Events: Sourlands Semi-Classic 2024
(2024) Cover photo by Jason Cope.
All content pictures by Rory Deweiler of Instigators Cycling unless otherwise noted.
There I was, on the front of a lead group and feeling great about my first Sourland Semi-Classic in two years. The River Road gravel segment - a meandering collection of gravel, clay, shale, a train crossing, asphalt patch, and a quick duck under a bridge - brought me to the first stop light when something didn’t feel right.
Celebrating its tenth running of the Sourland Semi-Classic, Kermesse Sport returned to V5 Cycles in Flemington serving as event host. The route is a spring classic ode to Omloop het Nieuwsblad, a tune up for the proper events on the spring classic horizon. Where the Hell of Hunterdon is Flanders, Sourland provides a sampling of the bigger event. There is a percentage of gravel within the Sourland Semi-Classic route. Don’t let that translate to being an easy day out. Off season rust takes time to shake itself off.
It felt almost as if the fates didn’t want me to participate in the Sourlands. Loading the bike onto the team car roof rack revealed a loose bike tray. There I was, in the twenty-degree morning, cinching down clamp bolts to keep the asphalt bike secure in transport. Meanwhile the biggest rusty obstacle waiting for me was almost four miles into the route, when I was at that stop light- The back tire had gone soft.
I have never had a problem with my tubeless system, and should I have a failure, I’ve concluded it would be user error. Leading the group away from the stop light, I pulled into a parking lot and proceeded to fire off a CO2 canister in an attempt to seal the slice. That is, if there was any sealant left from trainer season. To teach myself a lesson, I began the long walk back to the start. That is what should have happened, but SAG support came over the hill and offered to take me back to V5. His name was John, and I am forever grateful. He even offered me coffee.
The view of those who tackled River Road unpaved sector as a group. Photo by Rory Detweiler.
The tubeless failure had come down to user error. A snappy mechanic at V5 confirmed there was no sealant. While waiting for the repair, I resolved to hop back out on course, even if I were an hour behind the lead group. I wasn’t about to let a tiny cut send me home. To motivate me, I decided to count each rider I picked off before the finish.
It was cold. There were frequent patches of ice, and I think I never really warmed up. There was a negligible wind. The part that made the outing alluring was the bright sunshine, one of the first sunny days since the new year. The downhills gave ice cream headaches while the sunshine and effort warmed the climbs.
I never really got my bearings on the Sourlands course. What kept spirits high was the joke that the route never really gets off Wertsville Road. Initially bisecting the route, Wertsville Road is visited four separate times. Happily the route passed through the town of Wertsville just to throw it some love. To occupy my thoughts on lonely stretches of DFL riding, I asked myself if there were any other events that visit the same road four different times. I couldn’t come up with one.
Sourland has two substantial climbs: Zion Road and Montgomery Road. These are long even affairs but are manageable with grit and determination. Montgomery Road turns into gravel at the top, a nice touch considering Hell of Hunterdon riders will come through the opposite direction in one month. Zion was a solo effort while groups of riders began to appear in the distance on Montgomery. Perhaps starting at the back was the motivation I needed to shake more rust off.
Once the final elongated climb had been managed, the route’s only aid station provided reprieve in Hopewell, NJ, at Sourland Cycles. This year I savored my first frozen Fig Newton as I customarily relieved Kermesse Sport of the delightful cookies. Sweat must have been happening somehow as the salt on the Philly pretzels hit perfectly. It was here I noticed I had only consumed half a water bottle; things wouldn’t change much in the second half, either. Since it was cold, I made quick work to hop back on the bike to minimize the effects of the winter air. It was almost noon when I checked out of the aid station.
The back half of the course sends riders through remotely wooded roads unlike anywhere I’ve ever ridden. Tall forests line svelte car paths that are to be experienced in the summer heat. I couldn’t tell if I were actually off pace since no one was visible or if this was the status of riding in the Sourland Preserve. These roads are what bikes are made for. Roads like these are one of the reasons for participating in the Sourland Semi-Classic. Meanwhile the other reason for participating was fast approaching.
Though there are six unpaved sectors, the Sourland rides some of the favorites. River Road, where I punctured, was first experienced on the Sourland Semi-Classic years ago. It’s hard to believe such an amazing unpaved road exists in close proximity to Flemington’s downtown. There was the aforementioned gravel summit of Montgomery, a sandy affair with enough dampness to make the bike look rugged with mud. The route also hits Aunt Molly Road, also in the opposite direction of the Hell of Hunterdon. But the segment that gets me to the start of both Sourland Semi-Classic and the Hell of Hunterdon is Rocktown Road. This wild ride consists of a winding gravel, slightly downhill, and features a rocket launch pad for dozens of meters. It is the greatest two minutes of any gravel sector ever. It is also where I raced past three riders to continue picking off participants.
At a certain point, the route pivots in Ringoes, NJ, deviating from Wertsville Road one last time. The bearings return on Dunkard Church Road. It terminates at a unique double bridge, asking motorists to stop before the bridge prior to proceeding. Next to the intersection is a house with a porch. On that porch are two chairs surrounded by a cage. This scene perplexes me every year. It’s also where the last unique road is accessed before the return to development. Britton Road joins the list of skinny ribbons of asphalt through Tolkien-esque houses. At one point the road wildly bends around two trees instead of going straight. This scene has perplexed me as well. There are only five miles remaining from here.
Unique to the Sourland Semi-Classic route are wide-open spaces as well as winding wooded causeways.
Slowly the new construction picks up. The route goes through developments as it works through, in, and around communities. A ghost bike was at one of the final intersections in downtown Flemington. Frantically I reeled in a large group only to have them catch one of the final stoplights. I reconnected with them at the absolute final light but didn’t count them in my tally.
Having stepped off course for the second time, I plopped down in a seat inside V5 Cycles and proceeded to guzzle two colas. Slowly the cold from the day set in. Nothing could warm me up. The finisher at my table admitted to having taped his shoe vents the night before. It was the first time he had ever done that according to him. In a reflection of our social media times, I was scrolling through Tom’s ride on Strava at the exact moment he walked by. I simply had to acknowledge the uniqueness of it all. I relayed the story as to how my day started; he stated his ride went well.
The team car was loaded up, the rack was checked, the heat blasted, the music melodious. I could have looked for Wertsville Road just one more time for a joke. The biggest ‘could have’ might have happened five hours earlier if I decided to pack the car after the puncture and call it a day. Unofficially I tracked down 37 riders on the day, one for each minute it took me to drive back to the creakybottombracket.com office where I basked in residual embrocation glow and early season exhaustion. I may not have been on the front for the day, but I powered through the Sourland Semi-Classic with a little help from John, V5, and 37 visible riders around a metric century course.
Kermesse Sport’s next event is the Hell of Hunterdon on March 24th. This is Kermesse’s flagship event and is not one to be missed. Registration is open.
