PA200k (4/12/08 Edition)

[Tom Rosenbauer]

There is still time to register for PA200k and take advantage of the early-registration discount (which expires the week before the event start). Event information and registration is available at:
http://www.parandonneurs.com

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody again, on this first PA event of the 2008 season. There are many "regular" riders already registered along with several DC area riders and some others coming out for their first PA event. If you are one of the veteran PA200k riders, please be mindful of the newcomers who may not be familar with the course or riding their very first brevet -- I'm counting on the PA anciens to demonstrate the cameraderie of randonneuring to those who are new to our sport.

Please note that the ride starts shortly before sunrise ... so lights and reflective gear will be needed for the first half hour or so. Riders wihout lights will be held at the start until sunrise (the "official" sunrise/sunset hours are posted on the event website).

The cuesheet (4/3/08 revision) and the list of registered riders have also been posted on the PA Randonneurs website.

Please feel free to contact me for any additional information or questions you may have.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Tom Rosenbauer]

Greetings, PA200k participant,

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody again, on this first PA event of the 2008 season. There are many "regular" riders already registered along with several DC area riders and some others coming out for their first PA event. If you are one of the veteran PA200k riders, please be mindful of the newcomers who may not be familar with the course or riding their very first brevet -- I'm counting on the PA anciens to demonstrate the cameraderie of randonneuring to those who are new to our sport.

Please note that the ride starts shortly before sunrise ... so lights and reflective gear will be needed for the first half hour or so. Riders wihout lights will be held at the start until sunrise (the "official" sunrise/sunset hours are posted on the event website).

The link below is an overview of what to expect on the PA brevet series:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/WhatToExpect.pdf
Please note that this document has just been updated, so even the veteran riders should also take a look. If you are staying at the hostel, there is important info there on the procedures you should be aware of.

An updated cuesheet (4/3/08 revision) and the list of registered riders have also been posted on the PA Randonneurs website. Please check the event message board for any other last minute updates:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=231

And finally, if you are a newcomer, I'd be interested to know how you heard about the PA brevet series and what your goals are for the 2008 season ... send me a private e-mail with anything you want to share with me.

As always, contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Tom Rosenbauer]

An updated cuesheet has been posted on the website, dated 4/10/08. The only routing changes to date has been to remove the canal path after controle #5 (mile 96.5). The current route uses Rt32 to get to Red Cliff Rd at mile 98.1. The other changes are mostly typos and clarifications, based on my volunteer preride that I did on Wednesday, 4/9. The substantive corrections made include:
Mile 21.9: RR tracks have been ripped up, so spotting/warning cue has been deleted
Mile 57.5: Turn is now unmarked, so additional spotting cue added
near Mile 109.1: Combined cues for clarification and corrected/added spotting cues after controle 6.
Mile 109.9: Deleted spotting cue since road is now unmarked.
Mile 111.5: Modified to reflect updated road markings
Mile 112.8, 113.7: Added spotting cues to compensate for unmarked road.
Mile 116.5: Modified spotting cue to reflect updated road markings.

The course, with a few exceptions, is in good to great condition. There is however, a fair amount of gravel left over from the winter sanding, so watch out for this hazard on the turns and twisty descents. Cherry Valley Rd (mile 42) and Rt 32 (mile 96) have some ruts and potholes overdue for repair -- watch out for these -- that puddle you're headed for just might have a big pothole that will swallow your wheel.

And finally, (in the interest of fair warning), those riders coming out for a challenging ride, will not be disappointed -- the additional climing associated with the section to and from Point Pleasant, probably makes this edition of the PA200k the toughest one ever.

Hope everybody has a **safe** ride!

Regards,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Steve]

let me make a VERY STRONG suggestion!!! Tomorrow, in the pouring down rain, there will be several descents on which there will be lots of gravel. On dry days, I rip down clean roads, but I do not ride very fast down some of these even on the driest days!! I will mention it when we are closing in on some gravelly roads...

Here is the suggestion... Either have brand new break pads, or bring some spares with you, because you will more than likely wear out a set on this ride... PROBABLY TWO sets, though the front breaks are the ones we use the most... Also, bring at least two tubes.. you may not need them both, but better safe than sorry.. ESPECIALLY when we are "OUT THERE"

I will have tools with me, AND I will be with slower group, so don't worry about the changing part..

the crappiest descents are as follows...

After the first climb up lower Saucon Road... The gravel starts around mile 12 or so... (if memory serves...)

Frutchy Hill 28.8 has some twists and turns, some gravel, and there is a stopsign that if you blow through, you will be blowing onto 611!! Those who don't know this hill, BE CAREFUL!

42 miles in is a right turn onto Cherry Valley... it is at the bottom of a descent, and easy to blow by... the descent is not that bad, however, there is traffic.. Just be aware that the turn is going to be coming up fast!

54.4 we will be starting to descend Fox Gap. Originally, we just blew down the hill (6 miles down Or downward trending flat near the bottom) Now, we turn left after .3 of a mile there is traffic, not a huge amount, but it is there. when we turn left, I don't know the condition of the roads for the next 3 miles...

roughly 71.4 is a fairly steep descent down to the bridge crossing into NJ at Belvidere I don't remember it being bad, but be aware that there is a stop sign at the bottom of the hill, and there is traffic on that road.

from 78.6 till about 82, we will be going down a road that has gravel in some places, it is twisty in places, given the rain, take it slow! you will be thanking yourself for the lack of road rash! This is probably the worst of the descents in the rain.. The one positive we have is that we will be riding in the daylight!

89.6 we will be starting a descent that will take us to Sweet Hollow Rd... it is one mile down, and there is a stop at the bottom.. The road is decent, but remember the stop at the bottom!

Roughly 107.5 in, we will be descending into Point Pleasant. it is a fast descent, and there will be a stopsign at the bottom... I don't remember this being terrible the last time I rode it but again.. stop sign at the bottom If you don't know where best to put the breaks on, I would suggest using caution on this descent!

I would not be mentioning any of these if it were not going to be raining tomorrow.. Just be careful, take your time, Randonneuring is NOT a race!

Steve Scheetz

[Tom Rosenbauer]

Preliminary results for the PA200k have been posted on the PA website at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA200k ... 080412.pdf

Please let me know if you have any corrections with your result or RUSA membership status. Results will be submitted to RUSA within the next couple of days and will then become final, pending RUSA/ACP validation.

Given the dismal weather forecast, the difficulty of the course, and the number of new riders either unfamiliar with the course or coming out for their very first brevet, the last thing I expected was a 100% completion rate. But all 38 riders who clipped in this past Saturday "rised up" to the challenge and finished within the time limit -- the last 3 riders coming in with just 6 minutes to spare! Dan Wilson, one of the seven first-time brevet riders, was the first finisher with a time of 8:41. And another first-time brevet rider, Dan Blumenfeld, became the very first recumbent rider to officially finish a PA brevet.

Special thanks go out to Steve Scheetz, for helping with bike inspections at the start and to Nate Morgenstern, for leading the way with the sign-in sheets and helping out at finish. And thanks also, to Seeni Komolafe and Rob Welsh for helping with the cleanup and packing up my car. Without volunteers like these, putting on these brevets would not be possible.

The PA200k has been a labor of love and I really appreciate the many kind remarks you gave me. If you have any other comments or pictures to share, I'll include them in the ride report that I'll be posting on the website, shortly.

Regards,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[felkerino]

Tom, thanks for a great ride and for being such a helpful host. We enjoyed ourselves and hope to come back soon. We are unable to do any more ACP brevets there this spring but we'll watch your schedule for future events.

Ed Felker and Mary Gersema
Arlington, VA

[reddan]

Tom, thanks for a great introduction to randonneuring. I had a blast, and am looking forward to tackling the rest of the Eastern PA brevets this spring.

Best,

--Dan

[Steve]

I could not wait to write this report, but now that I sit here in front of my PC, I am struggling to figure out the best way to start! There is no question that in the front of this report, congratulations must be given to Tommy Rosenbauer, for his efforts, and the fact that 38 riders started (despite the thunder and rain that delayed the start by 15 minutes) 38 riders finished on the most difficult 200K I have ever ridden, with 11,500 feet of climbing, and littered with some very technical descents. It was a tough course, but we all managed to make it to the finish.


I talked SCU’s Monica Coleman into doing her first Brevet, and what a first! Also doing HIS first brevet ever, was Seeni Komolafe. The three of us, exhibiting FLAWLESS time management skills managed to roll into the finish line with a whole 6 minutes to spare! I am always happy when I reach the finish line of any event, but I was more thrilled and exhilarated after the finish of this particular one for having the honor of sharing it with two first timers, than I have been in quite some time.


