The Annual Summertime Slowdown Continues
The ride got going slowly today. The heat was making the pedals a bit heavier to get going. There were no attacks during the first several minutes. Joe K was pushing the pace. Kyle C and Max A as well. There was a couple of new riders (both on Specialized's) that were up there pitching in.
Little T pushed the pace a bit once the ride turned on Mountain Rd. Then Chris C and Dan Smith. Next up Alan B pedaled a small gap as the ride got the Mountain Rd mid-way stop sign, and then the first acceleration came from Hunter P right after that. He stayed off the front for a kilometer and a half, but it was together by the light.
Onto Moss Farms where it stayed together mostly. A big surge upfront at the end of Moss Farms from Chris C, Alan B, Brian Girard and a couple of others strung it out, but everyone survived the initial attack. Hunter P attacked hard up the hill to Marion. Then it was Hong and Alan B bridging the gap. The response from the rest of the strong riders brought the leaders back soon enough but it was enough to pop a few riders as the ride passed the industrial park. Brian Girard, Dan Smith, Chris C and Little T kept it going but it was all together at the light on 322. The light was green, which put a few more guys in trouble as Hong, Hunter P, Ben Bruce, and Alan B stayed on the gas past the light.
Again, the response from the pack was wise and direct, keeping the break within distance, and then all together as everyone turned onto Mount Vernon. A couple of guys tried to sneak off the front early on. Kyle C, Dan Smith, who were soon joined by Alan B and then Steffen Huber. Behind, the pace stayed good enough to keep it close, then big efforts from Max A, Girard, Chris C, and Hong brought it back together. Hunter P attacked on the false flat section. The response to that was quick, and as he was being caught, Alan B countered, taking along Hong and the Sernyak. Those three got to work and held the gap all the way to the turnaround. The Sernyak helped the break stay away on Welch, and then he dropped back. Behind, the chase was disorganized at first, but then Tommy Krol whipped everyone into shape and got the train rolling.
Alan B and Hong would not be caught though. Little T, Ben Bruce, Hunter P, Chris C, Kyle C, and a couple others kept the pace steady but it wasn't enough to bring them back. Alan B took the sprint and then the two dove down the backside. Behind, the chase got going, and the leaders were coming back as the ride passed the I84 interchange. The break caught a green light and the chase, just a few meters behind, wisely sat up and stopped. That was it for the night, as the break rolled away and out of sight for the night.
Upfront, Hong took the Hickory Hill Sprint, and the leaders did not contest the final sprint. Behind, between red lights and avoiding going down behind Little "takes em out" T, the peleton didn't make up any ground and finished well back.
Great ride everyone! So long as the weather is good, there will be big crowd out next week!
