Tour of the Battenkill – eh…..

This year’s plan was to race the ‘ol Battenkill Roubaix in April. Kind of wish they still called it that. I ended up bailing on the idea because I just couldn’t justify the expense. The race itself was fairly cheap, $40 or so, but factoring in 4 hour drive each way, at least one night in a hotel, and having to take a day off from work…I couldn’t make it make sense, at least then. But I was still interested in the race, and had kind of penciled it into my 2010 calendar as a wait-and-see kind of thing.

Of course then someone told me about the Battenkill shitstorm post from hell, which I read. I’m sure I shouldn’t have done that.

I guess the bottom line for me is that given what I need to invest just to get out there, I’m probably going to wait until things stabilize. I really want to uncork a solid early epic training ride, and it would be cool to make Battenkill that ride, but probably not for 2010. If I lived closer it’d be an easy decision, but the vibe surrounding this race right now is kind of scary. The organizer is absolutely strapped with pressure to pull off an unbelievable event. Too much pressure. I’d rather see things get worked out before making it a getaway event. I want people to be happy, not bleeding stress and poised on the verge of freakout.

So instead, I’m thinking about 6 Gaps of Vermont again. Listen, Battenkill is absolutely tough, I’m sure. But 6 Gaps will crush your soul. It makes everything you do for the rest of the year look like a joke. It’s one of the most valuable rides I’ve ever done. Last go-round in 2008, Grampie and I rode in June, which proved to be a bit warm. So maybe an early May ride, something before Crank the Kanc I’m thinking…this would be a highly acceptable alternative.