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30 Meters Too Far April is the Cruelest Month* *with apologies to T.S. Eliot [click any of the small bevel-edged images to enlarge] Backstory | Friday | Saturday Pre-race | The Race |
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The 2013 Tour of the Battenkill
Race Guide
pegged the course at 64.9 miles.
That's 104,446 meters.
As a general guideline, there's no real reason to go any farther.
On this particular day, it would have been best to heed that guideline.
THE BACKSTORY On October 24, 2012, Pete Linnard posted this to the MacGregor's distribution list.
Dan Goldman was first to respond, with one word: "Battenkill." Matt Mitchell piled on with his own one word: "agree!" Dan corrected his original response by adding, "(sinister laugh)." Brad Walker, honest perhaps to a fault, added a thousand words in the form of this image. 
Pete referred back to his original email to add a point to his end-of-message list.
The real damage may have been done by Tom Keane, though.
Bruce Cohen added the final nail: "Be man. Sign up for Battenkill!" There may have been another email or two on the subject of Battenkill, nutrition, tire choice, and who would be sleeping with whom between that fateful October day and the race start on April 13, but I'm electing not to summarize them here. Pete offered his house near Stratton for those looking to shorten the drive to Cambridge NY. The final tally turned out to be "Snow Gold and the Seven Dwarves." Despite his "advanced" eligibility, Dan "Snow" Goldman raced Masters 35+ so that he could get back to Boston sooner. The Seven Dwarves (Cat5 35+) were Jeff Dieffenbach, Dave Lehman, Pete Linnard, Conrad Merrill, Eric Poch, Dan Sullivan, and Heath Umbach. For the record, Jeff, Eric, and Dan S., like Dan G., were all eligible to race 45+ but opted to play with the kids for reasons of team unity. (Full list of Crack O' Dawn/MacGregor/545 Velo registrants at end of write-up.) The bulk of the Cat5 team was slated for the Cat5-D start at 12:10p on Saturday. Late registrants Conrad and Heath were in the Cat5-E field set to start 10 minutes later. In the morning, they'd see if they could switch to our Cat5-D field. FRIDAY 
Arrivals straggled in to Chez Pete throughout Friday afternoon and early evening having braved a mid-spring snowstorm.
Scottish cycling weather, indeed!
We convened for dinner at the nearby
Red Fox Inn on Winhall Hollow Road for carbo-loading, then adjourned back to the house to plan our Cat5 race strategy.
And we actually had one.
In one of those other email messages to which I alluded, Pete first softened us up with praise. Of a sort.
Properly prepared, he then did his best Johan Bruneel impression, minus the blood transfusion bags. Remember, this is the same Pete Linnard who orchestrated the three John Sales Memorial Time Trial assaults on Eric Brandhorst's Sudbury Road/Concord Road Strava KOM, the result of the first assault being "Macs strewn all over the road."
What we love about Pete is that he always brings a plan. It doesn't matter how the plan plays out--just having one gives shape to what would otherwise be chaos. Well, in theory. As Yogi Berra is alleged to have said: "In theory, theory and practice are the same thing. In practice, they aren't." 
Our planning was aided by my mega-map of the course.
Turns out, that map and the course videos
(one,
two,
three,
four)
helped me a ton to visualize the dirt sections, the key climbs, the "CAUTION" descents, and the sharp turns.
Finally, time for sleep. Part of my preparation (courtesy Bob Jenney) was hydrating well Thursday and Friday. Another part (courtesy Ambien) was sleeping well Thursday and Friday. I woke up Saturday morning refreshed and feeling strong-ish. SATURDAY Friday's snow had given way to Saturday's snow on the ground. But the air was noticeably warmer and we had high hopes for Cambridge NY's lower altitude, the day's forecast, and our excellent post-noon start time. (Dan G., his start time at 9:40a, was out of the house before most of us awoke.) 
We breakfasted, coffeed, chatted, dressed, and packed, then just past 9:00a, caravaned our way to
Bob's "get a real web site" Diner
on Route 30 leading into Manchester.
Having second breakfasted, we continued on to Cambridge, passing one of the outbound waves of riders.
We found temporary parking, registered, shopped*, and then made our way over to the main parking lot just south of Route 313 from the start.
*Despite being somewhat of an over-thinker/over-planner and having started setting aside my gear a week in advance, I somehow managed to forget my short- and long-sleeve base layers. No problem, I thought, I'll just pick one up at the race expo adjacent to the registration area. Unfortunately, the expo turned out to be 4 or 5 somewhat sorry tents with numerous jerseys and vests but no base layers despite the chill in the air. Salvaging the situation, I snapped up an all-white women's large short sleeve jersey off a remainder rack for $20. 
My plan had been to spend 20-30 minutes warming up on my trainer.
We ended up not really having time, so I shelved that part of the plan.
With temperatures in the high 40s, we kitted up.
I ended up going with the following ensemble: improvised short-sleeve base layer, Mac bibs and jersey, arm warmers, full-fingered gloves with hand warmers, knee warmers, warm socks with foot warmers, shoes with no covers, a thin skull cap, sunglasses, and my helmet. Perfect choices, as it turned out. My left jersey pocket was STUFFED with three tubes, three CO2 cartridges, two (sorry, Bob Jenney) plastic tire "irons," and one inflator. My center pocket easily held my phone, spare battery, various cards and cash, and car key. My right pocket held too many (8) packs of Gu (100 calories each.) (Note to self: Chocolate looks good on the shelf, doesn't taste so good on the ride.) If I were doing this race again, I'd bring a small saddle bag to lighten the jersey load (we had been concerned that race rules would prohibit their use), and I'd put the bulky tubes and heavy cartridges in my center pocket. I had two large water bottles of Cytomax Cool Citrus (180 calories per bottle). 
My bike was a newly built-up
Specialized Roubaix Expert frame in carbon/white/red
(black saddle and bar tape; my old 2007 Roubaix Comp components--thanks,
Landry's of Natick MA for all the help with the build!) with
Reynolds Attack wheels, and
Continental 4000S
700x25mm "aggressive and posh alike" tires.
No quarrels with equipment choice either--the Roubaix frame handled the dirt like the Belgian cobbles it was designed for and the tires and the
Stan's No Tubes tire sealant saved me from any flats.
And my top-tube decal (courtesy Dan G.) saved me from any non-flat mishaps ... or, at least, protected me from their consequences.
We assembled at the starting area to learn that Conrad and Heath had in fact been "promoted" to our field. I also learned that Dan had discovered and fixed his front tube/tire within the 15 minutes to go window. Impressive, Dan! With seven of us, we dominated the field of 48 starters. My realistic but relatively unambitous goal was sub-4 hours with at least a few riders in my rear view mirror. THE RACE 
We received the final pre-race instructions, heard the countdown from 10, and rolled off.
The neutral start went half a mile, then the race was on.
It didn't feel like a race at first, though--the pace was slow.
Start at 01:45 | Eric (83) passes on left 08:15 | I tuck in behind Dave (69) at 10:45 Part A of my "plan" (not to be confused with Pete's Plan with a capital P) was to stay tucked in for the first 10 miles. That and the last 5 miles being downhill/flat would shorten the race to 50 miles. Part B was frequent drinking and a pack of Gu every 30 minutes. And I stuck to that plan. One bonus of finishing in under 4 hours--one fewer pack of Gu. 
A few miles in, the speed picked up, but it was still easy going as we rolled through the iconic covered bridge, made the immediate right, and then made the next right onto the first of ten dirt sections.
