Battenkill 2011 Race Report 30+ (by Cliff)
In New England, the Tour of the Battenkill marks the start of the road season and encompasses the whole weekend for team Expo. My group, Todd Bowden, Keith Gauvin and Jon Tarbox met on Saturday around noon for the drive to Cambridge, NY. Upon arriving in Cambridge we made a detour to the local food-coop in town for some of the Cambridge Creamery chocolate milk (the best I have ever had) and to meet up with the rest of the guys. We all picked up our numbers and made the ½ drive to our hotel in Manchester, VT. We had reserved 8 rooms with 16 teammates all staying at the same hotel. After a nice ride in the valley and dinner we all started preparing, pinning numbers, making bottles, for the big race.
Race day greeted us with partial sunny skies and a cool morning. After a nice breakfast at the hotel we made our way over to the race. Expo was well represented in the 30+ category with Dave Hildebrand, Todd Bowden, Jon Tarbox, Keith Gauvin and myself all toeing the line.
Somehow at every race I enter it seems like time just disappears and this day was no different. After getting dressed and mixing up a few spare bottles I realized I had less than a half hour to get warmed up and to the start line. After a short warm up I was back at the car to loose the extra clothes I had worn to warm up. On the start line the group was huge, 147 guys in the 30+ race. I lined up next to a new acquaintance from New Jersey that I met last year during cyclocross season. After catching up on our respective winters and complaining on how the snow stopped outdoor training for the duration it was time to race.
The race starts with a 1km neutral and then is flat for the first 4 miles before a left turn and a narrow covered bridge. A break went almost from the start and the group had no interest in chasing so early. Within a few minutes the break was already out of sight. I worked on positioning myself towards the first few rows so that I could get through the bridge without incident. All went to plan and I was well positioned for the next part of the race which includes two climbs in relatively quick succession, the first starting at mile 9 and going to mile 11 and the next starting around mile 13 and is also the first dirt climb of the race. Both of these climbs really separate the race and this year was no exception. I was not on good form going up the first climb and was really suffering holding the lead group. I made it over the top and was able to descend back into the safety of the group. Juniper Swamp hill was next and I felt a little better getting over this climb but got boxed in towards the top ¼ and lost a little time and again had to chase back on down the hill. All the other Expo guys made it over the hill in the front group too. This next stretch is where the race went a little sideways for me as I lost one of my bottles over a washboard section of dirt and then dropped my chain at the start of the next climb. Both potential disasters were averted, one as a teammate had an extra bottle that he was planning to ditch and the other by a quick hop off the bike and a cyclocross style remount.
The next part of the race was fairly uneventful with the group keeping the pace steady but not crazy. I stayed sheltered in the pack for the next few miles preparing myself for the climb up Joe Beam. Sure enough the pace up Joe Beam was fast and once again I found myself just dangling off the back of the group. Again I used the down hill and especially the dirt road section following Joe Beam to catch back onto the peloton. After a short reprieve from the hills we made a left turn which started the new section of the race. After a short stretch of pavement we made a left onto a steep dirt hill. This section has a steep hill at the start and then several good sized rollers afterwards. The pace picked up on this section as for the first time since KM1 we saw the breakaway. Over the next several miles we reeled in the break and everything was setting up for a great final 20 miles. My legs started to come back to me on the smaller hills which comprised the next section of the course and on the dirt section leading into the next big climb of the race I found myself in the top 10. I descended past everyone on the steep descent that drops the race out just before Meeting House road. I made the left and was quickly passed by a few guys but was able to start the Meeting House climb third or fourth wheel. I felt good up these next set of climbs but made sure that I didn’t over do it as last year this is where I went too hard and was then subsequently shed by the group going up Stage road. After a flat section and then another small hill it was time for the final test of the race, Stage road. I started toward the front of the group and right away a few attacks went. I knew that I couldn’t put in a big effort at the bottom if I wanted to make it over the top with the main group. I established my own tempo and was dropped by a few others going up the initial part of the climb. My strategy however paid off as I was able to start to reel in the riders that went by me at the bottom towards the top of the climb and within a few minutes a solid chase group of 20 was together for the fight into the finish. I had done some big efforts to bring back a few riders towards the top of the climb and then at the beginning of the descent so I found shelter in the group for the next few miles. The pace was steady but it was clear that everyone was waiting for a field sprint. Having pre-rode the course the weekend before I knew that the finish would be tough as there were 2 sharp right hand corners within the last 700 meters. So at 1KM to go, I made an effort and a few others had the same idea and I was able to get 3rd wheel going into the first tight corner. This allowed me good position heading into the last corner which was around 200 meters from the finish. The guys I was with braked more than I heading into the final corner and I was able to go around them on the outside. I opened up my sprint but after 64 tough miles I didn’t have much of a kick and ended up 4th in the field sprint and 8th overall as 4 had gone away going up Stage road.
Overall, team Expo had a great time once again at the Queen of the American classics, Battenkill, with everyone having their own story to tell about how the race developed for them. I know I will be back again next year to test myself against this very challenging course and race.
Team Expo Results
30+ => Cliff Kenyon – 8, Jon Tarbox – 34, Keith Gauvin – 36, Dave Hildebrand – 48, Todd Bowden – 58
Category 3 => Jason Moriarty – 30, Paul Quimby – 90
Category 4 => Mike Pugrab – 3, Mark Shea – 12, Lance Jones – 17, Dennis Desmarais – 34, Dave Dubos – 45, Jeff Buske – 56, Dave Jacoboski – 69, Robert Recalde – 71
Women Category 4 =>Vickie Monahan – 21
Category 5 => Mark Bridgeman – 6, Matt Snell – 26
