Tuesday the 29th

He Spit On My Shoe!

 The rich tapestry of life continued with this week's SGR. A medium sized group left the lot and was in for treat tonight, as the long-loop nears the end of its run.

Once again it was Steve B and CW leading the early charge. The first attack of the evening came from Turner F, who snuck away on one of the early corners and was allowed to roll. Turning onto Mountain Rd. Little T jumped across the gap using a car to tow himself halfway up the gap, but it wasn't enough to get all the way. That lit the chase up behind and soon it was all back together again for the rest of Mountain Rd.  Brian O had another dig at the front in a counterattack, but that didn't last long.

As the group came up to the light at the end of Mountain Rd, It was green. Everybody was correctly anticipating it turning yellow, and sure enough, it switched as the ride came up to <100 meters. In famous do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do fashion, Chris C rolled through the yellow light just as it was turning red. He was the only one from the front. Close behind, Steve B, Turner F, Dillon P hit the brakes bringing the group to a stop. Or, so it would seem.....

From 10 guys back, Little rolled through thru at an angle with Hunter P on his wheel. Everyone with a foot down started cursing the trio out.

The light ran it's course and it wasn't too long before the group got thru the intersection but the escapees were well gone so it would seem.

Up the road, it wasn't smooth sailing for the breakaway.
Hunter P: "I'm not working, the entire group has no business being there, passing others who stopped at the light"
Little T: " I thought the front was rolling thru the light. It looked like guys were accelerating (just before they slammed on the brakes)"
Chris C: "It was yellow! F you and your principles (and safety.... and manners... and the reasonable use of a recognizable American dialect... And for god sakes, stop at the lights when you're leading 30 other guys through (wink wink)"

Hunter P let Chris roll away, and Little T agreed. Everyone (except for Chris C) was back together by the light on 322. The pace on Mount Vernon was steady but unimpressive as it seemed no one was in a hurry to chase down Chris C. In about a kilometer he was in sight, and in another kilometer it was all back together again. Then the attacks started from Turner F, and Tri-Guy Fecik, Dan S, Brian O and others.

At some point, Turner and Chris C had words about what had happened eariler at the light. There may or may not have been some saliva-sliders pitched from Turner F in Chris' direction. Crowell went (low-grade) nuclear at this. At a certain point, he admitted he was speechless at the action (to which everyone within earshot prepared their finest loogies)

Onto Welch where Steve B launched it off the front early on. Then a trio led by Sean Maher and Jon Fecik took off in chase. Steve B had a solid gap but was slowly coming back to Sean M and Jon Fecik. Behind, the rest of the pack was going slow, with Turner F setting steady pace into the slight headwind. Then, USAC official and vintage SGR rider Bruce McG came roaring through the front of the chase on his e-bike. That got things going real fast, and soon it was strung out. Steve B was not going to be caught. The other chasers would have been caught by the top of the hill, but for a bit of traffic, and some stern words behind Bruce to not sprint off the wheel of the e-bike.

So, the question is how to approach the electrical assist when it's around? Being the purist group of dickheads that the SGR is, ebikes have not been a topic yet. But the future is electric, so leave your vote in the new poll.

It all came back together on the backside, and the ride back towards Cheshire was uneventful. The next attacks were from Dan S, Sean M, and Jon Fecik. They hit it on Atwater St and rolled off the front. The light at 322 was red though. That trio kept on it a couple of times. Surging after the light on route 10 as well. By then, everyone was wise to it, and it was altogether heading into the greenhouse climb. Big Red had a dig, Chris C pushed the pace up the climb, Turner F sat near the front. Brian O was the troublemaker this time, and he rolled off and built enough of a gap to take it. Little T, locked in with the chase that didn't happen jumped late and just missed coming around Brian O at the end. Steve B also sprinted and was third through the line.

The e-bike was back for the final few miles, and Bruce surged hard up the climb on Tuttle, which broke off a small group containing all the strong guys. From that, Little T took the finale, with Turner F and Brian O following up.

Tuesday the 22nd

As He Says, Not Does

Good weather meant the return of the 25-plus crowd for the sleeping giant ride. The pace getting going was average until Steve B and Erin Rand hit the front trying recreate the breakaway of last week. Chris C and Sean M were wise to to the early moves, and it stayed together. Steve B accelerated a couple more times, and each time Turner F and Erin R were there to play defense. The most successful early break came when Steve B and Chris C rolled off the front through an early intersection, in a  questionable move that put the rest of the pack into the path an on coming car. The irony of it being Chris C was easily found by even the dullest of SGR regulars, and many in the pack spent the next 20 seconds cracking jokes.

