An angel, the underdog, and two mobsters
It was an impressive sized group tonight for the ride. Great weather brought them out in droves. Even so, the ride got off to a real slow start. Maybe the strong guys were waiting to see who would make the first move. All the usual characters were out. Joe K, Hacker, The Sernyak, MJA, plus a good crew of Capital Velo guys. There was a new guy on a C-dale with a MTBish helmet who was riding strong early on as well. For the most part, it was Cheshire and Yalies driving the pace early on. Alan B, Steffen H, Dillon P, Joe K, Alan B, The Sernyak and Henk P. Give em Kudos.
There were no real attacks until Moss Farms, where Alan B took off briefly with Hacker but that was going nowhere. MJA made a couple of strong pulls up front but absent attacks, it just kept the pace high for all. It stayed together pretty much the entire way to Mount Vernon.
Once there, Alan B and Joe K jumped off the front and built up a gap as the chase was slow to get going. They had Cheshire teammates doing some soft pulls up front, which allowed the gap to stay all the way until after the false flat section. The break was also assisted by some blocking and stopped cars. Once they were caught, Alan B went right back on the offensive and attacked again. That was short lived as Hacker and MJA made their way up front, and along with efforts from Chris C and The Sernyak, it was all back together again for Welch.
There, the pace slowed down again. Giving a few guys the chance to push the pace as the ride got towards West St. Steffen H, Dan Smith, Henk P, MJA all up front. Little T came up front on the hill, but it was Chris C taking everyone thru and leading out the early part of the drag to the sprint. Alan B jumped early in front of Little T and Hunter P, and no one chased. He was able to stay on it long enough to get the sprint, with Hunter P coming over next in front of Brian G.
Dillon P pushed off the front along with Steffen H on the backside, but red lights kept it together. Then Alan B suffered a flat. With a tailwind now, the pace stay high, but the ride had to stop for some traffic at the I84 off ramp. Chris C attacked after that, and was allowed a gap. The pace ramped up behinid and then with 200 meters to the hill going back under I84, Hunter P jumped across the gap and caught Chris C by the top of the hill. Those two kept on the gas and maintained a gap all the way to the light.
Then, in a rare perfectly timed crossing off route 322, the 2 leaders shot through a green light just in time for it trap-door red on the pack, which was bearing down and just 5-6 seconds behind. That was all Chris C and Hunter P would need for the rest of the ride. So the two biggest d-bags of the SG got away. They probably traded perfectly paced pulls all the way back to SG, complete with please's and thank you's.
Good ride everyone!
Tuesday the 14th
Seattle's best group ride!
The light rain forecasted for the evening meant that the number of riders out was reduced. About 20 left the parking lot of Cheshire Cycle, and a couple of others joined in on the way. The ride started slowly. Chris C and Dan Smith were the first ones to strike out off the front, and Steffen H, Dillon P and a couple of others joined in soon after. It was all together heading onto North Brooksvale when a small group of Chris C, The Sernyak, Jason Williams, Dan Smith, Gibertoni and a couple of others pushed off the front. Alan B and Hunter P jumped across the gap, and it was all together getting onto Mountain Road.
There were no attacks on Mountain Rd. Steffen H surged at the halfway point, but there were riders there immediately to chase. Much of the same for the early parts of Moss Farms. Chris C and Kyle C jumped early but were not allowed any leeway. Chris C jumped again heading into the Chicane, Kyle C and Alan B was there too, but it was neutralized heading onto Marion Ave. Steffen H once again pushed off the front, but he'd last only a short while off the front.
Once on Mount Vernon, there was a small group off the front trying to get a gap (Alan B, Danny Dudzik, Kyle C, Mike Williams and one more). They stayed off the front for a couple of kilometers, but strong pulls from Chris C and Tom Krol brought it all back together. Then Hunter P and Alan B attacked off the front and kept a gap going up over the false flat section, but there was plenty of guys willing to put in good pulls to keep the gap to a minimum. It was all together heading into the turnaround.
On Welch, Dan Smith was at the front keeping the pace high, and then Kyle C moved up front, then John Vanstraaten, but it ended up being Chris C taking the slimmed-down pack onto West St. He'd trade pulls with Kyle C a couple of times as Hunter P, and Alan B sat in for the sprint. Alan jumped first, and then Hunter P. Hunter was on the way to getting it, when his chain jumped, allowing Kyle C to cruise past for the points.
