Tuesday the 12th

The breakaway is cursed!

Typical midsummer SGR tonight. Medium-sized group, slow to get going but with its spicy parts throughout the ride. Highlights from this ride include Jason Williams attacking a couple of times in the first half. Jason's strong riding this week and in weeks past have inspired a new poll. Check it out and leave your vote.

CW had the numbers tonight and made their presence felt early on, but there were no long-lasting attacks in the first 25 min. The first main breakaway of the evening was kicked off by TF and Hunter P, who attacked up the hill thru the light on 322 and up the hill before Mount Vernon. Everyone got the green there but not too many people wanted to chase as the pace was fast leading into the green light. TF and Hunter P Put their heads down and kept it going. They nearly got taken out by a truck turning right without a turn signal early on Mount Vernon. The truck slammed on the brakes and turned right into a driveway, forcing Hunter P to dart in front of it onto the grass in order to avoid getting hit. The break is cursed and had to brake! Unphased, the two kept going maintaining a gap of about 200 m.

 Steve B., Aaron B, and Dan S came charging across a kilometer or two later. That made for a powerful group up the road. Something happened with Dan's chain, and he had to drop back. The break is cursed and had to brake!

Undeterred Steve B Aaron B and Hunter P put their heads down and kept at it. The chase from the back weakened a bit, allowing them to maintain a gap and build it slightly. They held it all the way to the turn for Welch Road. On the second half of Welch the pack came alive and started to make progress to the three leaders. Little T jumped hard from the front of the pack with about 100 m to the hill and was able to go around the three. Steve B put his head down and went after Little T. Also jumping from the pack was Ben Bruce. Little T would get the sprint with it going too-close-to-call for second between Ben Bruce and Steve B. From there everyone stayed together down the downhill back towards 322.

On Atwater Street. Dan S and Ben Bruce rolled off the front and was allowed to go. They started for it and low and behold, they got the light on 322. As the pack came to a stop at the red light, everybody assumed it was lights out, game over the two would be not caught. Once everyone rolled onto West Johnson, can you believe it, the leaders were in sight! It turns out there had been a little bit of wheel contact between the two, forcing Ben foot dab hard on the ground. The break is cursed and had to brake!

The wind had gone out of Dan S's sails so the pace slowed down a bit as it made its way to Cheshire Road, heading towards the greenhouse climb. That gave Steffen H a chance to attack and get a healthy 300 m gap heading towards the climb. He had teammates up front of the peleton, allowing him to start the greenhouse climb with a couple of hundred meters lead. Behind TF set a solid pace up the climb early. Steffen H would be caught about halfway up the climb leading to a showdown at the sprint line. TF started it from about 200 m out. Little T was next to come around with Hunter P on his wheel. Hunter P was able to come around and get it by a bike length.

From there everyone stayed together. Heading back into Hamden. There were a couple of moves but nothing stuck. The finale was, as is usually the case, very fast. TF, Aaron B, Noah B, and Dan S got a huge kick early on. There was too much momentum behind little T though who launched it a little bit later and came sailing by with Hunter P on his wheel to go one two for the finish.

Tuesday the 5th

Those are not my nipples, they are my pecks

The tone this week was a bit more relaxed than usual. The Tuesday after Independence Day is usually a mixed bag. Throw in some foreboding weather and there were just 14-17 out tonight. It was great to see Ciocci out tonight. He was riding hard and burned some matches sewing things up after attacks.

Hunter p rolled out of the parking lot quickly, which got the pace going right from the start. There were a couple of surges from Gibertoni, Dan Smith and Hunter P during the first 20 min but nothing stuck. Same story for Moss Farms onto Mount Vernon. Little T had a dig up to Marion, Hunter P had a push off the front on Mount Vernon. The rain started halfway up to the turnaround. It started out light but turned steady after a bit.

Dan Smith jumped first on Welch but it was just to draw out others. On West St, it slowed down a bit. Then there was traffic at the light where everyone usually starts the sprint. Hunter P timed the light and squeezed thru between cars and curb, Little T timed the light and went to the left of the cars. He had a better jump and took the sprint ahead of Hunter and Dan.

Hunter P stayed on the gas after the sprint and dove down toward the highway with Chris C in tow. Those two would catch a light near I84, and with the headwind, and the rain, there was no immediate chase. Dan Smith sensed what was about to happen and jumped across the gap. He joined up with the 2 just as the downhill was starting. The 3 kept it up all the way over 322.

Chris C then decided he had had enough and dropped from the break. That's the way it would end. Dan S and Hunter P rolling clear and staying together until Dan got hit with a flat a couple of miles from the end. Little T soaked up any remaining sprinting to be had from the small group.

Next week should be a good one, since there is no Rentschler Field race that week. Everyone should make sure to sign up to race at the CCNS Kermis on Friday the 15th!