First dirt section, not as rough as video makes it seem | Dan (93) just ahead on left, Heath (57) just ahead on right As the road turned up for the first climb, I slid to and then off the back. (I'm not a strong climber--hence the nickname "freight train" given me by the Peet's 530 group.) I crested and descended to the sharp left onto dirt (section 2) and the beginning of the Juniper Swamp climb, a few riders behind me. Despite rain Thursday and Friday, grip on the dirt was good, with only one or two rear wheel spins throughout the day. On a few of the later sections, I occasionally encountered a bit of tacky mud, but nothing I'd call soft. Second dirt section, beginning of Juniper Swamp climb I reached the attack point on dirt section 3 and wondered whether the Plan had worked. After making the right back onto the pavement of Newman Road, I climbed toward the 20 mile mark and the big descent that would follow. I came within a hundred yards of connecting up with Pete. After the descent, he was at least a half-mile ahead. I finally made contact at around the 22 mile mark and the left onto Cemetery Road. We rode together for a while, including through the feedless feed zone, then separated on the big Joe Bean Road climb just past the 25 mile mark. The next 15 miles would be relatively flatter than the first 25, including dirt sections 4, 5, and 6. At around 32 miles, I started riding with Nick Nardelli (number 80) of Watertown MA. He'd been having trouble with chain drops and couldn't get into the big ring on his triple. He'd end up beating me by a minute and a half, so my sympathy would later turn to not-so-much. At the right, cross-the-river, railroad tracks, right combination at the 33 mile mark, we caught on with brothers Randy (84) and Ryan Rath (85) of the Adirondack Triathlon Club of Glen Falls NY (I wouldn't learn until perusing the results after the race that they were brothers).  Random pilfered filler shot 1 It was at the 34 mile mark, just past the halfway point, that we were caught by the first of the Cat 5-E group (numbers 101-150). I don't recall where the Cat 5-F leaders passed me--not too much farther along. I was hoping to hold off the Cat 5-Gs, but was passed by their solo leader just before the right turn at the finish. Along the way, I passed a few of the Cat 5-Cs (under 35, numbers 1-50) and two of the Cat 5-Bs (also under 35, numbers 951-1000), so it wasn't all being passed for me. The second feed zone was at 42 miles--this time around, they had water. I grabbed a bottle, chugged half of it, and tossed it at the end of the zone. As it turns out, I wouldn't need it--I ended with half a bottle or so.  Random pilfered filler shot 2 The long climb from mile 41-44 and long dirt section 7 (miles 44-47) passed in the dull blur of mid-race stupor. I turned east (left, for what I'd been thinking of as the home stretch) for the sharp climb before the rollers of dirt sections 8 and 9. By this point, Nick and Randy had pulled ahead for good, with Ryan back for good. 
Dirt sections 8 and 9 are separated by the pavement of the crossing Cooke Hollow Road.
Immediately after the crossing, the road pitched sharply up for a short climb.
I felt my leg muscles seizing and thought I might have to dismount and walk (see
image at right, which EXACTLY captures how I felt--the hardest point on the
course for me).
I managed, though, and blasted through the rest of the rollers.
The rollers end with a right turn and then a descending tight bend to the left before a steep drop to a 90 degree right. My map prep paid off--I navigated this turn with the rubber side down. On the flats, I took the left before the quick right at 54 miles. I misjudged the latter and had to brake hard to limit the damage to sliding onto the left shoulder but not into the left ditch. Ten miles to go, most of which would be flat or down. Sharp left at 56, then the descent to the Hoosic River. I took the left at 58.5 miles onto the final dirt section (10) and the final climb that would crest just past 60 miles. Two riders from the Cat 5-E group caught me at the turn ... and so did fellow Mac Dan S. Dan's a better climber than I am, while I'm a better (okay, heavier) descender. I'd guessed at the outset that we would finish close together.  Random pilfered filler shot 3 It was great having his wheel to pace me up this last climb. We pulled away from the two 5-Es, reached the apex, and descended the best descent of the race. I gapped Dan on the way down, but he caught on when we reached the flats at 62 miles. We took turns on the front, with Dan ahead as we made the final right at 64.4 or so miles. I took a wider line to finish the turn to his right a bike length back. I'm no Bob Jenney or John Sales, but what I lack on the climbs, I sort of make for up on the flats. I engaged Jenney sprint mode and opened a small gap. As I accelerated the last 25 meters before the finish, I felt my calves cramp but at that point I was committed. According to a later look at my Garmin, I was at 24 mph as I crossed the line. (I know, I know, that's hardly an impressive speed for a sprint, but it felt fast after 64.9 miles.) 
