Blue Mountain 200k Ride Report

Even the horses, still with their winter blankets, are wondering when spring will finally arrive.  Photo compliments of Nigel G.

Preliminary results for the Blue Mountain 200k have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/PA200k_Results150321.pdf
...Please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted shortly, and become final, pending ACP certification.

According to the calendar, it was a spring event, but it definitely still felt like winter, as the 25 riders will attest to. Temperatures were below freezing at the start, and never made it out of the 30F's.  Gusty winds out of the northwest made it feel much colder all along the leg from Wind Gap to Little Gap.  Last December's ride was balmy in comparison.  Despite the very chilly conditions, all 25 riders made it to the finish for a 100% completion -- congratulations and well done to all!

First finisher Ed B. writes: "...Thank you (and Eoghan) for a wonderful 200k... Yesterday was hard. The first 70 or so miles into a 20+ mph wind with 25-28F temperatures froze my one lone container of "emergency use only" Goo solid and the fact that I reached for that vile "food" and that it was rock solid says it all.  The Blue Mountain is one of my favorite rides because it has everything a rider could want and despite the challenging conditions, it was perfect.  It has two good manageable climbs, lots of rollers, flat sections, rivers, valleys that are all wrapped up in quiet, low volume country roads with spectacular scenery.  Nice riders.  Finishing up at the Ship Inn with others was a treat and a perfect personal celebration marking my 1 year anniversary of returning to randonneuring..."

Jim H. writes: "...This was one of those rides that I was very glad to be finished with.  Needless to say, it was a cold one, especially before the Blue Mountain crossing.  Not long after that crossing, I began to feel flat on the bike ....  But, as always, thanks to you and Eoghan for another great ride; and to Pat and Cecilie for their scouting report.  A challenging course, terrific mountain and river views, great riding companions and excellent brew and chew at the finishing controle..."

Nigel G.  writes: "...Thank to you and Eoghan for putting on this ride. I've grown quite fond of this particular route and yesterday's quiet roads and bucolic setting did not disappoint. The wind and the cold on the other hand, certainly upped the ante...Spending four hours riding uphill into a freezing headwind gives you lots of time to question your decisions ...."
You can read the rest of Nigel's ride report at
http://eprider.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-season-starts-anew.html

Eric K. writes: "... I  must have been so excited to ride my first 200k since October that I didn't feel that the headwinds were too bad.  We did run into a few tough stretches -- one before Phillipsburg, and then the approach to Wind Gap. But I guess that's why the call it Wind Gap. We seemingly had tailwinds on both stretches paralleling Blue Mountain, which was a welcome surprise. I was concerned that I was under-gloved, but I didn't have serious hand freezing issues until the end. Overall, I like the course a lot, and the change involving Turkey Hill was very nice. Other than being cold and windy, the weather cooperated.  On the way in from State College, I hit quite a bit of snow. It must have veered north..."

Tim C. writes: "...Thanks to you and the rest of the PA randos for organizing this.  It was a very pretty ride, and the weather held out.  That wind was terrible for the first part, but the ride from the ski resort to Water Gap made up for it.  I stopped at that bakery on my way out of the park a year and a half ago with my touring bike, tent, and supplies.  I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up to it, and the other riders who were there got an earful about how I had been there before.  That's a great place for a controlle...."

Rudi M. writes: "... I was very impressed by the route; the many beautiful roads, near perfect cue sheet, friendly controle people, and so on, all really great..."

Special thanks to organizer,  Eoghan B. for sending the riders on their way at the start and greeting them at the Ship Inn finish.  Thanks also, to volunteer preriders Cecilie and Patrick G. for their course checkout. And thanks also, to Bill O., Chris N. and Chris' dad for helping to greet all the riders at the Ship Inn finish with a warm welcome after a very chilly ride.
 It's volunteers these who make a big difference on the Eastern PA series.  There are still plenty of opportunities for other volunteers to step up an make a difference on future events, which are listed here:
http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=pa_volunteers2015

The Eastern PA 2015 spring schedule continues with the Fleche on the weekend after Easter.  This year, there are a total of 8 teams that will be converging to Quakertown.  Team rosters have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/FlecheRegs.pdf
 -- hopefully, spring weather will arrive by the time teams take their start.  And the following week the Eastern PA SR series continues with the 300k, along with a shorter 200k for those of you just looking to keep an R-12 streak going. Event details have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/PA300K_B.html.


