by Muffy Ritz
Hooray! I finally made it into the PAC Tour Hall of Fame! In order to be inducted into the prestigious club, one must ride over 10,000 miles of PAC Tour rides and join the likes of Jean Keffler, Edy Wiersema, Jim Smith, and others. After having ridden nearly every different tour that Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo offered (Ridge of the Rockies, Northern, Southern),I decided it was time to ride over the 10,000 mile mark by doing the innaugural Eastern Mountains Tour from Panama City, Florida to Portland, Maine.
Being a first time trip, none of the 32 riders or 14 crew members knew if this tour was going to be hard, easy or somewhere in between. Lon and Susan advertised the tour as 2,047 miles and 104,000 feet of climbing (or as I like to think of it-104,000 feet of descending!), so I anticipated a fairly hard tour, perfect for training for the upcoming RAAM in July. The general consensus after we finished in Portland was that the tour was tough due to all the climbing, however the days were generally pretty short with most riders finishing around 2 pm every afternoon. This allowed plenty of time for swimming, doing laundry, getting massages, sightseeing, eating and relaxing.
Lon has a knack for finding those hidden back roads that meander across the country. You wonder how he ever found them! The route he chose through the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine was spectacular. Let me take you for a ride.
Our first 5 days through Florida and Georgia were a gentle warm-up for the days to come. The climbing was minimal, mostly small rollers and flats. We crossed the more recent RAAM routes several times while in Georgia. Light rain and major thunderstorms at night accompanied us and helped keep temperatures moderate.
The Blue Ridge Parkway greeted us on the 6th morning with some serious climbing- 7,800 feet in the first 43 miles, reaching the highest point on the parkway- all before lunch! Over the next 6 days, we rode the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive totalling 624 miles and 54,900 feet of climbing! Thank God the grades were always gentle at 6-7 % and the views were spectacular. No commercial traffic is allowed and speed limits cannot exceed 45. To me it was a cycling paradise. There's no way to describe this spender without actually experiencing it. After each days ride on the parkway we'd drop down into towns such as Asheville and Boone, North Carolina, and Fancy Gap, Roanoke, Waynesboro, and Front Royal, Virginia to rest our legs and prepare for the ride back up in the morning. Most the group rode up the optional climb to Mt. Mitchell (highest mountain in the east - 6,684 feet) to see the wonderful view of the dense fog! Susan and Lon entertained us on the parkway with their tales from the 80's when RAAM was ridden on the Blue Ridge.
Day 12 took us through 4 states in 97 miles (VA, WV, MD, PA) including a steep relentless climb that none of us were expecting. We then rolled through the beautiful Amish farmland of Pennsylvania, stopping to buy local food at the roadside stands. By now we were used to the endless "rollers" and the days were getting easier with less overall climbing.
New England (NY, VT, NH, ME) offered us the best weather of the tour and some of the best scenery. As we climbed and descended the Kancamangus Highway in NH, we had some amazing views of the White Mountains, including snow covered Mt. Washington (2nd highest in the east at 6,288 feet). The final miles were spent breathing in the salt air of the Maine coast and catching glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean and of the Bush estate in Kennebunkport. We arrived in Portland all riding together, all wearing our PAC Tour "uniforms" and celebrating our completion of the tour. The final banquet was a time to socialize and say goodbye. Commemorative picture plaques were handed out to all and the route map framed in oak was auctioned off to the highest bidder. Lon and Susan donate this money to a charity organization - this time it went to the Diabetes Foundation.
The group of riders was again a diverse one ranging from 24 to 62 years old, coming from 21 different states and 2 foreign countries. All but 5 of the riders were PAC Tour alumni and knew the PAC Tour drill. The newcomers did a great job of fitting into the routine and seemed to really thrive on the challenge. I'm finding myself speaking "southern" after spending lots of time with folks from Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia!
A few words from folks on the tour:
Ed Boecker (Northern '96)
"The route was superb, the scenery was spectacular, the food was excellent, and the riders were great!"
Edy Wiersema (Northern '93, Southern '94, Ridge '95, Root 66 '96)
"From someone from the pancake flats of the Netherlands, this tour was definitely a challenge."
Jim Smith (Northern '93, Southern '94, Ridge '95, Northern '96)
"I felt the Eastern Mountains Tour was up to the expectation of difficulty and beauty. It was a great historical tour with many varying experiences."
Rachel and Shannon Brown (rookies)
"The Eastern Mountain Tour was definitely tough and even brutal at times, but the most cherished part was the relationships we developed with the crew and riders."
Once again, Lon and Susan ran a great tour. Every year they seem to improve upon their package. The crew left no stone unturned from Barb Bohaty's massages to John Royer and Roger Henning's wrenching to Debbie Henning's grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Meals were always on time and filling. I could never decide what to pick, so I basically ate everything that was offered. The 2-3 snack stops per day were overflowing with grapes, cantaloupe, cookies, energy bars, granola bars, and our favorite-pink wafers! The Georgia and Pennsylvania downpours were no match for the laminated route cards. Lon even made bike racks, which were taken out at every stop to rack your trusty steed. The attention to detail and the personal touches from Lon and Susan make PAC Tour an unforgettable and unparalleled trip.
The Eastern Mountains Tour is not an easy tour. It's challenging; it's beautiful; it's diverse; it's fun! If you are a PAC Tour junkie like me, you owe it to yourself to try this tour. Maybe you'll even make it into the