The woolistic jerseys have arrived. We have them all now.
If you chose the "ship it to me" delivery option, then your jersey will be shipped to you USPS. With luck the mailman will bring it to your PA Rando address of record real soon now.
If you chose the "pickup at event" option, you can pick up your jersey at an upcoming PA Rando brevet.
The Final event(s) in the 2022 Super Randonneur Series, the Philly-Pagoda-Pocono 600K and Pagoda 200K, were blessed with just about perfect weather: mild temperatures, gentle winds, clear skies, and low humidity. With the moon just a few days past new in the crystal clear night sky, riders into the overnight control reported glorious views of the stars above the dark, sparsely populated Poconos. There were also some Black Bear sightings (eeek!)
Of those that clipped in for the challenging 600K course 14 of 20 finished (70%) within the time limit. On the Pagoda 200K, also a challenging course, 2 of 2 finished in time. Congratulations and well-done to all! Preliminary results have been posted for the 600K and the 200K. Please review the results and let me know if they align with your memory. The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified.
Congratulations to our nine PA Super Randonneurs for 2022.
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| Five-time PA Super Randonneuse Cecilie undiminished after another tough 600K |
Not that there weren't appreciative complaints. The course author received much colorful feedback about the difficulty of certain sections. One particularly despised pitch was the "hill before the hill", a steep city street in Reading that leads up to the Pagoda switchback climb.
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| Contemplating the Pagoda from the Hill before the Hill |
And newly minted Super Randonneur Bill Scanga questioned the moral compass of the route designers, suggesting that they might have some "issues" that should be addressed in therapy.
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| Newly minted PA Super Randonneur Bill Scanga suggests a fourth "P" should be added to the name of the Philly-Pagoda-Pocono 600K |
Volunteers are most needed yet hardest to get for a 600K. Fortunately, the necessary crew assembled and did an excellent job running the event. The cornerstone team were the three volunteers at the overnight control: Nick Manta, Mike Anderson, and Jim "breakfast burrito" Bondra. Nick and Mike provided roving "ride saving" support along the most difficult portion of the course, and Jim delivered his namesake food units to appreciative randos who stuffed many of these into their mouths or jersey pockets. Together, the three volunteers independently managed the overnight cabins. Nick even found time to return drop bags back to the Farm, somehow fitting in some sagging rando passengers with all that luggage.
Also roving the course were pre-rider Brad Layman and the rando-legend Bill Olsen. Brad and Bill concentrated on supporting the course beyond the overnight, at Port Jervis, Millbrook, and Blairstown, encouraging riders through these final miles. Brad also joined CJ Arayata and Woody Felice cheering for passing randos at the Rocky statue, and Brad ran the 200K start and helped set up gear on Sunday.
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| Riders passing Millbrook Village, a pleasant (albeit brief) resting spot between two major climbs. |
Registration at the Flint Hill start was administered by Ben Keenan, who also did some shopping, helped set up the gear Friday afternoon, and slept on the straw without complaint so he could be ready to volunteer again at the 4AM start. As if that wasn't enough, Ben accompanied Brad on the pre-ride. This pre-ride was Ben's first 600K, and first SR. It's not many riders who can say they pre-rode their first 600K to serve as start control volunteer. Pre-riding a 600K without support is a notch-above the normal difficulty. Chapeau to Ben who certainly deserves the Super designation of his first Super Randonneur award -- along with a Super Volunteer award.
Last but not least was finish control captain Jeff Lippincott, who set up the food at the finish, collected and verified brevet cards, and helped pack up at the end. Jeff is a rando veteran and regular volunteer who simply gets the job done.
Well done and thanks to these critical volunteers. We couldn't have run the event without them. You may be tired of hearing it said, but volunteers are essential to these events. If you are an experienced randonneur who hasn't volunteered recently (or ever) please consider giving back to the sport by taking on a significant volunteer responsibility for a brevet, as did the above riders. We have the EM1000K coming up. This will need good volunteers. Is this your turn to help out?
Thanks to you, Andrew, Brad, Nick, Benjamin, Jeff, Bill, Jim, CJ & Woody and all the other volunteers that helped out with 600 this weekend. What a ride! We couldn't have asked for better weather and the route was beautiful. The early morning descent down to the Lackawaxen was really amazing, and we finally saw a black bear, though not as close up as Greg. Finishing off a PA SR series really does give a feeling of accomplishment and it wouldn't be possible without the help of the volunteers and organizers. Thanks again.
