Wool Endless Mountains Liberty Bell Jerseys

We are now accepting orders for wool Endless Mountains Liberty Bell jerseys. If you order by 15 April 2024 your jerseys should be available to you before the Endless Mountains 1234K grand brevet in September. These jerseys are made by Woolistic and are available in normal weight wool in Philadelphia Eagles Green. Normal weight wool is the warmest longest lasting fabric and is available with long or short sleeves. Graphics are embroidered into these wool fabrics. There is a partial zipper on the front and pockets on the back. There are men's and women's sizes from Small to XXXL. Sizing Chart.

      

These Event Jerseys are intended ONLY for Endless Mountains Riders and Volunteers. Ordering is on the honor system. If you believe in your heart that you will either attempt to ride or really volunteer for the Endless Mountains Liberty Bell in 2024, then you may purchase one of these special jerseys.  For everyone else, ordinary PA Rando jerseys will be available later in the year, along with a second order of EMLB jerseys that will NOT arrive in time for the EMLB event in September. 

Order your jerseys at the PA Randonneurs Team Store

Thanks go to George Retseck for making arrangements with Woolistic for this new jersey design.

Stillwater 200K Ride Report

We were blessed with an excellent February day for the Stillwater 200K.  It was cold, and the moderate wind had some "bite", but the full sunshine and beautiful countryside make it all downright pleasant. All 17 of 17 who clipped in for the brevet finished in good time (100%). Congratulations and well done to all. Preliminary results have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite right.  The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified. 

The Stillwater 200K is one of the most popular PA Rando routes. This course has been used for an official 200K brevet fifteen times since 2011. It was invented by Tom Rosenbauer and is one of several brevets exploring the Great Meadow region of NJ, in and around the Lackawanna Cutoff earthworks and bridges.

Newly minted randonneur, Joaquin Padilla, was first finisher pacing in the lead group of  riders.  Of course, their "speedy" finish times were a full hour and a half slower that the sub-7-hour course record set by Scotty Steingart in 2019. Two other newly minted randonneurs, "Jean Claude" Van Lam and Tai Ta were nearer the caboose end of the train. Again, these beginners were bested by a veteran as the RBA leveraged some wrong turns and road closures to finish three minutes slower on the pre-ride, nabbing Lanterne Rouge from them.  Kidding aside, it's great to see new riders showing up for the Winter brevets. These cats obviously have what it takes to be tough randonneurs. Welcome to our sport Joaquin, Van, and Tai!

Perhaps the most impressive ride of the day was by Ello Shertzer who looked downright exhausted arriving with Ben Keenan for a sub-10 hour finish on this sneaky-tough course. Chapeau Ello!  Solid ride. 

 Ron Anderson writes....

I had a flat exactly 1 mile into the brevet. I pulled to the curb and quickly found a 1¼" decking screw fully embedded in my rear tire. The temperature was hovering right around freezing and we hadn't been riding long enough to warm up yet. As I settled to assess the situation, I watched my 14 club mates ride away up the road (several of them did ask if I was okay, but I waved them on knowing I had the tools and experience to get myself back on the road without too much delay.) IF my tire wasn't ruined. With a screw buried so deeply in the tread it was very possibly game over for me before my ride really ever got started. As it turned out, I removed the tire to find a relatively clean puncture with no damage to the sidewall or rim. I removed the screw, swapped in a fresh tube, (I always carry 2 spares on brevets,) and carefully placed an old dried out Park peel-and-stick patch as a boot on the inside of the tire. Pumped it up with my frame pump (that warmed me up a little ) and voilà, it held air just fine. At this point my hands were frozen and I was 20 minutes behind my pals, but I remounted and went on to enjoy a glorious February day on a classic and very scenic PA Rando route. I even caught up to some riders at the second checkpoint, mile 49, and enjoyed the companionship of George Retseck and Brian Fitzsimmons. for the rest of the afternoon - much better than riding solo all day...

 

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Punxsutawney Phil has predicted Winter will soon end. Thus, we now turn our thoughts to warmer weather and the SR Series events based in Philadelphia.  The first SR event, the Covered Bridges 200K,  starts from Chamounix on one of the first days of Spring:  23 March.  Hope to see you there!

