By Laurent Chambard / RBA for NYC & Princeton, NJ
In the NJ/NYC region, we ran a 600k Brevet in 2006, going into the Catskills by way of the Hudson valley. The route is challenging, but arguably less so than on 2003 and 2005 editions of the NJ600. One of the three main climbs had to be removed at the last minute following a rain-related landslide that carried the road into the river. Weather proved to be as good as it could possibly be. Sleep stop came at the very reasonable distance of 348km (212 miles). And yet by the sleep stop, one third of entrants (7 out of 21) had called it a day. Two more riders would DNF on Day 2, yielding a final success rate of only 59% for the whole field, and an abysmal 14% (1 out of 7) for NY state residents, on their home soil.
Clearly this result was telling us something. Detailed analysis revealed that most DNFs were novices on the distance, and that the whole field had a high rate of first-timers at the 600k distance. On the other hand, two-thirds of successful riders (8 out of 12) went to BMB, and 7 out of the 8 completed the event, including one of our slower riders who had completed our event as her first 600 ever.
Somehow, the message was clear: we had a good event for preparing riders for a 1200, but it was simply too difficult for most first-timers on the distance, in absence of a strong brevet-related culture in our region for the time being.
So we decided to run two 600ks in 2007. During the PBP qualification period, early enough in an attempt to avoid high heat, we will run a new route visiting most of South and Central Jersey on the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen, and over easy, flat and gently rolling terrain. And after PBP qualification period, at a time when riders will be looking for events to help them prepare for PBP once they have qualified, we will run our Hudson/Catskills route, the more challenging option, as we did in 2006.
June 2nd/3rd 2007 –
The Boss
This event starts from a hotel in Hightstown, a small town in Central Jersey right off Exit 8 (not 8A!) of the New Jersey Turnpike. Leaving the start at 4 a.m. while motorists are sound asleep ensures virtually no traffic for the first few miles, and then the route takes to small lanes somehow familiar to veterans of the 2006 edition of the NJ400—it is similar to the return route of the 400, but in reverse. Farmlands progressively make way to woods and pine trees, up to the first controle at mile 74 visiting the historic village of Batsto in the heart of the Pine Barrens, where volunteers await with breakfast at the ready. More 400k mileage in reverse follows on the next stage towards Salem, with the route highlighting the amazing variety of crops grown in the Garden State on a mix of long straight lines and twisty little lanes. In Salem, home of a celebrated oak tree old enough to have seen George Washington walk by, refreshments are available from a friendly pizza and pasta restaurant.
Scenery changes upon leaving Salem as riders now visit marshlands and ancient fishing villages bordering the Delaware river estuary. A detour is then made necessary to avoid exposing riders to the roughest neighborhoods of Bridgeton. After that, mainly quiet lanes lead to Mauricetown and its Wawa store, home of the next controle. Heading East, riders then aim for the shore over long straight lines that seem to have been designed specifically for tandems and recumbents. The ocean is reached at the coastal town of Stone Harbor, where the route turns North and civilization reappears along the entirely built-up holiday residential area bordering the South Jersey shore. Fortunately, several bridges and causeways allow riders to enjoy vistas of the ocean, and the full force of its fragrance too. Just before Atlantic City, with the Boardwalk (finish line of RAAM) nearly within reach, randonneurs turn west over an imposing bridge and reach Somers Point, at mile 246 (km 398) the controle selected for you to sleep. A bed in a motel room awaits each of you, and so does a volunteer with food before and after sleep.
Upon leaving Somers Point riders head towards the western outskirts of Atlantic City, hopefully gaining flying pace when visiting the local Air Force base, and passing two more and last opportunities to stop at hotels. Shortly afterwards riders enter a totally desolate though scenic and beautifully forested area leading to Bass River Park, where several campgrounds are passed. A few miles along Rte. 539, a main road carrying only fairly light traffic, brings riders to Warren Grove for the next controle where, if slow enough, a delightful olde worlde village restaurant awaits. Those riders more in a hurry who will show up before the place opens will be served by a volunteer from the back of the trunk—but I assure you will truly be missing something!
The penultimate stage follows Rte. 539 for many miles, for the simple reason that it is positively the only paved road in those parts with no community in sight for miles and miles. Scenery consists of whatever low pine trees and bushes are able to grow over a sandy soil exposed to ocean winds. The route is a bit more up and down on this section compared to the rest of the course, but by now and after more than 300 miles on the road you might appreciate some opportunities to cycle off the saddle!
