10/31/09 PA 150/200K Preliminary Results

[jud]

Due to hazardous weather conditions (1-2 inches of rain, gusty winds, slippery conditions on descents), the Oct 24 150/200k has been posponed. The events are tentatively rescheduled for 10/31, pending RUSA approval.

UPDATE: RUSA has granted approval to reschedule for 10/31.

If you were planning to ride this Saturday, please send me a note to confirm you've been notified.

I will send refunds to any registered riders who cannot participate on the Oct 31 date that the events are tentatively rescheduled for.

Regards,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA
trosenbauer@rcn.com

[Tom Rosenbauer]

RUSA has granted approval, to reschedule the postponed 10/24 PA 150/200k for 10/31.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Tom Rosenbauer]

Preliminary results for the (rescheduled) 10/31/09 PA150/200k have been posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/PA1502 ... 091031.pdf

Please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be submitted to RUSA in the next day or so, and will then become final, pending RUSA certification.

The weather was decidely quite a bit wetter and overcast than forecasted. In fact, as far as I can tell, the early morning drizzle at the start, did not even show up on any weather radars. But the weather conditions did not dampen the resolve of several riders who completed notable milestones:
-Guy Harris has completed his R-12 -- and in doing so, all 12 events were on the Eastern PA series AND on a fixed-gear.
- Michael Luko finished his very first brevet ever, and is now officially a randonneur.
- Len Zawodniak not only led the way with the sign-in sheets and was a first finisher (along with riding partner Don Jagel), but also completed his R-12.
- James Costello, Shane Beake, and Roy Yates all completed their first PA brevet event.
- Several other riders are making good progress on their R-12, including Walt Pettigrew who is now going for #3, if I'm not mistaken.

Also of special note, is first-time rider Chinmay Rao, who rode the entire 150k course (and then some) under his own power, but did not finish within the time limit. Special thanks to the many 200k riders who met up with Chinmay along the way, and offered him encouragement and support. Special thanks also, to Brian Mazur, who stopped by to help out with the post-ride BBQ.

Special thanks also toRick Carpenter (who certainly distinguished himself... er,herself?... with his halloween attire), for posting his PA200k photo album at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_carpe ... 5604/show/

If you were unable to clip-in for the rescheduled date, I'll be sending out complete refunds next week -- and hope to see you another time.

The October PA150/200k and post-ride BBQ has traditionally marked the close of the Eastern PA season. The results of this ride, along with the pending results of the EM1240k, will put the Eastern PA region over the 1000-point mark in the RUSA standings -- one of a handful of regions that will reach that milestone in 2009 -- Thank you, for clipping-in and being a part of that success!

Regards,

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Tom Rosenbauer]

Jud Hand writes:
Great course yesterday, with plenty of challenging climbs but a bit of
relief at the end. I rpde with a group of 6, which included local
riding buddies Shane and Roy, on their first PA brevet and second
brevet overall, along with first-time brevet rider Mike Luko, second
time PA brevet rider Jonathan Clamp, and PA Super Randonneur Eric
Harris. Great riding with all of them. I was especially thankful for
the chance to personally thank many of the volunteers from the 1240k,
including Eric, for doing such a fine job. As far as the route went, i
especially enjoyed River Road, Creek Road and Oberly Road on the
stretch near the end from Riegelsville to Phillipsburg. Beautiful
scenery and almost no traffic.

Unfortunately, the weather turned out to be a lot wetter than
expected, with rain much of the day, even if it stayed fairly light
until after dark. It seems that after a long string of good fortune
for the Eastern PA series, weather-wise, we had our share of windy and
rainy weather in 2009. i remember the gale force winds on the 200k in
April, the downpours on the 400k in May and the hailstorm on the 1000k
in June, not to mention the cold and rain for much of the 1240k last
month. But the weather did nothing to lessen my enthusiasm for either
the courses and the camaraderie. I am one of your most frequent
customers and will be coming back gain in 2010. Keep up the good
work. I'm glad to see your region doing so well, though I'm not
surprised.

Mike Luko writes: It was an amazing experience!!!! Lookin forward to next ride


Len Zawodniak writes: thanks for another great ride, and a terrific bar-B-Q too ! The food
always seems to taste better when you really have to work for it.
I saw one of the newbies with a "binder" (3 ring type) rigged up to
his downtube at the start- I loaned him a large clip and explained how
it could be done. I would be interested to know if he finished with
the same setup. I also saw a large group of riders climbing college
hill with their lights on as I was driving down, so I know you get
pretty busy at the house just after dark. Thanks for all the work that
you put into this series-I really appreciate it.

Robin Landis writes: In spite of the weather, a great ride, Tom! The roads were uniformly good, with little or no traffic, and the scenery was beautiful, even with the muted autumn colors and the overcast skies. The post-ride barbeque was outstanding as well. (Don told me to try the hamburgers--best I've had for a long time.) As always, you seem to attract a crowd of friendly, interesting and supportive riders. I was trying to finish before dark, so I didn't get as much of a chance as I would have liked to chat with some of the people I rode with at the start, including Jud Hand and the Yorkshireman from Princeton whose name I didn't catch. But I did get a chance to catch up a bit with Guy Harris (that guy's feats on his fixed gear are nothing short of amazing) and Mordecai Silver. (By the way, Mordecai's time isn't listed in the preliminary results; it should be 10:27.) Thanks again for a great brevet season. Can't wait until next spring!