300 km Centenary Audax in upstate New Jersey

 

 

300 km Centenary Audax in Upstate New Jersey

301 +17 km

3774 m altitude

14.5 hours (20 h max time allowed)

Strava file here

11 June 2022 was the hundred-year anniversary of the first 300 km audax event, so audax clubs all over the world held centenary 300 km events on that day. I happened to be in New Jersey in June, visiting a friend whom I hadn’t seen since before the pandemic, and when I saw that the New JerseyRandonneurs were organising their 300 Centenary Brevet to start from Princeton, I knew I had to enter. This required me to also become a member of Randonneurs USA, so now I’m a proud dual member of RUSA and AUK.

We set off at 5 am from a parking lot, heading through Princeton in the grey light of dawn. There were only 20 of us, and this time, sadly, there was not a single woman apart from me. It was lovely to be back in Princeton where I’d spent four happy months on sabbatical in 2015. The route then took us north into upstate New Jersey. As I cycled through the early morning light I spotted the first of what would be hundreds of deer that day. The air smelled of honey suckle; indeed, it seemed like the entire state smelled of honey suckle, and I saw it growing everywhere.  

Dawn over farmland

 

The route was fairly flat until the first control in a small town called Whitehouse Station at 55 km. I stopped for a coffee and a muffin, determined to be diligent about my food intake, but most other riders rushed through.    

Heading north from there, the landscape got hilly very quickly and quiet roads traversed seemingly endless ridges. This region is called the New Jersey Highlands and is part of the Appalachians. It felt very rural, heavily forested and remote. A big difference from the intensely cultivated landscapes of Europe. 

Endless hills and forests

  

The NJ Randonneurs had a lovely system of digital info controls: they had nailed QR codes to telegraph poles that we were required to scan. This allowed the organisers to track our movements in real time. They weren’t easy to find, but I did get them all, with the help of a kind postal service worker, in one case. There’s nothing like local knowledge!

The second control was in a park in a town called Blairstown, very close to the Delaware Water Gap and the border with Pennsylvania. This was the halfway mark and I arrived at about 10.30 am. Incredibly, volunteers waited for us there with giant sandwiches (“hoagies”) and snacks. What a treat! The volunteers also told me that I was only the second rider to pass through so far. Yes, I know audax is not a race, but given that I was the only woman taking part, I made it my goal not to be overtaken by any man that day.

From there the route turned back south, crossing the forest of the Jenny Jump State Park with the longest climb of the day. As I was gasping up the steepest section (with 12%) man on an ebike with a big beard came out of the bushes by the side of the road and followed me. “Are you Susanne?” he asked. “I’m the secret control.” And thus I encountered my first, slightly alarming, secret control of my audax career. 

Apparently there are no cars in upstate NJ

 

German Valley, NJ. Interesting, but no time to stop

The next manned control, a parking lot by a supermarket in a town called Califon, was disturbed by the presence of about five fire engines and an ambulance. It was only a few weeks after the awful mass shooting at a primary school in Texas where 21 people were murdered, so such a large number of rescue services made me uneasy, but it turned out to be a false fire alarm. 

This was the 200 km mark and I reached it by about 2.30 pm. I was making great progress and still feeling good. Until… At Whitehouse Station, location of the first control, the route, which had formed a loop going north, returned back on itself. I could see on my bike computer that I was now retracing the route – correctly as I thought – and so I followed where the arrows on the display pointed me. Here’s this little stream, here’s that farmhouse from before, here’s the funny-looking doghouse. …and everything is in exactly the same order as it was this morning! I stopped to check, turned back, but the Garmin gave me an “off course” warning. I checked the map on my phone, but no network. So I carried on until I came across some people at a farmhouse who I asked for directions to Neshanic, location of the penultimate control. Blank faces. “That’s really far from here.” “Yes, I know, I’ve been cycling far today already”. “You should probably head back the way you came.” Funny doghouse, farm, stream, and eventually I hit the main road, crossed it, and was back where I should have been an hour earlier, having added 17 km to my ride.

Crossed this a few times

I was now less enthusiastic for the remaining 60 km than I had been. My legs were starting to feel tired after a long day of climbing, and I was ready to finish. A quick stop at the last control and on to Princeton. Mount Laurel, just outside of Princeton, was nothing compared to the hills in northern New Jersey, but I just about dragged myself up and over, together with another cyclist I’d caught up with. 

Back in Princeton, at last

We arrived at the finish at 7.30 pm, just before sunset. I was relieved, because we had been warned about the dangers of coming across deer at night. Of course I was no longer in second place, a number of riders having passed me while I was on my detour, but audax is not a race, and I was glad to receive my little centenary medal! It was a wonderful experience in a part of the world I would not otherwise ever had the opportunity to visit. 

Thank you Paul Kramer and the other brilliant volunteers from the NJ Randonneurs who made it happen and looked out for me when I got lost!  

Kilometerfresser and I have enjoyed cycling in America

 

My cute medal