A running account of the "race without an entry fee"..... The Tuesday night ride

Tuesday the 2nd



Back to the usual hi-jinks
      When there actually is a SG ride this year, the crowds have been very good for it. Today was no different. At least 50 riders started but it was quickly winnowed down from the hard riding.
       First to bat, Dillon P rolled off and was joined by Simon B. Those 2 gained a decent gap as the pack slowed for corners and traffic. Eventually it all came back together on Mountain Rd though Simon B stayed on it a bit longer. There was some cagey riding, and some strong pulls from the usuals. But it stayed together to Route 68.
      Hacker was quick to get the pace going on Moss Farm, and he immediately had Sernyak and Hunter P along. Then Big Red hit the front and pinned it for a solid kilo, as the guys behind were content to let him power the front. The tailwind meant that everyone was riding 385w+ just to stay where they were. No surprise that a good number of guys weren’t able to keep up, even with the tail wind. As Hacker lead the front into the chicane, a gap had formed from the front 7 or 8 guys.
     The leaders would keep it going, with Hacker and Then Hunter P leading up the rise to Marion and past. A couple of Yale riders were able to get across the gap, along with a couple of others. But a handful were donesville for the day. Up front Big Red continued his dominance of the front, this time rolling off as the ride went over I84. Hunter P joined and those 2 held a gap to the red light on 322. The pause gave a few riders the chance to get back on.
     Big Red kept it going once past the light. He got off the front with Alan B and Hunter P as the ride turned on Mount Vernon but the field was chasing hard and it was soon back together. From there the ride down Mount Vernon was normal. Getting close to the turn, Alan B took off and he was joined by Big Red. Those 2 held onto a slim gap turning on Welch. Mike McG was in full pursuit along with Rob Dux. Once thru the corner, Hacker jumped hard across the gap, which set off a flurry of counters. It led to an elite group of 6 or 7 off the front with a real deal gap, 250 meters before the corner onto West St.
     Behind, the chase was slowly coming together. Little T, Hunter P, Matt from Yale and a couple of others jumped across the gap on the hill, making for a reshuffling of the front. For the leadout, Alan B would do the final long pull with Hunter P, Mike McG and Little T jumping for the sprint. It went down to T and Mike, with Mike taking advantage of his earlier jump to stay out in front for the points.
     It came back together on the backside. However, as the pack was going over the final light for the I84 interchange, Big Red, Hacker, Sernyak and a new rider on a Single Chain Ring set up (?!) drilled it on the front and peeled off a gap. Chris C also jumped in at the last minute and that group just made the light at Jude Ln. The peleton stopped and the group rolled. Into the headwind the small break was able to put time into the rest, and when they were able to squirt thru the light on 322, it was all over the chase.
    The Stop n Shop prize went to Hacker, although most of the guys were looking to primarily keep the paceline rotating smoothly.  The final prize goes to Big Red.
Great ride everyone!

Tuesday the 25th

RAIN!!!