-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Blue Mountain 200k

Blue Mountain as seen on the 2014 edition, compliments of Nigel Greene

*** Postponed (3/20) ***
Due to snow and icy road conditions, the Blue Mountain 200k originally scheduled for 3/21 has been postponed until Saturday, 3/28.  Hopefully, we'll have some spring weather conditions by then.  Please let me know if you plan to ride on the rescheduled date.

 *** Update 1 (3/19) ***
With a winter storm forecast calling for 3-6" of snow on Friday along with the below freezing temperatures overnight into Saturday morning, there's a good chance that the Blue Mountain 200k will need to be postponed.  An assessment will be made around midday on Friday on whether it will be safe for us to ride or not.  Be sure to check back on the website and message board for updates.

*** Course Notes (3/17) ***
The Eastern PA spring calendar kicks off with the Blue Mountain 200k on March 21st out of Milford, NJ. The start is at our favorite bakery.  But due to the limited parking spaces at the Milford Station Bakery, please do not park your car there. Parking is available in a parking lot off of Church St (across the street from the Bakery).  There are "No Parking" signs but PA Randonneurs has permission from US Health Care: to use the lot for our event.  The March event typically has a pretty good turn-out - there is additional seating at the bakery start controle in a room down the hallway past the bathrooms.
The controle in Water Gap is at another bakery.  But right next door, there is the Water Gap Diner if you would like a more substantial sit-down meal.  You may get your brevet card signed at either location.

I want to emphasize taking extra care with those RR crossings early on, as noted on the cuesheet -- especially if you find yourself in a large, fast bunch as you approach these hazards.  The second one at mile 7.2 will be extremely treacherous, especially if it is wet.

The finish controle is at the Ship Inn, at the other end of Bridge St, where organizer Eoghan Barry will greet you.  Eoghan is also riding as a participant, so if you finish before he does, you can leave your signed brevet card with the hostess if you leave before he arrives.

SPOT GPS Trackers will be handed out to a couple of riders at the start. The webpage with links to the trackers is here:
http://parando.org/SPOT_Links.html
... if you have a personal SPOT tracker not listed, please send me a link to your tracking webpage.

A volunteer preride was completed by Pat and Cecily Gaffney this past weekend.  Pat reports:
"...Thanks again for a wonderful route.  Despite the fact that the temperatures never seemed to get anywhere near their advertised highs, a pretty stiff headwind through the first two controls and some sleet and freezing rain we had a great time.  
As with all the Eastern PA rides, the route was a fantastic mix of interesting terrain and beautiful scenery.  We didn't find any issues with the cue sheet, and given the winter we had, we thought all the roads were in pretty good shape.  There were no real problems with any roads, though I must say there was a fair amount of gravel and cinders over the entire course, which i think could be expected. It was never a real big concern, but there were a few spots that we thought you may want to make note of.
- At mile 16.3 - right turn onto Abbott St - there is a pothole in the turn that could cause some pinch flats
-Mile 21.7- N Delaware Dr - - There is a fair amount of gravel on the shoulder
-Mile 34.3 - QR - Eighth St - There is a metal grate in the turn
-Mile 34.6 - Roosevelt St is unmarked
-Mile 44.6 - Delps RD is probably one of the roughest roads on the route.  It is not horrible, but there a few spots along the whole stretch of Delps that have to be picked through with a little extra caution, particularly if a large group is moving through.
-Mile 49 - Red Maple Drive - Gravel in this turn
-Mile 52 - There is a lot of gravel on the shoulder of the climb up Blue Mountain Drive.
-Mile 79.1 -Cherry Valley Rd - This stretch has some rough patches between 191 and 611.
-Mile 93.3 - Sandy Shore Dr. - Gravel in this turn
-Mile 119.1 - Sweet Hollow Road - Gravel and rough road in this turn.


