BRENTACOL

Juniper Swamp

A decisive hill from early in the Tour of the Battenkill. This hill has a completely different character depending on where you're sitting in the pack. At the front, you (apparently, I can't speak from personal experience) just power over it and it's done before anything bad happens. It makes sense, because if you're at the front, the worst that happens is you drift to the back and start the descent and recover. If, however, you're at the back, gaps start opening almost immediately, and you may not be recovered from Perry Hill Road and it's very easy to get popped off the back. From there, it's a long, lonely ride to the finish.