Tour of the Battenkill 2014 - Open Race
"Riders, 30 seconds until your start." is what teammate Patrick Zelazek and I heard over the P.A. as we rolled into staging. Talk about cutting it close! Lined up 184th & 185th, we swiftly found our way toward the front of the race where all the action would be; apologizing to the gran fondo riders as we nearly squeezed by, using the excuse that we were looking for a "friend" of whose name Pat would call out, "The Front!". By the infamous red-covered bridge, we had found our friend, "The Front", and were sitting comfortably within the lead group ascending Perry Hill Rd.
[Photo by: John Bulmer Photography]
Juniper Swamp Rd. - the first of many punchy dirt climbs - was an absolute mess. The only rideable lines were two parallel tracks of compacted dirt formed by vehicles and previous riders; if you weren't in either track, you found yourself in power-zapping mud that quickly brought many riders to a halt and forced them off their bikes to run to the summit.
Hitting the base of Juniper Swamp first was a group of 6 to include former BMC professional Scott Nydam and myself. Scott pulled 3 riders to the top and left the rest of us to contend with caught riders from a previous start-group slogging their way up the [at times] 13.8% grade. I suspect this is where I lost my teammate, Pat.
After reaching the top behind the lead group with 2 other riders, we agreed to work together to reel in the leaders. After 5 or so miles of rolling terrain and a section of dirt road, we had the front of the race in sight and made the final push to latch on... and then there were 7.
With nobody looking to attack, the pace remained steady from here on out to Feed Zone 2, which was around the 42 mile mark. 3 miles later we hit Herrington Hill Rd. and the race was on.
Herrington Hill Rd. was the steepest [sustained] dirt assent of the day. For those that have ridden with me before, it should come as no surprise that I was leading out the group as we started the climb. Remaining out front, I took a look back as I neared the crest of the hill; there was a single rider (from Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV) on my wheel, with one more rider (from Upper Valley Velo) not too far behind. The other 4 riders, S. Nydam included, were falling back. (I'm sure Scott wasn't pushing the pace, but hey, this is my time to self-aggrandize a bit so I'm going for it!)
Taking only the briefest of moments to catch my breath and shake out the legs, now was the time to ramp up the pace to try and make the break stick.
It worked. The 3 of us were able to stay away with the day's longest sections of notable dirt ahead, Becker and Meeting House roads.
Becker Rd. had a couple sections of soft dirt that reminded me of pedaling through a sandpit in a Cyclo-cross course. The dirt would rival the depth of my wheel and grab hold of it, steering it in whatever direction it pleased. I was searching for a suitable rut to ride in ("Commit to the rut!" #SVENNESS), but none were to be found. Staying light on the bars and saddle, letting the bike dance beneath me, and putting power down through the pedals was the only way of maintaining momentum. (Thank you CX skills!)
[Photo by: John Bulmer Photography]
Meeting House Rd. was in much better condition - the soil was dry and compact. The soft dirt of Becker Rd. had presented the opportunity to open up a gap on the rider from Upper Valley Velo and with 18 miles to the finish line, it was Jesse Stauffer from Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV and myself left to battle.
By now fatigue began to set in. My legs have been pushing a 53/39 - 11/25 all day. I haven't eaten enough and my quadriceps were beginning to cramp. Out of the saddle efforts felt like Muhammad Ali was using my legs as punching bags. I didn't show it - my poker face firmly set - but at this point all I could think of were the signs marking the final few hundred meters to go. Thankfully, there was only the final climb of the day left to contend with, Stage Rd., until the flat finish.
Reaching Stage Rd. was a challenge in itself. With my head down, trying to cut through the soul-crushing headwind as best I can, I could barely make out the eroded 10K marking spray-painted white on the dirt at the base of Stage Rd. As I looked up, I knew I was in for some pain....
Jesse took the lead as we started the final climb. Fixated on his wheel, I hung on for as long as I could, but eventually the gap between us grew steadily. 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, shit... the Mavic wheel support moto buzzes around me. I've been dropped.
There was nothing left in the tank. I stood and stomped on my pedals as hard as I could. I remember thinking if I could just keep him in sight, I might be able to get back on his wheel for a sprint finish - not like I'd have anything left to give at that point anyway - but he was gone. All I could do at that point was give 100% of what I had left and hope it was good enough.
Time trialing to the finish, I pass by the 5K, 3K, 1K and finally 500m to go markers. I round the final corner and see the finishing banner off in the distance. One last glance behind me to see if anyone was there - the road was deserted. I had somehow pulled off a 2nd place finish at my inaugural Tour of the Battenkill. That was hard fun!
Left to right: David Kozikowski - Team Edge | Jesse Stauffer - Kelly Benefit Stratagies/LSV | Alexander Gray - Upper Valley Velo/Drummond Custom Cycles
Complete results at Velocity Results.
