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  #1  
Old 09-01-2021, 07:47 PM
merckxman merckxman is offline
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NJ: Sourlands Spectacular, Sept 11, 2021

September 11. Very nice area to ride in, good cause.
https://www.sourlandspectacular.com/
Or you can ride the route(s) on your own Sept 12-19th. Details on the site.
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  #2  
Old 09-01-2021, 08:10 PM
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interesting. i know most of these roads.

merckx - are you doing the 9/11 ride?

Anyone else into this?
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Old 09-02-2021, 10:23 AM
merckxman merckxman is offline
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Yes, doing the 60.9 mi route.
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Old 09-02-2021, 05:27 PM
trener1 trener1 is online now
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I might be into it
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Old 09-02-2021, 07:44 PM
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I'm going to have to see how things go this coming week, but could definitely be in for this.

i'll check in next week here.
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  #6  
Old 09-03-2021, 05:39 PM
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I wonder how these roads made out during IDA?
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Old 09-03-2021, 06:05 PM
ripvanrando ripvanrando is offline
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61 mile route probably needs some changes. I have only ridden 60 miles in the past 2 days and it is amazing how much damage, this route doesn't really do the bucolic, small roads but there are some and thus, I would expect some damage. The Delaware watershed roads are worse than the Raritan watershed roads, probably a combination of terrain and rainfall totals.

40 mile route is questionable. I have not been on Yard road but it has three bridges that could be destroyed. There are re-routes.

Ths small route looks fine.
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Old 09-05-2021, 04:21 PM
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So I had nothing pressing going on this morning and I cant make this ride on the 11th, so i decided to get up early and knock it out.

This ride, as originally mapped is doable right now as a solo person, especially if you're used to "adventure" cycling and dont mind ignoring road closed sighs, bridge out signs and some minor private land trespassing. Doing this as an event or group ride as originally mapped with the current road conditions would be a no-go. Most severe problem area was on covered bridge road. there was literally no road, and I had to use a private land owners yard to detour back to the correct turn.

This is a nice ride on reasonably good roads. Not much climbing and I barely touched the little ring. my wahoo recorded exactly 61 miles and a hair over 3500' elevation gain. there were no major "back breaker" hills, just a bunch of rolling stuff. I recommend the route and will look forward to seeing what official detours they put out there. I intend to make a small donation to the cause, because it is a good one and i did poach the route, even though i've ridden on most of these roads in the past, but not all.

I feel sorry for a lot of these people. there is a lot of destruction.

yes, it rained a good portion of the time, but it was warm and never downpoured. my trusty zanc was happy to eat up the miles, even through some serious mud and grimy sections.

few photos, more on my blog for those who care...


















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Old 09-05-2021, 06:18 PM
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JasonF JasonF is offline
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Wow, those were my go-to roads when I lived in Princeton and it's a shame to see the after-effects of the storm.
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  #10  
Old 09-05-2021, 07:05 PM
merckxman merckxman is offline
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Oh no! I did some of the roads before Ida. The organizers have a lot of route work to do in a few days.
Btw, south of Clinton and unrelated to Sourlands ride, Lower Lansdown, Lower Kingtown, Sidney Rd, all have bridges closed. Just mentioning as an fyi.
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  #11  
Old 09-05-2021, 08:07 PM
ripvanrando ripvanrando is offline
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Alexauken Creek road has a complete hole into a small creek across the road near lambertville. I climbed across on the guardrail

The bridge across Alexauken Creek up Hamp has a span gone. Doubtful it will ever be repaired.

An old oak down near Lambertville has a 12 inch branch snapped off about 25 feet above the base level of the creek and the old railroad set above the creek is nothing but twisted rails. If you look carefully, it is easy to see that the water levels were 25-30 feet high. None of the small roads in this area have not sustained serious damage. Keep an eye open. Some of the edges have collapsed or there are buckled sections or huge potholes.
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  #12  
Old 09-05-2021, 08:13 PM
ripvanrando ripvanrando is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AngryScientist View Post
So I had nothing pressing going on this morning and I cant make this ride on the 11th, so i decided to get up early and knock it out.

This ride, as originally mapped is doable right now as a solo person, especially if you're used to "adventure" cycling and dont mind ignoring road closed sighs, bridge out signs and some minor private land trespassing. Doing this as an event or group ride as originally mapped with the current road conditions would be a no-go. Most severe problem area was on covered bridge road. there was literally no road, and I had to use a private land owners yard to detour back to the correct turn.

This is a nice ride on reasonably good roads. Not much climbing and I barely touched the little ring. my wahoo recorded exactly 61 miles and a hair over 3500' elevation gain. there were no major "back breaker" hills, just a bunch of rolling stuff. I recommend the route and will look forward to seeing what official detours they put out there. I intend to make a small donation to the cause, because it is a good one and i did poach the route, even though i've ridden on most of these roads in the past, but not all.

I feel sorry for a lot of these people. there is a lot of destruction.

yes, it rained a good portion of the time, but it was warm and never downpoured. my trusty zanc was happy to eat up the miles, even through some serious mud and grimy sections.

few photos, more on my blog for those who care...


















The big tree over the covered bridge was removed and they started repair. The holes on the North upstream Side were from the tree. The stone house next to it had all its vehicles destroyed. The red 1950's red pickup looks like it was rolled, an SUV was into the trees, and a boat (where did that come from) was in the trees.

Hopefully, there is Federal funding for the damage. I cannot count the number of small bridges that are destroyed.
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  #13  
Old 09-05-2021, 08:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ripvanrando View Post
I cannot count the number of small bridges that are destroyed.

yea that's for sure. there is a lot to do for overworked small town engineers.

no shortage of projects for sure.
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  #14  
Old 09-07-2021, 03:58 PM
merckxman merckxman is offline
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From organizers (note: they are also offering refunds):

Hi, riders.

As you know, the recent storm inflicted great damage on our area, including some of the roads and bridges on our original routes. We have modified all the routes accordingly and will proceed with our event this Saturday. (The new routes have been posted to the event website, along with cue sheets and GPS files.) However, please be aware of the following:

All of the roads on the new routes are passable, but a number of them still have some gravel and debris on them from the storm. Riders will need to exercise caution.

Brick Farm Market, one of our lunch vendors, has had to withdraw from the event because of flood damage to their food truck. New World is stepping up to fill the gap and will be offering sausage sandwiches, meatball sandwiches and cold subs in addition to pizza, with separate lines to keep things moving.
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  #15  
Old 09-07-2021, 04:49 PM
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That's great that they worked a re-route up quickly. i'll have to take a look at what they did.

i will reinforce what they said for anyone going out to ride in this area. be careful on descents and corners. there is still a lot of loose stuff on the roads that might make you lose traction. additionally, consider bringing extra flat kit - all that debris is littered with glass, sharp stone crumbles, etc. It would not be unexpected to maybe flat more than usual with all the crap on the roads and in particular the shoulders.
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