Eastern PA
Endless Mountains 1000k
Friday August 17, 2012
General Info
This ride is a randonneur style event sanctioned by RUSA and ACP. First time riding with PA Randonneurs?  Read an overview of what to expect on your first PA brevet.  All participants are obliged to follow the rules for riders as well as PA and NJ vehicle laws.  Safety is a primary concern ... please read and carry these Safety Instructions with you.

Start/Finish Location

Weisel Youth Hostel
7347 Richlandtown Road
Quakertown, PA
(215) 536-8749
DIRECTIONS
Traveling far? Thursday and Sunday night accommodations are available at the hostel.  Make reservations on the registration form.

Qualification (one of the following)
- 400k and 600k in 2012
- 1200k in 2011
- Permission of the RBA

Registration
PA Members: e-mail RBA
Non-Members: Mail Registration Form
All riders must sign waiver
Field Limit: 20 riders

Registration includes:
- Preride breakfast buffet
- Hotel accommodations and meals at 2 overnight controles
- A single Drop Bag at each hotel (15 lb limit).
- Postride dinner buffet

$5 and early registration discount for PA Club Members

Event runs rain or shine.
Refund policy: 90% before event.  50% for no-show

Schedule
3:00AM Sign-in, Bike Inspection
3:50AM Rider meeting
4:00AM Riders depart (75 hr. time limit)

Daylight hours: 6:22AM - 7:42PM

Start Controle
At the start/finish hostel, breakfast will be provided approximately 1 hour before the start. 

Sleep Over Controles
The route is designed with sleep-over stops at hotels in Halstead and Lewisburg (included in registration).  Bag drops are also included for each sleep-over stop. Pack one bag, which you will see at each stop.  Food will be provided in a staffed room (where drop bags can be picked up and dropped off).

Post Ride
Showers available at the hostel -- bring your own towel. There are 2 showers available in the upstairs bathroom with a sign to indicate male/female usage (bring your own towel).  A postride buffet is included with your registration.  A dormatory in the hostel is available to rest before traveling home.
Pablo Software Solutions
Ride Description
The Endless Mountains 1000k offers a challenging tour of northeastern PA.   Participants are expected to be fully self-sufficient and confident of their ability to complete a challenging course with minimal support.  Participants are responsible for making arrangements for alternate transportaton, if they cannot finish the ride under their own power.

The course is a loop that starts out from Quakertown, PA.

Day 1 features 3 challenging climbs across the Appalachian Trail as we traverse the Pennsylvanian Highlands Region. Enroute, we travel through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area upon Old Mine Road -- the oldest continuously-used road in the US.  As we exit the park, we cross the Delaware River at Dingmans Ferry and head into the Pocono Mountains Region of the Allegheny Plateau.  We briefly descend the plateau to ride across the Roebling Aqueduct and along the scenic Lackawaxen River. We then tackle some challenging terrain through the Wyoming Valley and Endless Mountains before resting at the first over-night controle in Hallstead.

Day 2 starts off with some gentler terrain along the NY Southern Tier and Susquehanna Valley where we trace the historic route followed by the Sullivan Expedition into Towanda.  From Towanda, we'll take Rt 414 into the scenic  Pine Creek Gorge region where a challenging climb out of Waterville awaits us, up along Rt 44.  After a long, twisty descent into Lockhaven, we tackle the second major climb of the day as we enter Bald Eagle State Forest.  Exiting the forest, we descend back into the Susquehanna River valley into Lewisburg for the second over-night controle stop.

Day 3 continues south along the Susquehanna River into the Hegins Valley Region where we eventually head up across the Appalachian Trail for the fourth and final time. Our descent takes us into the Pennsylvania Dutch Region and eventually back through French Creek State Park and to the finish at Quakertown.

As shown in the route profile, there are several steep, extended climbs.  A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.

Rider Comments
"...The difficulty with these Pennsylvania climbs isn't that they continue for 20 miles; nothing on those roads stays the same for 20 mi. The grades are never constant, and there's usually a lot of up and down before you start going up for good. When you start really going up, it often gets extremely steep. But while they aren't that long, they are relentless, and the space in between big climbs is filled with little rollers, some of which are quite steep little kickers in their own right..."
-Emily O'Brien 2008 PA1000k

"...The scenery was absolutely fantastic - almost enough to take your mind off of the brutal climbs..."
-Craig Martek 2007

"...Thanks for your good organization on this ride and the brevet series. I doubt there are many, if any, series in the U.S. that are as well conducted and offer such challenging and scenic terrain..." -Ed Pavelka 2007

Historical Records
8/26/10  Results  Ride Report Rider Updates
6/26/09  Results  Ride Report Rider Updates
8/01/08  Results  Ride Report Rider Updates
5/25/07  Results  Ride Report


Course Record: 57:57 Rick Carpenter
Cue Sheet 
Map/Profile
  

Safety Instructions
Registered Riders
Message Board

Preliminary Results

Pictures and Ride Report