught up with Steph at East Berlin 20 miles west of York at about 7 am.  She finished 2.5 hours after us on Saturday afternoon for the fastest woman finish ever – 36:42 hours"

Preliminary results show Norm finishing 3rd and Gavin tied for 4th -- well done!

Blue Mountain 200k/300k

The cuesheet for the Blue Mountain 300k has been updated to draft 2, dated 4/16/13 with minor clarifications from the a volunteer preride completed by Bill Olsen, this past weekend.
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/BlueMtn300k_A_cue.pdf

The current 200k cuesheet is draft 3, dated 3/19/12:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/BlueMtn200k_A_cue.pdf

Hopefully, the heavy rain in the forecast for Friday night into early Saturday morning will clear out quickly.  But it looks like there's a good chance for a "character building" opportunity ... at least for the 300k riders, with their 5AM start.  The bakery opens at 6AM, so the riders clipping in for the 200k will be able to top off with coffee and breakfast before their 7AM start.

Please note that you need to decide on riding the 200k or 300k course at the start -- i.e.: you can't change your mind in Water Gap, where the 200k and 300k split.  For those opting for the 200k, you should note that there is another chance to ride a PA300k on May 4th.

Organizer Bill Olsen will be meeting you at the start and sending you off on your way.  Please note that the bakery will be closed at 5AM -- Bill will meet you in the bakery parking lot near the RR tracks.  You should park your car in the big lot off of Church St, which US Health has granted us permission to use.  I will meet you at the finish at Pipolo's Pizza -- if you arrive before I do, leave your brevet card and any loaned SPOT devices at the checkout counter.

*** Course notes ***
- As noted on the cuesheet, there are a couple of RR crossings early on.  The one at mile 7.2 is particularly hazardous, with a bad angle, and will be extra treacherous if wet.  Please take extra caution here, especially if you are in a large group.
- The 300k riders will be headed into the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area.  The descent from Millbrook Village is still very rough, as noted on the cuesheet at mile 96, although some of the bigger craters have at least been patched up a bit.  (In talking with the park administrators, there are plans to resurface this rotten stretch of road some time this year.)  Also please note, that the cuesheet has you turning LEFT at the bottom of that descent, instead of RIGHT, giving you the opportunity to see some new roads.

- Since we haven’t ridden these routes since last year riders will be pleased to note that some of the other sections of the road have been repaired since last summer including the climb up Blue Mountain Drive, mile 51.7, where the potholes along the right side of the roadway and missing shoulder were replaced all the way up to the top, crossing the Appalachian Trail.  Riders should exercise caution on the descent as there are areas that were  patched and “chipped and sealed” resulting in some uneven surfaces.
-Old Mine Road, mile 115.4, is still in rough shape but the bulk of the damage is on the other side of the road and if one pays attention they should find a good line along the right hand side of the roadway.  The deepest potholes are at the end of the section where the road is less broken up.
- There is now a recently posted  “No Left Turn” sign at Community Drive, mile 132.1, due to the heavy traffic from the opposite direction. Dismount and walk your bike across Rt. 209 as a "pedestrian" to make this LHT onto Community Drive.  This road has been poorly patched several times over the years and although rough, there is low traffic and one should be able to find a good line as one climbs the worst section of the road.)

Best of luck to Jon Clamp, Gavin Biebuyck and Norman Smeal who are off to Crush the Commonwealth this weekend.  You can follow Norman's GPS SPOT tracker at:

http://bike.talloakfarm.com/spot_map.html

... and selecting the tab for Norman.  The PA 1-5 SPOT trackers will be tracking selected riders for Saturday's event. (and special thanks to Don Jagel, for maintaining the SPOT Tracker webpage!).

And as always, be sure to check the website and message board for any last minute updates.

