http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA300k ... s09052.pdf
.... please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be submitted in a couple of days and will then become final, pending RUSA/ACP validation.
There was much uncertainty with the weather forecast leading up to the event ... most of the forecasts were for a wet and rather bleak day, but lucky for the participants, these forecasts were completely off the mark. The weather conditions, especially on the northern parts of the course, were spectacular and just about ideal for spending a day on the bike -- after a good soaking rain about an hour brefore the start time, weather conditions continued to improve alll day with plentiful sunshine and blue skies, favorable winds, and temperatures in the high 50's and mid 60's most of the day.
Special thanks to Len Zawodniak for leading the way with the sign-in sheets. And a very special thanks to volunteer Juan Salazar, who along with Rick Carpenter, checked out the course with a volunteer preride (as part of their recovery from their 400k fleche they finished just 5 hours before starting the 300k
) Juan also ran the secret controle, which also served as a welcome revitalement stop. Along with his wife, Grazie, Juan checked in all the riders at the finish and provided the postride meal. And if that were not enough to do for one event, Juan somehow found the time to pick up Victor Urvantsev in Water Gap. after Victor's crash and mechanical failure.Read Juan's excellent report with pictures of the riders at the secret contrôle and finish:
http://www.cycloblogger.info/2009/05/vo ... -300k.html
It was a tough day for Victor -- just before the first stop in Water Gap, he crashed pretty hard after turning on some loose gravel. It appears that his GPS unit is at least partly to blame for this, since it started beeping (incorrectly) to indicate that he missed a turn. The crash weakened his frame, which soon failed a few miles down the road. I don't think even Lon Haldeman, who is famous for making all sorts of bike repairs on the road, would've been able to save Victor's ride.
Congratulations to all the finishers, for a hard-earned brevet finish. Many of the participants also rode the 2008 edition. Although the course has changed from the previous year, several riders had remarkably similar times: Ivan Umble and George Metzler both improved their finish times by exactly 1 minute to 16:36 this year, Robin Landis improved by exactly 2 minutes, and Jim Logan improved by 4 minutes, and Judson hand was within 20 minutes of his previous finish. Other riders had some signifcant improvement over their previous result: Ron and Barb Anderson improved their time by over an hour (16:41 in 2009 compared to 17:45 in 2008). Christine Newman also improved her time from 18:40 to 16:59. Len Zawondiak and Daniel Aaro both had a significant improvement from 15:03 to 14:15, and 17:15 to 16:08, respectively. Guy Harris came in with a slower time this year, but of course, this is understandable, since this year he completed it on his fixie. This is the first PA300k for Craig Martek, but he has set the bar very high for himself for any possible improvement for next year -- he was the first finisher at 12:41, which is better than the old course record by about an hour.
I was very surprised to see how far many of the roads had deteriorated over the winter. In particular, the descent on Community Drive (after those steep rollers on River Rd) was very bad and presented a real hazard -- unfortunately, the alternative to head directly to Rt 209 is not much better, with all the heavy business traffic there. Also, many areas through the Water Gap recreation area were very bad. With all the talk about stimulating the economy with infrasture projects, I'd like to see a few unemployed stock brokers put to work repaving those rotten section of road
Highlights for me include:
- The Layton General store, back in business -- and better than ever
- The run from Layton to Millbrook Village -- IMHO, one of the best stretches you'll find anywhere for biking
- The great views of the Water Gap from the Portland bridge and Jenny Jump climb (as viewed from the NJ611 overlook)
- Seeing the sign for "Entering the Muscenetcong River Water Shed" at the top of the Mount Bethel climb. For me, that marked the end of that hilly section from Portland and the start of the downhill run to the Delaware River.
Mary Crawley writes:
Thank you for once again organizing a terrific 300k. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines "terrific" as
1 a: very bad : frightful b: exciting or fit to excite fear or awe <a terrific thunderstorm>
2: extraordinary <terrific speed>
3: unusually fine : magnificent <terrific weather>,
so I should make clear that I mean my comment in senses 1b, and 3, only -- not 1a. (At times I felt 1a, but I'll chalk that up to lack of fitness!)
The route was scenic and the climbs were challenging. Thanks to the volunteers for excellent rider support. The company was great: I especially enjoyed riding with Ron and Barb Anderson, who were kind enough to let me be their tandem "Klingon" for many miles (after saving my ride by picking up my brevet card -- I had dropped it right after the secret control, but had not realized it until miles later. Almost as soon as I turned around to go look for it, there were the Andersons! There are some debts that can never be repaid). Even the weather turned out well after the somewhat soggy start. All in all, definitely the hilliest 300k I've done on my single bike and one of the most fun ("fun" in that physically exhausting, I'm-so-thrilled-I-was-able-to-do-this-and-live randonneuring sense).
Dan Aaron writes "... the Controle at the halfway point was one of the best Controles ever; extremely fast service and a very friendly staff. Please keep it as a Controle on future events."
Kate Marshall has a write-up at:
http://psycles-kttrue.blogspot.com/
Guy Harris writes:
First, a special thanks to Juan and Grazie. Those black beans and rice might just replace your famous soup at the end!
I liked this ride as the complete package - long straight runs that generally escaped traffic in time, quiet sections through the Water Gap recreation area, the nice view on the climbs up Mount Bethel and Blue Mountain, and the straight shot back up 611, 412, and 563 from the river. And generally fixed friendly, except that climb up and over to Millbrook Village! A few rough road stretches but IMO not that awful, it is randonneuring. Maybe PA will put some of that stimulus money into road work
Robin Landis writes:
Just a short note to thank you for organizing a great ride this Saturday. I don't suppose you can take credit for the weather, which turned out to be gray but dry in the morning and sunny and perfect in the afternoon, but you deserve a great deal of credit for everything else--the 100% accurate and helpful cue sheets, the route itself, the support along the way, and the wonderful welcoming buffet. The scenery along the route you mapped was truly breathtaking. I especially loved the trees in flower, the magnolias, dogwoods and flowering cherries, but the mountain vistas were splendid. You always seem to draw a crowd of very friendly riders--I enjoyed catching up with some old friends, Guy Harris and Bill Olsen, and meeting some new ones, Len Zawodniak, Eric Keller, Christiane Iwiert and Gilbert Torres. I was sorry not to have more of a chance to talk with you and with Jud Hand, but I wanted to head back to New York before it got too late. Thanks again for another splendid ride.
Visiting SIR rider, Joe Platzner writes:
"Thanks so much for such a nice ride. You sure picked out a beautiful route, and your cue sheet was just perfect. On a typical SIR ride a cue sheet that long would be, say, a 2000K, so that was quite an accomplishment to keep us on course.
We had a great time hanging out with the 300k riders at the beginning too. Please also pass on our thanks to Juan and his wife for all their support.
Thank you all, for the kind remarks ... those nice comments really help me and the other volunteers to keep going! I'm looking forward to seeing any other ride reports or pictures that the other participants might have.
Regards,
-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA