Battenkill it is

I guess alot of riders out there have shrugged off the entry fee increase and have decided to give the Tour of the Battenkill another go. As of this post, there are nearly 1500 riders registered. There has been a shitstorm and a half swirling in the blogosphere ever since the entry fee increase from $45 to $75 came to light. Arguments ranged from setting a precedent for higher entry fees, promoter price gouging, and the race not being worth the money, among others.

My ego does not have a need to race every weekend through the Spring and Summer so the whole argument of ToB raising enry fees in other road races in the area does not personally affect me. (If you are a regular racer, I do not regard myself as holier than thou, so my apologies for any offenses.) Something tells me that I doubt it will happen. And if it does, I'm sure you will see it get to a point where racers don't race due to monetary reasons and you will see entry fees swing back the other way to draw racers back. As far as a promoter making money on a race, I really don't care. Honestly, where my money goes is the furthest thing from my mind. Take for example a ride like D2R2 where entry fees actually go to a worthwhile cause. Preserving open space in Franklin County was not even on my mind; I was drawn to the incredible difficulty of the route. (Just ask National Cross Champion Jonny Bold) Here it is in a nutshell: What dollar amount am I willing to pay for a ride experience? For $75, I guess it's worth rubbing elbows with a bunch of 30 somethings for 3 hours while navigating sketchy dirt roads. And I don't care if I get a t-shirt. On the other hand, I'd personally love to do something like the Mt. Washington Hillclimb but I haven't warranted dropping $350... yet, anway.

Which brings me to the topic of riding with the 30+ category. I was asked yet again by my buddy why I'm racing the 30+ when "there are so many guys stronger than you". Well, it's a good thing that I don't race my bicycle to feel good about myself. Thank God. (Just for the record, for a "non-racer" I thought I fared pretty well last year- finishing 34th out of 90 finishers. And that was doing an ITT for over 20 miles.) My buddy goes on to ask, "Why don't you just do the Cat 4 and go for the win?" Well, I guess even if I was realistically in contention, the feeling of the "big win" is too fleeting for me. So yeah, I win and then I want to duplicate that feeling again so I have to race again and then I don't win and I'm pissed or I win again and I have to race again. It never ends. Not to mention, I hate to burst your bubble but on the grand scale of cycling, we all suck. Unless of course, Lance or Alberto happen to be regular readers of this blog. Doubtful. I guess it comes down to this: Why do I ride a bike? For me, the experience and feeling of completion is satisfying enough (and why wouldn't it? ehem) and if I need to race to see the fruits of my labors then so be it. There are plenty of riders out there who are strong who never toe up to a start line. I rode with a guy the other day (61 years old and strong as an ox btw) who rides 10K a year and never pins a number to his jersey. That really struck a chord with me. The guy doesn't have to get out and do 3 hours with 4 x :20 at LT or anything like that. He just rides his freakin' bike.

All this being said, I fully intend on improving on my paltry 34th place at the overpriced ToB this year. That may require some more structured training ala Friel, but I'll try and make it enjoyable. Watch, I'll probably flat out or crash but I'm hoping I got the latter out of my system on Smuggler's Notch.