New Bleu Redeux
400K Brevet
Saturday 22 May 2021
04:00 EDT Start Time
04:00 EDT Start Time
There are special proceedures and restrictions on this event because of the COVID-19 safety plan. Riders must
Please do not forget to bring these items. Be alert for other announcements and instructions. The full set of restrictions and procedures will be described in the PA Rando Blog. Please check often for updates.
The Holiday Inn Express in Easton is centrally located near US 22 and PA 33 in Easton, PA.
There is ample parking all around the hotel.
Suggested parking locations for the start/finish are public places, with theft and vandalism a real possibility, especially in cities. Park during the event at your own risk. Please do not leave valuables in your car during the ride.
Riders are advised to make sleeping arrangements at or near the start/finish. Please book a room directly with the Holiday Inn Express or one of the other nearby hotels.
Join us in the buffet in the meeting room to recount your tales of joy, woe, and epic adventure (some of which may even be true). There will be access to a hot shower, allowing you to clean up after the ride, as well as bathrooms.
This event needs volunteers for the following jobs:
Contact Organizer to Volunteer.
Starting on what should now be a familiar leg northward along the Bushkill Creek on the Two Rivers Trailway we head toward the Appalachian Mountains and the first control at Wind Gap. From here, riders will cross the Appalachian Trail at the top of the ridge. You'll want to pay very close attention to the westward turn on Mountain Rd. It will be a long climb back up to the turn if you miss it. Heading west along Smith Valley, the route soon joins what many may recognize as the old Blue Mountain 400k route featuring a midway controle at Blondie's Restaurant in New Ringgold (well, Snyders actually).
Riders continue to follow familiar roads westward with a few twists. We exchange the always scenic Summer Hill Road for a similarly scenic Schuylkill Mountain Road as we parallel the Blue Mountain. There is no control in Pine Grove, but riders may want (or need) to stop and replenish supplies as it's another 30 miles to the next controle. From Pine Grove, the route returns to the recently repaired Swatera Rail Trail for a gentle descent through the Swatera Gap and our second crossing of the Appalichian Trail.
Upon exiting the trail, you wil explore new roads for a while as the route takes you to a postcard controle in Palmyra. If you feel like a meal here, you can choose from one of several eateries along the route or a convenience store that is located 1 block off the route.
The route turns eastward from here, passing through several small villages With nearly 50 miles of riding to the next control, riders may want to stop and replenish along the way. There are good options in both Manheim and Lititz (the Bulls Head Pub is nice if you have time and Covid rules permit). Leaving Lititz, the route takes advantage of the recently completed Warwick to Ephrata rail trail to minimize elevation challanges for a while. The route is heading nearly due east from Ephrata, passing through Terre Hill and the Twin Valley to reach a control in Morgantown. Here riders rejoin the old Blue Mountain 400 route through the French Creek area to a Wawa controle in Pottstown.
The route continues east through a control in Phoenixville (which should be in street-party mode at the hour most riders pass through) where it makes a northward turn toward Easton, passing through the Evansburg State Park along roads some may recognize from the YARRR brevet. The familiar roads are short-lived as the route heads north through Harleysville (with a Wawa) to the penultimate control in Quakertown (another Wawa). At Q-town the route picks up the extended Saucon Rail Trail that takes you all the way to Hellertown on slightly downhill crushed stone. Then there's more relatively flat riding before making a final push over South Mountain into Easton an Countryside Lane. One last little grunt up the hill through The Children's Home of Easton will bring riders back to the start.
Join your fellow randoneurs after the ride for soup/pasta/chicken and to share your epic stories and tales, some of which may even be true, about the day's adventure as we gather (in a socially responsible way) at the Holiday Inn conference room.
There are several steep, extended climbs and an endless array of non-flat roads on this route. A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.
| Date | Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2017-05-20 | 18 |
| 2018-05-05 | 16 |
| 2021-05-22 | 12 |
This ride is a randonneur style bicycle event under the sanction of Randonneurs USA and Audax Club Parisian. Completing this event can help you train and qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris and earn RUSA and ACP awards. You need a current RUSA membership to ride this event. You can sign up for RUSA here.
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 local vehicle laws (PA, NJ, NY). Safety is a primary concern. All riders must sign a waiver. Please read these Safety Instructions.
To receive credit for finishing a randonneuring event you must complete a brevet card as required by the rules. PA Randonneurs accepts traditional brevet cards filled out with stamps/signatures and backed up with merchant receipts. PA Randonneurs encourages use of the eBrevet cell phone app. (Version 1.3 minimum required) as an electronic brevet card assistant. Nevertheless, you must check into all controls on the app -- or provide traditional proof for each control. Your finish time and finish code from the app must be written on the paper card, along with your signature, or you may be disqualified.
These events are not for beginners. The courses are hilly. You may face extremes of weather: heat, cold, wind, rain. The roads are unmarked and open to automobile traffic. There will be night riding in the longer events. There is no sag wagon. Complete several ordinary century cycling events before starting a 200K brevet; complete several 200Ks before starting a longer brevet.
Subject to possible pandemic restrictions, several items are included in your registration. A complimentary breakfast buffet will be provided before the ride, and a pizza/pasta buffet will be available after the ride. There will be shared access to a shower, if allowed by pandemic rules in effect at the time. Also with possible pandemic restriction, a limited number of bunks will be available for "safety naps". If you need the certainty of a shower and bunk, or full overnight accomodations, please book a room for yourself. No lodging is included, but PA Randonneurs has reserved a limited block of rooms at the Holiday Inn that riders may book. Contact the hotel directly. Usually it's best to do this by phone directly to the hotel desk at 610-923-9495. Make sure they understand you are with the cycling group code BE2. Or you can make reservations online.
The online URL for this event info page is
https://parando.org/info/event/2021-05-22/400
For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/