BFC 2018 Men’s Champ: Kevin Bouchard-Hall, from Westport, NY.
This is Kevin’s first BFC Championship
Age: 36 (on race day 2018)
Time: 1:49:37
Team: Velocio Northeast
Occupation: Physical Therapist for Elizabethtown Community Hospital in Willsboro, NY
Cycling & Athletic Experience: I started mountain bike riding and then racing in high school back in the mid 1990’s. I actually competed in the 1998 version of the Black Fly Challenge as a Sport Junior. In college I skipped XC running to do road racing. By the time I graduated college I had earned a spot on the US National team and I moved to Europe for 3 years to race and try and make it as a full time pro. I never made it but I had an incredible experience trying. I went back to grad school and took up triathlon for something to do. I enjoyed that but some health problems forced me to stop. I picked up the banjo joined an old time band and gained lots of weight. In 2014 we had our first child and it motivated me to get healthy again. In that quest I started bike racing again and found gravel events to be the most fun. I now race for a regional team with friends doing a mix of road, mountain, gravel, and cyclocross racing.
Life over the past year: May 3rd 2018 we welcomed our second child Tobin. Our oldest turns 5 in February 2019. So we have a busy life at home with work and kids. My wife works evenings so most of my riding is inside after the kids are in bed and my wife Elizabeth is at work. Things like Zwift make it fun despite being inside and I take pride in making my training as invisible to my family as possible. The bike events that we go to are family outings and positive experiences for everyone plus my wife rides and races too.
Any Special Training? I have been training consistently with a coach from Cycle-Smart since the Fall of 2016. I ride somewhere between 6-10 hours a week. Having a coach takes the stress of thinking about what I should be doing away as well as gives me a partner in my journey to be stronger. As I said above I mostly train indoors because of my life situation, but it makes the rides I get outside, and especially the races, really special.
Goals: I have a circuit of races I really enjoy and I hope to do well at them. They include Rasputitsa, Killington Stage Race, Black Fly, New England Crit Week, The Overland, Green Mountain Stage Race, and the Cyclocross season. So far i have progressed every year the last few years so I hope to keep doing so till father time starts taking it away!
Why the BFC? Black Fly has all the things that make bike events worth doing. Great venue, great course, roads you would never do otherwise, large group of good people, large mix of riders. Its fun on a bike all while being safe. Can’t beat it.
How is the BFC different? Its a point to point on old dirt roads. The towns are small but the race makes them a party. Also, having an event that has both new riders and elite ones and mixes them in a welcoming way is really hard to do, and BFC does it.
How can we improve the BFC? Parking, registration, course, after party were all easy and top notch. Just keep being great at that!