Stillwater 200K Brevet Pre-ride Notes

The Stillwater 200K Brevet on February 3 is your next opportunity in the Pa Randonneurs’ R-12 schedule. The ride starts from Pohatcong Shopping Plaza in Phillipsburg, NJ. Start time is at 7AM. All the information, and an online registration link, are on the the event web page. You will find a link to the RWGPS data for the route (last modified 2024-01-28 10:38:22 EST) and links to cue sheets (version 4 is the latest).

Park near the Regal Movie theater at the start, which is also near the finish control, Franks Trattoria Italian restaurant, located between the Old Navy and the Regal movie theater in Pohatcong Plaza. Leave the parking spots by the shops to the day patrons; please park at some distance away along Bliss Blvd. Park as shown in this map.

If you need coffee or breakfast, there is a Wawa nearby, across from the WalMart. If you are driving in on I-78 from the East (eg from NYC) consider a hearty breakfast at the 24 hour Clinton diner, easy-off-easy-on, about 10 miles to the East.

Do not leave your car over by the Wawa or WalMart as we have had some trouble with the "Walmart Parking Lot Blue Light Special Security Team" in the past. 

Joe Ray's Pre-Ride Report

The pre-ride on Jan 27 was the first good all-day weather day in two weeks. The rain cleared out overnight Friday and the wind stayed fairly light. Temperatures ranged from mid 30s along the Delaware River to Milford to the mid 50s on the return leg around Stillwater. The sun made a brief appearance but otherwise it was overcast all day. In other words it was an ideal day to be out.

This route is one of my favorites. The scenery along the way is terrific and the roads generally quiet or with a wide shoulder. There are loads of “water features” along the entire course, such as the intermittent waterfalls on River Road heading to Milford which were especially active after the last few weeks, and the ice sculptures formed by water seeping out of the cliff on Martins Creek Belvidere Hwy on full display. If the temperatures this week are not too warm they may be still hanging around, otherwise there may be some broken chunks of ice on the road.

The course has five controles, plus the start/finish in Pohatcong Plaza. Every location is open, or in the case of the post office in Milford, the bagel shop next door is open.

A winter brevet can often feature loads of branches, leaves and chunks of salt from the most recent storm, but the rain and motor vehicle traffic had cleared all of the sort of hazard away. The only exception was the Pennsylvania stretch between Portland and Riverton where some of the grit was still on the road. Fortunately, there was zero grit and gravel at the bottom of the descent on Riverton Road at the sharp left turn onto Martins Creek Belvedere Highway.

The roads themselves were in good shape, with a few lateral cuts for water lines in Milford on York Road soon after departing the controle. The cuts were all filled with dirt and gravel and were not a problem but simply something to be aware of.

The stretches between controles do not generally offer much in the way of food stops; however I did make a lunch stop a few miles before the Quik Check controle at AG Pizza on Lake Iliff Road and that kids’-portion chicken parm over spaghetti was the one of best Rando lunches ever. The timing was right since the route is not very hilly at all for the next few miles.

There are a few port-a-johns along the way in case anyone needs them. One is on Cemetery Road in Independence about a mile before the controle, across the road from the fire department. During one Stillwater brevet a few years ago several if us had a long chilly wait at the controle to use their bathroom.

Hopefully the weather on February 3 will be as good. If so, then riders are in for a treat. 

RBA Note

The Lafayette Quik Check is a MERCHANT control. Anyone NOT using the eBrevet app is required to get a receipt here. You can make a small purchase or check your bank balance at the ATM. Mark your card with your arrival time and include the receipt. If you are using the eBrevet app, you don't need a receipt, but I still recommend stopping at the Quik Check if you didn't stop at AG Pizza. The QC has an indoor eating area and excellent soup. 

Enjoy the ride and be careful out there.

Hope to New Hope 2024 Ride Report

What a day for a bike ride! Snow, rain, cold and slush, not to mention an early sunset.

