After an eight-year absence from the U.S. road racing scene, the Battenkill Road Race will return to Cambridge, NY and Washington County on May 10, 2025 as a “revived new event.”

The Tour of the Battenkill was a staple of the national race calendar for 12 years, including two years of UCI 1.2 men's races.

Dieter Drake founded the event near Salem in 2005 with plans to host amateur and elite road races, as well as a Gran Fondo, now registered as the Battenkill by USA Cycling. The amateur will be 100 km for each age group, the elite will be 120 km for the women and 180 km for the men, and all courses will be a mix of gravel and paved roads, similar to the one-day race “The Growler” introduced at the Levi's Gran Fondo in 2024. [It's paved and gravel roads, covered bridges, beautiful scenery, etc. The course will be a combination of paved and gravel roads, covered bridges, beautiful scenery, etc. About 20% of each course will be gravel,” Dieter Drake, president of Anthem Sports, told Cycling News.

Anthem Sports, the previous organizer of the event, discontinued the event in 2017 after struggling to raise funds to upgrade the men's elite race back to the UCI level. The event was then taken over by another organization, and was held as the Tour of the Battenkill Gran Fondo from Greenwich, New York until this year.

“At the time it was a completely amateur event, but it quickly grew into a pro/am event; in 2009 it moved to Cambridge Village and hosted its first pro race (not UCI that year); in 2025 it will return to Cambridge Village,” Drake explained.

Drake told Cycling News that USA Cycling “has been very receptive and receptive to adding the event to the regional calendar. The second Saturday next May was chosen as the build-up to regional and other pro races, including the Gran Fondo New York. There is also a possibility that the UCI-sanctioned Jo Martin stage race will return. The race was scheduled to hold its 47th edition on May 24-27, 2024, but was “postponed” due to production costs.

“The dates were set to accommodate the race's regional calendar and other popular and long-standing cycling events. First, it's really important to support those events,” Drake said. On the pro side, “I've spoken with Bruce Dunn of the Jo Martin Stage Race, and we're hoping that Battenkill will be a good prelude to that great event coming back next May.

The Gran Premio New York City was a UCI 1.2 event this past May; in 2025, the Gran Fondo New York, just three hours from Cambridge, is scheduled for May 18.