Other than these spots the course was in pretty good shape, as we mentioned before.  The climb up Turkey Hill was not too bad.  We made it up without any issues and the 3 mile descent down Sweet Hollow with out turning the pedals over was worth it.

Hopefully the weather will be a little better for the group this weekend, but I am sure everyone will enjoy the ride regardless..."  -Pat and Cecilie

And a couple of other important reminders:
- Lighting and reflective gear will be inspected at the start
- Print out a cuesheet for yourself
- Monitor the message board and website for any last minute updates.  There's another round of winter weather in the forecast late in the week that I'm keeping a close eye on.
...And most importantly, be sure to have a **safe ride***!

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

**** Roster as of 3/27 ***
1 Glenn Ammons -
2 Whit Anderson -
3 Dan Barbasch -
4 Eoghan Barry - Organizer
5 Ed Bernasky
6 Gavin Biebuyck -
7 Ronald Burdalski II - unconfirmed
8 Janice Chernekoff -
9 Jonathan Clamp -
10 Tim Conway -
11 Timothy Creyts -
12 Ed Dodd -
13 Alfred Dolich - unconfirmed
14 Chris Errico -
15 Matthew Farrell -
16 William Fischer -
17 J Scott Franzen -
18 Cecilie Gaffney - Volunteer
19 Patrick Gaffney - Volunteer
20 Zachary R Goodrich - unconfirmed
21 Nigel Greene -
22 James P. Holman -
23 Greg Keenan -
24 Eric Keller -
25 Alexander Kojevnikov - unconfirmed
26 Robin C Landis -
27 Gil Lebron -
28 Gary Mass - unconfirmed
29 Rudi Mayr -
30 William Olsen -
31 Tom Oswald -
32 Keith A Spangler - unconfirmed

Hopewell 200k Ride Report

Photo compliments of Keith Spangler

Preliminary results for the Beyond Hope to Hopewell 200k have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/PA200k_Results150207.pdf
...Please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted shortly, and become final, pending RUSA certification.

Temperatures at the start were in the low 20F's but managed to briefly make it into the low 40F's by mid afternoon.  The skies were mostly cloudy all day and there were some snow flurries on the northern extent of the course.  However the sun did manage to peek out a couple of times during the mid afternoon hours. With plenty of snow still on the ground from last week's storm, it certainly was a winter day's ride.  But we were very lucky to squeeze this one in without any postponements or cancellations given the recent weather pattern of weekly storms arriving like clockwork followed by a deep freeze.

With the limited number of days that have been safe for riding, it was surprising to see 25 registered riders looking to ride 200k on a cold winter day -- about twice the number of riders last Februrary.  Perhaps this was a sign of pent-up cabin fever after weeks of indoor training.  22 riders took the start and 21 finished.  Of note, CJ A. completed an Eastern PA R-12 series, and joins the Eastern PA Honor roll.  The Eastern PA R-12 is still a very select distinction, with only 8 other riders who have accomplished this feat.  With the cancellation of Janurary's Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k brevet, riders were able to keep their Eastern PA R-12 streak going  thanks to organizer Bill O., who agreed to run the event as a permanent in January. Also of note, Eric Q. completed his very first brevet.  Congratulations Eric; one down, and just 11 more to go for your own R12 streak!

CJ writes: "...I started last March. Little did I know back then that I would come back the next month, and the next month, and the next month....The ride yesterday was a roller-coaster for me. Freezing and hungry while it's snowing, feeling better heading south, over-eating and stomach problems the second half of the day, and the cherry on top: a slow leak 6 miles out from Milford while coming back up 29. But, the knowledge that I would make it to the finish trumped all worries. Thanks to Zach and Keith, as they proved once again to be great riding partners and 'wingmen'. Most of the day, on the busy roads, we didn't get much chance to ride side-by-side and chat, but the stretch from Runyon Mill to 607 was a wonderful and refreshing change. Makes me miss the rural farm roads back in Chester County. And, of course, I can't go without mentioning the greatest controle ever, Brick Farm Market!
Thanks to Jon for the send-off, and to him and Guy for awaiting our safe return. And special thanks to Gilbert for sticking around at the finish to celebrate the end of a long and arduous journey...."

