RobbieTunes

Breezewood as a starting point gets you pretty close in mileage, taking BicyclePA Route S and then Route L and then east on a state highway, or taking Route S even closer, and heading north on a state highway.

I can probably get a Greyhound to Breezewood.

rhm

Hmm... yes, Breezewood! I haven't been through there since 1986. . I wonder if it's changed much... .

RobbieTunes

More restaurants, and a bike path connecting to the Route S

Sir_Name 

Sounds like a great adventure with great company, I'm learning a thing or two just reading. I'd love to join, but not sure if 'now' will be the right time when 'then' is 'now'. Maybe add a year. As I watch from the sidelines, if I can find a way to help, I will.

rhm

Well, that sounds pretty good! But alas, I think another change is that Greyhound no longer stops there. The Post House, which was the Greyhound station, has closed; and I can't find any bus line that goes there anymore.

Phil_gretz

After reading the entire thread, I must say that I admire you guys for seriously considering this ride. No doubt you will be successful. PG

seypat

I notice both DC and Tidewater VA area have Randonneuring Clubs. That might be something to look into for the future. If this one happens, I want to hear the report.

Numbskull

Mixed feelings about uncovering this pool of scorn but curiosity wins.

Did this happen and how did it go?

rhm

The Eastern Pennsylvania Randonneurs Flèche, originally scheduled for last weekend, was postponed due to concerns about the weather. So now we're scheduled to ride it this Friday into Saturday. The team I'm on is doing a rather unambitious route, keeping climbing to a minimum. That's probably a good idea, but more than half of the route is going to be on roads I've ridden before, done of them many times.

I'll post again on Saturday.

lotekmod

I was wondering about it too. The weather for this weekend looks almost perfect. Good luck to you and your team RHM!

rhm

Thanks!
The ride went well. Left Perkasie PA at 11AM Friday, rode down through Trenton and down to the Pine Barrens, then over to Whiting, by which time it was getting dark. Then over to the shore, up to Sea Bright, then back to the destination at Quakertown. Arrived with 15 minutes to spare.
The weather was absolutely amazing, no wind to speak of, warm but not too warm in the afternoon, quite cold before dawn but not brutal.
225 miles in 24 hours is not a fast pace. Think of it as a 75 mile ride in 8 hours, repeated twice. The adventure of it is riding through the whole span of a day, with all the changes that occur. We did not ride hard enough to suffer at all, though I had to stay awake 30 hours.
I got one flat, a little shard of glass. Another rider had a tire fail, but he had an extra.

pastorbobnlnh 

Rudi, congratulations on an a successful ride of epic proportions! You make--- "Think of it as a 75 mile ride in 8 hours, repeated twice. " ---sound like a New Englander at a Red Sox game: "Yeah, I had to make the beer run three times. No big deal!" Any idea how many teams participated? And of course--- any pictures?

RobbieTunes

Outstanding kudos to you, Rudi

There is now one fewer thing that will make your wife roll her eyes and shake her head, then grin.

Numbskull

Which of your bicycles did you use?

Vonruden

Very impressive Rudi, wish I could have caught up while you passed through the shore. 2 football games, 1
basketball game and 2 soccer games all taking place this weekend left time for a only predawn ride and a sunday 45 minute shakedown ride. To be honest, I don't think I could have hung, Rudi is a machine.

rhm

I rode my Holdsworth 650b convert. I'm not convinced there's any magic to 650b wheels, but the tires are nice. More importantly, the bike has good headlights and a handlebar bag with a good map pocket. Those are the features that make it really good for randoneering.

no... I mean: Thanks, you are very kind, perhaps too kind indeed! We were not fast. I would have liked to go faster, but the other guys probably have a better idea about pacing.

rhm

So... for photos, I had decided I should take a selfie with the whole team at each controle, so if there was any question we could demonstrate that we'd all been there. They are not very interesting! But here's the last one of those... just before the most brutal climb of the ride.


Here's us on the bridge crossing the bridge into NJ:


In the wilderness area south of Trenton, between Crosswicks Creek and the Delaware River, there's this tree with an eagle's nest in it. We saw the same nest, and probably the same eagle, last year:


The bikes....


The Delaware River... it looks pretty similar at most places, but the weather changes. We had nice weather.


Mailing a postcard at Chatsworth. Chatsworth is the only town actually in the Pine Barrens (there are others at the fringes), but there are no businesses suitable for randoneering controles.

Kobe 

Looks like Point Pleasant. If the hill you went up goes by Bucks County Winery you're right, that is a brutal climb.

rhm

We went up Tohickon Hill Road. I don't think we went by the winery, but it's near there. The road goes up almost 400 feet in the first mile, some of it 10% grade. Good times!

jimmuller 

Congrats to all! It looks like such a fun adventure too. All of you deserve all the 'attaboys you can get!

Sorry I missed the follow-up part of this thread. Great stuff.

Sir_Name 

Impressive work, congrats.