So here the story begins. I left my house at about 10 minutes to 3:00AM, and started to push hard for Lake Nockamixon. I was actually amazed as to how many cars I saw on the road, but that didn’t bother me too terribly much, I went the quickest way I knew, which, for me, meant riding up toward my buddy Mitch’s house, and then riding to the lake from there. All was going well until I made it to the northeastern side of Hatfield, and then, everything came to a screeching halt! The fog was so dense that I really could not see where I was going! Fortunately I did not need to do much in the way of navigation, because I knew the roads so well. I rolled into the Hostel at precisely 5AM, which actually put me there right on time! (I was helping with the bike safety check)


We put off the start for 15 minutes due to a THUNDERSTORM, but soon enough, all 47 of us took to the road… (Monica and I were the last to leave due to some puttering around that I always seem to enjoy doing before a brevet… (Ya know tradition!) The first part of the course is old hat for the vets, but the first timers? Well, Monica stated, quite flatly that when I affectionately dubbed Lower Saucon Road “Lower Suckin Road” (cause everyone is suckin wind going up that hill) I may have understated it, slightly! With a peak grade over 20%, it is a tough climb by any standard, and the reality is that it would be a tough climb at any point in the ride, so we just chalk it up to tough climb #1…. NEXT!


After that bit of suffering, the rest of the way to Easton was fairly easy. Following a nice descent, we had a bit of a flatish ride with two hills that barely warrant mention after the first climb on “Lower Suckin,” so the rest of that bit passed without incident. Upon entering the town, my plan was to replenish my water supply, because I forgot to do so since leaving King of Prussia. However, a funny thing happened when I entered the strip mall where the Wawa was located that I usually stop in; a sign reading “NO BICYCLES” was posted. Typically, this would go ignored, but actually was insulted! No bicycles? Forget it, I will stop at the Wawa at the top of the next hill! The rest of the way to Wind Gap is not very remarkable, unless it is green. When the plant life is blooming, however, Lower Mud Run Road is actually scenic, and even though it is a steady climb, the scenery is very much worth the price of admission. We saw a bunch of other randonneurs in Wind Gap, and feeling in a good mood about the quickness of our stop, we shoved off. Our next control was at the top of Fox Gap, a climb that, shall we say, never disappoints! Roughly 2 miles long, the grade is consistently steep….. for a very long time.


So here we were at the top Monica made some comments describing the climb that I will not repeat, but onward and downward! Tom came up with a new way down the ridge that was really spectacular! The roads were smooth, the lake we passed was beautiful and the castle we passed was an unending source of amusement for me for the rest of the ride! (You have to see it to appreciate the joke.)


The Portland Family Restaurant. Oh yes, that is a statement all by itself! The first time I saw it, (I think it was two years ago) I thought: “What a dump!” However, once inside, I became a converted believer… The food was great and the service was five stars. Monica and I sat down, we ordered, and before we could say much of anything else, hot steaming food was placed in front of us, and it was AWESOME! After the first time I saw it and had that initial reaction, I learned that this book was definitely not to be defined by its cover, so whenever I see it now, I see La Bec Finn. We were halfway done the ride, but the rest of the route still had some difficult sections to overcome.


There were only two major climbs in the next leg. Lommasons Glen, a fan favorite for the repeat offenders, was another two mile climb, and we were joined, in our suffering, by Katie Rachdorf, Laurent Chambard. Seeni K also joined with us on the hill. I thought we would ride together as a group, but when Monica flatted, I told Laurent and Katie that we would see them up the road.


Seeni, Monica and I stopped in the town of Bloomsbury, which was at the bottom of our next big climb in the leg, the climb that got us over the ridge and down to Milford. I actually like this climb, because of the fact that it is the easiest option over the ridge from where we happened to be! (Not everyone sees it that way, but hey, just this randonneur’s opinion…)


Knowing what was coming, I was beginning to resign myself to the idea that we would not finish in time, because the last stage featured not one, not two, but three different climbs up the ridge along the Delaware! Once at the top of the last climb, we had, by comparison to what we were doing all day, a series of rollers, but soon enough we arrived at Elephant Road, and it was going to be a distinct possibility that we would indeed make it in on time… Just a little of this and a little of that, to a slightly downhill finish, we were at the hostel before we knew it! To greet us were a bunch of fellow riders, and Tom Rosenbauer giving us the news that we had 6 whole minutes to spare!


This week that just passed, there was a discussion about epic tails, and epic rides, and it seemed to be everywhere I went! “What makes an epic ride?” was the question on a blog site, and I responded with the rides that were epic to me. Well, all of the rides that made my epic list were rides that I had no business finishing, yet somehow, I pulled it out! On this 200K, I was joined by two newbies who managed to finish the ride even though it was easily the most difficult 200K ever, even though it was the longest ride they had ever done, even though the hills were the steepest/longest they had ever climbed, they finished! They finished, not as newbies, but as randonneurs!


Congratulations Monica and Seeni! It was a blast sharing the road with you!