Mountain Blue
400K Brevet
Saturday 5 May 2018
04:00 EDT Start Time
04:00 EDT Start Time
Serving as our traditional "rando clubhouse" the Weisel youth hostel is a congenial venue for brevets of any length.
Enter the main hostel driveway off Richlandtown Road. After about 200 feet, turn right on the gravel road before the barn, then another immediate right to park your car in the large, grassy field next to the main driveway. Do not park at the end of the driveway by the hostel building. The parking spots near the hostel are reserved.
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 is available for a nominal fee at the hostel for the evenings before and after the event.
Showers available at the hostel. Join us at the post-ride banquet and share your epic tales and goals for the coming year. Relax in the hostel's comfortable great room or porch. A dormatory in the hostel is available for a nap before traveling home
In a reverse version of the traditional 400K course, we begin by riding southwest toward the Schuylkill valley and French creek. Upon reaching Morgantown, we head west on rolling farmland to reach the Swatara Creek. The course then turns North and begins the climb up along the Swatara on the Swatara rail trail (crushed stone and old pavement), through Pine Grove, and eventually up to the top of the Summer Hill ridgeline, with spectacular views of two mountains, now reversed! On your right is Mountain Blue and on your left, you'll see Second Mountain. Leaving the ridge, we cross Mountain Blue at Wind Gap, through some more rolling hills to the penultimate controle in Columbia, and then down along the Delaware and Rieglesville, where our favorite climb back to the Hostel awaits.
There are several steep, extended climbs. A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.
| Date | Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2017-05-20 | 18 |
| 2018-05-05 | 16 |
| 2021-05-22 | 12 |
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.
The online URL for this event info page is
https://parando.org/info/event/2018-05-05/400
For all other information about Pennsylvania Randonneurs, visit our web site https://parando.org/