The Tour of the Catskills is a three day stage race held in Windham and Hunter, New York. It is billed as Americas Toughest Pro/Am Stage Race and it is part of the Great American Cycling Series. The Pro 1/2 race features a 12 mile out and back time trial, an 88 mile road stage that features the steep Airport Road and a 93 mile queen stage that features the famous Devils Kitchen climb. The event features 17,000 feet of climbing, wildly fast descents, strong competition and beautiful scenery. There are about 80 starters. Frame and Wheel is the only OA / Cyclemania Masters Cycling Team in this category. Frame and Wheel is riding the Austro-Daimler tt Carbon Champagne in the time trial and the Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 for the road stages. Both bikes are running very well.
Conditions for the time trial are dry and calm. Temperatures are in the seventies. Frame and Wheel starts at 2:30 pm and gets up to speed. Frame and Wheel is familiar with this course and knows that it is possible to push a big gear on the outbound section of the course. It is mostly downhill and there is a light tailwind. Frame and Wheel catches a few riders and concentrates on maintaining speed. The turnaround is new this year and runs through a small park. Frame and Wheel negotiates the section safely and does not lose too much time. Frame and Wheel is inbound and concentrates on maintaing speed on the gradual uphill sections and gaining speed on the flat section in between. This is hard work and Frame and Wheel is feeling the effort. Frame and Wheel negotiates the last turns to the finish carefully. This section sucks up momentum and speed. Frame and Wheel is over geared in last 500 meters to the finish and loses more time. The race is over. Frame and Wheel finishes with a time of 24:56 which is fast enough for third place and one second out of second place. Frame and Wheel is very pleased with the result and amused that the cumulative age of the first place (Jordan Cheyne - Russ Hays p/b Accent Inns) and second place Jimmy Schurman (Champion System p/b Stans NoTubes) riders is less than Frame and Wheels age. It is a great start and Frame and Wheel hopes to minimize losses over the next two days.
Conditions for the Windham Mountain stage are dry and calm. Temperatures are in the seventies again. Frame and Wheel has moved up into second place in the general classification overnight. Jimmy Schurman is penalized thirty seconds for riding to the right of the white line for more than fifteen seconds during the time trial. This rule is easily overlooked. Frame and Wheel could have easily incurred this penalty and is lucky to have ridden in the correct section of road while under the observation of the officials. The field sets off from the Windham Mountain Ski Resort at 11 am. The pace is fast. Frame and Wheel is trying to stay near the front. It is hard work. On the rise just before the long descent to the valley floor, a two man break including Erik Levinsohn (Bike Reg.com) forms. The field hesitates. Frame and Wheel hesitates too despite having witnessed Mr. Levinsohn’s climbing abilities at the Tour of the Dragons and Tour of the Hilltowns. The rationale is there is a long fast descent coming up and another 80 miles of climbing to go after that. Additionally, Mr. Levinsohn is down two minutes in the general classification. Frame and Wheels stops thinking about strategy and focusses on the upcoming descent. The field sweeps down the road approaching speeds of 50 miles per hour. The break is in sight on the following rolling sections, but soon the field slows and the break is gone. Frame and Wheel settles in and concentrates on riding a steady race.
The field arrives at the Durham climb. This section is about two miles long with about 1,500 feet of climbing. Air temperatures are cool. Frame and Wheel is working hard, but feeling fine. The compact gearing is an essential choice for this race. The field does not thin out much. The race continues back into the town of Windham and heads back towards the descent to the valley floor. Frame and Wheel tries to stay well fed and out of the wind. At mile 55, the field again arrives at the town of Durham and the climb that follows. This time the field shrinks. The race leader is dropped. Frame and Wheel reaches the summit with a much smaller group. The pace picks up on the rolling sections that follow. There is an attack on a short climb. The field shrinks again to about fifteen riders. Frame and Wheel is feeling the effort. This group plunges down the descent into Prattsville and heads for the Airport Road climb. Three riders get away on the flats before the climb and are soon out of sight. Frame and Wheel is low on food and in no condition to use remaining energy on a futile chase.
The Airport Road climb is very steep. The pace slows and riders are grinding up the climb. Frame and Wheel is in the lowest gear. Frame and Wheel feels muscles and tendons in the legs that have not been felt before. A few riders zig-zag across the road. Frame and Wheel is in the molasses zone. The group reaches the less steep sections and comes back together. The pace picks up again. The three other riders are out of sight. Frame and Wheel recovers on the fast and sketchy descents that follow. The groups passes through Jewett and pushes on for the finish at the Windham Mountain Ski Resort. Frame and Wheel is feeling better, but does not have much for the uphill sprint. The dash for the line is another slow motion experience. Frame and Wheel finishes in 13th place (3:53:03) and is very pleased with the result. Erik Levinsohn and the three man break have made up a lot of time and thus Frame and Wheel has slipped to 3rd place in the general classification. Frame and Wheel is tired, but not exhausted and thus this result is wildly well ahead of expectations. Frame and Wheel waits a grueling two hours for two of the race finishers to clear doping control in order to participate in the podium ceremony. Frame and Wheel heads back to Germantown for some real food and rest.
Conditions for the Hunter Mountain Queen Stage are variable. Temperatures are in the seventies, but there is rain in the forecast. Frame and Wheel is recovered and ready. The race starts at 11 am. The field leaves Hunter Mountain Ski Resort and immediately starts a tough climb that leads towards the townof Windham. A break including riders from Champion Systems forms here. Bike Reg.com riders are forced to chase. Somewhere between the town of Hensonville and Windham the break extends its lead. The field begins the climb out of Windham. It is not long, but the grades are steeper. It is hard work as Bike Reg.com riders are trying to close the gap on the break. The air temperature is cool as elevations are approaching 2,200 feet. The descent into the town of Durham is very fast. The road is narrow, but the sight lines are good. The field descends at speed over 50 miles an hour. Frame and Wheel hopes that none of the residents choose to exit their drive ways with horse trailers or combines. The field safely makes the right hand turn at the bottom of the descent. The air is filled with the scent of burning carbon. The pace remains high as the field pushes on through rolling terrain to the three mile climb back up to the town of Windham. Some riders from the break trickle back to the filed. Frame and Wheel is thinking too much and fumbling for the right gear and drops a chain as a result. Frame and Wheel is immediately out the back, but is able to get the chain back on the chain ring with out stopping.
The field passes through the town of Windham again and begins the climb. This time there are clouds and it is beginning to rain. The smaller field reaches the summit and is informed that the break has a three minute lead. The downpour begins just as the field begins the fast descent into Durham for the second time. Visibility drops to zero. Brakes are useless. The field is strung out. Frame and Wheel takes the view that it is better to risk losing some time here than to end up on the pavement or in a resident’s front yard. The descent continues. It is cold. One rider flats and is remarkably able to stop safely. Frame and Wheel makes the turn at the bottom of the descent and works hard to close a big gap that has formed. The field does not slow; the break passed through the descent in dry conditions and has likely extended its lead. Bike Reg.com is keeping the pace high; the field charges through the remaining flats that lead up to the Devil’s Kitchen climb. It is hard work. Frame and Wheel sits in and tries to conserve. The sun has returned and temperatures are warmer.
The field arrives at the Devil’s Kitchen climb and shatters. Frame and Wheel concentrates on riding a steady pace on this very steep climb. It is very hard work. Frame and Wheel is able to pass riders who are struggling, but many riders are up the road and out of sight. Frame and Wheel pushes through the steepest section and concentrates on avoiding “blowing up”. Frame and Wheel is again in the molasses zone. The grade eases, but the climb continues; it is very humid. There is a group of riders in view and Frame and Wheel is able to close the gap. Frame and Wheel and this group pass through the summit and begin the final miles to the finish. Frame and Wheel has recovered and is able to keep a steady pace through the rolling sections that follow. Frame and Wheel produces a tepid sprint for the finish. The race is over. Frame and Wheel finishes the stage in 32 place (4:04:47) and is simply pleased to have finished this stage. Frame and Wheel has lost more time and slipped to 9th in the general classification. Frame and Wheel is nevertheless very pleased with the result: in the three years of racing at this event in the Masters 40 plus category, Frame and Wheel never imagined racing in the Pro / 1 / 2 category and only wondered how anyone could race such distances over such terrain. Frame and Wheel never thought a top ten finish in the Pro 1 / 2 category would be possible. Upon reflection it is clear that Frame and Wheel rode the race rather than raced it; this is a function of not having any team mates and lingering intimidation caused by the terrain and the much younger competition. Nevertheless, the result is a significant confidence boost for the nationals event in September and future competitions. Frame and Wheel thanks the organizers for putting on a great event and congratulates all the riders on their results. Frame and Wheel packs up the car and heads for home.
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| TT podium: Schurman, Cheyne and Thomas |
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| Here there be Catskills |
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| Champagne visibility |
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| The view from Germantown |
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