A week after driving a pace car in the pro-am version of the Tour of the Battenkill, I went back to Cambridge with some friends to watch and photograph the UCI-sanctioned pro race. Having driven the course before, I had ideas about where there might be some good photo opportunities over the duration of the two-lap race. Here’s a sampling of my photos from the race.

Start of the race in Cambridge

After the start, we headed out to Juniper Swamp Rd, which features a relatively short but steep climb on dirt.

Photographing the leader on the climb

Front group on the climb

The climb took both a physical and mechanical toll

Nearing the top of the climb

This guy got some grief from spectators...

A little after Juniper Swamp Rd, the race looped back north through rolling farmland just west of Juniper Swamp. We crossed over to meet them.

Peloton coming up County Route 64

Continuing on up CR 64

After that, we headed for the notorious Meeting House Road, an unpaved stretch with several ups and downs. It had been raining off and on by then, and the riders looked very different compared to the last time we had seen them…

Down and up on Meeting House Road

Caleb Fairly & Floyd Landis, eventual 1-2 finishers, 1st lap on Meeting House Rd.

The conditions were a real test for the riders

Group on the climb

Back with the cars

Off the back

From there we headed over to Eagleville, to catch the racers coming through the covered bridge on their second lap.

The covered bridge is a popular photo spot on the course

Back of the pack in Eagleville

After that we headed to the top of one of the biggest climbs on the course: Joe Bean Road, a few kilometers outside of Salem.

Rider on solo break away

The leader of this group seems to be smiling and he's the only one climbing in the big ring.

After the racers had passed we headed back to Cambridge to watch the finish.

At the finish line, waiting for the race winner

Caleb Fairly wins the 2010 Tour of the Battenkill!

One of the racers, Steve Tilford, has a great recap of his experience in the race. Velonews had a feature article and posted the race results.

All photographs are © Dave Higgins and “Dave Higgins Photography,” 2010; all rights reserved.