April 21/08 9:21 am - Team R.A.C.E. Pro Report from Tour of the Battenkill, full results

Posted by Editoress on 04/21/08
 

Team R.A.C.E. Pro Report from Tour of the Battenkill

By Dustin MacBurnie

This weekend Team R.A.C.E Pro packed up the van and headed to Salem, NY for the Tour of the Battenkill.

The race, modeled after the famous Paris-Roubaix classic featured many gravel road sections that, along with the many climbs, and unseasonable heat, eventually took its toll on the ninety two rider peloton.

Right from the gun Team R.A.C.E Pro was active, covering moves and launching attacks to get a man in the breakaway. Thirty kilometres into the race Keir Plaice, the team‚s youngest rider showed his winter training paid off by getting into the day long breakaway. The four man moved worked smoothly until one rider was dropped up one of the days many climbs, leaving only three racers off the front of the quickly shrinking peloton.

With thirty kilometres remaining in the race Bruno Langlois (Team Volkswagen) attacked from the peloton and made contact with the front three. With a 'fresher' guy in the move, the break was now a threat to the outcome of the race.

Mark Walters sensed the danger and launched his attack with 17km to go and soon made contact with Langlois and the last man standing from the original breakaway, Keir Plaice. Keir showed his early season fitness by covering Langlois attacks, but soon paid for his efforts and was dropped from the leading two. Back in what was left of the peloton, Ryan Roth, Mark Pozniak and Dustin MacBurnie kept things in check by covering the many attacks from other teams trying to bridge to the leading two.

Walters and Langlois would stay away, with Langlois taking the win in the sprint just in front of Walters. The twenty man peloton came in shortly behind with MacBurnie in 9th, Roth 13th, and Pozniak 14th. Despite being in the break all day Keir crossed the line for a very respectable 20th place.