Battenkill Bike Race
3/31/08
Salem, NY - Organizers of the 2008 Tour of the Battenkill (www.tourofthebattenkill.com) are proud to announce a preliminary list of teams competing in this year's Professional races on April 19 in Salem, NY. Highlighting the Men's Race will be returning 2007 Men's Champion Mathieu Roy who won last year's edition by less than a bicycle length in a 12-rider sprint. He will be challenged by a full field that includes 5-time Canadian National Champion and 3-time World Championship team member Mark Walters of Team RACE of Ontario. 2007 Women's Champion Heather Labance of the Advil-Chapstick Women's Professional Cycling Team will also defend her title on the difficult course through Southern Washington County, NY. Labance also placed third the the US Open Cycling Championships and 11th in the Women's Elite US National Championships in 2007. The current teams are:
Advil/Chapstick Women's Professional Cycling Team
Kenda/Raleigh Men's Cycling Team
Rite Aid Pro Cycling
CCB/Volkswagen
Calyon Professional Cycling of Montreal
Target Training Elite Development Team
EVA Devinci Pro Cycling
Team RACE Professional Cycling of Ontario
Team Volkswagen of Quebec
MetLife Pro-Am Cycling
Alliance Environmental Elite Cycling Team
Sakonnet Technology U25 Elite Cycling Team
CRCA Empire Cycling Team
Fitness Together / IF pb Lionette's
Fiordifrutta Cycling Team
Jet Fuel Coffee Cycling Team - Toronto
Many more professional teams are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Already the largest single-day road race in the U.S.A with more than 1300 racers from 25 States and Canada registered in 16 different fields, the event expects to draw nearly 1600 racers by race day. The event is hosted in cooperation with the Towns & Villages of the Battenkill Valley (visitbattenkillvalley.com). Proceeds will benefit Farm Team Cycling of Cambridge (farmteamcycling.org) - an area Junior-level cycling team, and the Public Libraries of Southern Washington County, NY.
Starting & finishing in the rural Washington County New York village of Salem, the race features one of the most challenging and unique race courses on the North American calendar with a single 55 mile loop, rolling countryside, direct passes through small villages, covered bridges, and the un-paved roads that have become the race's trademark. Challenging sections of the course include Juniper Swamp in the Town of Salem - a 1/4 mile un-paved climb with a 15% grade, Meeting House and Becker Roads in Easton - 4 very difficult un-paved climbs that come late in the course, and the challenging climb up Willard Mountain at mile 30. The Elite and Professional Men will race on an extended 82 mile course that will feature the rarely-travelled McKie Hollow in the Town of White Creek - a 1/2 mile unpaved climb that averages 12-15% in grade, and they'll finish with a final 7 mile circuit in the Town of Salem. Along the way, racers will pass directly through the small villages of Salem, Cambridge, and Greenwich giving spectators several opportunities to see the race.
Major 2008 Race Sponsors include Glens Falls Hospital (glensfallshospital.org), Trade Manage Capital (trademanagecapital.com), WestoodVelo (westwoodvelo.com), the Rice Mansion Inn (ricemansioninn.com), Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Company (gfnational.com), Towns & Villages of the Battenkill Valley (visitbattenkillvalley.com), Reynolds Real Estate of Greenwich (lreynoldsrealestate.com), Cabot of Vermont (cabotcheese.com), Echappe Equipment (echappeonline.com), 53x11 Coffee (53x11coffee.com), Udderly Smooth Udder Cream (uddercream.com), Flex Power (flexpower.com), Adidas Eyewear (adidas.com/eyewear), Washington County Tourism Association (washingtoncounty.org), Maxxis Tires (maxxis.com), and Adirondack Sports & Fitness Magazine (adksportsfitness.com)
See www.tourofthebattenkill.com for race details, contact information, volunteer information, race expo opportunities, and the many sponsorship opportunities still available.