**** Roster as of 4/19 ***

1 Dan Barbasch 300
2 Clair Beiler 200
3 Jeffery S Butt 200
4 Tim Conway 300
5 John Dennis 200
6 Ed Dodd 300
7 Joe Fillip 200
8 William Fischer 300
9 J Scott Franzen 200
10 Nigel Greene 300
11 Matthew Groff 200
12 Doug Haluza 200
13 Guy Harris 200
14 Donald Jagel 300
15 Eric Keller 300
16 Christopher Anson Knight 200
17 Kate Marshall 300
18 Chris Nadovich 300
19 Christine Newman 300
20 William Olsen 300
21 William Reagan 300
22 Tom Rosenbauer 200
23 Chris Roth 200
24 Gloria Safar 200
25 Hugo Safar 200
26 Paul D Scearce 200
27 Victor Urvantsev 300
28 Leonard Zawodniak 200

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Fleche

Team Escargo Volants at the Quakertown Finish.
Photo courtesy of Christine Newman

Preliminary results have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA_Fleche_Results130407.pdf
...Results will be submitted this week, and then become final pending ACP/RUSA certification.

All 5 teams make it intact to the Quakertown finish for a 100% finish -- congratulations to all the captains and their teams for another excellent result.  The Eastern PA Fleche is now in it's 6th year, and after some pretty rough years with stormy weather, we now have a 2-year streak going that is at least rain-free.

In looking at the results, it truly is remarkable to see the same teams clipping-in year after year.  Of note, the fixed-gear Sinister Nuts, led by Bill Olsen has participated in all six PA Fleches.  And this year, with more than five fixed-gear riders looking for a spot on his roster, another fixed-gear team, "Fear of Gears", was formed under the leadership of Bill Fischer -- who also notched his 5th PA Fleche finish.  Guy Harris is another five-time finisher (and most likely would also have six finishs if not for a certain volcano that erupted a couple of years ago and disrupted his travel back from the U.K).  Sinister Nut, Paul Scearce, also has a high number of finishes at four, with several others completing their second and third fleches.  At the other end of the spectrum, an all-rookie team "Now You've Gone Too Far" led by Eric Keller gets my vote for the biggest over-achievers.  Starting in Boalsburg, PA (near State College), their route generally followed the 3rd and 4th days of the Endless Mountains 1240k.  A navigation error during the night added some 30 miles to an already challenging route.  The extra mileage necessitated the need of finding an alternate 22-hr controle, with no time to rest there.  Instead, they had to ride straight through in order to cover the last 35k of their route in the final two hours -- Nice Save!

Nigel Greene of Escargo Volants as usual, has posted an eloquent ride report at:
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2013/04/fleche-2013-just-cause.html
... and his photo album is at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58781331@N07/sets/72157633186694529/with/8629775274/

Christine Newman, also of Escargo Volants, has posted some great pictures of their scenic route at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/canewmandvm/Fleche13?authkey=Gv1sRgCOnylb37p7C0_AE

Norman Smeal of Fear of Gears writes: "...Couldn't buy better weather for early April.   Hats off to Eric Keller's team coming from State College --  you get the accolades.  And great job to all of the other Fleche teams..."

Jeffery Butt of Now You've Gone Too Far has posted pictures of their route that follows parts of the Endless Mountains 1240k:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94813562@N07/


The spring calendar continues on April 20th with a choice of two routes out of Milford, NJ to keep your R-12 streak going: either the Blue Mountain 200k or a brand new course: Blue Mountain 300k.  Event details of both routes have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubApr2.html
...  If you would like to join the roster, please send me an e-mail confirmation no later than Thursday, April18th -- be sure to indicate your preference for the 200k or 300k.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Spring Forward 200k Ride Report

Photo Compliments of Rick Carpenter

“Have a great ride and stay safe.”  Those were my parting words to 26 riders starting the Spring Forward 200k brevet.  After the "eventful" January and February PA brevets, I was hoping for an uneventful day.  I wasn’t disappointed as all 27 starters finished within the time limit for a 100% completion rate.  Results are posted at http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k_Results130323.pdf.  Please let Tom know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted this week, and become final, pending RUSA certification. 

The Spring Forward brevet route and the permanent on which it is based have been enjoyed by many over since its creation in 2009.  After a fall filled with numerous scouting rides around the area, I decided to see if the route could be improved.  My similar effort to develop a “kinder, gentler” 200k for PA Randonneurs in January didn’t quite work out as intended, but I was cautiously optimistic this time. 

