PPTC Century



PPTC's 2008 Historic Back Roads Century started on a crisp September morning (9/21/08) in Berryville, VA. A beautiful, sunny, blue-sky day treated the almost 800 registered riders to an event that many commented was one of the best supported Century rides they had ridden. Join us next September for PPTC's Century (more details to come in 2009).

Ed Brandt (PPTC's soon to be chair) writes the following:

PPTC Century the amazing has become routine...both for the riders and the people that put it on.

I can imagine the first time a Century challenge was offered. What comes to mind is some mountain climbing event which required a full summer worth of training. At the extreme is Mt Everest climb, and even that doesn’t get press anymore since it's done so many times (even though climbers still die in the attempt). Well, riding a century may not equate to climbing Mt Everest but it still goes down in my book as a pretty impressive accomplishment.

So mark your calendars for Sept 20, 2009…double down!! That means we’ll go for twice the numbers.

With only a month of advertising we had 550 pre-registered riders (with 100 on the last day of pre-registration) and 232 on-site registrants. Under terrific skies and mild temperatures a fine day of cycling was enjoyed by all. The rest stops were praised for their creativity and food choices, with the musicians at White House Farm, the potatoes at the Mill and the tomato sandwiches at White Post earning the highest praise. The Clarke County High School band under the direction of Mark Curry celebrated the return of the riders. When they finished the Clarke County High School Band boosters took over making satisfying food for the finishing riders. Some indulged in a well-deserved massage offered by Cliff DeWitt’s team.

Berryville’s Boy Scout troop provided a great breakfast to those in need. Next year, we hope to move them from the fairgrounds to the high school to make this more accessible. With almost 800 riders, there were only a few accidents (bikers down), but only one warranted more than anti-septic and band-aids. One cyclist slipped on gravel and dislocated a thumb and also required several chin stitches. SAG cared for 8 minor medical or "exhausted rider" situations and resolved 7 mechanical problems out on the route. Dean Self counts everything, and his SAG team was praised for their wonderful job and prevalence along the route

The feedback from riders is that the rest stops, food, cue sheets, route marking, sag support, parking, massage, etc. worked well. Many said PPTC’s Century ranks as one of the best supported Century rides they had attended. One suggestion is to have ice cream at the end so everyone can drive home all “sugared up”. Keep the suggestions coming.

Route Descriptions

English Century (100 miles)
This figure-eight route runs northwest from Berryville, eventually turning northeast toward Middleway, West Virginia. The first rest stop is a 'must visit' at Historic White House Farm. Other rest stops are at Clarke County High School, the Burwell-Morgan Mill and White Post Restorations. From White House Farm, the route heads south, passing the Start/Finish area (50 miles point). It then continues south making a brief foray into Wareen County, VA then turns noth on its way back to the finish at the school.
Metric Century (66 miles)
This ride heads south through Clarke County, VA, before running west for a scenic loop through Frederick County, VA. It finishes by backtracking into Warren County, with a segment paralleling the beautiful Shenandoah River, before returning to the school.
Half Century (50 miles)
This is the second half of the English Century route and is parallel with the 66-mile route except for an added 16-mile jaunt. The ride heads south through Clarke County and stops at the historic Burwell-Morgan Mill with a rest stop at the historic Toll House where centuries old mill trade prospered. The ride continues on to the famous White Post rest stop where delicious tomato sandwiches provide a refreshing treat for cyclists, before returning to finish at the school.
Quarter Century (25 miles)
This is the first half of the Half and Metric Century route, heading south through Clarke County, VA and stopping at the historic Burwell-Morgan Mill with a rest stop at the historic Toll House where centuries old mill trade prospered. Following this stop, a short ride returns riders to finish at the school. It is an easy course with beautiful scenery and only gentle climbs.

Directions to the Century

Directions to ride start: Clarke County High School, 240 Westwood Road, Berryville, VA 22611

From Virginia: VA Route 7 or the Dulles Toll Road/Greenway to the Leesburg area, then continue approximately 25 miles on Route 7 to the Berryville area. Business Route 7 is a left turn off of Route 7 east of Berryville, or one can take Route 7 to U.S. Route 340, turn left, and enter Berryville and go to the intersection with Business Route 7 in downtown Berryville. From this intersection, proceed west on Business Route 7 through the outskirts of Berryville, turn left at County Route 636, pass Cooley Elementary School on the right, and then Clarke County High School is on the right.

