Pagoda
200K Brevet
Saturday 17 April 2021
06:30 EDT Start Time
06:30 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 are described in the PA Rando Blog. Please check often for updates.
Hugh Moore Island in the Lehigh River is the home of the National Canal Museum. The D&L Towpath bike trail passes accross the island.
The entrance to the park is an iron bridge that T's onto Lehigh Drive. After crossing the bridge make an immediate right and drive to the museum at the end of the road. Park at the last lot on the left. The main gathering location is near the Pavilion in front of the museum by the playground.
The club usually provides some food and drink at the start and finish of the event. If you want something more substantial, the nearest 24 hour Diner is the Key City Diner 985 US-22, Phillipsburg, NJ. There's a 24 hour Wawa in Easton at 310 Larry Holmes Dr. Alternatively, stop for something in Hellertown at about mile 10.
Many previous PA Rando brevets pass by this location, so it should look familiar. Nevertheless, if you've not been there by car it may be difficult to find, so be sure to allot a little extra time.
There are several parking lots on Hugh Moore Island. We gather for the start near the pavilion at the museum parking lot, farthest from the iron bridge. Do not park at the doggy park parking lot nearest the bridge (where, in previous years, we used to park).
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.
Traveling far? Overnight accommodations are available at several hotels in Easton
Make your own reservations by calling the hotel directly.
Gather in the pavilion near the Museum for post ride festivities.
The next ACP brevet of the season is a westward journey out of Easton to the Pagoda at the summit of Mt Penn in Reading.
This challenging route departs westward from the pavilion in front of the National Canal Museum in Easton, begining with a climb up Lower Saucon and a screaming descent down Applebutter. Our warmup complete we follow relatively moderate roads through the Lehigh University Goodman Campus and the northern edge of Center Valley.
Alas, South Mountain must be climbed somewhere, and we finally attack the ridge at Chestnut Hill Rd, which takes us over into the interesting town of Emmaus, PA. Riding is now easy for a while as we continue Westward to the Wawa controle in Macungie, passing near the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown. The hilly region near Huff's Church bars us from entry into the Oley Valley, so there's some work to do before we reach the town of Oley, home of the 500 year old Sacred Oak tree.
The signature climb of the ride then soon begins as we work our way through the hills forming Antietem Reservoir and up Skyline Drive, past the Fire Tower, and on to an Info Controle at the Reading Pagoda. After catching our breath and taking in the vista, we scream down the switchback Duryea Drive descent off the nose of Mt Penn and down to the Schuylkill river where we begin our generally Eastward return trek on the Schuylkill River Trail.
Moderate grades up from the river lead us to the Daniel Boone Homestead, the birthplace of American frontiersman Daniel Boone. There is an information controle at this museum and historic house.
Climbing begins again in earnest as we cross the Eastern boundary of the Oley Valley formed by the Reading Prong (remember the terrain near Huff's Church?). The summit of the climb takes us by Trout Run and Popodickon mountain reservoirs and over into Bechtelsville. The reward for this hard work is a controle stop at the legendary Longacre's Modern Dairy.
Terrain in the Perkiomen Valley is now moderately rolling. We work our way through Beverly Hills into the town of Coopersburg with the penultimate controle at a Turkey hill.
Moderate riding goes on for several miles, allowing you to rest and recover for the final major climb of the ride, a direct assault on South Mountain via Country Side Lane. After that, there's our favorite descent down Island Park and Lower Saucon (remember climbing that?), across the 25th street bridge and back to the Canal Museum and goodies (Bar-B-Que?) served in the Pavilion.
As shown in the route profile, there are several steep, extended climbs. A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.
| Date | Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2019-03-16 | 39 |
| 2020-03-14 | 23 |
| 2021-04-17 | 25 |
| 2022-06-05 | 2 |
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.
Food and drink is provided compliments of the club at the start/finish. Water and snacks at Pagoda control.
The online URL for this event info page is
https://parando.org/info/event/2021-04-17/200
For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/