Battenkilled!

Sheryl, driving the van home and barely able to see over the steering wheel.

Cresting the hill on Meetinghouse Rd.

I'm not leading those guys. I'm about to be caught by another group!

My friends Nicholas David and Mark Cywin rolling out at the start.

Look out for 736!

It snowed the night before and was windy as hell for the start, barely breaking 40degrees.

From 4/26/10

April 11th saw the kickoff of the Spring Classics road series with the Tour of the Battenkill. I had never done a road race before and since this one was rumored to be one of the toughest in the country, I thought it was a good race to start with. I spent the winter unemployed and got in all the base miles I felt necessary to not do significantly well, but to at least hang on for the duration.

My goals for the day were to simply (ha!) finish and to not come in last. Much to my chagrin, I was spit off the back on the first climb 15 minutes into the race. I knew it was a rookie mistake to go out too hard in such a long race and that the 25mph pace from the gun would surely blow the pack apart and I would settle in at my own pace and eventually start to pick people off. Now I know that this is a cross country racing mentality, and in fact a pack of riders travels MUCH faster than an individual. I did pass someone from my group who had a flat tire, but he eventually passed me again, cementing me in dead fucking last place.

During the race, other groups had caught up to me and I latched onto a few pacelines to rest, but those rides were short lived since I just couldn't keep their pace. At one point, the pro women field had overtaken me and I hung on to the wheel of the last girl in a group of seven. As we passed a feed station, fans held signs that read "GIRL POWER!!!" and were yelling "Go ladies!"

Feed zones weren't the only place to get water. On a lonely stretch of road, a retired Navy veteran had some cases of water to give out. I stopped and talked to him for a few minutes while I restocked. Such long distances on the bike allow for conversations to take place while underway as well. Just before the biggest climb near the halfway point, I was riding solo and approached a guy also riding alone. His name was Jerry and he was in the 50+ group. We were chatting about how we both got dropped and how we were just trying to do our best to finish. He said he was thinking of quitting, but was afraid he would disappoint his girlfriend who was waiting for him at the finish. I talked him out of it and we continued on together until we reached the climb where I eventually had to say farewell and good luck as I pulled ahead.

I was hoping I would see him again. After the race I told Sheryl about him and how I had hoped he finished. Just as I finished saying that, I saw a couple walking towards us and the guy pointed at me and yelled, "That's the guy!" It was Jerry and his girlfriend and he was just telling her about me when we happened upon each other once more. He said to me that it was my words that kept him going and got him to the finish line. Even though I didn't perform like I had hoped, it was that single experience that made the whole thing worth it to me.

It must be said that I was pleased to be riding alone for so much of the race because I was able to really enjoy the scenery. My favorite experience of the day was a result of being alone. Had I been in the pack, this would not have been nearly as cool. As I descended into the town of Greenwich, I saw that the downtown area had the streets blocked off and the sidewalks were lined with barricades and hundreds of cheering fans. The chorus of their voices and the familiar cowbells that reminded me of cross racing fueled a surge of energy in my already tired body. I pedaled as hard as I could through the tunnel of people whom I felt were cheering just for me. I was well tired, but I couldn't help smiling as I tore through those streets. Once beyond the city limits, it was back to quiet solitude and endless stretches of country roads and rolling farmland.

I don't particularly like road racing and I think I will stick to the dirt for now, but I am very pleased with the experience and feel fortunate to have been able to participate in a race like this.