|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Interstate Fleche
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Interstate Flechestory and photos by Phil Piltch  Our fleche team, comprised of Marc Pritchard, Larry Strung, Alan Thwaits, and Phil Piltch, completed a route starting from Marc's house in Cattaraugus, N.Y., and going through parts of the States of New York, Pennsyvlania, and Ohio, through some pretty scenery, and a number of quaint small towns. This may be the first club fleche to take place outside of Ontario (and outside the country!).
We arrived on Friday evening, and spent the night at Marc and Mary Prichard's home. In what is now becoming a Randonneurs Ontario tradition, those of us from Ontario stopped at the Tim Horton's in the duty free shop just before the peace bridge. After some navigational challenges, we arrived at the Prichard's and socialized for a couple of hours before going to bed.
We woke at 7:00 AM on Saturday, and started our ride at 8:45. Mary prepared a hearty cyclists' breakfast for us before departing. Marc, who had designed the route, said it was "fairly flat." As we rode through the rolling hills near his house, this description soon became a running joke each time we encountered a hill. (Marc later told us he recorded over 10,000 feet of climbing for the ride.)
The route went north and west from Cattaruagus through rolling terrain, and then we were treated to a wonderful descent to flattish roads on the south shore of Lake Erie. We then continued west, past fields of vineyards and farms, and through a number of small towns, including Fredonia. After crossing the Pennsylvania border, we then turned south in the town of North-East (yes, it does sound strange). We soon encountered the first of many long climbs, up the very hills we had seen south of us when we followed the lake shore. So much for "mostly flat!"
 It was shortly after we reached the top of the hills that we had our only flat, when Alan's rear tube expired. We then continued on, and stopped for lunch in the town of Union City. I had discovered that it was dangerous to be the only one without a CamelBak - I had drained both water bottles well before our food stop. Our gourmet choice was the Taco Bell at a gas station/convenience store. Soon afterwards, we discovered just how "flat" this route was - we climbed and descended a series of large hills of up to 8% grade. (We paid dearly for the brisk pace we had set when we had to climb this same set of hills on the way back.) Once past the hills, the terrain became gentler, and once we had crossed the Ohio border, was indeed fairly flat. We saw at least one Amish buggy on the way.
 We stopped at a Hardee's restaurant (more gourmet food!) in the town of Jefferson for dinner, about 11 hours after we had started, and decided to take a longer break before the night's ride. After about an hour's rest, we continued south and then west. The sun skirted the trees as we set out, and was soon gone. We arrived at our western- and southernmost point in the town of Middlefield, when we decided to take a last stop for food and rest before morning at the local Arby's.
It was now about 11:00 PM, and we had covered about 312K. The night was getting quite cold, and we now donned all of our extra layers. We set off again and went east along almost 42K of wonderful, quiet road. The terrain was flat and there was no wind, so we flew along in good time.
 We had to detour from the planned route when we found our next turn signed "Bridge Out 5 Miles." Marc pulled out his map, and we decided on an alternate route north and east to get back on route. At one point, we were on a road which was only signed "East Pennsylvania Bicycle Route Y," it might have been quite scenic during the day. We took a quick break for coffee and snacks at a gas station/convenience store as the eastern sky was starting to brighten.
By now, our legs were quite dead, and the set of major climbs we had done earlier in the ride were very challenging. I found I had to "twiddle" in my 24T ring. The sun was up, we were getting near the end of our long trek, and we all found some renewed energy. At around 8:00 AM, Marc called home to arrange for a ride, and we finished the flecheche in Union City, having travelled 481.9K. Marc's daughter Marcella met us, and we then drove to Marc's parent's cottage on the shores of Chattaqua lake for refreshing showers and a wonderful breakfast. A number of significant accomplishments were made, not least that we set a club distance record for the fleche. There were also some notable personal accomplishments. Both Alan and I broke 5 1/2 hours for a century, 8 hours for a 200, and 15 hours for a 300. Alan exceeded the distance he covered on last year's RSD, while I simply exceeded any expectation I had. Many thanks should go to Marc Pritchard for designing what, for the most part, was a very enjoyable route (though hardly flat), and to Marc and Mary for providing us with sleeping space and food. |
|
|
|
|
|