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| Patrick finishing the 600K. "Where's Cecilie?" "She's petting a cow". |
Brad Layman writes ...
It doesn't get much more challenging than that [Ed: Brad has randonesia -- forgetting his awesome finish in 2021, which was hours faster and when it was a sweltering 90F]. Congratulations to everyone who finished and an extra congrats to everyone who completed their PA SR series. If you were like me, heading north out of Wind Gap was especially difficult because the thought of turning back to Easton was very tempting.The miles from Wind Gap to Beach Lake were more of a psychological challenge than a physical one. Thank you Ben Keenan for keeping me company on that section of the pre-ride. Thank you Chris and Andrew for organizing this ride. I hope the club can return to Flint Hill Farm for a ride in the future. Lots of fun hanging out at the finish. See ya next time.Andreas Prandelli writes...
I would like to thank EVERYONE for the fantastic and challenging Philly-Pagoda-Pocono 600K course. Thank you to the organizers and the excellent Volunteers. Thank you Mike for those incredible 2 hot cups of coffee and muffin, that helped me to drag my tired old body to ride the next 28 miles to the Sleep Control. Thank you Nick and..(so sorry I forgot the name but perfectly recognized the face). After missing the Sleep Control in the dark at 4.00 a.m., riding 10 miles down hill and then climbing them back again, while waving hello to Amy already on her way down the remaining 200K, and then finding the Cottage, you fed me burrito and lasagna and a great coffee and then you allowed me to sleep in your car while safely holding the pan of scrambled tofu. Thank you Chris Nadovich, for another great job done.
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| Andreas captures a unique perspective of the Pagoda |
Steve Schoenfelder writes....
The 2022 PA Randonneurs Philly Pagoda Pocono 600K was probably the hardest and most rewarding ride I have ever done. Finishing with 15 minutes in the bank after over thirty nine hours of challenge and adventure was truly life affirming.
And then there is the history. I had two previous attempts at riding the PPP 600k pre-pandemic in 2019. The first was an ill-fated volunteer pre-ride with Chris N, ending in agonizing defeat when chilling rains developed as we ascended from Wind Gap forcing us to seek refuge in a seedy Bartonsville motel, and then throw in the towel after hypothermia set in as we sheltered shivering in a 24-hour laundromat in Canadensis. I got my second chance on event day and was able, after much joy and suffering, to complete the ride in regulation time with forty minutes to spare.
There were a couple of twists this time around however. First, I had earned my Medicare Card since the last riding and may have aged-out of surviving a 600k. And then there was the Flint Hill Farm start/finish. When we finished in Easton in 2019, we had a gradual climb from the Delaware River to the finish. This time, we ended the ride with an exclamation point by first climbing soul-crushing Lower Saucon Road, followed by an extended gravel grind on the mushy (meaning really loose gravel) Saucon Rail Trail, and finally, the struggle to the top of Flint Hill, which in my mind, is really a mountain.The weather was about as perfect as one could wish for throughout the ride. It got a bit hotter than predicted, particularly when exposed to the sun, but that would be nitpicking. I was blessed to have a great riding partner during the first day. Greg had visions of arriving at the overnight controle by about 2 am. I knew that was a mathematical impossibility for me, as I usually take about 24 hours to complete a difficult 400K. And the first 400K were difficult. We ran the first 200K at fairly brisk pace as we knew we needed to bank time. Although there was not a remarkable amount of ascent in the first stretch, there was the challenging climb from the Schuylkill River to the Pagoda and extended gravel-grinding at fairly high speeds along the SRT. During the long slog to Wind Gap, my legs and stomach were starting to rebel. And we knew the real work would begin after Wind Gap. I don’t remember much about the ascent into the Poconos, other than existing in a world of hurt and fear. Greg would look at me and say,”hey man, maybe you should eat something.” I must have had enough awareness to remember the stunning clear starry night sky of the Poconos. And, I recall the deer-there were lots and lots of deer, perhaps entire herds. After several lifetimes, we arrived at the overnight controle at about 0345 where we were taken care of by Jim and Nick, two of the best volunteers on the planet. I set my phone alarm for 0630, largely unconcerned whether I would finish within regulation. All I cared about was having the strength to get