Albany Bicycle Coalition

Tomorrow at 12 PM, road bike racers from all over the globe will begin a grueling 124 mile race around upstate New York. The invitational race boasts over fifteen grand in prize money. Expect. Pure. Chaos.

It’s not all about the race.

1. Ride a marathon with three time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond at 8 Am.
2. Take the kids on tour of Cambridge between 2:30 and 3PM.
3. Bid on art in a silent auction for one-of-a-kind piece by former pro, Doug Dale.
4. Check out the steller expo all day. Find the booth with chocolate milk. It’s awesome!

More Here, Tour of the Battenkill

Today, amateur racers battle for their place on the podium. I played the official’s role. Told racers when they crossed the center line. Wrote down their number as they were dropped from the peloton. There were tons of flats. One older gentleman had two flats and a tire around his neck. He wasn’t in our group so we didn’t stop.

The course is filled with steep climbs, sand pits, stones the size of fists, and high winds. It will be great to see the invitational race tomorrow. My camera’s ready, is yours?

Road marshals are needed at this year’s Tour of the Battenkill. The race takes place this weekend, April 15th and 16th in upstate New York. Many positions need to be filled. You don’t need to be certified to help. Marshaling is a voluntary role that will get you up close in person to the racers during the competition.

Click here to be a marshal.

There are approximately one hundred and fifty road marshal posts to fill for Saturday’s race, and Sunday’s race has about sixty road marshal posts.  Right now organizers have a greater need for marshals on Saturday, but need help for Sunday’s race also,  according to Carrie Gray Volunteer Director of the Tour of the Battenkill.

Marshals are a vital part of every bicycle road race. They help ensure the safety of the event by keeping spectators, recreational cyclists, cars, children, and stray animals out of the way of the competitors, race caravan and official vehicles. A more complete description can be seen here from procyclingtour.com.

This is is a great opportunity to see the action of one race from the Great American Cycling Series. Racers from all over the world will be competing for the title of Battenkill. I’ve heard a British race team is to arrive on Friday for the event. It’s an international race, want to help?

America’s largest one-day Pro/Am cycling race. Racers compete over 62 miles of rolling terrain on both dirt and paved roads as they travel through the world famous Battenkill Valley. Set in early spring, the race starts and finishes in the scenic village of Cambridge, New York and courses through covered bridges, family farms, and rural villages along the many challenging backcountry roads that traverse Southern Washington County, New York.

The 2011 edition played host to over 2,500 amateur and professional cyclists from throughout North America and dozens of nations worldwide. From Battenkill website.

Did we mention three time Tour de France winner, Greg Lemond will be there?