On the backside, Alan B kept up the pressure, but a red light brought it all back together, minus 2-4 guys dropped on Welch. From there, no real attacks were had heading back into Cheshire. Hunter P jumped off the front after going by the I84 offramp but that was chased down by Chris C. Then Alan B looked to be rolling with Dan Smith, Steffen H, and Johnny V but that didn't go too far either. The pack stayed together all the way to the climb of Meriden Ave. Steffen H attacked early in the "climb" and was allowed to roll. He built up a 70-meter gap before it started winding up in the back. Mike Williams was left to set the early pace until Alan B attacked hard. Hunter P and the Crowells went with him, and it soon was down to just four chasing and then passing Steffen up front. Kyle jumped next, going under the green light, with a gap. That was chased back by Hunter P. Then Chris C punched, again Hunter P responded and then jumped for the line. Alan B gave chase but wasn't able to come around. He did try to sneak off the front from there, but the light at route 68 was red, allowing the group (now only about 8 or 9 riders) to catch back on.
Once thru the light, Alan pushed off all the same, and the complacency of the pack allowed him to build up a small gap. He bombed the next couple of corners and downhill, forcing the gap up. As everyone got close to the end, the chase was slowed by 2 cars pulling out in front. Alan B stayed out in front to take the final sprint, leaving the pack sprint to be contested by Gibertoni, Kyle C, Johnny V and Mike Williams.
The light rain forecasted for the evening meant that the number of riders out was reduced. About 20 left the parking lot of Cheshire Cycle, and a couple of others joined in on the way. The ride started slowly. Chris C and Dan Smith were the first ones to strike out off the front, and Steffen H, Dillon P and a couple of others joined in soon after. It was all together heading onto North Brooksvale when a small group of Chris C, The Sernyak, Jason Williams, Dan Smith, Gibertoni and a couple of others pushed off the front. Alan B and Hunter P jumped across the gap, and it was all together getting onto Mountain Road.
There were no attacks on Mountain Rd. Steffen H surged at the halfway point, but there were riders there immediately to chase. Much of the same for the early parts of Moss Farms. Chris C and Kyle C jumped early but were not allowed any leeway. Chris C jumped again heading into the Chicane, Kyle C and Alan B was there too, but it was neutralized heading onto Marion Ave. Steffen H once again pushed off the front, but he'd last only a short while off the front.
Once on Mount Vernon, there was a small group off the front trying to get a gap (Alan B, Danny Dudzik, Kyle C, Mike Williams and one more). They stayed off the front for a couple of kilometers, but strong pulls from Chris C and Tom Krol brought it all back together. Then Hunter P and Alan B attacked off the front and kept a gap going up over the false flat section, but there was plenty of guys willing to put in good pulls to keep the gap to a minimum. It was all together heading into the turnaround.
On Welch, Dan Smith was at the front keeping the pace high, and then Kyle C moved up front, then John Vanstraaten, but it ended up being Chris C taking the slimmed-down pack onto West St. He'd trade pulls with Kyle C a couple of times as Hunter P, and Alan B sat in for the sprint. Alan jumped first, and then Hunter P. Hunter was on the way to getting it, when his chain jumped, allowing Kyle C to cruise past for the points.
On the backside, Alan B kept up the pressure, but a red light brought it all back together, minus 2-4 guys dropped on Welch. From there, no real attacks were had heading back into Cheshire. Hunter P jumped off the front after going by the I84 offramp but that was chased down by Chris C. Then Alan B looked to be rolling with Dan Smith, Steffen H, and Johnny V but that didn't go too far either. The pack stayed together all the way to the climb of Meriden Ave. Steffen H attacked early in the "climb" and was allowed to roll. He built up a 70-meter gap before it started winding up in the back. Mike Williams was left to set the early pace until Alan B attacked hard. Hunter P and the Crowells went with him, and it soon was down to just four chasing and then passing Steffen up front. Kyle jumped next, going under the green light, with a gap. That was chased back by Hunter P. Then Chris C punched, again Hunter P responded and then jumped for the line. Alan B gave chase but wasn't able to come around. He did try to sneak off the front from there, but the light at route 68 was red, allowing the group (now only about 8 or 9 riders) to catch back on.
Once thru the light, Alan pushed off all the same, and the complacency of the pack allowed him to build up a small gap. He bombed the next couple of corners and downhill, forcing the gap up. As everyone got close to the end, the chase was slowed by 2 cars pulling out in front. Alan B stayed out in front to take the final sprint, leaving the pack sprint to be contested by Gibertoni, Kyle C, Johnny V and Mike Williams.
Tuesday the 7th
Winners:
MJA (MJ Alio) wins for just being generally awesome and fast all night long!
Hacker with the solo dig to get the turnaround sprint!
Ben Bruce wins the Bishops Orchard sprint uncontested after the Stop n Shop crew peels off.
Ben claws back Hacker's 1k flyer at the finish with Dillon P's help!
Losers:
Bearings and contact surfaces
MJA (MJ Alio) wins for just being generally awesome and fast all night long!
