Looking forward to Battenkill coverage

Well, we've finally arrived at the last post before Saturday's big show.

Of course, you can probably expect about a week of blog posts to rehash, examine, dissect, and otherwise study the way the race goes down. Let's just hope that it goes better than last year.

Anyhow, here's what you came for: my ToB preview on Velo News. As was revealed in the comments on yesterday's post, the mystery rider in question is BMC's Tony Cruz, fresh off the plane from a fourth place at Scheldeprijs.

After racing Saturday, I'll be donning my reporter's cap (both figuratively and literally) to cover the pro men's invitational on Sunday. I've secured a spot in a support vehicle traveling in the caravan, to ensure that I'll have a good view of the action -- actually, it'll be the best view in the caravan short of riding on Floyd Landis's back.

While I don't want to promise anything I can't deliver, I will almost certainly be able to post live updates from the caravan on Sunday, thanks to a laptop equipped with an aircard. Don't expect a blow-by-blow, but I hope to be able to post a handful of updates during the race.

Of course, come back Sunday evening for a full account and photos. Velo News will carry my formal report, along with photos from Bary Koblenz.

And, to get in the mood, here are the top five from the Tour of the Battenkill:

1) First and foremost, Anthem Sports is going to vanquish all comers, both in the men's 3 race and in the women's 1/2/3. You read it here first.
2) A year of waiting... and here it is!
3) The biggest road race in the country on our door step. How often does that happen?
4) The weather is looking pretty much perfect.
5) Pros coming Sunday will be one of the highest-quality fields ever assembled in New York.

Bottoms from the Tour of the Battenkill:
None, obviously.