April 10th is the date for the Tour of the Battenkill. This race is the official opener to my season, as well as many other bike racers throughout New England. Many will race prior to April 10th, but those races will pale in comparison to the duration and intensity of “Battenkill.”
What makes this race really difficult is that it occurs on April 10th. It is a rude awakening if your training has not gone well over the winter months. It can be demoralizing. Preparing for a 62 mile race that contains a large percentage of dirt roads and short steep climbs is no small task when you live in Northern New England. Especially if you are trying to have some form this early in the season.
I am now entering my 3rd phase of base training. Yesterday I hit it for 2 hours and did 3 intervals of 10 minutes each to gauge my power output at this point in the year. I did not go all out, but I did go hard. For the 3 intervals I averaged a little over 4 watts/kg. This is great for me at this point in the year. I have managed to get in a bunch of multi-hour rides over the last few weeks boosting my endurance significantly. This is the first winter I feel I may actually be ready for “Battenkill.”
Thankfully, after the Tour of the Battenkill, I will have until Memorial Day to prepare for my next big race. The Killington Stage Race has revived itself for this year and I am very much looking forward to it. It will comprise three days of racing. I should have really good form by then provided I continue to build at a sustainable rate. My goal is to get to 4.5 watts/kg on a 20 minute test by then. If I can hit this number, I feel very confident I can compete in the 3s and Masters 35+s.