Hacker with the solo dig to get the turnaround sprint!
Ben Bruce wins the Bishops Orchard sprint uncontested after the Stop n Shop crew peels off.
Ben claws back Hacker's 1k flyer at the finish with Dillon P's help!
Losers:
Bearings and contact surfaces
Tuesday the 30th
A Trend is Developing...
There were less guys out for today's ride than last week. Maybe the cloudy and cold weather was keeping a few away. Once the ride going though it was rip'roarin as usual. Straight away, Kyle C kicked it off and jumped up the road, quickly getting a 20-second gap. Then, Dillon P jumped to go across and then Henk P went along as well. Behind, the pack was slowly getting going, and the Cheshire guys at the front were not chasing it down. The trio stayed out there for 2 miles but as the ride got towards Mountain RD, it was all back together again, Alan B was up front along with Billy T(hompson). Turning onto Mountain, there were a couple of early accelerations, posturing mostly. Hacker was there, as well as Hunter P, who jumped next but then was passed by Alan B, who put in a real dig. Alan stayed off the front for most of the way down Mountain RD but eventually was caught from the strong pace-making up front by the Crowells, The Sernyak Billy T, Max A, and a couple of others. Hunter P then countered, but the light was red up front, green for the pack, which brought it all back together.
The green light encouraged Chris C, Hacker, Alan, Sernyak and Ben Bruce to stay on the gas for the early parts of Moss Farms. For a bit, it looked like the group was going to ride off but the pressure from behind, combined with a slight slowing down in the break, allowed it all to come back together. The pace and pressure stayed there though as Alan B, Hunter P, and Hacker kept it fast. Towards the end of Moss Farms, Kyle C was allowed to roll off the front, and then Alan B would jump with Hacker. The front of the pack stayed cautious though. Chris C put in a big pull heading into the 4-way intersection, which reduced the gap a lot. It was all mopped up on the rise to Marion Ave by Hunter P, who dragged a few guys across, but ended up off the front with Kyle C and Alan B. That trio kept a gap going all the way across the overpass for I84 but the Sernyak and Steve Grey were not letting it escape for good.
After the light on 322, Alan B and Hunter P stayed on the gas and then pushed off the front thru the corner for Mount Vernon. Behind, the pack was slowed a bit in the corner, and generally was taking it's time to get up to speed. The two up front went to work holding onto a gap that fluctuated from 20-30 seconds. Never totally out of reach. Heading thru the false-flat section of Mount Vernon, Steve Grey put in a couple of big monkey-strength pulls, and brought the gap back to spitting distance with 500 meters to the corner for Welch. Billy T attempted to jump across the gap but it only served to sew it all back up.
On Welch, Hacker, Chris C, Kyle C, and Ryan O were all up front, looking to get things started. Ryan eventually pushed off the front and took a 10-sec gap into the run-in for the corner and sprint. Behind, Steve Grey was setting a good pace along with Sernyak and a couple of others. Ryan was collected shortly after the corner, with Steve Grey, Sernyak, and Chris C setting the lead out up. For the sprint, there was a little reshuffling up front but the speed was enough not to let chasers get up into the mix. Kyle C jumped first and looked to be on his way, then Alan B. Hunter P jumped out next with Little T on his wheel. Both came around Kyle, and it was super close at the line, with Little T just edging it over Hunter P by a tire width.
On the backside, there was some posturing by Hacker, Kyle C, Ben Bruce and a couple of others, but it was not enough to break free, plus there was a red light by I84. From there, the ride stayed consistent, but no one attacked until the short rise on West Johnson, leading up to route 10. Kyle C jumped there and perfectly snagged the green light there. The pack waited.
Onto East Johnson, the chase got going. After the corner for Meriden Rd, Chris C, Alan B, Steve Grey and 1 other tried to escape, but Steffen H and Ben Bruce brought it all back together. Kyle C was still out of sight. Then, as the climb up route 70 loomed, Alan B went off the front with Steve Grey. Hunter P responded late but joined the two as the climb started. Alan B put in a significant effort on the front, which was enough to create separation from the peleton and bring Kyle C into shooting distance. The other two chipped in a bit but it was mostly Alan B, working for teammate Hunter P. Kyle was caught shortly after the light, and HUnter P was able to come around to get the sprint point with Alan B in second
The leader riders kept going, with Kyle slightly off the back, and the peleton quickly bearing down. Only Hunter P, Steve Grey, and Alan B rolled through the light by the left-hand turn, and that gap was enough to seal the deal. The trio stayed away from the rest of the ride, and Hunter P took the final sprint with Alan B behind.
Great ride everyone!
There were less guys out for today's ride than last week. Maybe the cloudy and cold weather was keeping a few away. Once the ride going though it was rip'roarin as usual. Straight away, Kyle C kicked it off and jumped up the road, quickly getting a 20-second gap. Then, Dillon P jumped to go across and then Henk P went along as well. Behind, the pack was slowly getting going, and the Cheshire guys at the front were not chasing it down. The trio stayed out there for 2 miles but as the ride got towards Mountain RD, it was all back together again, Alan B was up front along with Billy T(hompson). Turning onto Mountain, there were a couple of early accelerations, posturing mostly. Hacker was there, as well as Hunter P, who jumped next but then was passed by Alan B, who put in a real dig. Alan stayed off the front for most of the way down Mountain RD but eventually was caught from the strong pace-making up front by the Crowells, The Sernyak Billy T, Max A, and a couple of others. Hunter P then countered, but the light was red up front, green for the pack, which brought it all back together.
The green light encouraged Chris C, Hacker, Alan, Sernyak and Ben Bruce to stay on the gas for the early parts of Moss Farms. For a bit, it looked like the group was going to ride off but the pressure from behind, combined with a slight slowing down in the break, allowed it all to come back together. The pace and pressure stayed there though as Alan B, Hunter P, and Hacker kept it fast. Towards the end of Moss Farms, Kyle C was allowed to roll off the front, and then Alan B would jump with Hacker. The front of the pack stayed cautious though. Chris C put in a big pull heading into the 4-way intersection, which reduced the gap a lot. It was all mopped up on the rise to Marion Ave by Hunter P, who dragged a few guys across, but ended up off the front with Kyle C and Alan B. That trio kept a gap going all the way across the overpass for I84 but the Sernyak and Steve Grey were not letting it escape for good.
After the light on 322, Alan B and Hunter P stayed on the gas and then pushed off the front thru the corner for Mount Vernon. Behind, the pack was slowed a bit in the corner, and generally was taking it's time to get up to speed. The two up front went to work holding onto a gap that fluctuated from 20-30 seconds. Never totally out of reach. Heading thru the false-flat section of Mount Vernon, Steve Grey put in a couple of big monkey-strength pulls, and brought the gap back to spitting distance with 500 meters to the corner for Welch. Billy T attempted to jump across the gap but it only served to sew it all back up.
On Welch, Hacker, Chris C, Kyle C, and Ryan O were all up front, looking to get things started. Ryan eventually pushed off the front and took a 10-sec gap into the run-in for the corner and sprint. Behind, Steve Grey was setting a good pace along with Sernyak and a couple of others. Ryan was collected shortly after the corner, with Steve Grey, Sernyak, and Chris C setting the lead out up. For the sprint, there was a little reshuffling up front but the speed was enough not to let chasers get up into the mix. Kyle C jumped first and looked to be on his way, then Alan B. Hunter P jumped out next with Little T on his wheel. Both came around Kyle, and it was super close at the line, with Little T just edging it over Hunter P by a tire width.
On the backside, there was some posturing by Hacker, Kyle C, Ben Bruce and a couple of others, but it was not enough to break free, plus there was a red light by I84. From there, the ride stayed consistent, but no one attacked until the short rise on West Johnson, leading up to route 10. Kyle C jumped there and perfectly snagged the green light there. The pack waited.
Onto East Johnson, the chase got going. After the corner for Meriden Rd, Chris C, Alan B, Steve Grey and 1 other tried to escape, but Steffen H and Ben Bruce brought it all back together. Kyle C was still out of sight. Then, as the climb up route 70 loomed, Alan B went off the front with Steve Grey. Hunter P responded late but joined the two as the climb started. Alan B put in a significant effort on the front, which was enough to create separation from the peleton and bring Kyle C into shooting distance. The other two chipped in a bit but it was mostly Alan B, working for teammate Hunter P. Kyle was caught shortly after the light, and HUnter P was able to come around to get the sprint point with Alan B in second
The leader riders kept going, with Kyle slightly off the back, and the peleton quickly bearing down. Only Hunter P, Steve Grey, and Alan B rolled through the light by the left-hand turn, and that gap was enough to seal the deal. The trio stayed away from the rest of the ride, and Hunter P took the final sprint with Alan B behind.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 23rd
Winners:
Hunter P at the mid-point solo
Little T at the finish sprint
Losers:
Traffic-law abiding cyclists
Hunter P at the mid-point solo
Little T at the finish sprint
Losers:
Traffic-law abiding cyclists
Tuesday the 16th
Winners:
This was Kyle C's night! He took the midpoint AND the final sprint.
Losers:
Everyone wins when Kyle C wins!
This was Kyle C's night! He took the midpoint AND the final sprint.
Losers:
Everyone wins when Kyle C wins!
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