http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/Results090207.pdf
It was another chilly start ... at 5AM, the temperature was around 14 degrees and by the time we clipped in, it was probably just about 20 F. But there were definitely some colder pockets of air in the morning, especially along the river. I especially felt it on the long descent into Portland, just before the first crossing of the Delaware River. When the sun finally made it's appearance, temperatures quickly rose into the 30's and low 40's. My cyclometer actually recorded 51 degrees while in the early afternoon sun.
Congratulations to all 16 riders who braved the frigid start -- all 16 finished for a 100% finish rate. For Jim Romer, it was his first PA finish. Kudos to him for perserving on the PA series after coming up a bit short on previous attempts.
And congratulations to several first time riders:
Keith Spangler
Attila Trungel
Eric Keller
... they are now officially 'randonneurs' -- hope to see you all again on future events.
For the first time on the R-12 series, no misfortunes for the event organizer (is the curse finally broken?). Instead, Juan Salazar got off to a rough start when he broke his seat clamp, the night before. With the help of Bill Fisher, Juan got his mechanical issue squared away, and managed another first finish, along with Rick Carpenter. They got in just under 9 hours -- congratulations to you both on an excellent result.
Juan Salazar writes:
"... Thanks to Rick I was able to complete the ride in less than 9h. It was a beautiful route. I really enjoyed the time spent alongside the Delaware River. I found it challenging to cope with the large temperature swing. The windy section on 579 followed by 179 was difficult for me. As I crossed the bridge into New Hope I felt like jumping into the river. That would have been nice! After the ride Rick and I celebrated at Morici's and Jamie joined us later. We heard from him the Matt, Bill and Carl had finished. I would like to congratulate Matt for his R-12! It would have been great to celebrate with him.
Thanks Tom for your effort organizing another memorable ride. I think we all can learn from your concern with safety and attention to detail. I have written a ride report that can be found here
http://tinyurl.com/cxezqe
If you are only interested in pictures, click here
http://tinyurl.com/bghhnw
... I look forward to our next gathering in March! - Juan S.
Juan, Great write-up and photos ... One of the best things about being an RBA is seeing how riders progress from their very first event all the way to completing 1200's and R-12's -- and you're keeping some very good company!
Ron and Barbara Anderson recorded another finish on their tandem and Guy Harris notched another fnish on his fixed gear. Guy writes: "Great ride as always and VERY fixed friendly, didn't use the 24" gear once! It was a bit of a lone ride for me without my fellow fixie. The only person I saw after the first controle was Bill Olsen and then he dropped out of sight after crossing the river in Portland."
Well Guy, the reason Bill Olsen "dropped out of sight" is because he somehow combined 2 different cuesheet instructions into a single (wrong) turn. Instead of going straight on Rt 519 at Hope and then a right onto Rt 611 (over the Jenny Jump climb). Bill turned right onto Rt 519 and went all the way down to Belvidere where he eventually joined Rt 46. Even then, he didn't realize what he had done until he worked his way back to the Great Meadow controle along Rt 46. Besides logging several extra miles, Bill also earned a 30-minute penalty to his official time for going off course and not returning back to the point of departure. It just goes to show that even the best of us, who **always** follow the rules for riders to the letter, can make an inadvertant mistake and suffer the consequences!
Rick Carpenter writes:
I really enjoyed riding this route yesterday, and appreciated the nice balance of familiar roads and new vistas. I “hope” to ride this again in warmer weather someday, when I can better take in the scenery. BTW, The two pizza shop guys were a bit perplexed with me attempting to order food at 10am (considering they were still turning the lights on when Juan and I arrived). However, the “Choco-Taco” ice cream novelty (from their freezer cabinet) really hit the spot, warming me up to resume riding in the balmy mid-20’s temps
Rick adds:
Congratulations to Matt Farrell on achieving the RUSA R-12 on this ride – well done! FYI, Matt only started this rando-stuff January a year ago - for the inaugural ride of the PA Dutch (Schuykill to Susquehanna perm), and for his sole exception of not riding a brevet last February, hasn’t missed a month since. Matt additionally completed a full SR Series in his first year, along with a successful fleche run (Now onwards to the EM 1240…) And thanks to Tom R and Bill O for initiating this series, which is proving to be well-received and needed!
Freshly minted R-12 rider, Matt Farrell responds:
"I have had the pleasure to meet and ride with a great number of new friends during the past year on the brevets and permenents, especially Rick and Joe. I would like to say thanks to the two of you especially. The two of you were able to show me it is possible to drive 2-3 hrs to a 200km or 300km ride and still make it home in time sleep in my own bed. I also want to thank everyone else I've shared the road with during the past year. You all had a part in my successful completion of the R-12. My first year's experiences are truly worth remembering.
I will second your Thanks to Tom and Bill for setting up the "off-season" series. I never imagined I would be riding a bike in some of the condition I did this year. I'm looking forward to riding with everyone again this year. See you out on the road - Matt F.
Jamie Gartenberg writes:
"Thanks again for organizing another great ride! Aside from my water bottles freezing over the first
couple of hours I had a great time. I rode the entire route with Matt, Bill Fischer, and Carl. I really enjoyed their company, even when I had to put my head down and struggle as Carl led our pace line at vicious speeds 90 miles into the ride!... and even when these speeds didn't even phase Bill.
Congrats to Matt on the big R-12! Looking forward to March 7th!"
Congratulations Jamie, for another excellent finish.
Bill Slabonik writes:
"Just wanted to drop a line to let you know how much I enjoyed the ride Saturday. Your preparation, organization, and execution of the event set a high standard. The quick posting of the results followed by a ride report shortly after really puts the frosting on the cake. It is a pleasure to be a participant in your events. I can't wait for the next ride. My goal is to attempt a PA R-12 award participating in all eastern PA 200K's or PA permanent if my schedule does not allow me to make all your rides. I am also trying to get my time down to 12 hours. Bill S.
Thanks, Bill, and to all the others who weighed in with kind remarks -- the positive feedback really helps me keep going to put on these events!
-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA
