Pennsylvania Randonneurs

Pagoda
200K Brevet

Saturday 14 March 2020
06:00 EDT Start Time

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Pagoda 200K Brevet

Saturday 14 March 2020
06:00 EDT Start Time

Start Location

The Cask Taphouse and Grille

80 Kunkle Dr
Easton, PA 18045
610-438-5655

The start location at the Cask Taphouse is conveniently located close to the 25th street exit of US22 in Easton, PA.  As Cask does not open till the afternoon, there are no food or rest room facilities at the start itself. Nevertheless, there are many excellent breakfast possibilities nearby. Meet for sit down breakfast at the nearby Tic-Toc Diner, which opens at 5AM, or grab something quick at the 25th street Wawa.

Parking

Cask has a large parking lot. Please park at the far corner, away from the restaurant. If you are staying at the Holiday Inn Express next door, you can leave your car in the hotel lot.

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

Traveling far? Overnight accommodations are available at several hotels in Easton. Make your own reservations by calling the hotel directly. Immediately next to the start/finish is the Holiday Inn Express at 90 Kunkle Dr, Easton PA. Somwhat less expensive, and an easy bike ride away is the Quality Inn at 2415 Nazareth Rd.

Finish

The post ride gathering is likely to be at the Cask Taphouse, which has well-crafted American fare, and an extensive craft beer, whiskey, bourbon and wine selection. If this is not to your taste, there are several food alternatives in the area, including chain restaurants, fast food, the Tic-Toc Diner, and a Wawa.

Volunteer

This event needs volunteers for the following jobs:

Contact Organizer to Volunteer.

Ride Description

Reading PagodaThe first 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 Cask parking lot at 25th street in Easton on main city roads, taking advantage of the light traffic in early morning, zooming generally downhill. Crossing the Lehigh via the Freemansburg Bridge (Sniff, sniff? Is that a sewage plant upstream?) we follow 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.

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 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 just one "last little grunt" up from the Lehigh and back to the Cask Taphouse finish at 25th street. Restaurant appetizers will be provided compliments of the club at the Cask finish.

As shown in the route profile, there are several steep, extended climbs.  A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.

Course History

DateFinishers
2019-03-1639
2020-03-1423
2021-04-1725
2022-06-052
Course Record 2021-04-17: Seth Hallam (07:43, 25.9 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: $25
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

Packaged yummy snacks provided compliments of the club at the start/finish.

Registration is closed for this event.

Schedule

05:00 Sign-in, Bike Inspection
05:50 Rider meeting
06:00 EDT Riders depart

Conditions

Finish Cutoff: 19:30 EDT 14 March 2020 (13 hours, 30 minutes)

Daylight Hours

Sunrise: 07:11
Sunset: 19:07

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: Easton, 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/2020-03-14/200

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