to the finish, and that would require some nutrition and rest.Surprisingly, I felt pretty damn good in the morning after a shower and maybe and hour or two of sleep. As in 2019, I was the last rider out of the overnight controle. The weather was spectacular once again. I felt like I could Git-R-Done! To my surprise, I caught up to another rider at the Eldred controle. That was reassuring. And then there was volunteer and randonneuring legend Bill Olsen at Port Jervis, who probably saved my ride by providing enough water and Payday candy bars to carry me to Blairstown. My motivation from then on was the thought of a large cold vanilla milkshake from Jimmy’s Doggie Stand in Phillipsburg. However, that was not to be. As I reached the Delaware River, I still had over 21 miles and 1,600 ft of ascent remaining, and I knew I was cutting it close. At this point in the ride, I changed my goal to reaching the finish to finishing within the 40 hour time limit. So, with a small dehydrated tear in my eye, I pedaled past Jimmy’s, dismounted my bike, and pushed it across the free bridge to Easton.Half way up Flint Hill, I realized that I could make it in time even if I got off and pushed my bike the rest of the way. That is always a good feeling to have on a brevet. Finally, a feeling of certainty and success. I was greeted by heart warming applause as I rolled into the barn at the finish. I completed my 2022 SR series and earned yet another lanterne rouge on the heels of this epic adventure. Now I was qualified to ride a 1200K and could descend into even greater depths of the collective insanity that is randonneuring.Putting on a massive event like this requires Herculean effort and genius. Thanks are due to Chris Nadovich who organized this ride and PA Randonneurs’ Regional Brevet Administrator Andrew Mead. An my endless gratitude to the many volunteers who made the event possible. Chapeau!
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| Steve Schoenfelder finishes the PPP 600K despite recently receiving his Medicare card. |
Now that the 2022 PA SR Series is in the history books, we move on to our summer R-12 events that tour the cooler Northern regions of PA. The first of these is the Hawk's Nest, Bushkill Approach, on July 9th. See you there!
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| Along the SRT in Philly |
The time for the culminating event of the 2022 Pennsylvania Randonneurs SR Series has arrived. Time to find out if the earlier brevets have prepared you. Time to dig in for the final step in the often elusive PAR-SR designation. It's time for The Philly Pagoda Pocono 600K. Registration is closed and the field is set. Volunteers are burning up internet and chat discussing plans and logistical details.
Each rider is permitted one small drop bag of ~2 cubic feet (the RUSA duffle bag is a good example). Bags should securely contain the contents (e.g. zippered openings) and any liquid or powdered contents sealed to prevent leakage. The rider's name is to be clearly indicated on the outside of the bag. Drop bags will be deposited with organizers during ride check-in and added to a list of bags so we can keep track of the bags. They will be delivered to the overnight control mid-day on Saturday and returned to Flint Hill early afternoon on Sunday.
A volunteer course pre-ride was conducted on May 30-31 by Brad Layman, Ben Keenan, and Nick Manta. The riders dealt with some extreme heat, but it looks like we will have better temperatures on June 4 & 5.
The riders reported a few course notes and changes and the RBA has updated the cue sheet. Please make sure you download VERSION 3 of the cue sheet dated 6/2/2022. Several previously unmarked railroad crossings are now noted on the cue. PAY ATTENTION. A few highlights noted:
The course volunteers offered a few tips:
For the 2022 edition of the Pagoda "Classic" 200K, the start/finish has been moved to Flint Hill Farm. The start is Sunday, 5 June, at 7AM. Details here.
The
scenery on the Pagoda 200K is spectacular. All cyclists know the word
"scenic" is code for hilly, and the Pagoda certainly has both scenery
and hills in abundance. Although there are steep and sustained climbs
from the beginning to end of the route, most riders find that the
relentless rollers in the last third of the course, starting soon after
Daniel Boone, are the most taxing. New for 2022 is the "bonus climb" at the end, up to Flint Hill Farm. Gotta climb them all!
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| Spectacular scenery (and hills) near Huff's Church. |
Course Notes --
A pre-ride was conducted on 23 May by Chris Nadovich. As a result of the pre-ride, several small course updates and typo corrections were made to the cues. The latest cue sheet is Version 4, and the latest RWGPS route was modified 2022-05-24 17:57:34 EDT. Both are available online.
