The 2018 Eastern Tandem Offroad Rally will be held October 4 – 7 at Allegrippis Trails at Lake Raystown in Hesston, Pennsylvania
Come join us and ride your tandem or single bike on easy to moderate single track trails or the optional rail trails in the Alleghenies in Hesston, PA.
The trails were built by the Army Corp of Engineers at the Lake Raystown location with the help of IMBA & RMBA, the local mountain bike club. They were finished in 2009 and continue to grow at a fast pace in popularity every year. Allegrippis trails have a pump track like feel, are well designed, marked and sustainable trails that overlook Lake Raystown and the Dam. Obstacles are few and far between with stacked loops so that the ride options/lengths are endless with “easy” ways out. What they lack in technical, they make up in their smooth, rolling, rhythmic roller coaster feel ride with beautiful views of Lake Raystown. The Allegrippis Trails are easy to moderate wider single track and are listed at the top of places to mountain bike.
In addition to the single track mountain biking trails, are two nearby rail trails, one is 34 miles and the other 12 miles round trip, plus hiking options in the area.
The ETOR officially begins on October 4th with a Friday afternoon ride and Saturday and Sunday morning rides. Rally coordinators, Brenda and Larry Isherwood, will arrive a day early on Thursday & will host a pre-rally mountain bike ride. Feel free to come early or stay late – there is plenty of riding & other outdoor activities to do & see in the area!
We will have tandem rentals available from Alex at MTB Tandems. Please contact Alex in advance since there will be a limited amount available. If you purchase a tandem within 30 days of the event, the rental fee will be waived.
Registration Fees:
Registration will need to be limited to 25 teams, so register early.!
The ETOR fees are $60/person. Sorry, no discount for children. The fees cover the ETOR insurance, trail
information, snacks & drinks at hospitality, ice cream social, Friday and Saturday night dinners & drinks, PB&J sandwich makings to pack a trail lunch, which will be held in the hotel meeting room Not included in the registration fees are lunches (other than PB&J). The hot hotel breakfast is included with your hotel stay. If you sign up, but have to cancel, we will refund your registration fees up to September 20th. After September 20th, we will make every effort to refund a portion of your fees depending on how our finances turn out.
Lodging:
We have a block of 25 rooms reserved at the Fairfield Inn in Huntingdon, PA. The group rates are for Thursday 10/4 through Sunday 10/7 nights for those that want to depart on Monday morning after the end of the rally. The discounted rate is $111/night + 9% tax for a room for Friday & Saturday nights and $101/night + 9% tax for Thursday & Sunday nights with two double sized beds or one king sized bed (depending on availability in our room block).
Call & make your Reservations at # 814-643- 3672 or 1-800- MARRIOT.
In order to get these rates, be sure to mention the ETOR Group when making your reservation.
Check-in for the hotel is at 3pm and check-out is noon. An early check-in may be possible, check at the front desk on the day of arrival. If you want a late check out, the sooner you request this at the front desk the better. A credit card will be required to secure your reservation. The Fairfield Inn cancellation policy is 48 hours prior to arrival. If you cancel within the two day window there will be no charge.
The room block is available until September 4th. Book early to get your first choice in room type!
The hotel includes a full hot breakfast, indoor pool & an outdoor patio off the breakfast room.
All the rally gatherings will be in the hotel in the Huntingdon Meeting Room.
Riding:
There are many riding options in the area. Ride start times and details will be sent out to attendees before the event & details will be in their welcome packet when they arrive.
Mountain Biking Option –
The Allegrippis Trails parking lot, Bakers Hollow Road, Hesston, PA (10 miles from the hotel). Tandems or singles with or w/o suspension (mountain bike style) with wider tires (1.9″ knobby tires or wider suggested). There are 35+ miles of trails that are very well marked as is their map. The trails are 98% buttery smooth, stacked loops, easy to moderate wider single track, machine made, (only a few rocky areas) (climbs are easier & descents more fun due to the pump track style build – it’s like a tandem roller coaster ride). See Allegrippis Trails for more details.
Rail Trail Option –
The Lower Rail Trail North end parking lot (9 miles from hotel) and the South end parking lot (19 miles from hotel). There are also four other parking lots in between these. The H&BT Rail Trail is 30 minutes south of the hotel. Tandems or singles, road or mountain, with 28c or larger tires suggested for rail trails. The rail trails are 34 miles and 12 miles round trip and are very flat with no climbs. There are many POI’s to stop and see along the rail trail. See Lower Trail and H&BT Trail for more details on these two rail trail options.
Hike (the trails) OR Bike (some paved and some fire roads) Option –
Trough Creek State Park, James Creek , PA (21 miles from hotel) (12 miles Hiking & historic POI, scenic views)
Canoe Creek State Park, Hollidaysburg, PA (is at the southern end of the Lower Rail Trail or 19 miles from hotel) (8 miles of hiking trails & largest bat cave community in the commonwealth).
Rainy Day or Other Activities:
Town of Huntingdon, PA (6 miles from hotel). College town, Boxers Cafe, shoppes, bike shop, restaurants, Flag Pole Trail System hiking park.
Raystown Lake Visitors Center 6993 Seven Points Rd, Hesston, PA (7 miles from hotel)
The Dam & Eagle Driving Tour (6 miles round trip) See the Lake Raystown Dam Overlook, the Ridenour & Hawns Overlooks all less than a mile of each other in Huntingdon, PA (7 miles from hotel).
Canoe Creek State Park, Canoe Creek, PA (19 miles from hotel) (8 miles Hiking & historic POI, scenic views, largest state bat population). Note that the Lower Rail Trail south end parking lot is here.
Rothrock Outfitter (bike shop) 418 Penn St. Huntingdon, PA
Updates will be sent to registrants via a group email, but also check out and ask to “join” our FaceBook Group at ETOR Rally / Tandem OffRoad Events where information will be posted and especially for sharing before and after the event.!
Any questions, please e-mail tmbreeze@optonline.net or call Brenda at 973-229-5368.