Larry M from Syracuse, NY also completed an R-12, which is quite an accomplishment with the challenging winter conditions where he lives.  Larry writes: "...Often wondered what was beyond Bloomsbury, NJ on Rt. 173 in the other direction, and wow, what a nice surprise.  The climb up Tunnel Road and the subsequent ridge hopping into Hopewell, NJ was a nice variation.  And thanks for helping me earn my second R-12 RUSA Award as completion of your 200K on Saturday helped me achieve that. Nice gathering of riders for a quick meal at the Ship Inn concluded a great day on the road! See you all again sometime in 2015!..."

Keith S.. writes: "... Hats off to the volunteers who supported the Hopewell 200k!  Thank you for a warm welcome and send off for a day of riding that saw a lot of weather change.   From the snow showers and drop in temps that greeted us to the north, to the peak-a-boo cloud / sun that warmed us to the south - what a ride!   I even had the opportunity to change into my fingerless summer gloves for a short time.  The glove change didn't last too long, but neither did the 38 degree temps that were forecasted.  If I recall, the warmest temps came around 3:30 or so - nice for February.  Anyway, I had a great ride and conversation with CJ and Zach, thanks!  Note:  CJ finished his R-12 nursing a flat for the final miles into Milford.  Congrats my friend  ..."

Peter M. writes: "...Thanks for setting up a great course today. It was nice to be out for a long ride ..."

Bob D. writes:
"Noses are red
Toes are blue
I had a good ride
Thanks to Jon, Guy and you..."

Special thanks to organizer,  Jon C. This was Jon's first time running an event,  but you wouldn't know it given his perfect execution and attention to detail. Besides running the start and finish controles, Jon also suggested the Brick Farm Market controle in Hopewell, which I understand was a very popular respite after all those rollers through the NJ Sourlands.  Thanks also to volunteer Guy H. for keeping Jon company on the volunteer preride and at the finish controle.  Guy also delivered the brevet cards to my house which saved me a 40-mile round trip to Milford.   Thanks also to Don J., for the course routing between Hopewell and Stockton, which worked out much better than my original ideas.  It's volunteers like Jon, Guy and Don who make a big difference on the Eastern PA series.  There are still plenty of opportunities for other volunteers to step up an make a difference on future events, which are listed here:
http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=pa_volunteers2015

This concludes the Eastern PA 2015 winter schedule -- whew!  It certainly has been a rough stretch of months, going all the way back to the November 200k.  I for one, am looking forward to the spring brevets which will kick off on March 21st with a 200k out of Milford.  And after that, the PA Fleche is on the weekend of April 11th: now would be a good time to be getting your teams and route together.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Beyond Hope to Hopewell

*** Update 1 (2/6) ***
Organizer Jon Clamp will be meeting you at the start to send you on your way, and he'll be joined by volunteer Guy Harris to greet you at the finish. The start is at the Milford Bakery, but you should park your car in the big parking lot on Church St -- there is a sign indicating private parking, but PA Randonneurs has secured permission from the owner, US Health (which will be closed). The Bakery will be open by 6AM and in addition to baked items, breakfast sandwich are made to order. The finish controle is at the Blairstown Inn just a couple of stores away from the Bakery.

Reminder: With the limited daylight, lights and reflective gear will be checked at the start.

Guy Harris checked out the course on Friday morning and reports: "... I drove the section of the course from Rt173/Tunnel Rd to Rileyville Rd./518 today. Right side of the fog line is mostly ice and snow so not usable. **In general** the road is clear of ice to the left of fog line and to dry pavement. There is however the occasional melt water / ice at driveways, mailboxes, and shaded areas which can provide a few icy spots to the left of the fog line. Tunnel Rd. and the detour are fine. I suspect that this will be the worst section of ride. Generally 519 is plowed better but I haven't seen it. I am sure Rt29 coming up the river will be great - it always is..."