Nevertheless, the course was completed by an impressive 3 of 6 snowday riders, and 2 pre-riders (on a much nicer day) for an overall 5 of 8 (63%). Congratulations and well done to all. Preliminary results have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let us know if something is not quite right.  The results will be submitted to RUSA after review and will become official once certified. 

RBA Chris made sure everyone knew what to expect. He also wisely moved the official start up to 6AM for more pre-snow miles. 10 of the registered Randos decided caution is the better part of valor and opted to DNS. That left 6 foolhardy courageous warriors hoping to overcome the elements. Riders Patrick Gaffney, Benjamin Keenan and Andreas Prandelli all made it back to the warmth of Frank's Trattoria having bested the gods of winter. Vadim Gritsus, Dale Houck, and George Retseck  all made valiant efforts but succumbed to the forces of reason with snow packed fenders and a worsening forecast.

 

"There were very few cars, so the riding was pleasant."

Each of our three heroes finished in great spirits. In particular, Andreas seemed positively gleeful he got to go for a long bike ride. It would take much worse to deter him. All three said the final miles were especially treacherous as tire traction abandoned them. 

The yellow jersey from that "other" bike ride has nothing over Andreas triumphant in his giallo.

Every rider who registered deserves major kudos, either for the judicious decision to take a pass or to clip in and brave January's wrath.


Pat Gaffney writes... 

Patrick's mustache hardly collected any ice.

Thanks for all your efforts with eh 200 this past Saturday. Chris, for seeing us off earlier than normal and Bob for braving the storm to see us at the finish. The cold was not as bad as I thought it would be, but the snow made the last stretch of 15 miles or so some of the hardest in recent memory. Riding directly into the storm made some pretty mundane roads seem like a real slog. Thanks again, see you down the road.

Ben Keenan writes...

Thanks Bob and Chris for organizing this ride. The cold and snow in the later miles made for a memorable day. Highlights were seeing a hard frost (rare these days) on the fields outside Hope as day broke and riding under the clouds, feeling the snow in them and wondering when the storm would begin. Special thanks to Bob for staying at the end to make sure all riders got in safely (we all owe you one). Honorable mention to Pat Gaffney for leaving a good set of tracks in the snow. No need for GPS last 15 miles!

Ben Keenan had some eyewear challenges

We return to Pohatcong Plaza shopping center again next month for another Winter classic brevet, The Stillwater 200K on 3 February. Please keep an eye on this blog and the PA Rando website for possible announcements relating to this event. The brevet will be rescheduled if possible or canceled if there is a realistic chance of black ice or other unsafe riding conditions. But just a little snow? We ride on!

Hope to New Hope 2024 Course Notes Pre-ride Report

Start yet another year with the same old New Hope 2 New Hope 200K brevet on 6 January 2024 (in no way commemorating the Capitol attack).  The ride starts from  Pohatcong Shopping Plaza in Phillipsburg, NJ. Start time is at 7AM. All the information, and an online registration link, are on the event web page.  You will find a link to the RWGPS data for the route (last modified 2023-01-6 13:14:28 EST) and links to cue sheets (version 1 is the latest).  There have been no changes in the route from last year.

Park the Regal Movie theater at the start, which is also near the finish control, Franks Trattoria Italian restaurant, located between the Old Navy and the Regal movie theater in Pohatcong Plaza. Leave the parking spots by the shops to the day patrons; please park at some distance away along Bliss Blvd.  Park as shown in this map. 

If you need coffee or breakfast, there is a Wawa nearby, across from the WalMart. If you are driving in on I-78 from the East (eg from NYC) consider a hearty breakfast at the 24 hour Clinton diner, easy-off-easy-on, about 10 miles to the East. 

Do not leave your car over by the Wawa or WalMart as we have had some trouble with the "Walmart Parking Lot Blue Light Special Security Team" in the past. 

A pre-ride was conducted on 29 December by Chris Nadovich and Bob Dye. 

Bob Dye writes...

The Hope to New Hope Pre-Ride PA Rando Parable.

When you volunteer to do a pre-ride you can choose the date to ride anytime within a two week window prior to the ride. Chris Nadovich and I chose Friday the 29th based on what the meteorologists were prognosticating - and boy, did we nail it! The temp reached into the fifties with plenty of sunshine and zero precipitation. Not bad for the end of December.

The Hope to New Hope 200K route is a lopsided figure eight with the start, finish and 47 mile controle in the same approximate location. This way you can have provisions and alternate apparel stashed in your car for a mid-ride re-fresh. It's designed for safe winter riding with many major roads with smooth wide shoulders. The early, northern loop was particularly smooth. Pothole season has not yet begun. The second loop had a few somewhat rugged stretches and some flood debris which should hopefully be gone by the weekend. Nothing too alarming. I'm pleased to report the restrooms at Bull Island (mile 79.1) were open and heated. 

Expect a plethora of perambulating pedestrians in New Hope. You'll probably want to continue walking your bike for a bit after crossing the bridge from Lambertville. 

As Chris will now doubt warn you, you may need to ignore your GPS at the end of Greenwich Road (miles 2.5 & 49.5). It's a left the first time and right the second time. My Garmin yelled at me both times.

Good luck Saturday and I look forward to seeing your cold and smiling faces at the finish!

PA Randonneurs Holiday Soirée 2023

On Saturday, December 16th, 42 registered party-goers celebrated the end of another successful year of Pennsylvania Randonneuring. Organizer extraordinaire Iwan Barankay and his wife Ulli graciously opened their home in Philadelphia where club members and loved ones from near and far exchanged tales of brevets and shared their aspirations for the new year.

Plenty of parking.... for bikes!

Fearless organizer Iwan knows how to feed the masses

Thank you for opening your home Iwan and Ulli!

RBA emeriti Tom Rosenbauer and Andrew Mead graced us with their presence, told many tales from the storied history of the club, and enjoyed the company of the 'next-generation'. The soirée was a great celebration of the past, present, and future of the club. 

Andrew, Tom, CJ, George, and Gilbert

The Philadelphia contingent (& Ben!) rise to the challenge: Brakeless fixed gear PA SR, multiple PA SR awards, and even a first-year PBP ancien in this mix. Is there anything they can't do?

There was delicious vegan chili made by the host, a great cheese spread, and lots of desserts, including chocolate-covered cannolis. Of course, it would not be a proper PA Rando event without PayDay bars as well!

Newly-minted randonneurs Maria Thomson and Ross Perfetti (center). We look forward to seeing what you accomplish in 2024!

The R.E.Load Bags x Coast Cycles PBP Dream Team

A welcome addition to the ride roster

As for 2024 plans, it may come as no surprise that PA Randonneurs are an audacious bunch. Many mentioned various 2024 grand randonnees, international bike tours, and ultra-endurance races along with other forms of two-wheeled entertainment such as mountain biking and gravel cycling. A few brave randonneurs have their eyes set on Endless Mountains Liberty Bell 1234k, a re-imagining of the legendary Endless Mountains 1240k last run in 2013.

The mountains call. Will you answer?

Additionally, a few potential Flèche team captains smartly seized the opportunity to begin their recruiting efforts early, so we hope to see some fresh teams and full rosters come April.

Kate and Ello agree: Randonneuring needs more hardstyling and gender diversity!

Brad, Iwan, Ryan, and Gerik

More photos are available here, and feel free to drop yours as well: https://photos.app.goo.gl/skefgtc6UyJx85Lz7.

Thanks again to Iwan and Uli, all of those who made and brought delicious food and drink, and everyone who partook in the night's festivities. Regardless of how many events you may have under your belt, we hope that you'll consider joining us for an event in 2024. Most of the event calendar next year has been published, so be sure to check out our website for ride details and registration info.

Hollywood Hotdog 200 Ride Report

Preliminary results for the Hollywood Hotdog 200K have been posted to the website.  Please review the results and let us know if any corrections are needed.  Results will be sent to RUSA and will become final pending RUSA confirmation.  Twenty riders, including three pre-ride volunteers clipped in for the final Eastern PA brevet of 2023.  All riders made it back in good time for a 100% completion rate!

Relatively mild, but damp, conditions greeted the riders at the start.  As the day progressed the skies cleared and the temperatures climbed up onto the 50's.  Not bad for December!  While the 8:00 am start provided a very comfortable schedule for the organizer to get to the start, it meant that there was little more night riding than is expected on a 200K.  

The route was a nice way to wrap up the year as it had a little bit of everything; car free trails, suburban meandering, Delaware River crossing, scenic farmland, and of course a major climb.  All of the riders seemed to be in good spirits as they came into the finish and satisfied with their rides.  Of note Michael Mauel completed his first Eastern PA brevet, congratulations and welcome to the club!

Some evocative pictures are below and here is a folder with even more: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SvxzT5rqvbknUMmo6 

Iwan modeling his new helmet liner

Heading out on damp roads.  Photo by Matt McClone

piglets at Tabora. Photo by Ello Shertzer

Ben Keenan writes:

"Thanks a million to Pat, Iwan and Chris for organizing a great day of riding.  It was a worthy end to a great year, and a good way to clear mind and spirit before the onslaught of the holidays.  The stretches along the Delaware River were beautiful with the mist rising off (even if they did allow time for memories better bequeathed to a handsomely-paid therapist to creep in!).  I can also report the hills from Easton to the Wassergas General Store have not gotten any easier since the last time I attempted to, uh, “ride” up them.  Thanks to all the riders that shared the miles and catching up afterwards at the Iron Hill Pub was a great way to end the day.  Hope to see everyone at a ride soon!"

Joshua Han writes:

"Strangely warm December day.  Shorts weather though!  Foggy at the start and foggy at the end.  No precipitation but wet roads all day. Caught a puncture in the Southampton area shortly after leaving the unscheduled stop at the Wawa because someone (will remain unnamed) forgot their water bottles.  Sealant, well, sealed, and didn't lose much tire pressure at all. Heard a loud crash in one of the small towns on the Jersey side.  Pickup truck was not paying attention and crashed into the back of a minivan.  Lunch at a hot dog stand and traffic-watching at the Free Bridge tells you a lot about humanity (and their lack of patience).A small, delicious cider donut at Tabora Farms (and some free samples) and off to the last checkpoint/finish. Legs were pretty dead towards the end so thankful that the last few miles were downhill.  4.5 hours in the dark! Thanks again (and so much more for and to the volunteers) for another great day on the bike!"

Ello writes:

"I had a great time yesterday! I kept thinking about how different the weather was from last year’s December ride (thank goodness)! I really enjoyed some of the scenery on this ride, especially in the fog in the first half. Great route with some good challenging climbs (*shakes fist at Pat Gaffney Hill and Lower Saucon*) and spicy fun descents. And the highlight was definitely the piglets at Tabora. I asked one of the employees what the deal was with the piglets and she didn’t even know they were out there, so that was kind of funny. Big thanks to Iwan, Pat, and Chris!"

 

Bob Dye writes:

"Thank you to Patrick, Iwan, Chris and any other volunteers/organizers for another well-organized and executed PA brevet.  I’m proud to say we discovered an entirely new cycling technique by drafting while walking across the bridge to Easton. I will remember this day for the world’s slowest pace line." 

 

Chris Nadovich writes:

"Nigel Greene's "Breakfast in the Burbs" perm transforms nicely into a
proper PA Rando 200K with Gaffney Hill and the Koalburg (Lower Saucon)
climbs added.

It couldn't have been too, too hard given that 100% of the riders
finished. The fact that it was a nice day with no wind and moderate
temperatures in the 50s probably had something to do with that good
result. Also, while I was hanging out at Jimmy's and greeting riders
at the control. I noticed that many of them had one or
more of the signature Hot Dogs. Surely a Jimmy's hot dog is a
rando climbing superfood.

There was a nice rando gathering at the Iron Hill finish, with many
of the early finishers hanging around to cheer the final arrivals. It's
always great to see that.

Thanks to Iwan and Pat for running a great event. See you all next
month at the latest reversion of the New (but somehow always
the same) Hope to New Hope."

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Our next event will be held on January 6, 2024.  We return to one of our traditional winter routes starting in Philipsburg, NJ.  Event information can be found here.