The Balloon Festival

The Balloon Festival Course
One lap = 21.2 miles
Flatlanders need not apply

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday! After the veritable media blitz I generated here in the lead up to the Tour of the Battenkill Valley, I've been more than a little remiss in my coverage of this weekend's big event, The Balloon Festival Classic.

This race is organized by the geniuses behind the Battenkill-Roubaix, led by Dieter Drake, an icon of racing in this part of the state. Like the B-R, this race features a dirt climb, but differs in that it's only a 21-mile course. Rather than completing one epic lap, racers in various fields complete various numbers of laps. I'm racing the 3/4 field, and will be racing three laps of the course.

Since I'd heard the course is tough, and because Dieter used the word "exceptional" in describing the one dirt climb, I was wary enough to go for a reconnaissance ride this evening. Although driving for the purpose of a training ride is usually against my policy, I occasionally make exceptions, especially where dirt roads are concerned.

The course is difficult. It seems that Dieter went out of his way to find steep climbs that begin with momentum-sapping turns at the base. There are at least three turns like this, where you're heading down an incline, and then you have to turn quickly into a steep climb. I rode two laps of the course tonight, and I think I discovered the secret to getting through these situation with some momentum, but I'm not going to reveal the secret here.

As far as the dirt goes, it turns out that "exceptional" means "exceptionally smooth," "like butter," or "fast and furious." The dirt section, at least when I rode it today, was very smooth, and posed about as much of an obstacle as your average wide-open road. The only potential problem I can see is dust related. When I rode the course today the dirt was damp, which made it solid, and offered good traction. Temps are supposed to be in the upper eights on Friday and Saturday, which could result in a loosening of the dirt surface. I'll give you a tip: resist the urge to stand and keep your butt in the saddle.

All in all, it looks to be an extremely fun, albeit challenging, course. Lately, I seem to be flying on longer climbs, and there aren't many of these on the Balloon Festival course, so I'll have to see if I can make anything happen on the shorter climbs.

Also, Deiter has been sending me the following press release for the past couple weeks. I realized today that this was my cue to put something in the paper. Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to do that last week, when I wrote instead about the ESG qualifying race. Oh well. Hopefully this post will do a little to make up for it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Cambridge, NY - Farm Team Cycling and Cambridge Valley Cycling announce the 5th Annual Cambridge Valley Balloon Festival Classic Cycling Race on Saturday, June 7 in Cambridge, NY. Held in conjunction with the 8th Annual Cambridge Valley Balloon Festival, the race expects to draw racers from throughout the Northeast to compete on the scenic hills of the Battenkill & Cambridge Valleys of Southern Washington County. Races start & finish on Broad Street next to the historic & newly-reopened Cambridge Hotel. Participants will race on laps over a 21 mile loop with Professional riders racing 4 laps & 84 miles. The course includes direct passes through Cambridge each lap, a difficult 3 mile climb to Center Cambridge, and the infamous O'Donnell Hill in the Town of Jackson. The race also includes a dirt road section of Stevenson Road in the Town of Cambridge which is reminiscent of April's Tour of the Battenkill which drew more than 1100 riders from throughout the USA.

Races for Juniors begin at 9 AM on Broad Street, Cambridge. Amateur & Professional races will follow. The Cambridge Kids Classic - short races for children under 10 - will be held at approximately 2 PM on Broad Street. Race & event information can be found at www.farmteamcycling.org. The race benefits Farm Team Cycling, a regional cycling team for ages 10-18.