On Saturday, I was registered for the Covered Bridges 200K, leaving from the Chamounix Carriage House in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The weather report for Saturday called for 2-3 inches of rain with high winds and cold temperatures. The event was postponed 24 hours until Sunday at 6:30am.
First, let me start by saying that this event was wonderfully organized by the PA Randonneurs. It is not an easy thing to change the date of an event on such short notice, but they pulled it off and shined in the process. From the start, it was cold, the wind was whipping and more than a few roads still had ice from the previous days flooding coupled with freezing temperatures. It made for a very interesting and challenging day.
The PA Randonneurs provided a breakfast stop as well as a lunch stop. The breakfast stop was perfect for some refueling just before riders hit the 2 toughest climbs of the day. Uhlerstown Road is about a half mile and ascends 283 feet at an average gradient of 12%. However, it’s a lot steeper in sections. Ealer Hill Road is about 1.25 miles and ascends 327 feet at an average of 5%. In total there was well over 8,000 feet of elevation to satisfy any riders climbing needs. Lunch was perfectly positioned around mile 90 at Tabora Farms. Their cinnamon donuts were a great source of energy to get me through the final 35 miles.
From about mile 30, I rode the rest of the way with CJ, Zack and Mike. Without them, I might have called it a day about half way through. As usual, I did not drink enough during the early miles. I spent a lot of energy keeping my hands and feet warm. I bonked early, but their positive attitudes kept me there until the finish.
As I detailed in last year’s post from the Tscheschter Kaundi 200K, what makes Brevets different from Gran Fondos, gravel races and every other form of cycling is the non competitive nature of the events. Riders pass through several controls and finish, hopefully before the cutoff time. Results are listed alphabetically instead of by time.
I can’t wait until the next event. I’ll definitely have to complete a few longer rides before tackling a 300 or 400K, but that may be in the cards for this spring. Check out a few more pics from this fantastic event.
ridingmilford.com 