Pennsylvania Randonneurs

New Bleu Redeux
400K Brevet

Saturday 14 May 2022
04:00 EDT Start Time

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New Bleu Redeux 400K Brevet

Saturday 14 May 2022
04:00 EDT Start Time

Start Location

Flint Hill Farms

1922 Flint Hill Road
Coopersburg, PA 18036
(610) 838-2928

Flint Hill Farm

Flint Hill Farm Educational Center is a working farm located on the summit of Flint Hill in Coopersburg, PA.  Events hosted at the Flint Hill will start in their large arena building, where breakfast is served at the start and a meal is served after the finish. Lodging can be reserved in the farmhouse for a small extra fee, first come, first served, with priority to riders riding longer events. Book a farmhouse bed as part of your brevet registration. Tent camping on site is free. 

Parking

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.

Lodging

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.

Finish

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. 

Volunteer

This event needs volunteers for the following jobs:

Contact Organizer to Volunteer.

Ride Description

Iron Bridge at Swatara GapWe 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 the "last little grunt" up to Flint Hill.

Join your fellow randoneurs after the ride for at the buffet 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 Flint Hill arena.

There are several steep, extended climbs and an endless array of non-flat roads on this route.  A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.

Course History

DateFinishers
2022-05-1416
Course Record 2022-05-14: Brad Layman (18:50, 21.2 kph)

General Info

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 also accepts Electronic Proof of Passage (EPP), but the only form of EPP accepted  is the eBrevet cell phone app. (Version 1.2.4 minimum required). Your finish time and finish code from the EPP app must be written on the paper card or you will 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.

Registration

Registration Fee

For PA Rando members: $80
There is an extra $10 charge for registration if you are not a member of Pennsylvania Randonneurs.
Pre-payment only. Day-of-event payment is not available for this event.

Includes

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.

Lodging at the Start-Finish

Registration is closed for this event.

Schedule

03:00 Sign-in, Bike Inspection
03:50 Rider meeting
04:00 EDT Riders depart

Conditions

Finish Cutoff: 07:00 EDT 15 May 2022 (27 hours)

Daylight Hours

Sunrise: 05:43
Sunset: 20:10

The hours for this event extend beyond daytime. Riding at night without appropriate reflective gear and lights will result in an immediate disqualification. See the rules Article 10 for requirements. See the reflectivity guide for best practices.

Weather

Weather forecast for start location: Coopersburg, PA.

This event runs rain or shine. Rides are sometimes postponed or canceled if there is a significant chance of extreme conditions that threaten safety (e.g. ice, snow, high winds). Check the message board for last minute announcements.

Questions About This Event?

Please click here to ask the organizer a question about this event.

The online URL for this event info page is

https://parando.org/info/event/2022-05-14/400

For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/