A rider from another group had finished just before me and was coasting ahead and to my right.
Until he decided to make a lazy u-turn to his left about 30 meters past the finish (about as far along as the fire hydrant).
A better bike handler *might* have veered right on the narrow street to pass just behind him. I'm not that better bike handler. I t-boned him at what was probably 20 mph. This had the immediate effect of separating me from my bike and launching me over his rear wheel. And the very shortly thereafter effect of attaching me to the pavement. I hit on the back of my right shoulder and rolled several times, avoiding (through pure luck) hitting my head. I sat dazed for a minute or two as I took inventory. My right shoulder was my primary concern. I'd separated it almost exactly a year ago April (the cruelst month) on a Team Fatty Boston Marathon ride. This time around, my shoulder was fine. As was the rest of me. And except for a few minor scratches to my bar tape, saddle, and derailleur, so was my bike (and in particular the new frame). I stood up and walked over to the side to get out of the way of finishing riders. Dan had seen the whole thing from his vantage point 1 second back--he was impressed that I wasn't in worse shape. A small crowd gathered including two medical personnel-they asked if I was okay. I replied that I was, adding, though, that wasn't it the rule not to listen to the guy who'd just fallen (Alan McEwen's recent experience fresh in my mind)? Apparently, the two paramedics weren't of this school of thought--they seemed satisfied, turned, and strolled away. The rider I hit was super apologetic (it was his fault, after all), and he offered to help with any damage that I might discover later on. We parted with a handshake, smiles, and two sides of a story to tell: 30 meters too far. 
Dan and I continued down Main Street and found Dave, Conrad, Eric, and Heath at a free coffee stand a few hundred yards past the finish.
I wanted to get back to the car to Advil up, so Dan and I headed out.
We got to the parking lot, found the cars, and changed--a post-race chill had settled in.
When I removed my brand new MacGregor jersey (next chance to order--2015!), I noticed that it wasn't brand new anymore.
Actually, to be honest, it's Dan G.'s jersey--I'd swapped my large for his medium Friday night.
Dan, trade back?
I drove back over to the finish area to find Dave, who'd stayed behind to wait for Pete. I parked and caught up with the two of them warming up in a co-op food shop. Pete shared this:
Overall, a challenging but great day. The organizers did a phenomenal job smoothly fitting so many racers into so a small town. The volunteers out on the course did an equally skilled job guiding us at turns and stopping traffic. This was by far the farthest I've ever ridden without a stop. THE NUMBERS
   THE REGISTERED CRACKS/MACS/545s SAT APR 13 9:40am - Larry Alford (35+ Cat1-4) - Eric Brassell (35+ Cat1-4) - Dan Goldman (35+ Cat1-4) - Matt Mitchell (35+ Cat1-4) 10:10am - Chuck Dopfel (55+ Cat1-4) - Jerry Jacobs (55+ Cat1-4) 10:30am - Kevin Young (Cat4B) 10:50am - Jon McNeil (Cat4D) 11:00am - Jonathan Benner (Cat4E) 12:10pm - Jeff Dieffenbach (Cat5D) - Dave Lehman (Cat5D) - Pete Linnard (Cat5D) - Conrad Merrill (Cat5D) - Eric Poch (Cat5D) - Dan Sullivan (Cat5D) - Heath Umbach (Cat5D) SUN APR 14 9:40am - Jerry De Zutter (40+ Cat1-4) 9:50am - Chet Geschickter (50+ Cat1-4) - James Godbey (50+ Cat1-4) - Tom Keane (50+ Cat1-4) - Ray Rhatigan (50+ Cat1-4) - David Waltz (50+ Cat1-4) 10:10am - Bruce Cohen (60+ Cat1-4) - Brian Igo (60+ Cat1-4) - Tom Keery (60+ Cat1-4) |
