2023 Propel 100

The Propel 100 is a charity bike ride that benefits Oncology Services at Virtua Health. The ride offers 12, 30, 50, 70, and 100 mile to accommodate riders of all skill and ability levels. The Propel 100 is organized by GSN (Goals Start Now), a South Jersey based non-profit organization that promotes fitness activities, community outreach, and charitable events.

All routes for the Propel 100 start in Willingboro, NJ at the Kennedy Center. The 100 mile route is a beautiful tour through many South Jersey historic towns, farmland, and nature. Starting in Willingboro, the ride takes you through Burlington Township, Florence, Bordentown, Groveville, Robinsville, Allentown, Hamilton, Chesterfield, Wrightstown, Juliustown, Columbus, and Springfield before returning back to Burlington Township and Willingboro. 

The predicted weather for the 5th Propel 100 was quite dramatic, switching from rain earlier in the week to thunderstorms to just clouds to partly cloudy. Ultimately the weather started out with a light, steady rain in the wee early hours of the morning. by the time the first group of riders began to to warm up and stage for the ride, around 7AM, the rain had mostly stopped. The temperature was moderat (a high of 79), however the humidity was intense throughout the day. The organizers offered GPS coordinates for the various routes and laid out markers to identify turns along the way. They would typically also have markers on the asphalt, however rain throughout the week made this unachievable. There were rest stops along the route to refill beverages and use the rest room. The start/finish, and lunch stop had an abundance of food and hydration options for all of the bicycle riders to choose from.

Before I was a bike shop owner and working as a bike shop employee I worked many of the South Jersey Charity bike rides. This, however was the first ride that I have supported as OTRA Mobile Bicycle Service. My day started providing last minute adjustments, tube changes, a few tire changes, and lots of adjusting air pressure before the riders set off. Once all of the riders were away and on the road I provided mobile support, changing flat tires and making minor repairs for as many of the riders as I could get to en route. Wet roads always make for more flats so there were an abundance of them early in the day. As the sun came out and dried out the road, there were fewer flats. Overall I was impressed with rider turnout despite the weather and I felt the ride was well organized. I definitely plan to support the 2024 Propel 100 as well. 

I would also like to thank GSN for giving me the opportunity to give back to New Jersey's cycling community a little bit. Things were pretty busy for me throughout the day and I was only able to capture one picture before the cyclists began needing assistance. Enjoy the OTRA Bike event set up below.
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