More varied scenery returns in the vicinity of the military base of Fort Dix, rapidly crossed on its Eastern side and leading to the next controle at another of these quintessentially New Jersey institutions – the Wawa store. By then riders are truly on Mr. Springsteen's home soil, crossing Highway 9, sending greetings from not quite Asbury Park, New Jersey, leaving Colt Necks and heading towards Freehold for some few more miles of farmland before the finish line in Hightstown. Qualified!
July 7th/8th , 2007
The Hudson/Catskills Brevet
Starting at the civilized hour of 5 a.m. from a hotel in Englewood, a stone's throw away from Manhattan but on the Jersey side, the route heads north over the northern valley on flat and easy Rte. 501. A first sight of the Hudson River is caught in Piermont, once a terminus of the illustrious Erie Railroad, and the river will remain present for much of the next hundred miles. Some short but sharp climbing out of Nyack warms up those legs, and more rolling terrain follows up to reaching Rte. 9W in Haverstraw where the Tappan Zee appears majestically just off a curve, right in yer face. Riders then stay on 9W for many miles, visiting Revolution historic sites and admiring grand vistas over the Tappan Zee from the top of Bear Mountain and then crossing the eponymous bridge. The route continues along the river on the Eastern side up to the first controle in Beacon, run by volunteers.
The ensuing 20 miles around busy Poughkeepsie are arguably the least pleasant of the route, as traffic can be heavy though not really fast. Terrain remains easy, however, and allows riders to stock up on spare time. Further north the route plays cat and mouse between quiet little lanes and busy Rte. 9G, and unveils the first sight of the Catskills upon leaving Rhinebeck where a blue mass of mountains appears beautifully on your left in the late morning light, showing you where you will be tonight. Some very nice riding can be enjoyed along River Road, leading through Bard University, before eventually rejoining 9G for a few miles and then into Catskill over the Rip van Winkle bridge, where pizza awaits at mile 119.
Serious climbing starts upon leaving Catskill. It remains fairly moderate up to Palenville, but then starts a 5 mile climb of 8% continuous gradient, much of it on exposed ground, that should be taken with the respect due to any such Judge of Peace, as they say on the Tour de France. After reaching the top in Hains Falls, the route eases through Tannersville, reminiscent of the times when the Catskills were settled by tannery operators for the special virtues of hemlock tree bark for this specific business. Riders then turn left on Rte. 214 enjoying a splendid vista as randonneurs at that point are entirely surrounded by high mountains. A very pleasant valley road leads to Phoenicia, and then a slightly less pleasant main road brings riders to Big Indian for the next controle where indulging in the sandwich handed over by the volunteer is a good idea knowing what comes next.
Next comes the toughest climb on the route; Slide Mountain is not really long, but at a relentless 12% gradient or worse it will take its toll on those legs and punish the randonneur foolish enough for not having brought small gears. The good news though is that once at the top, many miles of overall easy riding can be enjoyed in a fascinatingly deserted valley that you could easily think to be primeval forest. This leads to Livingston Manor, where work resumes over the roller-coastery section leading to the sleep stop in Liberty. At mile 212 (km 348) it comes relatively early by 600k standards, but somehow nobody protested that it came too early last year when we ran this event for the first time…. A hotel bed awaits you, and so does a volunteer with food before and after sleep.
The stage out of Liberty is not really hilly, but is extremely atmospheric in the early morning hours over deserted roads such as Peckamoose River Road. It is even more so for those riders having made the choice to ride through the night, when the valley becomes misty and spooky with not a soul in sight for miles and miles. Civilization returns when reaching Hurley at mile 268, with breakfast available from the controle at Stewart's.
Upon leaving Hurley riders wave goodbye to the Catskills, but are not yet done with climbing. The third main climb on the route, Mohonk Mountain, is on the way, and its steep last section will require riders to have kept something in reserve. Given the right weather, riders will enjoy beautiful views of the Catskills as they toil their way upwards. The route then becomes more rolling and leads over pleasant countryside to Chester, NY, for the penultimate controle at mile 321.
It is not yet time to celebrate. Three successive ridges have to be overcome just after leaving Chester, to and through beautiful Harriman State Forest over terrain very familiar to regulars of the New York City brevets. And even once past Harriman, the route still offers short but sharp lumps on the way back to the Hudson river, reached in Nyack, from where it is then really flat all the way back to Englewood for a well-earned pizza on the RBA's lawn.
Those of our riders who completed the Hudson-Catskills Brevet in 2006 could be heard saying after finishing BMB that these Vermont hills really were nothing scary compared to what they were used to. So now you know what to do if you want some reassurance that you are ready for PBP!
Both events have an entry fee of $50 each, which gives you liability insurance, a bed with food before and after sleep at the hotel selected for sleep controle, and free food on at least one controle.
Information and entry form available from Laurent Chambard, RBA, njrando@verizon.net; or from our website www.njrando.com.