Other course notes are as follows:
The third event(s) in the 2022 Super Randonneur Series, the New New Blue Redeux 400K and Hexenkopf 200K, again started and finished at the second highest point in Northampton County, Flint Hill Farm 1000' ASL. So I guess it's rando-logic that the difficulty level was notched even higher this time with a day (and night) of rain. Of those that clipped in for the challenging (and soggy) 400K course 16 of 20 finished within the time limit. This was an overall 80% completion rate -- good given the conditions. On the 200K, 2 of 3 finished in time. Congratulations and well-done to all! Preliminary results have been posted for the 200K and the 400K. Please review the results and let me know if they align with your memory. The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified.
Flint Hill Farm continued to charm riders. Many riders bought farm-fresh goodies from the farm store. Some riders enjoyed real beds in the farmhouse, while others opted for the wilderness camping option -- even in the rain. Many had happy interactions with the livestock.
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| Bill Fischer makes a new friend |
Flint Hill Farm Education Center is a very cool place. Their mission is to bridge the gap between the Urban/Suburban community and they are doing exactly that with these events as they host our riders from the urban jungles of New York City and Philadelphia. Flint Hill has been a congenial venue for our rando events, trusting us to be respectful guests of the Farm as they provide a unique experience for us all. Special thanks go to Kathleen Fields who runs the place and has helped us in countless ways. Please patronize the farm store if you can.
At the start, Jim Bondra and Sean Keesler helped set up gear and tables at the Farm arena, and at the finish Bill Olsen and Jeff Lippincott staffed the long vigil waiting for each rider to arrive and helped tear down gear.
The indefatigable rando volunteer, Len Zawadniack, scouted potential flooding on the Swatara trail and supported riders as they passed through that area. He also rescued Andres Prandelli who busted a derailleur cable in Pine Grove.
Iwan Barankay and Jimmy Aspras staffed the Phoenixville control. This control was a critically important boost for riders as they entered the final 50 mile push through the dark, rainy night. Several riders passed on their appreciation for this support.
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| Ben Thompson looked quite glamorous in the marquee lights of the Colonial Theater. |
A couple of experienced randonneurs, Jim Bondra and Mike Anderson abandoned the 400K early on, quickly knowing that they "weren't feeling it". I have a lot of respect for a rider who can make that hard decision early. It takes wisdom, hard-won experience, and not a little humility to know yourself at this level. Chapeau!
Sean Keesler created yet another excellent video of his brevet experience
Speaking of "hard won experience", relatively newly minted randonneur Olin Johnson was cursed with a mishap on the Hexenkopf Hill 200K that we've all worried about, but (fortunately) few of us have experienced: wiping out on a steel deck bridge, specifically the Rieglesville Roebling bridge. The rain made the metal deck quite slick and OJ, never having ridden over a Delaware bridge before, didn't realize that us Del-riding vets all cautiously walk these bridges, even in dry weather. Skating away from his guardian angel and into the steel curb not far from the "Walk Bikes" sign, OJ cracked some ribs and needed to have his leg wounds stitched up in the hospital. Fortunately his bike was relatively unharmed. I hope this negative experience doesn't sour him on randonneuring in general, or riding along the beautiful Delaware in particular. Heal quickly, OJ. We hope to see you riding again soon.
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| On a dry, sunny day it doesn't seem dangerous, but.... |
Patrick and Cecilie write...
Thanks to you, Bill, Jeff, Len, Iwan and all the other volunteers at the 400 this past weekend. We really enjoyed the course. The hilly section from Bowmanstown to Blondies was not as bad as we remembered, but the nontraditional headwind through Lancaster county made for a challenging afternoon. It's always good to see Len and his van of goodies out on the course and the coke and croissant from Iwan in Phoenixville really helped. Thanks again, see you at the 600!Brad Layman writes...
This was one of my favorite PA Rando events. Hanging out with fellow randos in the barn the night before and after the ride as the rain pattered on the roof was memorable. The farmhouse provided comfortable lodging. The volunteer support was excellent - especially at the Phoenixville control as it was great timing to see a familiar face. Thank you Iwan, Jimmy, Len, James, Randi, Jeff, and especially Chris. I had a double flat with four miles to go which was very frustrating, but on the bright side, it gave me a moment to gather myself before the final "grunt" up to the farm. Three V8s, four sandwiches, and several treats fueled me through the muggy day. Hope to see everyone at the 600!
Join us again in June for the final event(s) in the PA Rando SR series: the Philly Pagoda Pocono 600K starting 4 June, paired with the Pagoda 200K starting 5 June. Info on these events can be found on the PA Rando website.
