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.
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.
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