Hershey's Tour de Pink 2009

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The Ride

The Route
The Hershey's Tour de Pink is modeled after the major international racing tours without the stress of competition. Support, feed zones and general operations mirror those of the biggest races in the world. Over the past years, we have tried different routes and destinations, and we have come upon a winning formula based on feedback from the riders.

The 2009 route minimizes traffic and maximizes safety while maintaining the scenic aspects of the ride. The overall distance (days 1-3) is 227 miles.

Links to the satellite, map views and test ride are available on The Route page.

Day 0, Thursday, October 1: Mandatory rider orientation and registration followed by a kick-off dinner.

Day 1, Friday, October 2: Departing Chocolate World at 8:30 a.m., 88 miles
This year the route will go in a more southerly direction from Hershey to King of Prussia, PA, combining rolling terrain with views of the Amish farmlands of central Pennsylvania. Sights such as teams of horse-drawn plows and wagons are common. We will have a brief section in Valley Forge National Park, passing the National Memorial Arch (great photo op) and then overnight at the Crowne Plaza in King of Prussia.

Day 2, Saturday, October 3: Departing King of Prussia at 8:30 a.m., 85 miles
Back through Valley Forge Park, the ride heads across the Schuylkill River then goes to Lake Nockamixon descending onto one of the most scenic roads along the Delaware River, a rest stop in New Hope, on to Washington Crossing and crossing the river at the Calhoun Street Bridge to our second destination in Trenton, NJ. Overnight at the Marriott Lafayette Yard Hotel. Last year, a group of riders found the oldest building on the route, The Mountainside Inn (ca. 1689) and took a great group photo.

Note: There will be a short challenging optional loop near the river for those who claim to have some DNA from mountain goats that will really get the heart pumping. This "hot spot" will be about a mile long and return to the course.

Day 3, Sunday, October 4: Departing Trenton Marriott at 9:30 a.m., 54 miles
This is our feature day with less mileage and lots of history and sights. We will head north, passing by streams and scenic villages noted for their place in the history books. Many of the houses, churches and small shops built priot to the Revolution and off the beaten path will make for great photo ops. We will also be on Old York Road for portions of the ride; this road was originally a Naraticong trail cleared in 1725 and opened for traffic in 1764 by the Swift Sure Stage Line connecting New York and Philadelphia. Many of the original buildings and stage stops still stand as reminders of our heritage and how much easier travel is today...even by bike; what once took days to traverse in stagecoaches we will cover in hours!

The final miles will take us through famous Duke Farms, former home of Doris Duke, where, on the outskirts, you will see a hotel built by Diamond Jim Brady as a remote club for drinking, gambling and...well, you know. Known as the Weiss Hotel in 1972, it served as the headquarters for the U.S. Olympic Road racing team as they trained on these same roads. The purple structure is hard to miss.

Duke Farms is a 2,700 acre estate built by the tobacco magnate James B. Duke, finished in 1922. With 45 buildings, 18 miles of roadways and miles of stone walls, it is magnificent. The main house is 67,000 square feet! Duke is the son of Washington Duke, who was a benefactor of Trinity College in North Carolina, later to be named for himDuke University. Duke built a state-of-the-art water treatment plant to supply the needs of this huge estate. It is an exact replica of a castle in Ireland that his wife admired, so he built it for her; you will see this structure as you cross the Raritan River. The Nevis Street Bridge is available for cyclists, and is the oldest bridge of this type in NJ. When you get there, riders can take the path over this bridge and stop at the castle, turn left and be right back on course, or stay on the main road, as the castle can be seen from the new bridge.

Next to see is the John Basilone Memorial. Hero of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. We will terminate the ride at Duke Island Park with a barbeque picnic and transport to New York City at 3:00 p.m.

Day 4, Monday, October 5: Exact itinerary and timing TBD
Day 4 is optional and will include a short ride on New York City streets to a ceremonial finish line.

Note: The mileages are estimates, as the route will be honed and refined to accommodate construction detours and for safety. Details of the route and updates will be provided on this page throughout the next several months.

Training
Individual training needs cannot be addressed here except to say that training for this event is a must. Our training guru and fellow rider Sami has developed a month-by-month training guide to help you prepare for the big event, which can be found on our Training Page.The angel of cycling will not be available to assist you if you are not prepared to ride the distances. Please be sure you have ridden some longer rides between now and the event so that you can make the distance. Even the best riders could be in the saddle for 5 or more hours the first two days, and that takes some practice.

If demand is sufficient, our Course (or is it Coarse?) Director, John Chaki, has offered to hold monthly training rides to prepare for the event. Some roads will be part of the actual Tour and will begin with moderate mileage and gradually increase. These rides are intended to help build the base needed for the Tour supplementing your regular training.

Rides will start at Holicong Park in Buckingham, PA, off Route 202. You will be required to be prepared to ride without support, so bring food to eat along the way, as John selects roads with little traffic and few opportuities for stopping, although sometimes there are rest areas. The rides will be at at pace suitable for all riders; the first ride will be about 40 miles and work up from there.

John will coach on riding technique to improve speed and endurance. You will be coached on how to "sit a wheel" to increase efficiency, group riding skills will be emphasized as well as safety tips. No specific dates are planned, allowing for scheduling flexibility. You can contact John directly if you have any questions about the route or how to plan for the ride.

Write to John if you are interested. Anyone accepting this invitation should attend or let John know if cancelling, and e-mails will be the primary communication tool.

As background, John was New York State Time Trial Champion three times and placed in the top 10 in National Championship events for time trial, track and criterium racing seven times in addition to winning numerous races and events.