The Bennington Race Weekend Stage Race is a new race located in Bennington, Vermont. The event features an 11 mile time trial and a criterium in downtown Bennington on the first day, and a road stage that goes through the mountains of southern Vermont on the second day. It is promoted as The Tour of Dragons which is a reference to the hills that the riders must climb. Frame and Wheel entered the Pro 1/2 race. The temperatures were in mid fifties or low sixties, it was dry and it felt like Spring for most of the weekend. There were about 80 entrants in this category. Frame and Wheel tracked the stages using an Android smartphone and posts the maps with some more detailed labels about the various sections below.
The Android smartphone ran out of batteries during the road stage and thus it only recorded the first 60 miles of the 98 miles Frame and Wheel had to race. This highlights a weakness of The Internet of Things and in this case the Internet of Bikes: making public data relies on batteries and good GPS and wireless connections which are not always readily available. Frame and Wheel suspects that an application was inadvertently activated. Normally, the Android smartphone running the Google My Tracks application alone can last for five hours. Nevertheless, the device captures speed, distance and elevation changes very well. The topographic charts in the maps give the viewer a better sense of how steep the climbs are, although the exact numbers might be off a bit.
The Android smartphone ran out of batteries during the road stage and thus it only recorded the first 60 miles of the 98 miles Frame and Wheel had to race. This highlights a weakness of The Internet of Things and in this case the Internet of Bikes: making public data relies on batteries and good GPS and wireless connections which are not always readily available. Frame and Wheel suspects that an application was inadvertently activated. Normally, the Android smartphone running the Google My Tracks application alone can last for five hours. Nevertheless, the device captures speed, distance and elevation changes very well. The topographic charts in the maps give the viewer a better sense of how steep the climbs are, although the exact numbers might be off a bit.
View Bennington Race Weekend Time Trial in a larger map
Frame and Wheel sets out at 11:06:30 after a solid warm up. Frame and Wheel catches a 30 second man on the gradual climb. The sharp turns are handled successfully and more 30 second riders come into view and are caught. On Barber Pond Road, Frame and Wheel is caught and quickly passed by 30 second man, Brett Tivers (Louis Garneau). Frame and Wheel labors through the Barber Pond Road climb and enters the last three kilometers with the usual ropes of drool on the chin and the tunnel vision. A cautious driver is in the way, but passed in the final 500 meters. Frame and Wheel's official time is 25:14:59 which results in a 4th place position in the general classification. Frame and Wheel is surprised and very pleased with the result.
View Bennington Race Weekend Criterium in a larger map
The criterium begins at 5:30 pm. There are 80 riders ready to race 53 laps around the 1.1 km circuit. The race begins and in the time it takes to clip-in, there are dozens of riders pouring into the first turn. The group stretches out into a single tentacle that wraps perhaps one quarter around the course. It seems to remain this way until a crash breaks the long chain of riders into two groups, the second of which is soon lapped. This group includes Frame and Wheel who loses two minutes. Frame and Wheel recognizes that more practice is needed with this discipline.
View Bennington Race Weekend Criterium in a larger map
The criterium begins at 5:30 pm. There are 80 riders ready to race 53 laps around the 1.1 km circuit. The race begins and in the time it takes to clip-in, there are dozens of riders pouring into the first turn. The group stretches out into a single tentacle that wraps perhaps one quarter around the course. It seems to remain this way until a crash breaks the long chain of riders into two groups, the second of which is soon lapped. This group includes Frame and Wheel who loses two minutes. Frame and Wheel recognizes that more practice is needed with this discipline.
View Bennington Race Weekend Road Race in a larger map
The race starts at 8 am on Sunday. It is cold, but the sun is gaining strength and the skies are clear. The pace is high at the start, but settles down after the sprint competition ends at mile eleven. The peleton hits Mount Rupert Road. This section is dirt, steep and it winds up along a ridge. The pace is high. The group is stretched out, but most of it comes back together on the descent. The next climb is perhaps just as steep, but it is paved. It is a climb that goes up into the sky and it is very steep and fast. The group breaks up again, but comes together on the following descent which is very fast. The group tracks to the southern part of the course and starts up Morse Hill Road, which is not nearly as traumatic as the first too hills. The climb up onto Route 11 is a tough one and the group comes apart again, but stragglers manage to catch on during the following descent. This becomes a feature of all the climbs: huge effort followed by recovery on the descent that gives the stragglers a chance to catch back on. At the last 5 kilometers, there are only thirty riders left in the main group. Frame and Wheel finishes with the group and in 14th place in the general classification and is very pleased with the result. Frame and Wheel is grateful for the generosity, dedication and camaraderie of the OA/Cyclemania Masters Cycling Team and congratulates them on their efforts and triumphs during this race. The Tour of the Dragons is a well organized race and a very challenging one, and Frame and Wheel hopes to compete in it again next year.
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