Battenkill experience?

[T.J.]

Reg is Nov15th and we are planning on making the trip up but I am a little confused by the fields. I see the cat2 for Saturday but nothing for Sunday?
Those that have done it , what tires have you had success running, ie; I don't wanna flat! Supple race tire be damned! If I travel this far to race I don't want to DNF

[Nooch]

Not sure the confusion -- there's no cat 2 race on Sunday.

Sunday is the gran fondo and all the other classes -- saturday is the 'real' race day..

sorry, let me clarify -- the reason you get the cat 3/4/5 championship races on Sunday is because there are all the different cat 3/4/5/ fields on Saturday -- looks like they're holding the cat 2 to one field (same as the men's pro/1 race).

The podiums of all the other fields get to duke it out one more time to actually 'win battenkill' and not 'win their race at battenkill'

I've ridden the course before on conti gp4000s tires without issue, but most of my buddies who race it will run open pave's.

[T.J.]

Not sure the confusion -- there's no cat 2 race on Sunday.

Sunday is the gran fondo and all the other classes -- saturday is the 'real' race day..

sorry, let me clarify -- the reason you get the cat 3/4/5 championship races on Sunday is because there are all the different cat 3/4/5/ fields on Saturday -- looks like they're holding the cat 2 to one field (same as the men's pro/1 race).

The podiums of all the other fields get to duke it out one more time to actually 'win battenkill' and not 'win their race at battenkill'

I've ridden the course before on conti gp4000s tires without issue, but most of my buddies who race it will run open pave's.


so it looks like Saturday for me.

[Nooch]

so it looks like Saturday for me.

indeed it does!!

[batman1425]

I raced it in either 07 or 08, can't remember exactly which. The year it was DRY and HOT, which most (including myself) were not prepared for.

It was also dry in the weeks leading up to the event and the roads got graded just before the event. The result was around 2-3 inches of soft sand on many of the gravel sections. Lots of people walking up those climbs and a bad day to have speedplays.

I went with aluminum clinchers with 23mm Michelin PR3's and flatted my front wheel in the last gravel section before the finish where the road was really torn up and rutted. I was trying to bridge to a chase group and was pushing harder than I should have on that terrain.

If I were to do it again, I'd go for a tubeless setup with a 25mm tire and adjust pressure based on the course conditions on the day. If you don't set up tubeless, bring a spare tube and CO2/pump. The way the course is setup, it may take a sag wagon a while to roll past. I had a spare tube the year I raced and even after stopping to fix the flat still rolled in for a mid pack finish.

[nooneline]

Battenkill is a "run what you brung" race. There were a few years when a lot of people experimented with 28mm tubulars and found them to be cushy, but way too slow. The dirt roads are rarely off the charts so special equipment isn't necessary. Conditions do vary a lot year to year. I did it during a couple years when the dirt roads were about as smooth and as fast (well, minus some potholes) than the paved roads. I used 23mm clinchers and tubulars, and was by and large able to completely ignore my tires.

[EDS]

I have done Battenkill five times. No special equipment needed. I did run 700x25s (Schwalbe Ultremo) this season rather than 700x23 like in years past, but I rolled the 25's all season so it was not a special set-up for the race.

[T.J.]

I have done Battenkill five times. No special equipment needed. I did run 700x25s (Schwalbe Ultremo) this season rather than 700x23 like in years past, but I rolled the 25's all season so it was not a special set-up for the race.

thanks for the info

[T.J.]

I raced it in either 07 or 08, can't remember exactly which. The year it was DRY and HOT, which most (including myself) were not prepared for.

It was also dry in the weeks leading up to the event and the roads got graded just before the event. The result was around 2-3 inches of soft sand on many of the gravel sections. Lots of people walking up those climbs and a bad day to have speedplays.

I went with aluminum clinchers with 23mm Michelin PR3's and flatted my front wheel in the last gravel section before the finish where the road was really torn up and rutted. I was trying to bridge to a chase group and was pushing harder than I should have on that terrain.

If I were to do it again, I'd go for a tubeless setup with a 25mm tire and adjust pressure based on the course conditions on the day. If you don't set up tubeless, bring a spare tube and CO2/pump. The way the course is setup, it may take a sag wagon a while to roll past. I had a spare tube the year I raced and even after stopping to fix the flat still rolled in for a mid pack finish.

my powertap wheels are tubeless, that may be what I do

[ultraman6970]

Who kill the batten?

[EDS]

thanks for the info

I will say this though, a few years a go a few teammates and I road the course a few weeks before the actual race. It had rained and the course was a total slopfest, with many of the off-camber downhill turns requiring careful attention to the line you were taking. I was wishing for bigger tires that day! Would have been a total mess to race in those conditions.

Some years the dirt roads have been spongy (due to being wet) so climbing out of the saddle often was counterproductive due to the loss in traction with less weight on the rear. Other years, sand has been an issue - ripping down one of the rollers on Meeting House Road there were patches of sand a few inches deep, some people hit them and went from 30+ mph to 0 mph real fast. Other years, freshly graded roads have been the issue due to more gravel. For the most part though, the roads are smooth dirt, but due to changes in the course, the impact of weather and DOT road repair, that may not be the case.

[pakora]

Only did it this year, but I didn't do anything to my bike (including sticking with a standard double and 13-23, which for one race, I wasn't going to get a new cassette and chain) - PR4 25s and a saddlebag.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . for the past 8 years, most from a moto, and here's my two cents . . .

"Finals" races are on Sunday before the Gran Fondo. so you would only race again Sunday if you podiumed in your Saturday race.

The only guaranteed consistently bad road is the bottom of the hill on Becker Road--if they use that stretch--because it is indeed off camber. In 2012 I was standing there in a dust cloud with bikes hurtling past me into the trees because people were taking it way too fast. Large gauge rock, off camber, and at the bottom of a long descent where it's a real "Oh, SH*T!" moment for anybody who hasn't pre-ridden the course and isn't expecting it.

That last dirt section one poster mentioned is Stage Road. Again in 2012, the local DOT had "fixed" the section just before you hit pavement again by dumping a lot of that same #$@%^ large gauge rock. Now it's been flattened back down.

The bottom of the first hill on Meeting House Road was also"fixed" by local DOT in 2011 by dumping a couple of loads of fine sand. Women Cat 1's came down the hill at speed and ka-BOOM! I saw video but wasn't there in person, dammit.

The long, fast dirt descent on the backside of Juniper Swamp is also good for potholes and some crashes. But for the most part Nooneline is correct that the dirt roads are hard and fast, but interrupted by totally unexpected potholes.

There's so many races going on Saturday that by afternoon the fields are all mixed up and a group may come by me with a wheel wagon behind that belongs to a different field.

I usually go over the week before the race in the spring to scout out some photo locations. Pic below is that stretch on Becker in 2012.

BBD

[T.J.]

BBD~ ok so if you podium on Sat you race on Sun except if you are a Cat2? It also appears that there is a 45+ masters on Sat but its 40+ on Sunday?

[azrider]

"Finals" races are on Sunday before the Gran Fondo. so you would only race again Sunday if you podiumed in your Saturday race.

So wait.....does that mean the field in Sunday's races for CAT 3's is only 6 deep and 18 deep for CAT 4's ??

[54ny77]

I've only done it once, but it was probably THE MOST fun racing I've ever had.

If you've got at least decent fitness and are a good bike handler, you will have a blast.

I don't see myself racing again anytime soon, but would really like to do the recon/fondo ride one day, maybe next year.

[BumbleBeeDave]

BBD~ ok so if you podium on Sat you race on Sun except if you are a Cat2? It also appears that there is a 45+ masters on Sat but its 40+ on Sunday?

. . . from this past year was that Sunday decision races involved all podium finishers from the Saturday races. So if there were 6 Cat. 4 races on Saturday, for instance, then 6x3 racers on Sunday, so 18. I got that from race sheet for Saturday and then personal observation on Sunday. The fields seemed too large to be just the 1st place finishers.

But it could have completely changed for this next spring. Dieter has had challenges these past few years in fitting in more and more fields to accommodate the growth of the event--without making each individual field too large. He's also limited to having races on just Saturday and Sunday.

I haven't looked at this year's registration page yet. As I recall, 2013 was the first year he had "decision" races on Sunday. In 2012 he had the charity ride with Lemond in the morning and the Gran Fondo in the PM.

BBD

[T.J.]

saw the diff fields of cat4 and cat5 but only the cat2 race on Saturday. so I am assuming I can only race the one day. thanks Dave




. . . from this past year was that Sunday decision races involved all podium finishers from the Saturday races. So if there were 6 Cat. 4 races on Saturday, for instance, then 6x3 racers on Sunday, so 18. I got that from race sheet for Saturday and then personal observation on Sunday. The fields seemed too large to be just the 1st place finishers.

But it could have completely changed for this next spring. Dieter has had challenges these past few years in fitting in more and more fields to accommodate the growth of the event--without making each individual field too large. He's also limited to having races on just Saturday and Sunday.

I haven't looked at this year's registration page yet. As I recall, 2013 was the first year he had "decision" races on Sunday. In 2012 he had the charity ride with Lemond in the morning and the Gran Fondo in the PM.

BBD

[shovelhd]

Yeah, the rules change every year it seems. Make sure you pre-reg early or you will get locked out of the less popular fields like Cat2 where there is only one field.

Guys I know that do this race (I don't) run Vittoria Pave in either 23mm or 25mm.

[T.J.]

Yeah, the rules change every year it seems. Make sure you pre-reg early or you will get locked out of the less popular fields like Cat2 where there is only one field.

Guys I know that do this race (I don't) run Vittoria Pave in either 23mm or 25mm.

Yeah I plan on registering as soon as it opens. I only have the option of the 2's or masters. Still kinda confusing

[Dieter]

BBD is correct. For all the multiple-field categories on Saturday (Cat 3,4,5) there are championship finals on Sunday using a 22 mile course. For all other categories, your race is your championship.

I'm not sure what the confusion is with the Cat 2s -they are on Saturday and the Pro/1 is on Sunday.

Becker Road returns in 2014. It's best to preview the course, though we'll have really good signage there alerting riders.

[shovelhd]

Nice to see you here. Welcome. Too bad the crit series didn't come together. I was looking forward to doing some damage on those courses.

[shovelhd]

Yeah I plan on registering as soon as it opens. I only have the option of the 2's or masters. Still kinda confusing

Cat2 should be easier than Masters.

[Dieter]

Agreed. the 35s and 45s rival the Cat 2s on avg speed, historically, though they only race 65 miles while the 2s race 83 or so.

The crit series would have been fun. Too expensive on our end of things though.

[BumbleBeeDave]

BBD is correct. For all the multiple-field categories on Saturday (Cat 3,4,5) there are championship finals on Sunday using a 22 mile course. For all other categories, your race is your championship.

I'm not sure what the confusion is with the Cat 2s -they are on Saturday and the Pro/1 is on Sunday.

Becker Road returns in 2014. It's best to preview the course, though we'll have really good signage there alerting riders.

You're gonna spoil all my good shots!

BBD

[alessandro]

BBD is correct. For all the multiple-field categories on Saturday (Cat 3,4,5) there are championship finals on Sunday using a 22 mile course. For all other categories, your race is your championship.

I'm not sure what the confusion is with the Cat 2s -they are on Saturday and the Pro/1 is on Sunday.

Becker Road returns in 2014. It's best to preview the course, though we'll have really good signage there alerting riders.

Nice to see you here. Welcome.

:hello: Agreed--excellent to see you here.

Now, I just have to actually go to one of your events. :D

Nice lineup for next year:

Battenkill Spring Preview Ride - March 23 - Cambridge, NY
BattenFall Classic - March 30
10th Annual Tour of the Battenkill – April 5-6 – Cambridge, NY
Hunter-Greene Spring Classic - May 10
Hunter-Greene Summer Classic - June 28
7th Annual Tour of the Catskills – August 1-3 – Hunter, Windham, NY
Hunter-Greene Fall Classic - September 13
BattenFall Classic - October 4 - Salem, NY
Battenkill Fall Preview Ride - October 5 - Cambridge, NY

[T.J.]

BBD is correct. For all the multiple-field categories on Saturday (Cat 3,4,5) there are championship finals on Sunday using a 22 mile course. For all other categories, your race is your championship.

I'm not sure what the confusion is with the Cat 2s -they are on Saturday and the Pro/1 is on Sunday.

Becker Road returns in 2014. It's best to preview the course, though we'll have really good signage there alerting riders.

Making sure we are going to register for the correct day and aren't missing anything. Driving up looks to be a 14 hour haul so kinda want to make sure we get registered for the right race /day

[Dieter]

We're really fortunate to have venues and locations that want us there. The Battenkill Valley and the Catskills (about 2 hrs south) are also incredible places to ride bicycles.

[Dieter]

Making sure we are going to register for the correct day and aren't missing anything. Driving up looks to be a 14 hour haul so kinda want to make sure we get registered for the right race /day

Yep. The reg page has the day listed for every category. It should be pretty clear.

[josephr]

I wouldn't be a racer, but I'd sign up for the gran fondo in a heartbeat if that was anywhere close to me!

FYI - I noticed the greatadventure website still had passes available for the battenkill/cascades combo.

Joe

[Mr. Pink]

Why was the name changed from the Battenkill Roubaix?

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . nobody from Washington County except Dieter can correctly pronounce "Roubaix!"

:p

BBD

[Dieter]

. . . nobody from Washington County except Dieter can correctly pronounce "Roubaix!"

:p

BBD

True.