Tour of the Battenkill Master's 30+ race report

This was my first time racing Battnkill and was pretty excited. I knew with the master’s field the pace would be quick and since a lot of them were from southern parts of NY and CT, I figured their fitness levels would be a little better than mine at this point in the season.

I rode the first 10 miles mid-pack (125 registered starters) and coming into the first dirt section I somehow got sifted to the back. I didn’t panic because I thought I would regain my position on the first real climb. I did pick off about 1/3 of the pack on the climb but was quite surprised at how strong the pace was with the rest of the group. The dirt sections were a mix of hardpack and spots of loose sand and gravel (especially on the sides). Going up the hill was not a problem but on the first major downhill dirt section, due to the off-camber of the road, I drifted off to the side and got caught in the gravel. I have no idea how I did it but I managed to keep the rubber side down going 30+ and fishtailing like crazy. Unfortunately I had to brake to keep from loosing it and lost contact with the front goup. There was still about 1/3 of the pack strung out behind me (remnants from the first hill) and about 5 of us regrouped and tried to catch back on to the peloton. With the dirt section, their strength, and their numbers we were not able to catch back on.

Our group kept gobbling up riders that had dropped from the main pack and for a while we had a group of about 10-15 riders doing (poor) pace-lining. It is amazing to me how many people don’t know how to keep a good rotation while pace-lining. Some would sprint as soon as they were on the front, others wouldn’t pull off. I’ve always loved going for the BRC rides in which we practiced this. It is an invaluable tool to have.

At about mile 45, from what I recall, I was heading downhill on a dirt section, got a little loose in the gravel (again) and the next thing I know is I am standing up looking at my bloodied knee and shoulder. For the next 30 minutes I only remember a few things; using my water bottle to clean the blood off my knee, calling my wife to let her know I had crashed (I called her 5 times in 10 minutes saying the same thing “I just had a crash, I think I have a concussion, I don’t know what state I’m in but I know I’m in a bike race, I’m a little beaten up but I’m okay, and I think I’m going to continue on.”). I also remember trying to get my front wheel to spin but it kept stopping and I couldn’t figure out why. One rider stopped to help me with my wheel but could get it going either. The next thing I remember I was being put into the ambulance.

From what I was able to gather from other riders and phone messages I did somehow manage to keep riding. Luckily, a friend who had flatted a few miles earlier, came up on me, saw my condition, and convinced me to pull over and sit down. He then went ahead to the nearest marshall and had them call for an ambulance (my wife had already done the same).

Because of the head injury, and from what I understand from the EMTs (I passed out several times) they decided to medi-vac me to the nearest trauma center in Albany. At the hospital they gave me a thorough check of my head, neck, and chest, and by 3 in the morning I got the clear to leave after only sustaining a broken thumb, some bruised ribs, and some good road rash.

I’m feeling lucky that I came out of it with only minor injuries but it is going to keep me off the bike for a while. As far as Battenkill I do enjoy a challenging race but with those sections of loose gravel and off-camber roads I feel that it was more dangerous than challenging. However a majority of the people finished without crashing so maybe I need to do some cross this year to help me with my bike handling skills on dirt.