From Maryland: I-270 to Frederick, ramp to I-70 west, move to the right very quickly once on I-70 to the ramp for U.S. Route 340, follow U.S. Route 340 about 38 miles past Harper's Ferry and Charles Town into Berryville and intersection with Business Route 7, then follow the directions above from that intersection.

What to Bring

PPTC Century - Pack and Go

No matter how far you intend to pedal on this year’s Historic Back Roads ride this September, one thing is certain: you must be prepared. If this is your first long distance ride there are a few things you may not have considered. For example, it is suggested that you taper your workouts the week before the event to make sure you are well rested. On Saturday, the day before the ride, you could limit yourself to an easy 5-mile spin, just to keep your muscles loose. Make sure you stay well hydrated the day before and get a good night’s sleep to have a good start on Sunday.

Most importantly, make sure you have everything you need for the long ride without running around minutes before leaving your home. To accomplish this, here is a typical list of things you may want to bring with you as you head out the door. You might want to gather these items the night before to allow for a relaxed morning on September 21st.

  • Your Bike!
  • Helmet
  • ID + emergency contact info
  • Shirt, Shorts, Shoes, Socks
  • Jacket, warmers (arms & legs)
  • Gloves
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen, lip lube
  • Waterbottles, Hydration pack
  • Energy bars
  • Spare tube/tire
  • Tools
  • Towel, wash cloth, shampoo, soap
  • Change of clothes
  • Registration/Waiver

See you on September 21st.

Route Maps and Cue Sheets

Click on the links below for the finalized 2008 PPTC Century route maps and cue sheets.

25 mile map and cue sheet

50 mile map and cue sheet

66 mile map and cue sheet

100 mile map and cue sheet

Food and Lodging in Berryville / Winchester

Local Information
The State Arboretum of Virginia
Historic Long Branch Plantation
Clarke County Chamber of Commerce

Lodging: Hotel/Motels

Battletown Inn
102 W Main Street
Berryville
540-955-4100

Shoney's Inn
1347 Berryville Avenue
Winchester
540-665-1700

Super 8 Motel
1077 Millwood Pike
Winchester
540-665-4450

Travelodge of Winchester
160 Front Royal Pike
Winchester
540-665-0685

Fairfield Inn & Suites
250 Front Royal Pike
Winchester
540-665-8881

Hampton Inn Conference Center
1204 Berryville Avenue
Winchester
540-678-4000

Best Western
711 Millwood Avenue
Winchester
540-662-4154

Wingate Inn
150 Wingate Drive
Winchester
540-678-4283

Sleep Inn & Suites
140 Costello Drive
Winchester
540-667-7636

Comfort Inn
1601 Martinsburg Pike
Winchester
540-667-8894
877-424-6423

Quality Inn
603 Millwood Avenue
Winchester
800-228-5151
877-424-6423

Econo Lodge
1593 Martinsburg Pike
Winchester
540-662-4700

Other Lodging: Bed and Breakfasts

Smithfield Farm Bed & Breakfast
877-955-4389,
www.smithfieldfarm.com

The Lost Dog B&B
1-540-955-1181
www.thelostdog.com

Berryville B&B
100 Taylor St
Berryville
540-955-2200
1-800-826-7520

Rocks and Rills Farm
2458 Castleman Road
Berryville
540-955-1246
1-800-296-1246

Brownstone Cottage
161 McCarty Lane
Winchester, VA 22602
540- 662-1962
www.brownstonecottage.com

Long Hill Bed & Breakfast
547 Apple Pie Ridge Road
Winchester
540-450-0341
(866) 450-0341

Page House Bed and Breakfast
114 E. Main St.
Berryville
540-955-6246

Restaurants

L'Auberge Provencale *
a French Country Inn & Restaurant
1-800-638-1702

* Also under the same ownership is Villa La Campagnette a B&B just 3 miles from L'Auberge. Reservations & information available from same web site and telephone number.

