Curled up in a ball and sitting on
the side of the road sobbing I told Joël I couldn’t go any farther. My instructions to him were to cover me with
space blankets, for him to continue on and finish, and that he should come back
for me tomorrow. If I am dead I have
good life insurance he can collect. This
was approximately 41 hours in, 11pm at night, somewhere around mile 350, and it
was still raining…as it had been since the start at 5am the day prior.
Rain, wind, and miserable
conditions from start to finish sum up Crush the Commonwealth (CtC) 2023. As per the race website, approximately 25
people started and only nine finished. Some dropping out no more than a few
miles from the start line.
CtC is a challenge upon it’s self,
even in good weather. Covering 380 miles
of pedaling along gravel and paved bike trails, rural roads, abandoned highways,
and crossing through a few cities during it’s long journey across the
state. With the exception of the middle
of the state, the terrain is gently rolling, coming in somewhere around 17,000
feet of climbing. The start and end
(which rotate from year to year) are Point State Park in Pittsburgh and the
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. 2023 was a Pittsburgh to Philly edition. The
event always takes place the last weekend in April.
It is an unsupported event. As per
the organizer “just ride yer’ damn bike”.
No entry fee, no prizes, no support with food/water/equipment, just a
group of people out there with the same goal of making it to the end. Some are racing for top spots and to break
records, others are in it just to finish.
The top finishers typically ride straight through, meaning no stopping
to sleep (what Joël and I strive for) while others take a more relaxed
approach and overnight in hotels. Gas stations and convenience stores along the
way are meccas for riders to refuel food and hydration.
Having done CtC before and having done
numerous long distance gravel and mountain bike races, both Joël
and I knew what we were in store for. But the 2023 edition of CtC was more than
expected, it truly was a test of our physical and mental fortitude. Checking the weather forecast leading up to
Friday’s start showed rain and temps in the 50s and 40s for the weekend. OK,
that’s fine, the Nankmans have ridden in the rain and cold before; we have
ample room to pack extra clothes, we should be fine…or at least that is what we
thought. The conditions out there ended up being challenges for our bodies and
minds like none ever experienced.
Race start was 5am on Friday
morning. A light drizzle was falling and
temperatures were in the upper 50s. Joël
and I got lost on the way to the start and missed the official send off. Not a
big deal, there were some others who were late so we all started off together. In no time the light drizzle turned into a
outright downpour. It was still before dawn and even with ample lighting conditions
made visibility tough and the paved bike path slippery. This was just the start
of the rain, slow going, cautious riding, and visibility issues that plagued
riders for the next 300-plus miles. When
the deluge started a few riders already turned around and headed back to the
cozy and dry hotels rooms they just left.
Soon enough the ride turned onto
the GAP trail, a gravel and packed sand bike trail. Flat riding along the river
for 100 or so miles should be easy, right? Not when rain is pelting one’s face
and the riding surface resembles peanut butter.
Slow and arduous going but the scenery along the GAP trail is quite
beautiful; the trees and rivers along with some quaint little towns passed
through. At least the views kept us going and engaged. But attitudes were changing, by the end of
this section the rain permeated everywhere and sand was in all the nooks and
crannies of both Joël and I and our bikes. Just seven hours in already soaked
through completely, sand in all orifices, and creaky and unhappy bikes.
Humm….how much longer to go?
After the GAP trail the ride
turned onto rural paved roads. Along
this section riders came to the first major gas station, a Sheetz in the city
of Somerset, that essentially all riders stop at. As Joël and I pulled in muddy bikes were everywhere lining the
front entrance area. Inside mud covered
riders were shopping, eating and getting warm and dry in the seating area and
in the bathrooms cleaning up and using the hand dryers for warmth. At this point there was a group of
front-runners who were pulling out, numbers were dwindling quick.
From here on out all I can recall
is rain and wind repeated over and over.
At one point I was behind Joël going downhill into a massive headwind and
he was pedaling; I told him he could go faster (thinking he was going slow for
me) and the replied that he could not go any faster; pedaling downhill at six
miles per hour on a paved road. This is
how it went from Somerset to the next Sheetz just prior to the city of Breezewood.
By this next stop it was dark, the
temperatures were dropping, and yes it was still raining. Joël and I stopped to refuel and met others
riders in Sheetz. Everyone was just
trying to get warm and dry and checking out the weather forecast for overnight.
More rain and much colder. Even for the fast and determined riders, the general
consensus was despite the goal to ride overnight safety from hypothermia and wet
slippery roads under poor visibility came first; stopping was a necessity. Breezewood was just a few miles away and had
multiple hotels. Dinner and warm drinks purchased at Sheetz and then off to
Days Inn for the Nankmans.
Warm and dry was the goal at the
hotel. Bikes cleaned then brought inside
the room. Clothing washed in the sink and tub and hung up to dry, a hair dryer
and the room heater turned to 80 degrees got us and our clothes moisture free
and warm soon. Hot showers and hot food
for ourselves and then a few hours sleep until the alarm sounded to get back
pedaling at 5am. Little did we know many riders stopped in Breezewood; some
continued on the next morning while some pulled out here.
Starting in the dark Saturday morning
it was, well you guessed it, raining again. Just a light rain, at least the
downpour had abated. From Breezewood the
first section of riding was the Abandoned Turnpike. This is a few miles of old
Pennsylvania turnpike complete with tunnels closed to cars but open for cyclists
and walkers. When dark and foggy it is
quite creepy and treacherous to ride on. I was waiting for the zombie
apocalypse to occur while here.
