Hopewell Furnace
200K Brevet
Saturday 11 November 2023
07:00 EST Start Time
07:00 EST Start Time
If you use the eBrevet cell phone app. (Version 1.2.4 minimum required.). Please write the app finish code and finish time on your paper card, and sign the card at the finish. If you used the app and don't write a finish code on your brevet card, you will be disqualified.
Trendy Manayunk hugs the Schuylkill River banks. It has a small-town vibe, with rowhouses, lofts and Victorian homes occupied by young families and long-time residents. Along its hilly streets, the steep incline of "The Manayunk Wall" punishes riders in an annual bike race. Galleries and boutiques line Main Street, while its trendy eateries and boisterous bars evoke the area's Lenape name, "the place to drink.”
The start controle is located in the shared parking lot for the Regal UA Theatre, Cadence Cycling Center, and Fine Wine.
There are no services, food, indoor space, or access to bathrooms at the start location itself, although there are numerous options nearby. The closest 24 hour convenience store for early morning coffee, food, and bathrooms is the Sunoco/Dunkin on 4168 Ridge Ave.
Park in the large lot shared by Cadence Cycles, the UA Theater, and the State store. Park near Main St, away from the stores, so as to allow store customers the closest spots. There are plenty of spots. Alternatively, you can try parking over by the Landing Kitchen on the other side of the Penncoyd bridge. This would be best if you are staying at the Residence Inn.
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.
Immediately at the Start/Finish is the Residence Inn. There are many other nearby hotels. Call them directly to make reservations.
Manayunk contains many fine places to gather after the event that are near the start parking at Cadence. Check your brevet card or the cue sheet for the selected gathering spot for this event.
Visit the Hopewell Furnace National Historical Site on this challenging 200K.
This new route starts out at Cadence Cycling in Manayunk before winding along the Wissahickon and Chestnut Hill to arrive in the suburbs via Stenton Ave. Some riders may be familiar with the route out to Evansburg Park, featuring highlights such as the colorful house at Yost and North Wales and the sheep on Heebner Road.
After Evansburg, the route turns north toward the first control, Hennings Market, complete with a café. From there, you will continue northwest past Green Lane Park and arrive at the second control, Huff’s Church. Interestingly, this historic church, founded by Pennsylvania Germans in 1760, continued services in German well into the mid-20th century, and you’re lucky the ride organizer did not write your cues in that language.
After Huff’s Church you’ll turn southwest towards the Reading area, rolling along roads that will be familiar to some, and cross Griesemer’s Mill Covered Bridge (1862), one of just five covered bridges remaining in Berks County.
You will cross the Schuylkill River to arrive at the third control, a Turkey Hill in Gibraltar, before turning southeast and paralleling the river through Birdsboro. Take the opportunity to rest and prepare. The most challenging climbs of the brevet are now before you in and around French Creek State Park, comprising the last unbroken forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The park is a popular bike camping destination.
The purpose of this gratuitous climbing labor is a ride past Hopewell Furnace, the cradle of American Industrialization, where you can pick apples in the fall. Continuing on through Saint Peters, stop for a sandwich at the bakery if time permits and admire the enormous boulders from its deck. There is a vegan option!
Finally, the moment you’ve actually all been waiting for...no, not another historical site: a Wawa controle! After filling up on whatever you traditionally partake of at this holy establishment, continue east through Yellow Springs and Phoenixville before arriving in historic Valley Forge Park.
Roll past the memorial arch and keep an eye out for deer as you head towards the Schuykill River Trail and roll back to Manayunk along the river. Retire to the Landing Kitchen where you can trade tall tales of the ride around the fire pit.
This route has several steep and extended climbs. Sufficiently low gearing is recommeded.
| Date | Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-11 | 52 |
This ride is a randonneur style bicycle event under the sanction of Randonneurs USA. Completing this event can help you train for Paris-Brest-Paris and earn RUSA 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. Complete several ordinary century cycling events before starting a 200K brevet; complete several 200Ks before starting a longer brevet.
The online URL for this event info page is
https://parando.org/info/event/2023-11-11/200
For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/