Bon Matin Café & Bakery
1 East Main Street,
Berryville
540-955-1554

The Daily Grind
(coffee, muffins & sandwiches)
7 West Main Street,
Berryville
540-955-2565;

The Golden Dragon
(Chinese)
21 West Main Street,
Berryville
540-955-5002

Camino Real
(Mexican)
32 West Main Street,
Berryville
540-955-4730

Mario's
(Italian/American)
24 West Main Street,
Berryville
540-955-4848

Jane's Lunch
(country cooking)
3 East Main Street
540-955-3480

Locke's Store
(homemade bread, sandwiches, pastries)
Millwood (directly across from the Burwell-Morgan Mill)
540-837-1275

Boyce Restaurant
on Route 340 in the town of Boyce
540-837-2198

Fox's Pizza
616 E Main Street
Berryville
540-722-4719

Light House
13 E Main Street
Berryville
540-955-1301

Pine Grove Restaurant
Rt. 1, Box 805
Bluemont
540-554-8181

Berryville Tastee Freeze
108 South Buckmarsh Street
Berryville
540-955-1073

Sponsors and volunteers

Hats off to our Century Volunteers

It goes with out saying that the event is not possible without the over 100 volunteers that supported and cared for the 800 riders that participated in the event. Our thanks to all of the volunteers. The event is as great as it is because of their efforts. We hope that each of the volunteers got more value out of it than the effort they put in.. We expect the value we receive as volunteers may be different and reflect our individual personalities. The most common reasons we heard are supporting the club, making new friends, and having a sense of satisfaction for an accomplishment of a job done well.

Let’s start with the coordinators who put in the most time. They had to organize the volunteers for their area and get the job done. Many had to get up early on “game day” and put in some very long hours. “Hats off” to the coordinators.

PPTC Coordinators (in alphabetical order):

  • Barbara Good - Rest Stop and food
  • Butch Counts - Rest Stop: White House Farm
  • Cyanne Hanson - Parking
  • Cynthia Priddy - Rest stop: White Post
  • Dean Self - SAG Command Center
  • Deborah Reynolds - Registration
  • Ed Brandt - Volunteer coordinator
  • Emil Regelman - Route marking and Cue Sheets
  • Marc Currie - Commander in Chief
  • Fletcher Carriger - Parking
  • Greg Foster - rest stop-CCHS
  • Joe Morey - T-Shirt: Design & Printing
  • Johanna Nathanson - First AID/SAG
  • Katie Rosenbrook - Boy scout support
  • Ken Rowe - Rest stop: Burwell Mill
  • Mark Gribble - Communications
  • Paul Murtha - Motorcycle help
  • Sigrid Haines - Food, Cleanup, Supplies

And special thanks to Linda Tischer for hosting the volunteer's party and providing a spark plug of encouragement when the decision to cancel was up for grabs. And of coures, finally thanks to the “trooper” volunteers that showed up on game day to make it all possible. . (Our apologies if we missed anyone.)

Food sponsors

  • Adan Rivas, Coordinator
  • Giant corporate and Ashburn store
  • Wegmanss Dulles store
  • Harris Teeter Ahsburn
  • Bloom Ashburn

Food transport

  • Sigrid Haines, Coordinator
  • Ellen Bauman
  • George Saxton
  • Renée Jaussaud

Burwell Mill Rest Stop

  • Ken Rowe, Coordinator
  • Russ Redman
  • Korin Anderson
  • Anita Lowen
  • Jon Joyce
  • Carol Joyce
  • Richard Bavier

White Post Rest Stop

  • Billy Thompson - our host and owner of the world renowned White Post Restorations
  • Cynthia and David Priddy - coordinated stop, made sandwiches, setup and teardown
  • Vicky Futscher - made and served at least 1 billion sandwiches
  • Judy Kelly - served sandwiches
  • Elizabeth Pigg - sliced, made tomato sandwiches, made pbj's, helped with snack table
  • James Davenport -sliced, made sandwiches, made pbj's, helped with snack table
  • Linda Bankerd - made and served sandwiches
  • Paul Bankerd - water, Gatorade, snack table
  • Jeff Piper - snack table, made pbjs
  • Roger Cubbage - water, Gatorade, provided hose
  • Roger's Wife - sliced onions, tomatoes, made sandwiches
  • Donna Stockett - snacks and pbj's
  • MaryAnn Cox - snacks and pbj's
  • Steve and Lorraine - served sandwiches
  • Alan Kurzweil - made sandwiches
  • Frank Hirtz - water, Gatorade station