In the NJ/NYC region, we ran a 600k Brevet in 2006, going into the Catskills by way of the Hudson valley. The route is challenging, but arguably less so than on 2003 and 2005 editions of the NJ600. One of the three main climbs had to be removed at the last minute following a rain-related landslide that carried the road into the river. Weather proved to be as good as it could possibly be. Sleep stop came at the very reasonable distance of 348km (212 miles). And yet by the sleep stop, one third of entrants (7 out of 21) had called it a day. Two more riders would DNF on Day 2, yielding a final success rate of only 59% for the whole field, and an abysmal 14% (1 out of 7) for NY state residents, on their home soil.
Clearly this result was telling us something. Detailed analysis revealed that most DNFs were novices on the distance, and that the whole field had a high rate of first-timers at the 600k distance. On the other hand, two-thirds of successful riders (8 out of 12) went to BMB, and 7 out of the 8 completed the event, including one of our slower riders who had completed our event as her first 600 ever.
Somehow, the message was clear: we had a good event for preparing riders for a 1200, but it was simply too difficult for most first-timers on the distance, in absence of a strong brevet-related culture in our region for the time being.
So we decided to run two 600ks in 2007. During the PBP qualification period, early enough in an attempt to avoid high heat, we will run a new route visiting most of South and Central Jersey on the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen, and over easy, flat and gently rolling terrain. And after PBP qualification period, at a time when riders will be looking for events to help them prepare for PBP once they have qualified, we will run our Hudson/Catskills route, the more challenging option, as we did in 2006.
June 2nd/3rd 2007 –
The Boss
This event starts from a hotel in Hightstown, a small town in Central Jersey right off Exit 8 (not 8A!) of the New Jersey Turnpike. Leaving the start at 4 a.m. while motorists are sound asleep ensures virtually no traffic for the first few miles, and then the route takes to small lanes somehow familiar to veterans of the 2006 edition of the NJ400—it is similar to the return route of the 400, but in reverse. Farmlands progressively make way to woods and pine trees, up to the first controle at mile 74 visiting the historic village of Batsto in the heart of the Pine Barrens, where volunteers await with breakfast at the ready. More 400k mileage in reverse follows on the next stage towards Salem, with the route highlighting the amazing variety of crops grown in the Garden State on a mix of long straight lines and twisty little lanes. In Salem, home of a celebrated oak tree old enough to have seen George Washington walk by, refreshments are available from a friendly pizza and pasta restaurant.
Scenery changes upon leaving Salem as riders now visit marshlands and ancient fishing villages bordering the Delaware river estuary. A detour is then made necessary to avoid exposing riders to the roughest neighborhoods of Bridgeton. After that, mainly quiet lanes lead to Mauricetown and its Wawa store, home of the next controle. Heading East, riders then aim for the shore over long straight lines that seem to have been designed specifically for tandems and recumbents. The ocean is reached at the coastal town of Stone Harbor, where the route turns North and civilization reappears along the entirely built-up holiday residential area bordering the South Jersey shore. Fortunately, several bridges and causeways allow riders to enjoy vistas of the ocean, and the full force of its fragrance too. Just before Atlantic City, with the Boardwalk (finish line of RAAM) nearly within reach, randonneurs turn west over an imposing bridge and reach Somers Point, at mile 246 (km 398) the controle selected for you to sleep. A bed in a motel room awaits each of you, and so does a volunteer with food before and after sleep.
Upon leaving Somers Point riders head towards the western outskirts of Atlantic City, hopefully gaining flying pace when visiting the local Air Force base, and passing two more and last opportunities to stop at hotels. Shortly afterwards riders enter a totally desolate though scenic and beautifully forested area leading to Bass River Park, where several campgrounds are passed. A few miles along Rte. 539, a main road carrying only fairly light traffic, brings riders to Warren Grove for the next controle where, if slow enough, a delightful olde worlde village restaurant awaits. Those riders more in a hurry who will show up before the place opens will be served by a volunteer from the back of the trunk—but I assure you will truly be missing something!
The penultimate stage follows Rte. 539 for many miles, for the simple reason that it is positively the only paved road in those parts with no community in sight for miles and miles. Scenery consists of whatever low pine trees and bushes are able to grow over a sandy soil exposed to ocean winds. The route is a bit more up and down on this section compared to the rest of the course, but by now and after more than 300 miles on the road you might appreciate some opportunities to cycle off the saddle!
More varied scenery returns in the vicinity of the military base of Fort Dix, rapidly crossed on its Eastern side and leading to the next controle at another of these quintessentially New Jersey institutions – the Wawa store. By then riders are truly on Mr. Springsteen's home soil, crossing Highway 9, sending greetings from not quite Asbury Park, New Jersey, leaving Colt Necks and heading towards Freehold for some few more miles of farmland before the finish line in Hightstown. Qualified!
