2011 Tour of the Battenkill Race Report (Cat 4 Blue) Part 2

I felt as if my Tour of the Battenkill race could be broken into two halves.  The first one being the opening 37 miles, which were spent riding next to my brother and teammate.  The second half being spent on or near the front and mostly solo.  After Pat went down at around 37 miles, I sat in the pack and was unsure as to how to attempt to finish off the race.  I really enjoy going on long solo attacks and forcing the pack to chase and bring me back.  I think I got this tactic from my running days where I would often go to the front and hang on for as long as I could, win or lose.  My legs were feeling strong and fresh and I felt I could climb with or even outclimb anyone in the field.  I had no indications of cramping in my quads, calves, or hammies and my back felt loose and comfortable.  As we approached the second feed zone I noticed my teammates on the left side of the road, which caught me off guard and forced me to cross the double line to get my bottles.  I was no upset with Jeff or Paul for being on the left side of the road, we had caught them off guard by how quickly we reached that mile mark, despite the fact that our pace had dawdled between the 1 hour and 1:45 mark. 


I decided to attack on the rise following the feed zone. I saw open road and a group of riders drinking water and taking in their calories.  I figured I could catch them off guard and potentially open a winning gap if they did not chase until late.  As I attacked, I heard someone yell my name which caught me off guard.  Did they have me marked?  It ended up being a friend from a local team in North Jersey... Thanks for the cheers Steve M!  I knew 21 miles was a long time to stay away solo, especially with the major climbs of Meeting House and Stage Roads coming.  I was riding off of emotion at this point, as once Pat was out I had lost the member of the team who usually keeps me in check and helps to control my impulsive attacking in long races. 


After the attack I looked back and saw that the lead group had not responded and I had my gap of 20 or so seconds.  That gap continued to grow, even though Ben from TBS Racing had bridged up.  Ben and I worked together over the next dirt section at 47 miles and he put in some great pulls on the flats to keep our tempo high.  I would have loved to be able to ride with Ben to the finish, but his work to bridge left him spent on the next major climb so I would have to go it alone the rest of the way.  Atop meeting house Rd I counted my gap at around 40 seconds and saw the field was single file and chasing hard.  Coming off Meeting House Rd I began to feel a funny quiver in my quad and hamstring as I pushed into the headwind leading to Stage Rd.  I began to concern about my missed bottle early on and lack of fluid intake.  Still, I hammered to the base of Stage Rd intent on keeping my gap knowing that a catch at this point would equal a bunch sprint or worse off getting dropped off the top of the climb.


As I climbed Stage Rd I felt fresh and clear mentally.  Physically, though, my quads/back/and hamstrings were all beginning to tighten.  In an effort to gain speed and gain more time over the field I stood to attack on Stage Road's steepest point... big mistake.  My entire quad and hamstring seized on my right side.  I had to sit down, soft pedal, and be sure to not let it happen again.  All steam was lost at this point and it became a matter of survival off the top of the climb and on the run in to the finish.  No time checks were given to me, unfortunately, and I was waiting to be caught by the single file chasing field.  I was able to put out a moderate effort on the flat run-in to Cambridge but the kilometer markers couldnt come quick enough.  3 k to go, 2 k to go, and still no sign of the chasers.  Finally in the last k I saw 2 guys in dark kits flying towards me, they must have hammered off Stage Rd and been closing hard as I continued to cramp.  Luckily, there was only two 90 degree turns and 400m to the finish and I was able to come through the line with a 5 second gap and a victory at Battenkill!




Simple Fist Pump at the finish.

 As it turns out Andrew Shelby and Dylan Gallagher had shelled the field on Stage Rd and chased together off the top of the climb.  They were coming like freight trains, and luckily for me the race was 64 miles and not 65!  In hindsight I know that a solo attack in the heat was not the smartest of plans, but I raced off emotion and was able to get away with it this time.  Much congrats to Andrew and Dylan on a great race plan and strong chasing and much thanks to Ben for his help on the break!  I can't say how different the result would have been had Pat not crashed out, but I can tell you he had great legs that Sunday morning!  Next year, Patio!  I can't say enough about what a help Paul and Jeff were at the feed zones and how much I appreciate them riding 40 miles on their own from point to point to cheer us on... it was a huge help! 

Podium of the Cat. 4 Blue race at Battenkill
Andrew Shelby got 2nd, Dylan Gallagher was 3rd

Post-Race I enjoyed a monstrous cheeseburger and down an icy Stella Artois... that combo had been on my mind since the top of Stage Rd when I saw a father and son enjoying a brew together in their chairs while watching the race!  It felt great to see an entire winter's worth of work come together on one day and end in a result I had hoped for.  I hope to be able to come back next year and have a similar result with Pat helping to pull my cramping ass over Stage Rd!  For anyone who questions the cost of entry, the travel time, or the experience... Battenkill is worth it and more!  Not only is it a truly unique race to America, but it has the excitement and homegrown feel that I imagine the Classics of Europe having (on a much grander and faster scale!)  To top it off, the chocolate milk given to all podium finishers was well worth the price of admission despite my stomach wanting nothing to do with chocolate at that point!


Counting down the days to Battenkill 2012!


-JJ