On Thursday afternoon, I checked out the course between Hopewell and Rieglesville, and found that the roads were generally clear of ice and snow as well.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

*** Original Post ***
A volunteer preride was completed this past Sunday by Jon Clamp and Guy Harris.  The cuesheet has been updated to draft 2, dated 2/2, for a detour around a closed bridge at mile 88.  Guy reports : "...The fixies kept us pretty warm all day! South Hunterdon HS sign even showed 35 degrees! The only snow was just a few flurries coming up Rt29. Certainly warmer than the forecast for next Saturday. Bridge on Wertsville is definitely out - gone. Detour is right at road closed barricade onto Runyon Mill Rd, about 0.5mile to left on Saddle Shop Road, about 1mile to Rileyville Rd./607, then right and back on course. The detour is really just the other two sides of the rectangle.  Roads were in pretty good shape overall. The right side of the road on the descent into Hopewell on Rileyville Rd was a little chewed up.  Leaving Hopewell on 518 about 0.3mile past the BR at mile 94.7 there is a somewhat bad angle RR track crossing. Probably worth noting although there are many worse ones on our rides. The crossing itself is good but the groove seems a bit wider and deeper than normal. Fortunately most people will be going slower here anyway since it is on the climb out of Hopewell.  The Brick Farm Market is a nice control. Great food, warm place to sit. A welcome stop after the climbs over the ridges from Bloomsbury ..."

Jon adds: "... the only thing I would add is that a good deal of the shoulders are littered with winter debris of salt and gravel so end up being a little rougher than normal. There are also the usual pot holes that Winter provides so a keen eye should kept for these..."

As usual, drop me a note by Thursday afternoon, if you'd like to added to the roster.  And be sure to monitor the website and this message board for any last minute updates or postponements.

*** Roster (as 2/6) ***
1 Charles J Arayata -
2 Eoghan Barry -
3 Gavin Biebuyck -
4 Jeffery S Butt -
5 Janice Chernekoff -
6 Jonathan Clamp - Organizer
7 Tim Conway -
8 Alfred Dolich - Guest
9 Robert Dye -
10 Matthew Farrell -
11 William Fischer -
12 Zachary R Goodrich
13 Doug Haluza -
14 Guy Harris - Volunteer Preride
15 Donald Jagel -
16 Robin C Landis
17 Gil Lebron -
18 Lawrence A Midura
19 Peter C Phillips -
20 Christopher C. Slocum -
21 Keith A Spangler -
22 Bob Torres -
23 Gilbert Torres -

Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k

*** Cancellation (1/2/2015) ***
Until this morning, it looked like conditions would allow for us to ride safely. But due to the weather forecast that is now calling for freezing rain on Saturday afternoon, the Jan. 3rd Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

Unfortunately, I have conflicts which do not allow this event to be easily rescheduled as an Eastern PA event in January.  But for those of you looking to keep your Eastern PA R-12 streak going, the Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k may instead be ridden in January as a permanent.  Additional details (including info on the Belvidere start/finish and contacting the permanent administrator, Bill Olsen) are at
http://www.rusa.org/cgi-bin/permview_GF.pl?permid=1090

Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ

400 AM EST FRI JAN 2 2015

WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON-WESTERN CHESTER-

WESTERN MONTGOMERY-UPPER BUCKS-

400 AM EST FRI JAN 2 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY...EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.

A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW AND SLEET SATURDAY AFTERNOON MAY CHANGE TO POCKETS OF FREEZING RAIN BEFORE QUICKLY TRANSITIONING OVER TO ALL RAIN SATURDAY EVENING AS TEMPERATURES RISE. THE GREATEST CHANCE IS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY INTO NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY. WHILE ANY SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE VERY LIGHT, SLIPPERY CONDITIONS COULD DEVELOP FOR A TIME SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY SATURDAY EVENING.