A pre-ride of the New Blue Redux 400K was conducted on 9 May, by Jeff Lippincott. Based on this pre-ride the RWGPS route was updated 2022-05-11 20:16:15 EDT and the cue sheet is now version 4. Route information and registration are on the event web page.
Longer routes can exhaust GPS memory. Make sure your GPS unit can handle this route. After downloading the route, make sure the GPS can route with it. If necessary, split the route into segments.
Course notes are below.
The pre-rider did not run into any road closures or detours. He encountered no seriously busy roads.
On the Swatara Trail, the trail was flooded out by Mill Creek at mile 108.2. He was able to find an obvious side trail to bypass the flooding.
As we have had several days of dry weather, the trail flooding there has probably drained. On the other hand, if rain returns and if it turns out that the trail flooding is not passable, simply backtrack 0.1 mile to the intersection with PA 443 and turn left (west) to cross the creek on the highway. Continue on 443 for about 5 miles where it bends southward and goes straight into PA 72. This crosses through Swatara gap. Shortly after passing through the gap and under I-81 you will rejoin the course at mile 115, turning right onto Bohn's Lane.
The PA 443/72 routing avoids the rail trail entirely, but it's trafficy and has rolling hills. Pick your poison. If the rail trail is flooded or muddy 443/72 is an acceptable alternative.
At Evansburg SP, 218.5, Mayhall Rd is closed past the park office. It was passable by bike when last checked, but given that many riders will be crossing through this road at night, please look out for unexpected hazards that may have developed recently.
All in all, it's a lovely DIFFICULT route
A pre-ride of the Hexenkopf Hill 200K was conducted on a beautiful Spring Day, Saturday 30 April, by Jeff Lippincott and Chris Nadovich. Based on this pre-ride the RWGPS route was updated 2022-05-1 17:44:35 EDT and the cue sheet is now version 4. Route information and registration are on the event web page. Course notes are below.
The Hexenkopf route is a remix of the old YARRR route, that moves the rectangular course southward placing the start/finish at Flint Hill. Because of the southern shift, the route passes beyond Pottstown to the Wawa control near Harmonyville shared with the 400K route. Extra route slack from the shift South also allows a visit to historic Lock 60 in Mont Clare.
The elevation profile of the course is U shaped, with the highest elevation at the start/finish. There are certainly a bunch of rollers in-between, and some legit climbs, most notably the namesake hexed Hill, but as PA Rando brevets go, I found it to be of low middle difficulty.
There are several closed bridges on this route, including the Headquarters Rd bridge which now has steel plates covering the holes in the pavement. All closed bridges were easily passable by bicycle at the time of the pre-ride. In a novel variation, this route does not transit the defunct Keim St bridge, but rather uses the main Hanover St bridge out of Potstown to cross the Schuylkill.
Returning North over the Schuylkill happens in Phoenixville at Lock 60. This is a facinating place -- somewhat of an rural island in the midst of suburbia. There is an amazing array of wildlife on this scenic location between the river and the canal.
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| Jeff stops to observe a turtles sunning themselves on a log. |
After an out-n-back to visit the lock, the course remains on the towpath all the way to the climb away from the river that begins at Hollow Rd. The towpath is crushed stone and is very interesting as it follows the old canal. The original route did not use the towpath. Originally, we went back on PA 29 in a zig-zag by Produce Junction. The traffic on 29 was so annoying, and the towpath so inviting that the route was changed to use the towpath instead of 29. Full disclosure: the towpath past 29 was not scouted on the pre-ride, but we believe it to be viable.
The info control on Hexenkopf Hill is at the red barn on the left that you will reach on the climb before the summit. There is an inscription on a round sign over the barn door.
A route change also was made in Hellertown to remain on the Saucon RT a little longer. This avoids a climb and simplifies the route. The only concern here is that riders recognize the exit from the trail at the parking lot on the left just past the Bingen Rd bridge. Some of you will reach this point after sunset, as we did. Look for the big trail-information board.
As the old YARRR route was often ridden in the heat of Summer, it was a nice change to be on these roads in the cool Spring air. Nevertheless, we stopped at Schoolhouse Sweets for ice cream. Although this isn't a control, nor is the Wawa in Souderton, most riders stop at one or both of these.
Route information and registration are on the event web page.