Clear skies greeted the riders as we assembled for the check in and the sun soon appeared to offset the chilly temperatures.  Unfortunately, the winds that plagued the Lancaster area all week soon picked up and offset the reduced elevation gain on the course.  On the plus side, riders were treated with a wonderful 15 mile, generally downhill and tailwind stretch from the top of the White Oak climb into the Parkesburg controle that put a smile on everyone’s face.  Being spring, riders were also treated to some of the finest farm aromas Lancaster County has to offer and the winds assured that those aromas were well dispersed along the byways.

Undaunted by the wind, first finisher Patrick O’Donnell showed that it’s ALL about the engine as he rolled in to set a new course record on his Surly Long Haul Trucker.  Not far behind were Kate Marshall and Victor Urvantsev who are preparing for another shot at this summer’s Endless Mountains 1240.  They look to be on track for a strong season.  Several riders finished the final 26 mile into the headwind slog to log very respectable sub-10 hour times.  Rider Tim Creyts left his overly freewheeling freewheel at home this week and along with Rudi Mayr notched a first PA brevet finish.   Congratulations!

As always, thanks to PA Randonneur Volunteer of the Year nominee Bill Slabonik who helped with check-in and greeted riders at several of the controles.  Bill along with George Metzler helped me with the final cue sheet checks when my planned pre-ride fell victim to a crush of work in February and early March.  Curtis Palmer also stepped up to help out at the finish so I could ride the event.  It’s these guys that make it possible, at least for me. 

From RBA Tom Rosenbauer:  "With the many route tweaks, one of my favorite Eastern PA routes was even better this around.  My favorite section was the stretch after the White Oak climb into the penultimate controle.  And most memorable on this segment, was the silhouetted view of a 6-horse team plowing a field on a distant ridge.

Appearances can be deceiving, as any rider knows, who has been chased down by one of the many Cat-1 Amish women on a scooter with firewood in a basket.  And Patrick O'Donnell, on his Long Haul Trucker with jeans and sneakers, hardly had the appearance of a typical first finisher.  But Patrick was not only a first finisher, he set a new course record as well -- I present to you the most important component to make a bike go fast!"

Kate Marshall writes:  “It was great to be back riding in PA and seeing familiar faces. We enjoyed the scenic vistas- a treat to see farmers standing on plows pulled by horse teams- organic aromas abounded- a great route overall.  We were pacing ourselves to train for EM1240- getting the most from the daylight, so we missed socializing but enjoyed chatting with the triumphant first finisher- forgot his name – [Patrick O’Donnell] but he was awesome. My chain jammed after the 4th control, which resulted in a bent derailleur and no big ring for the rest of the ride.  That was okay because between the hills and brutal headwinds I didn't need it!  Thanks for everything and hope to see you all soon.”

A bit chilly at the start, Spring?  That finishing headwind will not be forgotten.  It made for one 25 mile hill to conclude the event. Another great ride.  Thank you and Andrew for putting the ride together.  Thank you Bill S. for managing the controles.  Norman Smeal

From Bill Fischer:  Tom – thanks to you and Andrew for a wonderful 200k yesterday.  The route changes were absolutely beautiful and I believe this new route would in fact have been “kindler and gentler” had it not been for the ugly headwind at the end……

Says Bill Olsen "Tom and Andrew - Thanks for laying out such a beautiful routing.  Still a couple of steep climbs but they didn't seem as bad as I remembered them, perhaps because of the sunshine that made the day appear to be warmer than it really was.  Thanks also for they strong tailwinds mid-course.  They came just when I needed them. And of course, just like the climbing we've come to expect on the PA brevets, I'll be thankful for the extra training I got pushing the headwinds at the start and finish when I'm out riding a randonnee this summer.  Fighting a headwind is almost more mentally challenging than a long climb, as one isn't immediately rewarded with a tailwind as one is with a downhill immediately following a climb, or more frequently a climb following a nice descent."

Finally, Rick Carpenter writes:  Thanks again for hosting the first brevet of the PAR 2013 ride calendar, and a most fitting start to my seventh season of Randonneuring. 

Rick has posted pictures from the ride at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpenter/sets/72157633078707510/

Next up is the Fleche on April 4 – 7 followed by a PA 200/300k brevet event on April 20.

Andrew Mead

- organizer