*** Original Post ***
The 2015 is scheduled to kick off with The Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k Saturday, January 3rd. Event details have been posted at:
http://parando.org/R12ClubJan5.html
The course routing mainly uses primary roads, since these have the best chance of being cleared and treated for winter conditions.  Due to mixed precipitation in the forecast for later in the afternoon, the start time has been moved up one hour to 7AM.

Please note that the start location is the Blairstown Diner --  As illustrated in this map:
http://parando.org/BlairstownStartFinish.JPG
.... you will park your car in the upper parking lot at Footbridge Park in Blairstown.  You can then walk across the footbridge with your bike to the diner, where you sign-in -- the diner will be open at 6:30AM but will only be serving coffee until 7AM.  There is a grocery store across the street if you need anything more than that to get started.

As in previous years, there is no entry fee for PA members in good standing -- you can renew your PA Membership by mail or at the start.
.
The finish controle at the Blairstown Inn is just a couple of stores away from the diner.  Reminder: With the limited daylight, lights and reflective gear will be checked at the start.

***Rider Roster  ***
1 Charles J Arayata -
2 Eoghan Barry -
3 Robert Dye -
4 Matthew Farrell -
5 William Fischer -
6 J Scott Franzen -
7 Andrew Froberg -
8 Doug Haluza -
9 Donald Jagel -
10 Wanda S Kingsbury - Guest
11 Paul I Kingsbury III - Guest
12 Gil Lebron -
13 Christopher Maglieri -
14 William Olsen -
15 Tom Rosenbauer - Organizer
16 Norman Smeal
17 Keith A Spangler -
18 Bob Torres -
19 Gilbert Torres -

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

2014 Recap

Final results for 2014 have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/Results2014.pdf
Congratulations on all those hard-earned brevets -- collectively, we officially tallied 90,020 km in completed brevets.  All those brevets added up to 907 RUSA points, placing Eastern PA 11th out of 56 regions. Thank you for clipping-in and being a part of that success.  But of course, none of those brevets would've been possible, if not for all the volunteers who stepped up and helped out:

- Gavin Biebuyck: Dec R-12
- Jim Bondra: Oct 150/200k
- Cecilie Gaffney: 200k, 300k, 400k
- Patrick Gaffney: 200k, 300k, 400k
- Zach Goodrich: Jun R-12
- Steve Hallett: Jan R-12
- Doug Haluza: 400k
- Guy Harris: 600k
- Don Jagel :Advisor, Organizer Mar R-12
- Andrew Mead: Advisor, Organizer Sep R-12
- George Metzler: Sep R-12 BBQ
- Chris Nadovich: 600k, Nov R-12
- Bill Olsen: Advisor, Organizer, Jan, Feb, Jun, Aug R-12, 300k, 600k
- Chris Roth: Aug R-12
- Bill Slabonik:  Oct 150/200k BBQ
- Norman Smeal: Advisor, Organizer 400k, Jul, Nov R-12
- Len Zawodniak: Feb R-12, 400k

This was a year of many accomplishments -- some selected ones I'd like to share with you include:
•There were a baker’s dozen of Eastern PA Super Randonneurs this year: Dan Aaron (3rd), Michael Anderson, Ed Dodd (3rd), Joe Fillip (2nd), Guy Harris (5th), Donald Jagel (3rd), Greg Keenan,             Eric Keller (5th), William Olsen (6th), Tom Rosenbauer, Norman Smeal (2nd), Bob Torres (2nd) Well Done!
•Bill Olsen had the most mileage on the PA series, riding a total of 3,610 km of the 3,860 maximum possible on the schedule. Your RBA (3500 km), Norman Smeal (3260 km), and Bob Torres (3010 km) were also high-mileage riders.
•Two randonneurs completed an Eastern PA R-12 series: Don Jagel (4th), and your RBA (3rd). This is a select group, with only 8 individuals on the Eastern PA Honor Roll.  However, with a current streak of 10 going and with a bit of luck, CJ Arayata will hopefully be joining the Honor Roll.
•Bill Olsen’s streak of Eastern PA events was completed at R-47 and Don Jagel’s was completed at R-25. Also of note, John Fuoco completed an R-5C (with the ‘C’ designating chemotherapy).  The completion of these milestones is of course, an opportunity to embark upon a new one.

