Brilliant Brandywine Bicycling

   It has been difficult to be enthusiastic about writing when not much is going on. I had so many finished bicycles, I set aside new projects for a bit until I could sell some and make some space. There was a spurt of sales the last couple of weeks, so I will be getting to work on the Battaglin Speed CE (Cobbles Edition) bike first.
   Stripping the frame and applying the red paint will be the first steps, and there will be some down time waiting for the chemicals to work/paint to dry, so I may be working on another build (the Pinarello Opera?) simultaneously. A reminder of the eventual artwork:

   I have been enjoying the beautiful late summer weather we’ve been experiencing in Pennsylvania, and the crew that showed up for the Tro-Bro Brandywine a couple weekends ago were treated to an especially nice day! We even had a “free agent” show up, a really nice guy named Aaron, who had heard about our event through Facebook and my blog. During pre-ride intros, he downplayed his abilities a bit, but we quickly found out he was very capable, often being one of the first two riders over the most challenging climbs of the day!
   Starting in Pocopson, we headed north on W. Creek Road, which turned into a single-track trail. We worked our way west on Route 842 and rode up the short, steep Bragg Hill Road, which also became a trail, this time a scrabbly, downhill run. A short section of pavement led to the gravelly Beagle Road, which had a challenging incline at the end.
   Still climbing as we turned onto Glen Hall Road, we reached Rt. 842 once more, then had a fun descent down Cannery Road. Just after crossing a small stream, we turned left and swerved around a gate to a connection with Lost Trail Road, which was a rocky, double-tracked dirt path on this end. We were soon onto a long stretch of standard gravel farm roads as Kelsall Road turned into Scott Road, then we veered left down Powell Road for another enjoyable downhill run.

 
   The paved stretch along Green Valley and Apple Grove Roads was one of the prettier sections of this route, as we passed many old farms and the grounds of the Plantation Fields Horse Trials. Back onto the gravel at Tapeworm Road (which Lee claimed was his favorite-named road), we weaved over to another long stretch of unpaved pedaling on W Road. Where the lane was still quite narrow, an obnoxiously dangerous SUV driver blew by us, way too-close-for comfort, in a cloud of dust. There was a woman walking on the road out there with us and I commented to Lee that the driver probably would have just run her over, if we hadn’t been there as witnesses.
   We hit Route 842 again, then reached another pretty section of the ride, with horse farms lining Wilson and Hicks Roads. Looping back again towards Route 842 on Thouron Road, we were again on a long sector of gravel, which continued onto Big Springs Road.
   As we turned west onto Route 926 and immediately met a very steep hill, I recalled the first time I rode out here on an all-paved route I had pieced together through the area, and I remembered not liking this part of the route at all. It was very exposed to the sun and wind, was almost always an uphill drag, and almost no shoulder existed to ride in as the cars buzzed by, most of them definitely exceeding the posted speed limit – it hadn’t changed!
   Fortunately, at the next right-hand turn onto White Horse Road, we started what was my favorite part of that paved route. The road was lightly-trafficked, and its shady route gently twisted and rolled through farmland. The climbs here and onto Greenlawn Road were short and all seemed to have slight downhills leading into them, so you could get some momentum going and sprint over the top rather easily.
   The exciting downhill glide on St. Malachi Road led to the real standout of this route for me, the one-lane winding Runnymede Road, which closely followed the northern bank of Doe Run. I'm always reminded of driving the narrow lanes of Wales, and during the handful of times I’ve ridden this road, I have yet to be passed in either direction by one automobile!

   We stopped for water refills at The Whip Tavern, then took turns pronouncing “whip” like Stewie does on The Family Guy. Following Route 841 into Doe Run Historic Village, we veered right onto Route 82 and eventually turned left on Apple Grove to backtrack a bit on our outgoing route.
   With 30 miles and well over 2000 feet of climbing already in our legs, the grueling ascent back up Powell Road wasn’t exactly enjoyed, but we all managed it well. Back onto the gravel, we were again harassed by an impatient SUV driver near Kelsall Road. On this return leg, we did a shortcut right turn on Kelsall over to Cannery Road and then made a left from Route 842 onto Indian Hannah Road.

   I found out later that the gnarly, winding road was named after Hannah Freeman, who, at the time of her death in 1802, was believed to be the last surviving Leni Lenape in Chester County. We zigzagged over Northbrook Bridge and followed the West Branch of the Brandywine on Camp Linden and Wawaset Roads.
   Finally, we crossed back over the creek at Route 842 to return to the Pocopson Trail and our starting point. A great time was had by all, as seen through the footage put together by Cycle Tech’s semi-official cinematographer, Chad: