Hanson Third For Team Type 1 In Battenkill Pro-Am
Cambridge, N.Y. – Team Type 1’s Ken Hanson sprinted to an impressive third-place finish in Saturday’s pro/am warm-up to the Tour of the Battenkill in Cambridge, N.Y.
Hanson and teammates Aldo Ino Ilesic and Daniel Holt were part of a breakaway of 12 riders that gained a decisive 10-minute advantage after escaping the field on a 18-mile circuit that proceeded two laps of a larger, loop in the 82-mile (131 km) race. Only 53 of about 150 starters finished the race that was run in rain over a challenging course that included long stretches of dirt and gravel as well as short, steep climbs.
Heading toward the final dirt section, Hanson was one of five riders remaining in the lead group. BMC Racing had the numbers advantage, though, with a pair of riders – eventual race winner Chad Beyer and Jonathan Garcia. Beyer, Tom Zirbel (Bissell Pro Cycling) and Josh Dillon (BikeReg.com/Cannondale) managed to escape by attacking on the stair-step uphill sections in the final miles.
“I was stuck having to chase with one BMC rider (Garcia) on my wheel,” Hanson said. “Dillon flatted under five miles to go, but we were all unsure how far it was to the finish line, as there were no distance signs until the finish.”
Not long after Beyer out-sprinted Zirbel for the win, Hanson out-kicked Dillon and Garcia for the final spot on the podium. Team Type 1’s Ilesic finished 16th and Holt was 38th after getting a flat tire while riding in the break.
“The course was really great today,” Hanson said. “The rain helped with the dirt roads because they were fairly dry and dusty.”
Sunday’s Tour of the Battenkill, billed as “America’s Queen of the Classics,” is a 124-mile (200 km) version of Saturday’s pro/am event that features eight dirt and gravel sections on each of the two laps of a circuit. Each lap features 4,045 feet of climbing and seven major climbs, with the most severe featuring an 18-percent grade.
Photos courtesy Mark Suprenant
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