Looking ahead to 2015, it’s a PBP year and there are also a couple of domestic 1200k's to choose from.  The Eastern PA region will be offering many brevets for qualification and preparation including a complete SR series, Fleche and an R-12 series of monthly 200k’s.  But I’ll be counting on volunteers to help run them – a most welcome holiday gift to your RBA would be to have all the 2015 volunteer needs filled out before the first event on January 3rd:
http://tinyurl.com/lwa2rrf

The 2015 Eastern PA winter schedule kicks off with the Beyond Hope to New Hope 200k on January 3rd.  And continuing a New Year's tradition, the event is free to PA Randonneur members in good standing (membership dues can be paid at sign-in).  Event details have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/R12ClubJan5.html
You can join the roster by using the electronic registration form at:
http://www.parando.org/RegistrationForm.html

Best of luck with your 2015 goals, and more importantly, have a safe year of riding.

Happy holidays,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

Blairstown 200k Ride Report

Creek Road Photo compliments of CJ Arayata

Preliminary results for the inaugural Blairstown 200k have been posted at:
http://www.parando.org/PA200k_Results141206.pdf
...Please let me know of any corrections or other issues.  Results will be submitted shortly, and become final, pending RUSA certification.

Temperatures at the start just dipped below freezing, as evidenced by the puddles of water seen on the way to the start being glazed over during the first couple of hours of riding.  A brisk northerly wind pushed riders along to the turn around point in New Hope.  By midday, temperatures made it into the mid 40F's with plentiful sunshine, although the winds certainly made it feel colder than that.  But definitely much better riding conditions than the ones for the original scheduled date: although the ice and snow in the weather advisory never materialized, all that rain with temperatures in the low 40F's would've made for a miserable day of riding  All 17 riders who made it to start made it around in good time, for another 100% finish: congratulations, and well done for that excellent result.

Bill F.. writes: "... Thanks again for a beautiful brevet Sunday.  The new route into New Hope was very nice and the stretch along the Wickecheoke Creek coming out of Stockton was absolutely gorgeous.  We spent the morning worrying about having to push into the North wind on the way home but we stayed pretty sheltered on those beautiful country roads. A challenging route for a December brevet..."
[You usually can't go wrong with any road with "Creek" in the name -- I rediscovered this road on a scouting ride last month -- 10 years ago, it was a rutted gravel dirt road.  And yes, it certainly was an above average tough course. On paper, it didn't seem so hard as I drew it up; but those last 30 miles seemed to take forever! -Tom R.]

Jim H. writes: "...Thanks for another great ride.  Thanks also to the volunteers who made this ride possible, including Gavin who cheerfully greeted me and the other riders at the finish. The course was more challenging than expected, and combined with the cold conditions (did the mercury ever get above the mid-30's?) and December fitness, or slightly lack thereof, it made for tough going.  But all smiles at the finish. hanks for another great year of brevets, looking forward to 2015 and a joyous holiday season to all!...."

CJ 's photo album has been posted at:
https://plus.google.com/photos/105970402842803211625/albums/6091272718699331809?authkey=CPCc-L-iivP0Mg

Mike A. writes: "...Thank you again for another memorable ride, glad it didn't rain this time. Sorry I couldn't hang around for a bit after the ride like I would have liked to this time. That Roxbury Hill Road was quite memorable, great views from atop Bethel mountain. .."
[And congratulations to Mike for completing an R-12, Well Done! -Tom R.]

Special thanks to Gavin B. for manning the finish controle, greeting riders and signing them in until I arrived, several hours later.

This concludes the Eastern PA 2014 schedule of events.  Brevet cards, final results, and the year-end wrap-up will be going out in the coming weeks.  The 2015 schedule kicks off on January 3rd -- hopefully, we'll get a break from this stretch of rough winter weather!

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA