On April 18 and 19 the IF/Lionette's Team sent out for upstate New York to participate in the Tour of Battenkil Pro Invitational.
This is probably the biggest one day cycling event in North America and will most likely be on the UCI America Pro Tour next year. Pro teams from North America, including Ouch/Maxxis, Team Type 1, Bissell, Kelly Benefits, fresh of success in Uraguay, and BMC, just back from the Northern Classics of Paris-Roubaix, Gent Wevelgem and Tour of Flanders. Needless to say, the race was expected to be 125 miles of hard riding, with 20% on dirt roads. We were grateful for the invitation from the promoters and look forward to participating again

Todd, Kevin, Hanson, Robbie, and Bruno rode the Pro/1 race. At only 86 miles, this would serve as a warm up and a chance to preview the course. A break got away early and despite our attempts, we missed it. No one in the peleton wanted to waste their energy before the big day on Sunday, so the break was given the chance to succeed and no one organized a chase. Then the rain came and all but Robbie pulled the plug at the second feed zone to get warm. Thanks to Emerson's parents for feeding us and driving our wet shivering, spandex clad bodies back to the start/finish. Robbie finished up in the "chase" group.

The following is Jerome's report of the Cat 2 race on Saturday and the PRO race on Sunday.
Spoiler alert: Jerome ruled.

Thank's to all our sponsors. Lionette's and Clifbar for the food to make us go, Mavic for the wheels that kept us going, Independent Fabrication for making the best bikes from Carpenter's stainless steel, Prologo for the best saddles, Deda for awesome bars/stems/posts, and Giordana for the comfy clothes. Thanks to all for making this happen. And special thanks to feeders, Emerson's parents and Robbie's friend Amanda, and Hanson on Sunday.


Saturday:
Emerson was beating himself up for not going with them while he had the chance as both of us were doing well and riding in the top 10 of the race. Little did he know what was in store for him over the next 2 hours. The first dirt sector is relatively short, and harmless. However, if is followed by a rolling 1-2 mile climb with a steep pitch to end it. This is the set up for the second dirt sector, not so innocent. Juniper Swamp has often been the deciding factor of the race and saw almost half of the Cat. 2 field split off of the back of the race. The steep hill on Juniper Swamp is hard by itself but not so hard that it should split a group only 30 miles into the race. Usually what happens is someone who doesn't know what to expect is over geared, gets a flat, or something of that nature, which causes a split in the group and even forces riders off their bikes.
I made it over the hill with good position at the front but am not sure where Emerson ended up as I didn't see him for the rest of the race. I don't know if it was Juniper that got him or one of the other nasty dirt sections along the way. Closely following Juniper Swamp was sector 3 which lead almost directly into the first feed zone, very badly placed at the bottom of a down hill while riders were riding at upwards of 30 mph. The race rolled through some very pretty farm country for a few miles before coming into Salem center and turning onto what was the finish for the course in previous years. Nothing went down over these miles aside from the early break coming back and one of the riders going directly through the field and out the back, as well as the rain starting to come down which would persist for the rest of the day. One may think that rain was bad but it was actually nice as the dust settled.
The next bothersome area was the nasty paved climb, Joe Bean road. Gavin Manion put in a decently hard attack at the top of the climp to further slim down the selection heading into sector 4. Two riders slipped off the front soon after the dirt and were dangling of the front at about 30 seconds but the damn Cat. 2 field would not organize to chase so they were left out there for much longer then they should have been. The field kept shrinking as the race progressed, helped in part by 3 long and difficult dirt sectors that were only spaced by a couple hundred meters of pavement. The the final selection was made on sector 7. I was actually gapped off the back of the group and chased for a mile or so before re-integrating with the group, thanks to some risky cornering on the wet pavement.
Finally we reached the part that I had been dreading all day, the final 4 step dirt climb 4 miles before the finish. Gavin and one of his Hot Tubes team mates worked over the field pretty well and succeeded in forcing me and my excess weight out the back with two well timed attacks. First Gavin's teammate attacked right at the bottom of the hill and lasted a little less than half way up, then right before he was brought back Gavin punched it and not being able to stand up due the dirt I didn't have the legs to go with him. This was the race deciding move and though I chased my butt off over the last 4 miles I was not able to bring the lead group of 4 that Gavin had formed back. I did win the sprint for 5th out of my group but was hoping for more. Time to rest and recover for the big boys race on Sunday, 124 miles of the same.

Sunday:
The entire IF team, minus Hanson (so hott right now) who sacrificed himself to be the team feeder, lined up on the start of the Tour of Battenkill on a very different day than Saturday. Sunny, windy and warmer. The race had full rolling enclosure, something not found very often on US soil, which threw me off a little at the start because I am used to not being able to move up in the field left of the yellow line and all of a sudden half the entire field moves past me and I find myself at the back NOT GOOD!!
Over the next few miles IF/Lionette's riders can be seen moving forward to the front in preparation for the first dirt sector which is sure to be more important than yesterday. The race tore through the first sector and over Juniper Swamp like two dogs in a bath tub creating some small gaps but nothing race deciding. All though the first feed zone and the second the race stayed together and the entire IF contingent was intact spaced through-out. Then on sector 5 and 6 things started to fall apart. First Kevin flatted and had to wait forever to get a wheel and proceeded to ride past Robbie who had also suffered an untimely flat. Bruno, the newly dedicated team climber who had lead the charge over Joe Bean Hill,
sacrificed himself to try to give Robbie a wheel and a chance to get back to the leaders. However, it was not to be and by the time the race had reached the final dirt sector/climb Adam and I were the only ones left in the lead group heading into the second lap ready to do battle with the course all over again. Adam riding very well considering his 4 hour drive by himself the night before, little sleep, and very stressful day didn't make it over Juniper Swamp on round two. But was able to give me a bottle before dropping off. I was almost all out, no thanks to a certain pro team with LOTS of bottles who wouldn't give me one, I would have been feeling the effects of no liquid VERY soon. Thanks Adam. I think that most of the teams who should have had the fire power to bring back the leading duo (Scott Nydam and Bobby Lea) were either caught off guard by the difficulty of the race or were just feeling lazy because the pace didn't get very serious till 5 or so miles before the second feed zone.
At this point I was starting to feel the effects of 100+ miles in the saddle as well as three separate Pro team killing it at the front and was just hoping to be able to make it. However, it was not to be. I did get a very nice feed from Hanson with some CLIFF SHOT blocks attached that helped me go a little more but on sector 6 the legs went flat and I lost contact with the front group. Then on sector 7 I flatted my front tire and was thankfully still in the caravan and able to get a wheel to make it to the finish. Bruno was there with a Pepsi and to catch me before I fell off my bike, Pepsi never tasted so good. Robbie, Kevin and Bruno were all looking good and would most likely have finished aside from the unfortunate flat but you know what Richard Fries says...That's racing!

Over-all it was a fun filled weekend in the rain, mud, wind, and sun, lots of good food, thanks to Lionette's and prepared by Emerson and I cannot wait to do it again next year. Special thanks to Hanson and Emo's dad for feeding, none of us would have been able to even think about finishing without them.