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Inaugural Tour of the Catskills coming in September

By Jim Planck

MOUNTAINTOP — The western towns of Greene County will be treated to some great Pro/Am bicycle racing Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 6 and 7, as the inaugural run of the Tour of the Catskills kicks off with more than 400 racers from around the region.

There will be two circuits, the Mountaintop Classic on Saturday, which begins at Hunter Mountain, and the Catskill Epic, which starts on Sunday at Windham Mountain. Both begin at 10:30 a.m. and will have a 52 mile circuit, with an 82 mile route for the professional men’s category.

Leaving from Hunter on Saturday, the racers will head west on state Route 23A from the Village of Hunter, go through South Jewett and Jewett Center, and then on out past Lexington to downtown Prattsville.

In Prattsville, the race turns up County Route 10 and heads east through the West and North Settlements, until it intersects County Route 21 at the north end of the Town of Windham, where it heads south through Mitchell Hollow.

When it comes out on State Route 23, racers head east to Route 296, which they then follow up to Hensonville, where they pick up County Route 40 to Maplecrest and then up and over to County Route 23C and head east in the Jewett Valley.

Passing through East Jewett they pick up County Route 25 at Onteora Park and head south to Haines Falls and the junction of State Route 23A, which they then follow west through Tannersville and back to the finish line at the Village of Hunter.

There is also a part of the race that is for the pros only, which features a 28-mile lap that includes the stretch going west on Route 23 from Windham to Prattsville, thus giving them the extra mileage.

Sunday’s race jumps off from Windham Mountain and heads east on Route 23 down past East and South Durham to County Route 20A, where it immediately picks up County Route 20 heading north and west through Sunside and Cornwallville to Durham.

There it heads due west, staying on County Route 20 to West Durham, where it picks up County Route 10 all the way to Prattsville.

It then follows Route 23 back to Windham. There is also a 32-mile lap for the pro’s that includes the southbound run through Mitchell Hollow along County Route 21, again giving them the extra mileage need for their category.

Eight separate races will traverse the two courses during the two day period, so taken overall, there is great opportunity in both the valley and on the mountaintop for observers to enjoy the competition as it progresses through their community.

Additionally, it’s all for a good cause, as partial proceeds for the event will benefit local charities, including the Adaptive Sports Foundation.

Race promoter Dieter Drake noted Tuesday that the area is excellent for this type of event.

“The Mountaintop is really an untapped resource for road cycling,” said Drake. “What an incredible landscape!”

“The quality and variety of the roads is just about the best I’ve seen anywhere, too,” he added.

And Drake should know. He has good experience with the success of Washington County’s Tour of the Battenkill, which grew from 250 racers in 2005 to more than 1,100 in 2008, making it the largest Pro/Am race in the U.S.

Drake said the Mountaintop idea got started when Catskill Mountains resident and now race committee member Reed Rubey contacted him about doing a similar event here.

“Road cycling is the fastest growing sport in the U.S.,” said Drake, “and road racing is growing just as fast.”

He said besides the fun of such events, it also aids local economies.

“What I’ve discovered is that racers will travel hundreds of miles and spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars, to race a good quality bike race,” said Drake.

The race’s byways were specifically chosen to ensure that quality.

“The routes were selected to achieve three main goals,” Drake said. “The first was to capture the scenery of the northern Catskills to the greatest extent possible.”

“The second was to involve the public as much as possible, with direct passes through the main villages and business centers on the Mountaintop,” he explained.

“The third,” he said, “was to optimize the safety of the riders.”

“I think,” he added, “with what we came up with, we achieved that.”

“They are two very scenic, challenging, and exciting routes,” Drake said. “We wanted to make them a single loop — vs. a shorter circuit — so that we can cover as much ground as possible.”

“The routes are a real challenge for racers, but that’s what folks want,” Drake said. “52 miles each day, and 82 miles for the Pro men, should be plenty,” he added.

Drake said local assistance to help bring the race to reality has been very strong.

“The response from everyone involved,” he said, “including the police, EMS, municipalities, volunteers, is overwhelming. Everyone is coming together to make it happen.”

“The folks at the Catskill Mountain Foundation, the Sheriff’s Department, Greene County Tourism, and all the local municipalities were very quick to appreciate the scope and potential impact of an event like this,” he said.

“Places like the Catskills, and the people here, make accommodating their (the racers’) interests really easy,” he said.

“This will be a formative year for this event,” said Drake, “but if we can present the race well this year, then I envision it growing as rapidly as the Tour of the Battenkill did just three years ago.”

Catskill Mountain Foundation executive director Peter Barker also noted CMF’s hopes for the event, and the organization’s pleasure in helping to sponsor it.

“The Catskill Mountain Foundation is pleased,” said Barker, “to partner with Hunter Mountain, Windham Mountain, Greene County Tourism, the Hunter and Windham Chambers of Commerce, and other Greene County businesses to help bring tourism to the Great Northern Catskill Mountains in what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful times of the year.”

Other sponsors include The Washington Irving Inn and Maggie’s Crooked Cafe, both in Tannersville, and Champion System Teamwear.

For more information, visit www.tourofthecatskills.com.

To reach reporter Jim Planck, call 518-943-2100, ext. 3324, or e-mail jplanck@thedailymail.net.

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