Welsh Tract Wander
200K Brevet
Saturday 7 December 2024
07:00 EST Start Time
07:00 EST Start Time
Bathrooms are available and you are welcome to leave a bag if needed. See more information about the soiree on the right/below.
The nearest convenience stores are a Wawa at 2131 South Street and the South Square Supermarket at 2221 South Street (opening at 6am)
On-street parking can often be found back behind Naval Square, on Christian, Webster, Catherine, or Schuylkill Ave at approximately here. The nearest paid parking lot we recommend is this one here: 2401 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103. It is 3-5 minutes by bike. Bike parking is available in front of chez Iwan.
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.
Philadelphia has a good selection of hotels to stay. Please make arrangements directly with a hotel.
Gather at Café chez Iwan.
Ride with rando friends from near and far for the last PA brevet of 2024 on a relaxed clockwise loop and then gather for the annual PA Rando Philly Soirée hosted at Café chez Iwan. Every rider who rode or volunteered for at least one PA event during 2024 is invited to the soirée!
After departing Cafe chez Iwan, riders will head out of the city through West Philly and Fairmount Park. After crossing City Line Avenue, riders will pass through some of the sleepy suburban towns of the Welsh Tract, a region settled by Welsh speaking Quakers. This includes towns such as Bala Cynwood, Wynnewood, and Penn Wynne.
This route does not have any major climbs, but there are rolling hills that add up. For any riders nervous about the elevation gain, note that the last 30 miles are nearly all flat, many of which are on the Schuylkill River Trail.
After about 15 miles, the scenery begins to change from suburban to rural countryside. Riders will notice horse farms, creeks, and larger plots of land. Whitehorse Farms and Skunk Hollow Park are two places that are especially nice to ride through early in the morning.
A few miles later, the suburbs return where riders will stop at a Wawa control north of West Chester. When you stop at the Wawa, avoid the temptation to remove gloves, hats, and other warm gear. After the stop, riders will have a nice, but likely chilly, decent on Sunset Hollow Road.
The decent leads riders into the Brandywine Creek Valley, a top destination in the region for cycling known for its creekside roads and historic farms. PA Randos might recognize some of the scenery here from the Tscheschter Kaundi route. While this route passes through the same areas as the TK route, most of the roads used are different.
At Mile 47, riders will pass the Whip Tavern (which has bicycle tools and a pump in the parking lot) and then reach one of the prettiest roads around: Runnymede Road, along Doe Run. This single lane road will have riders thinking they’ve been transported to a quiet country lane in England.
Over the next 18 miles, riders will pass three Turkey Hill stores, two of which are controls. Philly area riders will know they have officially left their home territory when the local convenience stores change from Wawas to Turkey Hills. In case anyone is looking for a more substantial meal and drink, the route also passes Victory Brewing in Parkesburg (Mile 60), which opens at 11am on Saturdays.
Passing the Turkey Hills, riders head to northern Chester County. Another section highlighted for it’s scenery and quiet roads is when the route passes Warwick Furnace Farms and its historic furnace. Miles 80-87 pass through this area, following the South Branch of French Creek.
The route then starts to make its way back to Philadelphia by passing through Phoenixville on the way to the Schuylkill River Trail. Once riders have reached the SRT, it is a flat ride back to Cafe chez Iwan.
| Date | Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2024-12-07 | 3 |
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.
A breakfast buffet and coffee will be available at the start. A BYOB soirée follows the ride, at which the club will offer a dinner buffet.
The online URL for this event info page is
https://parando.org/info/event/2024-12-07/200
For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/