Tour of the Battenkill results

Monday, April 20, 2009

Battenkill breakaway
Nydam takes early lead, hangs on for big victory

By ALAN WECHSLER, Staff writer
First published in print: Monday, April 20, 2009

CAMBRIDGE — Scott Nydam believed. And Scott Nydam won.

When Nydam first broke away from the pelaton during the first 45 minutes of the Tour of the Battenkill bike race Sunday, his plan was to help out his teammates.

By racing ahead, Nydam would force cyclists on other teams to catch up. Meanwhile, his own team could relax — as much as one could relax on a 124-mile bicycle race — knowing they already had a man in front.

That was the plan — except Nydam, 32, of Sebastopol, Calif. wasn't being chased. The competition was content to let him go ahead, perhaps thinking they'd catch up as the miles stretched on and the hills wore him down.

But Nydam, a member of the BMC Racing Team, believed he could win. He kept his lead for an amazing, thigh-burning 41/2 hours, winning the Tour with a time of 5 hours, 16 minutes and 32 seconds.

He arrived at the finish line around 4:30 p.m., covered in dust and dried sweat, still energetic enough to raise his fist to the cheers of 500 spectators.

His reward: a check for $1,300 and a quart of chocolate milk from a local dairy.

"If you don't believe you can win, you're behind," he told the crowd after the race, which began and ended in Cambridge. "I packed my hat this morning because I believed I'd be on the podium. And here we are."

Second-place finisher Karl Menzies of Team Ouch came in 2 minutes and 17 seconds behind Nydam. The Tasmania, Australia native later downed most of his chocolate milk to the delight of the crowd.

He described the route as one of the hardest courses he's ever raced.

"It just doesn't let up," he said, "And it's very technical."

His teammate Floyd Landis, the most famous name expected to race on Sunday, did not show. Officials said he backed out because of a leg laceration from a recent crash.

Bobby Lee, a Pennsylvania cyclist who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had broken away with Nydam early in the race and stayed with him for hours, only to fall behind at the end. Francois Parisien of the Canadian team Planet Energy finished third.

This was the fifth-annual Tour of the Battenkill, which takes riders on a winding tour of southern Washington County farm roads, some of which are dirt. Sunday's ride, which had 22 teams, included a total of 5,000 feet of climbing.

In team racing, teammates protect their best rider, saving their energy to attack toward the end. But there can be surprises, such as Nydam's successful breakaway.

For local cycling fans, the race was a rare chance to see a sport that is huge in Europe but mostly a fringe sport in the United States.

Todd Shapiro of Saratoga Springs raced in Saturday's pro/am and came back as a spectator on Sunday. He camped out at the top of Juniper Swamp Road, a dirt byway said to be the tour's steepest hill. At this spot, riders needed to keep weight over their back wheels to avoid slipping in the dust while climbing, a difficult trick with lungs about to burst.

"There's a lot of cramping after all these hills," Shapiro said.

Race founder Dieter Drake said he's hoping to add a third day of competition next year. He's also hoping that the race will be recognized internationally, which would bring in European teams and raise the level of competition.

But plenty of pros are already won over. Nydam, who won the climbing competition at last year's Tour of California, the nation's largest bike race, still described Sunday as his "first major win."

"It's on the top of my list," he said.

Alan Wechsler can be reached at 454-5469 or

by e-mail at awechsler@timesunion.com.

Check out these other links for more about this race.

http://www.velonews.com/article/90958/bmc-s-scott-nydam-solos-to-win-the-pro-men-s-tour-of-the

http://www.velonews.com/photo/gallery/90958

http://capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/137708/tour-of-the-battenkill-pays-off/Default.aspx

http://www.flickr.com:80/photos/amanaplanacanalpanama/sets/72157616978938937/

SOME COMMENTS FROM RACE PARTICPANTS

Hi Dieter and everybody that helped organizing Battenkill,

I just wanted to say thank you for another amazing event. I know there's a lot of commotion about scoring etc. right now, so I just wanted to give you some positive pep-talk!

I think the course this year was an improvement over last year (a bit more balanced) and the crowds were fantastic again - those cheers and cow-bells really help! Thank you to everybody next to the road and all those people that had to wait in their cars while the racers were coming by - your patience was much appreciated. Thank you to all the fellow racers too; it may just be an impression but I always feel like Battenkill brings out the more friendly and courteous side of racers (must be the near death experience ...)

My wife and I will definitely race again next year and can't wait to see you all at Battenkill 2010!

Cheers,

Geert 

Simply put. It was a great race course. It was well advertised and explained. It was hard and that was why it was so much fun.
Yes, I am still awaiting my results, but I was not top 10 so it is just about bragging rights now.I hope they do NOT change the course next year. 

I am a bit confused on the wheel situation however, the Race Guide did say In and Out with 15 sets of Neutral Wheels. The Wheel car can certainly stop for a rider in another grouping it is common practive in many road races. There are almost 1000 riders on the course at one time.

As for the crashes, well, that happens. Did you guys see the Video posted from the CAT 3 Racer? that big crash happened on a flat paved section of the course. So go cry elsewhere.

For all you gravel road whiners, You have one year to do some Cyclocross and learn how to handle a bike.

See you in 2010

Thanks to all the Washington County residents that came out and cheered the wet/cold/tired riders as they passed your homes or places of business. It was great to hear the yell of a local or the clamoring of a cowbell as the race wore on. You guys are certainly a bike friendly community from my point of view and I can 't wait to return.

Bruce B

absolutely agree«
Reply #1 on Apr 21, 2009, 10:31am »
best fans i've seen and much, much appreciated!

Re: The Wash.Co.Fans« Reply #2 on Apr 21, 2009, 11:16am » Apr 21, 2009, 10:31am, iworedettos wrote:
Ditto!! Fans were great!
To the woman who yelled "1K to go!!" to me .... thank you!! Sweeter words I have never heard !!

10 .... more cowbell!          

Just chiming in with my objective subjective perspective....

On a scale of 1-10 ...10 being best...

Pre-race info: 10.

Parking: 10

Port-a-potties: ...plenty of them..and at the right locations. I'm going with 9 just because ..well...it's hard to give a port-a-potty a 10.

Registration: 10

Start on time: 10

Course well-marked: 10

Course: it's difficult ...but we know that.

Scenery: 10.

Wheel support: n/a for me.

Medical support: n/a for me... but with ambulances and airlifts ... would seem to be good.

Fan support: 10 ...more cowbell! (can you have too much? ...no!)

Timeliness of results: 10. On BikeReg.com on Monday, my expectation.

Accuracy of results: 10. No issues for me.

Overall vibe: 10 .... totally happy with my day.

Re: 10 .... more cowbell!

I'm with you, great day even though I flatted and missed the wheel van - as my back was turned attending the rider that got airlifted out.

I will be back - but will go down that nasty gravely off camber curved road SLOWER

The Tour of the Battenkill has partnered with Battenkill Valley Creamery, the only fluid (bottled) milk producer-processor in Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties, to produce a commemorative bottle of chocolate milk to promote the race and celebrate the agricultural roots of Washington County.  The bottles’ imagery includes the artwork of Sara Kelly of Cambridge and Heather Bellanca of Salem.