July 7th/8th , 2007
The Hudson/Catskills Brevet
Starting at the civilized hour of 5 a.m. from a hotel in Englewood, a stone's throw away from Manhattan but on the Jersey side, the route heads north over the northern valley on flat and easy Rte. 501. A first sight of the Hudson River is caught in Piermont, once a terminus of the illustrious Erie Railroad, and the river will remain present for much of the next hundred miles. Some short but sharp climbing out of Nyack warms up those legs, and more rolling terrain follows up to reaching Rte. 9W in Haverstraw where the Tappan Zee appears majestically just off a curve, right in yer face. Riders then stay on 9W for many miles, visiting Revolution historic sites and admiring grand vistas over the Tappan Zee from the top of Bear Mountain and then crossing the eponymous bridge. The route continues along the river on the Eastern side up to the first controle in Beacon, run by volunteers.
The ensuing 20 miles around busy Poughkeepsie are arguably the least pleasant of the route, as traffic can be heavy though not really fast. Terrain remains easy, however, and allows riders to stock up on spare time. Further north the route plays cat and mouse between quiet little lanes and busy Rte. 9G, and unveils the first sight of the Catskills upon leaving Rhinebeck where a blue mass of mountains appears beautifully on your left in the late morning light, showing you where you will be tonight. Some very nice riding can be enjoyed along River Road, leading through Bard University, before eventually rejoining 9G for a few miles and then into Catskill over the Rip van Winkle bridge, where pizza awaits at mile 119.
Serious climbing starts upon leaving Catskill. It remains fairly moderate up to Palenville, but then starts a 5 mile climb of 8% continuous gradient, much of it on exposed ground, that should be taken with the respect due to any such Judge of Peace, as they say on the Tour de France. After reaching the top in Hains Falls, the route eases through Tannersville, reminiscent of the times when the Catskills were settled by tannery operators for the special virtues of hemlock tree bark for this specific business. Riders then turn left on Rte. 214 enjoying a splendid vista as randonneurs at that point are entirely surrounded by high mountains. A very pleasant valley road leads to Phoenicia, and then a slightly less pleasant main road brings riders to Big Indian for the next controle where indulging in the sandwich handed over by the volunteer is a good idea knowing what comes next.
Next comes the toughest climb on the route; Slide Mountain is not really long, but at a relentless 12% gradient or worse it will take its toll on those legs and punish the randonneur foolish enough for not having brought small gears. The good news though is that once at the top, many miles of overall easy riding can be enjoyed in a fascinatingly deserted valley that you could easily think to be primeval forest. This leads to Livingston Manor, where work resumes over the roller-coastery section leading to the sleep stop in Liberty. At mile 212 (km 348) it comes relatively early by 600k standards, but somehow nobody protested that it came too early last year when we ran this event for the first time…. A hotel bed awaits you, and so does a volunteer with food before and after sleep.
The stage out of Liberty is not really hilly, but is extremely atmospheric in the early morning hours over deserted roads such as Peckamoose River Road. It is even more so for those riders having made the choice to ride through the night, when the valley becomes misty and spooky with not a soul in sight for miles and miles. Civilization returns when reaching Hurley at mile 268, with breakfast available from the controle at Stewart's.
Upon leaving Hurley riders wave goodbye to the Catskills, but are not yet done with climbing. The third main climb on the route, Mohonk Mountain, is on the way, and its steep last section will require riders to have kept something in reserve. Given the right weather, riders will enjoy beautiful views of the Catskills as they toil their way upwards. The route then becomes more rolling and leads over pleasant countryside to Chester, NY, for the penultimate controle at mile 321.
It is not yet time to celebrate. Three successive ridges have to be overcome just after leaving Chester, to and through beautiful Harriman State Forest over terrain very familiar to regulars of the New York City brevets. And even once past Harriman, the route still offers short but sharp lumps on the way back to the Hudson river, reached in Nyack, from where it is then really flat all the way back to Englewood for a well-earned pizza on the RBA's lawn.
Those of our riders who completed the Hudson-Catskills Brevet in 2006 could be heard saying after finishing BMB that these Vermont hills really were nothing scary compared to what they were used to. So now you know what to do if you want some reassurance that you are ready for PBP!
Both events have an entry fee of $50 each, which gives you liability insurance, a bed with food before and after sleep at the hotel selected for sleep controle, and free food on at least one controle.
Information and entry form available from Laurent Chambard, RBA, njrando@verizon.net; or from our website www.njrando.com.