Water Gap Revisited
300K Brevet
Saturday 23 April 2022
05:00 EDT Start Time
05:00 EDT Start Time
Flint Hill Farm Educational Center is a working farm located on the summit of Flint Hill in Coopersburg, PA.
Park along the fence around the corral to the right just past the antennas as you enter.
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 don't try to drive a long distance before or after a tough brevet. Multiple options are available.
Join us in the buffet in the arena building 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 port-o-johns.
This event needs volunteers for the following jobs:
Contact Organizer to Volunteer.
Water Gap Revisited revives a classic route from the PA Rando catalog and updates it to incorporate a start-finish from Flint Hill Farm.
Mist Over The Blue Mountain, photo by S. Schoenfelder
Taking advantage of the light traffic in the early morning hours, riders head north directly through Bethlehem towards the first controle stop in Danielsville at the base of the Blue Mountain. From there riders make a first crossing over the Applachian Trail at Little Gap which is followed by an exhilarating descent past the Blue Mountain Ski resort. The route heads east following the valley road which offers spectacular views of the mountain ridge off to our right. Riders can thank their lucky stars that the route avoids the climb over Fox Gap, instead following the valley to the next stop at the "Village Farmer" bakery in Water Gap. Here, the 200k riders will split off and start their return trip through Portland while the 300k riders will continue north into the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area.
The 300k route enters the NJ side of the park at the Dingman's Ferry bridge, one of the few which riders can ride their bikes while crossing the Delaware River. From Dingman's Ferry, the route heads up to a controle stop at the Hainesville General Store. The route turns south through the park on the NJ side of the park through Flatbrook and Walpack before reaching the big lump of Old Mine Road. It stands as a formidible challenge, but the remainder of the route through the park is quite enjoyable and generally free of vehiclar traffic. The tour of the park ends when riders return to the Appalachian Trail to cross the Delaware River and return to PA. For riders who've never done this, the trail is a pedistrian pathway on the I-80 bridge, shown on the left in the photo.
The 300k trip home rejoins the 200k route at Water Gap and continues along the Delaware River to the next control in Portland. From there the route continues south and crosses back into NJ at Belvidere and continues to Stewartsville, Bloomsbury, Milford, and finally to the penultimate controle in Frenchtown. We return to PA and climb out of the Delaware River valley at Erwinna (be thankful, you could have gotten Uhlerstown), pass a conveniently placed Turkey Hill mini-mart at Ottsville and head for the final push to the finish at Flint Hill Farm.
Steep and/or extended climbs abound in this route featuring a mix of well and not-so-well known roads. Appropriately low gears are highly recommended.
| Date | Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2022-04-23 | 23 |
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. At the start/finish a complimentary breakfast buffet will be provided before the ride, and a dinner buffet will be available after the ride. Also at the start/finish there will be port-o-johns, and some places for "safety naps". Tent camping on the Flint Hill grounds is free. NOTE: As of now, all the farmhouse beds are booked. Contact the organizer if you want to be waitlisted for a bed.
The online URL for this event info page is
https://parando.org/info/event/2022-04-23/300
For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/