It was a chilly damp morning for the start of the Tour of the Battenkill this past weekend however Dorschel/Reed Eye Associates was there to represent. Both Jerry and Dave made the trek to Cambridge NY for the queen of the classics that included over 10 miles of muddy pothole filled dirt roads. It had rained all day the previous day so the dirt sections were pretty sketchy however Jerry and Dave negotiated them safely and only got a little dirty!
The race started conservatively with the 65 mile distance in front of the field but as soon as the climbs started it started to heat up. Both Jerry and Dave stayed near the front and out of trouble most of the race and were in good position near the end when the decisive action began. As the second to last climb began on Meeting House Rd the paced ramped up quickly and the group was quickly stringing out as guys were put on their limit. Dave was 5th wheel over the top of the climb and Jerry was close by, both feeling that this is where the final selection would happen. Unfortunately it wasn't and the group of 25 or so came back together on the downhill. That left the last climb of the day up Stage Rd, steep in some sections and a bit of a stair stepping climb. Dave started to cramp prior to the climb and slipped towards the back of the group however Jerry was in great position as the group hit the start of the climb. Dave slowly picked his way past riders as they blew up and was 11th as he crested the top. Jerry was in perfect position in 4th wheel however suffered a punctured rear tire about 2/3 of the way up which took him out of contention. A quick wheel replacement from the neutral wheel car and Jerry was back in action but not until the group was well ahead. Dave latched onto a group of 6 guys that were in pursuit of the leading group of 4 with about 5km to go. Unfortunately the chase group wasn't working well together and the lead group of 4 riders was getting away. Dave made the decision at that point to conserve energy for the sprint. At 400 meters to go there was a sharp 90 degree corner into town and the sprint was on. Dave managed to get around four riders in his group to finish 7th! Despite the terribly timed flat Jerry still finished 32nd out of a field of 83 riders.
Overall it was a great experience and a great showing for the Dorschel/Reed Eye Associates team!
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