I finished the Tour of the Battenkill road race in Salem, New York, today. The race was truly a classic. The race is nicknamed Battenkill Roubaix because it is an April road race on an epic course with five sections of bumpy dirt road. It pays homage to Paris-Roubaix, one of the most prestigious one day races in the world. Paris-Roubaix is known as “The Queen of the Classics” and is famous for the pavé, or cobblestones that line much of the course. Paris-Roubaix was last Sunday. The Sunday prior, was The Tour of Flanders, another one of the spring classics. I’ve ridden much of the Flanders course and it is very unique. In Flanders, there are several steep cobblestone hills that are treacherous when wet. Today’s race was actually more like Flanders than Paris-Roubaix, which is a relatively flat race. Battenkill Roubaix would have been more like the European spring classics if today’s weather would have been more traditional (lousy) for early spring in the Northeast.
Battenkill Roubaix has no cobbles, but the sections of steep dirt road are very challenging. In addition to the dirt, the course is very hilly and consists of several other significant asphalt climbs. We had unseasonably warm weather today with temperatures reaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I posted a more detailed race update and some photos on the Horst-Benidorm-Property Research Corp. Cycling Team blog. The course was gorgeous, the weather was fabulous (thought too hot for April), and the race volunteers were great. Battenkill is east of Saratoga and just to the west of the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts and Vermont. It was a great day for a bike ride.
Life Adventures 