White House Farm Rest stop

  • Butch Counts, Coordinator and first aid
  • Curt Mason, Our host and owner of WHF
  • Barbara Binder, Food coordinator and rest sop mascot
  • Anne Brown, Food help
  • Kathleen Moodi, Food help
  • Barbara Bernier, Food help
  • Sherry Davis Food help
  • Conrad Bernier, Gatorade, water
  • Marty Walsh, Flag and traffic control
  • Carol Torgan, Flag and traffic control
  • Linda Tischer, Flag and traffic control
  • Alan Kurzweil, Mechanic
  • Gary Timmons, Food transport
  • Music:
    • Charlie Casabona banjo, guitar,mandolin
    • Jay Hurley hammered dulcimer
    • Genievieve O'Laughlin Harp

Clarke County High School Rest stop

  • Greg Foster, Coordinator
  • Gretchen Bock
  • Brendan Forristal
  • Doortje LeGrand
  • Amy Odegaard
  • Leanne Sleer
  • Jarla Ulman
  • Nolan Kankonde

Parking Committee:

  • Fletcher Carriger and Cyanne Hanson coordinated the effort
  • Geof Gee,
  • Gary Nooger,
  • Chisolm McAvoy,
  • Jack & Sue Suddreth,
  • Steve Valavanis

Clarke County Band Association

  • Mary Borger, Coordinator
  • Kathy Twigg,
  • Lisa Bell,
  • plus all of the band volunteers

Clarke County High-School Jazz Band, under the direction of Mark Curry.

SAG Volunteers:

  • Dean Self, Coordinator
  • Johanna Nathanson
  • Mike Davis
  • David Cottingham
  • John Burwell
  • Charlie Dyer
  • Dana Kuan
  • Mike Hieb

Clarke County Amateur Radio:

  • Mark Gribble
  • Ed Krom
  • Tom Murtha
  • Tom Chase
  • Jay Ives
  • Chuck Graham
  • Steve Tedesco
  • Mike Orndorff
  • Teresa Orndorff
  • Lee Phillips
  • Kurt Reber
  • Margie Krom
  • Sherly Reid
  • Larry Miller

Motorcyclists:

  • Paul Murtha
  • Jason Hill
  • Steve Snyder
  • Claudia Rauch

Bike Shops:

  • David Hartford, Oasis Bike Works
  • Mark Repak, Spokes, Etc.
  • Curtis Prosser, Haymarket Bicycles
  • Keith Gates, A-1 Cycling

Advertising

  • Colleen McGraw
  • Marc Newman
  • Dave Torraca
  • Mariette Vanderzon
  • Heather Grimstead

Route marking

  • Emil Regelman, Coordinator of route marking and cue sheets:
  • Meryl Bloomrosen
  • Robert Moman
  • Judy Sparrow
  • Beth Walton
  • Monica Lidral
  • Ed Brandt

Registration (on site and pre registration:

  • Deborah Reynolds and Marc Currie, Coordinators
  • Joe Wible
  • Marc Genberg
  • Lane Giardina
  • Dale Hunt
  • D'Arcy Lawrence
  • Rena Sellner
  • Polly Choat

Special thanks to our helper oarganizations:

  • Logo Apparel in Berryville for printing the T-shirts
  • AC&T and Johnny Blue for those necessary pit stops
  • Clarke County Historical Association
  • Jefferson County Historical Society
  • Cliff DeWitt and his sports massage team
  • The Ruritans for use of the Fairgrounds
  • The 100 DC metro bike shops for their advertising and support.

And thanks to anyone we may have overlooked in putting together this list. Also thanks to all the riders and friends that made this event possible.

Photos of the PPTC Century

Follow the links below to see pictures of the PPTC Century.

Rob Pegoraro's pics