Salem's Lot

East Coast - West Coast
Just when you thought the feud was put to rest, it looks like Biggie has risen up and popped 2Pac again.

From Cyclingnews:

The 2008 Tour of the Battenkill Cycling Race in Salem, New York has become the largest one-day race in the United States, organisers announced Thursday. With 1200 current registrants, the race has already surpassed Monterey California's Sea Otter Classic, and more than 1600 racers from across the US and Canada are expected to race on April 19.

In its 4th year, the Roubaix style race "is like no other in the USA; racers compete over rolling terrain on both dirt and paved roads in the world famous Battenkill Valley and pass directly through the small villages of Southern Washington County, NY."

But even with its growing numbers, Battenkill still pales in comparison to what Sea Otter has become, a veritable cycling celebration.

That said, the cycling feud between the two coasts over the likes of who makes the best bicycles, who has the best trails, or who has the biggest races is grossly overestimated in comparison to the hip-hop rivalry that took place in the late '90s.

Rather, the fact that the U.S. has two competing races run on the same weekend, with participants numbering over 1500 for each, speaks volumes for the growth and popularity of cycling in a country whose love affair with the sport has often paralleled the rise and fall of its cycling heroes.