Once off the old turnpike it was now
rural roads following the PA Bike Route S through the mountains of south-central
Pennsylvania. Here there are some decent
climbs passing through Michaux State Forest. Nothing too steep, just long and
grinding. But not only were the climbs slow going as were the descents, the
slippery roads were a bit sketchy. The
precipitation continued at a light drizzle and mist through here.
Out of the mountains, the bike
route starts to pass through some urban areas. Riding through York and the over
the Susquehanna River and then through the outskirts of Gettysburg means cars and
traffic to contend with. By this time I
was starting to get tired, delirious, and ready to get this shit over with and
was ready to take on any car in my way.
However, after many miles of city
riding the route headed into the rural Amish country of Lancaster. This was
beautiful and peaceful riding. The sun
actually came out for just a few minutes and graced Joël and I with a cloudy
but colorful sunset. Many Amish people
were out and about tending to their gardens and livestock and many were riding
bikes around. I felt like at any moment we were going to be overtaken by an
Amish biker gang. During our travels
through Lancaster Joël and I stopped at a park for some personal care; clothing
adjustments and changes, eating and filling bottles, and bathrooms ample to
re-apply chamois lube and address chafing issues. Here Joël realized some of his clothing was
so decimated by the sand and grit he had to throw things away, don’t want to
continue riding with a big hole over one’s butt cheeks. You know it’s a bad ride when your clothing
is beyond repair and beyond washing and you place it in the trash
mid-adventure.
As we left Lancaster and headed into
the suburbs of Philadelphia night was upon us and it started really raining yet
again. Joël seemed to be doing OK but by now I hit rock bottom. Rain, cold,
darkness, physical and mental fatigue all took their toll. After a stop to eat
and drink and add more layers of clothing due to dropping temperatures I
attempted to throw in the towel and end my ride. More tears came from my eyes than raindrops were
falling and I sat down on the side of the road and told Joël I was done. I
cried more, OK I sobbed, and as per the opening line of this blog I told my
husband to leave me. After some time of Joël standing there in silence and of
me continuing to have a pitty-party for myself I pulled things together and
decided to pedal on. OK, well I walked on for some time (any forward movement
is movement in the right direction) then eventually got on a pedaled again.
The last portion of CtC traversed
through French Creek State Park and Valley Forge until joining the Schuylkill
River Trail, a paved bike and walking trail that runs along the river into
Philadelphia. Riding along the bike trail
at midnight and into the wee hours of the morning is quite surreal. Passing
homeless camps, college students in Conshohocken, Boathouse Row (which by the
way is NOT light-up anymore) and past front of the Art Museum is interesting
when no one else is out there. The final
miles of the ride to get to the Liberty Bell are through the city of
Philadelphia, which at 2am is amazingly busy with people lining the streets at
bars, clubs, and eateries. And oh yes
guess what, it was still raining as we wove through the city streets.
What an anti-climatic ending, there
really was no emotion at the end except get the fuck packed up and be done.
Pictures taken at the Bell to document our completion of the event at 2:11am
Sunday morning and then we packed ourselves and our bikes into the vehicle of
our ride home to the Lehigh Valley. Joël
and I barely made it out of the city before we were asleep in the back seat.
All said and done this was a miserable
ride, nothing about this event was fun. Misery
loves company, the highlights of this ride were meeting other riders along the
way and sharing stories of the ride thus far and comparing notes about what we all
expected to be coming. The ride through Lancaster and Amish country was
beautiful and interesting to ride along the Schuylkill River Trail at night but
neither of those were interesting enough to overcome the feeling of dread from
all the sogginess.
So why the heck did we stay out there
you ask?
Because in the end, riding CtC
from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia was what the Nankmans signed up for.
It was to test our mental and physical
fortitude.
I think we kept going because
we said we would do it, we signed up for it, and quitting is not an option once
committed to something. Who knows why; we aren’t even sure yet.
But no matter what the real reason is it will
be a memory to say “hey, remember when we did that crazy race together?” And
that is what life is about, making memories, not having regrets, and doing it
all with the person you love.
Final stats: 45 hours to get to the finish line, 33 of them moving time. A 75% DNF (did not finish) rate. Only two women finishers out of the nine that made it.
Special thanks
To those that picked Joël and I up in
Philadelphia at 2am and to those that gave us a ride to Pittsburg the day prior
to the event, without your help something like this would not be possible. Logistically
that is how Joël and I do this event; we were driven to Pittsburgh the Thursday
before the event by family members and stayed in a hotel overnight. At the completion of the ride we had friends
and coworkers pick us up and take us home. The support of all our co-workers,
friends, and family was never ending. So many people were worried about us, concerned
about our wellbeing, following our SPOT trackrs, asking about us, and offering
to pick us up if needed.
Equipment and gear of special note
Bikes: myself
Liv Devote, Joël Merlin Titanium; bike maintenance by Saucon Valley Bikes
Gear: Ortlieb
frame and fork bags, Speed Sleeve bar bag, Moultrie
Militia Gravel Raid top tube bag
Bottle cages: Wolf
Tooth Components double bottle adapter, Arundel locking bottle cages, Liv Cycling side pull cages
Lighting: Lupine
Lights: Piko helmet and bars lights along with Lupine Rotlicht rear lights
GPS: Garmin solar-charging 1040 and SPOT
trackers for family and friends to follow us
Clothing must-haves: Craft
base layers and water proof outer wear, 45 North water proof gloves, Seal Skin gloves
and hats/ear covers, Endura gloves and jackets
Body care: Chamois
Butt’r to prevent chafing
Blog
Words by Jess
Video and photos by Joël
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