Colonelmom

I"m in, racing w 3/4 on Saturday.. running 25mm Conti four Season, a little heavier tire, but hopefully will get through without flatting... if you read the web site, they recommend every rider carry a spare tube, etc to repair a flat...

45suited

I am in for the 35+...passed on the cat 2, since I got a late start this year. I didn't think I was ready for a80+ mile rr just yet. I am running some 24 Pave's on 303's. I figure if I flat out, ill race the 30+ on Sunday.

globecanvas

The raked dirt pretty much dominated any impression of road conditions. The rakes bring up golf ball sized rocks along with the soft dirt, you can see it especially in this video from the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IRLhiaxExM . On the other hand, the rakes do fill in the potholes, so maybe it's a wash as far as pinch flat risk. It does make the going slower and harder though. We did have one guy flat out of 6 of us, which is more or less in line with the 10% average for the race.

Be especially careful of turns off of dirt roads onto paved roads, because a lot of loose dirt gets pushed into the intersection and it's a popular place to wash out. Mile 15.8 (end of the Juniper Swamp dirt descent) is an especially bad corner.


I hope you are right and it gets packed down well. There is still plenty of time, but there is not much traffic on these roads. I think we saw about 4 cars on dirt roads all day.

Racer Ex 

Out.

botto 

wise choice.

nothing dumber than paying a boatload of cash for a novelty race, except maybe paying an even bigger boatload of cash to travel across a continent to do a novelty race.

rkwaki

Or paying a coach to be a Cat 4 breakaway specialist...

Racer Ex 

I was a Cat 4 breakaway specialist with a coach.

Acorns and oaks.

rkwaki

But for how long???
Exception to the rule,,,

Racer Ex 

10 races.

I guess that means the rule wasn't a very good one.

echappist

watch it, fatso

funny, i'm in the exact same situation. now if i can rack up a palmare that is a tenth of yours, that'd be swell.

botto 

it helps to be an ugly version of her.

tetonrider

it never ceases to be amusing how worked up some people get about how others spend their own money.

if there weren't "fools" in the world, we'd have very little in the way of commerce or services.

what i see in this thread missed the point that 99.9% or more of the world thinks that spending ANY money on racing a bike is stupid. we really don't need to beat up on one another's choices.

3kmi

So back on topicish, I'm looking at being in particularly terrible shape for Battenkill, but still planning on racing the 4 field. Anybody fancy a small group off the back with me?

botto 

calm down.

happybday29475

I'm a little acorn.


quacky didn't you not long ago attribute your success to excellent coaching?

tetonrider

don't become a relic over there (or here, as it were)! ;-)

grolby

Truth.

Battenkill is a fun race. Straight up. It runs on surfaces that we rarely get to race on, even though they are in fact roads. There are enough dirt road sections to make them a true strategic element of the race. On the other hand, there's a race around here (a good race, too!) that throws in half a mile of dirt each 22 mile lap so they can call it "Hell of the South," (could be much worse, they could've called it "Berlin-Roubaix" or something like that). It's easily cut out without changing the race much, too, it's just a short loop off the main road, which the race returns to only 1.5 miles later. Now THAT is a novelty element. Battenkill is a different kettle of fish.

Virten

Still dreading that I signed up for this race. Will be racing in the 4E field.

Creatre

Im looking forward to this race! And the little vacation to see family friends at the same time. I'm in the Cat2 field!

Grumpy McTrumpy

Dang. I was looking forward to meeting.

Racer Ex 

Planes fly west too

tetonrider

you practically drove past him (actually you probably were 5 minutes away!) when you went out to the EC last year. you drove out from LA, if memory serves.

bummed R.Ex won't be there; he's good people.

MDcatV

i've used conti 4 seasons, 25s, with latex tubes. it was a good combo.

on carrying a spare tube, i havent, but one of my team mates flatted last year, something happened where he missed the wheel van and ended up outside the race caravan. he ended up knocking on a door and getting a ride from a resident on the course. kind of funny story.

good luck to everyone racing, i really like battenkill. it's a fun, fun race that demands a lot of you. wish i was in it but just not in the cards for this year.

TheKillerPenguin

I am reticent to say this as it means it's going to happen this year, but I've never flatted at Battenkill, and have raced it like 5 times on 23c's. Pro2's, Mondo Pros, and GP 4000s. I wouldn't overthink it.

mike868y

trying to elide between 4000s and gatorskins. both 23c. my gatorskins have more miles. buying new ones isn't in the cards. have a sinking feeling i'm going to flat either way.