Events: Oktoberfest Ride 2024
Nostalgia is a powerful ingredient. Kermesse Sport’s late season event - Oktoberfest Ride - not only sent riders around an old professional course, it returned to the Souderton starting line for 2024. It was nearly the same circumstances I found myself decades ago, unprepared to kick off a road cycling adventure that continues to this day. With Brass Collar Brewing Company playing host to the Kermesse event, there was a strong urge to reach into the past by rolling out of Souderton and into the Montgomery County countryside.
Souderton, PA, once hosted a late August pro race known as the Univest Grand Prix. Last run in 2011, Canadian Ryan Roth won the 100-mile event before the course closed up for good. Other notable riders of the past include: Will Frischkorn, Lucas Euser, and even a young Belgian with the name of Tom Boonen. The course wound its way into the peaceful hills of northern Montgomery County, tackling three KOMs before returning to downtown Souderton. There riders would complete several circuits before crossing the finish line.
The picturesque farm on Halderman Road.
Held the morning of the race, the Univest Cyclosportif attracted hundreds of riders who wanted a crack at the course. Registration to the event included a VIP area as well as food. We were treated like royalty amidst a sea of fans lining the barriers. One year Floyd Landis parked himself under the Jumbotron where Universal Sports carried live pictures around the world. The cyclosportif is where I found myself, completely out of my league with a bike kit that hardly resembles what I wore for the Oktoberfest Ride. I came out to the quiet Souderton side street to chase that high from decades sooner of being a part of something larger.
It was barely above freezing after having checked in and rolled along the residential streets heading out of town. I knew my clothing selection was going to be wrong as temperatures were forecasted to be balmy hours later. I prepared for the cold start and screaming downhills that would create a struggle. Later that day I would tell participants I was just barely overdressed, and that wasn’t the worst thing. Any time the bike picked up substantial speed, the eyes watered and navigation became nearly impossible. Luckily these are familiar roads, having ridden them often, especially when hearing the echoes of the Grand Prix.
The right turn that crushes dreams - approach to Eichele Road’s strong climb.
It took a short amount of time to get into the countryside past active golf courses and parks with odd names. As a sign of the times, the first rest stop was at Salford Station Park. Last week the sprawling recreational area hosted a cyclocross race, proving that cross was now here. In the blink of an eye I was already thirty percent through the course. There was even a suggestion of a tailwind in strategic areas. I was picking off riders at a decent clip; I was enjoying the day as well as the pace, for the route rarely holds a flat section.
He was out for a casual tractor stroll.
On the course are three KOMs. Church Road, Eichele Road, and Knockel Road offer extra challenges along with the rolling terrain. Church Road averages 5% gradient for nearly a mile. At its steepest, a crooked turn, the climb supposedly hits 15%. Once the brief steep section is managed, the summit comes into view as does the Old Goschenhoppen church marking the end of the effort. Eichele, a proper monster of a berg, climbs nearly 350 feet in over a kilometer. Its gentle approach lulls first timers into believing the effort is sustained until the bucking headwall of 28% crushes rider and bike. It’s one of the hills that has forced me to walk, but this year the right-into-left was managed with a little bit of wheezing. Knockel Road’s climb was blanketed by late autumn foliage. Mellow by comparison, Kockel Road hits double-digit percentages briefly but manages a 6% gradient nearly a mile.
It was the autumn foliage that was the real star of the ride. Everywhere one looked, the hardwood forests illuminated the early morning sun with golden rays through dramatic leaves. Hues of deep yellow contrasted the reluctant greens in certain areas. Meanwhile the remaining reds populated hillsides. The most enjoyable section of the Oktoberfest Ride is almost always Swamp Creek Road that parallels the Unami Creek. Furthering the beautiful setting was the newly surface road delivering exponential enjoyment. It’s easy to pursue beauty over nostalgia. The August-based Univest ride never featured foliage.
Throughout the latter portion of the ride, I yo-yod with two riders from the Poconos. Since the course winds through valleys and dales, keeping the two in sight was challenging for motivation. I resigned to trying to ride them down. Perhaps through strategic stops or trafficked intersections, I managed to latch onto their wheels. Oktoberfest was their second Kermesse event, having finished Pinelands earlier in the year. They said it took them about an hour to get to the starting line, a small trade-off. At a certain point I continued on. Having summited Knockel Road’s KOM, I knew the finish was fewer than ten miles. With it, came the return to society as more houses lined the route. A happy family was dismounting a hay ride on a small farm near the approach to Souderton. Train tracks came back into the Garmin alerts.
Swamp Creek Road delivered during the Oktoberfest Ride.
The final miles were a bit of a mystery. The old Univest course put riders onto Main Street and plunged them down the steep gradient before using the speed to climb the hill and pass through the finish line. Kermesse’s route would deviate down a parallel street, still using the buzzing descent. The train’s yellow bridge flooded the mind with memories of early rides. Back in those days I was in shock from having finished such a demanding outing. Today I felt I had captured that buzz from decades ago, only this time anxiety did not block the enjoyment.
Knockel Road was easy to enjoy with dramatic foliage.
Shortly before finishing, the Pocono duo blew by me. The one rider cited his attempt to average sixteen miles per hour. Again we split up, they to the parking lot, I to sign out of the course. The bike was racked on the patio at Brass Collar, a fantastic conversation with Brian Ignatin was struck, and food was served. The brewery was only a few steps from where Floyd Landis handed out autographs in the shadow of the Univest bank and Jumbotron. I yearned to see my decades-old self ride by so I could say things would be alright. Until then, I created that rider in my mind as I traced the finishing rider’s paths to the steps of the brewery.
It was here I thought I would imbibe in the post-ride German inspired food before taking the bike and myself to the car and heading home. Instead something better happened. Those two Pocono riders came back. One of them had changed into a proper Lederhosen and knee-length Bundhosen. Since they recognized me as the rider they traded space with, we joined to talk about all things but mostly cycling. They were Lucas and Chris. They echoed my brew pub’s sentiments with the quality of libations. They repeated that the Kermesse events had the best food. While we talked, a rider was talking to a group saying she had been bucked off the bike on Eichele, but she would be back to try again next year. It was her second time Eichele had forced a dismount. A cool breeze circulated the air as the sun beamed down on the wooden picnic tables. We consumed the wiener schnitzel and brats as well as the potato pancakes and stuffed cabbage. It was one of the few times I departed an event feeling refreshed from the effort. I bid Lucas and Chris farewell and loaded the car for home.
Each Oktoberfest has been distinctly different, having been based in Collegeville, Harleysville, and now back to Souderton, but Souderton was my favorite. It felt as if the event went off smoothly, aided by the gorgeous weather, the dramatic foliage, the great food and drinks, and the camaraderie. The spaces in between were filled by nostalgia, the final ingredient to a great outing.
Feel like you missed out? Don’t worry. Kermesse Sport hosts Guy Fawkes Ride November 2nd from Bucks County Brewery in Pipersville, PA.