With Turner patrolling the front like a mako, the two up the way had a gap the entire time into Mountain Rd and through it. Behind it came down to Dan Smith, Joe K, Hunter P, Rich N, Cedric and maybe one or two others putting in the chase work. The gap was coming down by the end of Mountain Rd and the red light sealed the deal and brought it all back together.

 Onto Moss farms where Hunter P, Turner F, and J Fesik the Tri guy all had solid pushes on or off the front. Going into the chicane Little T hit the front and he had TCC and Fecik up there pushing the pace, but it stayed together all the way to the light.

Through the detour, Hunter P attacked, and AlejetHuber took off with him. Then Turner F hit it hard and by the top of the climb, a small grenade had gone off the pack, and riders were everywhere. Hunter P led down back toward Marion on the way and a handful of riders close to the front followed. Another handful of riders took the Roseanna Rd shortcut, which dumped them out onto Mount Vernon 5 seconds in front of the strongest riders (who were no-doubt thinking they had a gap). The "break" turned into a chase and in kilo or two it was back together, however a few stragglers who went with the leaders but could not close the early gap to them would get caught out and dropped for the night, or have to shortcut back on West St.

The run down Mount Vernon was standard stuff. Steve B attacked once more halfway to the turnaround, and then Sean Cahill timed his jump across perfectly. Those two hit the corner for Welch with a 7-8 second gap and had a good chance for the sprint. There was not much of an early chase, and the gap was up as the hill and corner loomed. Behind, Little T jumped hard at the base of the climb and was able to get to the two leaders. Sean C jumped along and those two went to the line with Little T nabbing it. Steve B was between the duo and the pack, and it would all came back together on the backside.

The next action was on Atwater, where Justin Hardwick jumped hard before the hill under the highway. Then Hunter P jumped hard on the hill and those two went to work holding a gap to the light. The light was red, but Hunter P slipped thru between cars, Justin held up and the pack was right there. The red light lasted for another 30 seconds. That, plus the ramp back up to speed gave Hunter P a cushion up the road. The chase was slow moving through to the next light on route 10, but it picked up after that.

Too little too late though, as Hunter P was able to hold the gap (and slip through lights) to the end and finish in front by that same 30 seconds.

Little T cleaned up the sprints from the pack.



 

Tuesday the 15th

The Break Gets It

We had a few guests of honor out tonight. Matt A from Greenwich ride fame, John Daut, and the return of Damien the French Wonder Roy! They were treated to a steady ride today because all the 'stangs were up the road in a break.

Hunter P attacked as soon as the ride turned off route 10, Big Red went with him, and the Steve B and Little T surged up. Then Turner F came up. The last to join was Dan Smith. Big Red dropped back early on, and that left 5 up the road. 

The gap hovered at 7-10 seconds for a less than km. Up hill onto North Brooksvale, the leaders hit it hard and were gone. They rolled through the light at the end of Mountain Rd and that was all that was needed. 

Turner F went for the first sprint, but Little T ended up getting it. For the greenhouse climb sprint, Little T and Steve B fought it out. Little T got it by less than a bike length. The leaders stayed together. Behind, the peleton was moving steady. Unimpressive pulls from a bunch of riders and no one was interested in the sprints. Many red lights slowed it down. Even still, it was down to just 12 or so by the end. 

Up front, Steve B had chain issues and dropped back after the sprint, leaving four to finish it up. Hunter P took the final sprint in front of Little T.

Tuesday the 8th

Smaller field as the final Tuesday Night Crit at Rentschler Field was going on.

Points run down:

Turnaround sprint:
Little T
Sean Cahill
Tri Guy Fecik

Greenhouse Sprint:
Little T
TK
The skinner Sean... Sean Maher

Final Sprint:
Little T
Rich Nadeau
Sean Maher

Tuesday August 1

 (Recap)

Tuesday the 25th

 Rained out!

July the 18th

Steam Rollin Thru Summer! 

Tonight's ride was made fun and interesting by a new guy, Sebastian Silberman. He impressed all by hitting the front on Mountain Rd and holding what had to be 450w as the pack strung out single file behind him. He gave notice for sure, and it led to things being a bit more conservative on Mount Vernon.

That didn't stop Steve B and Sean Maher from attacking going into the turnaround sprint. They would end up having a huge gap by the time the turn onto West St came up. Sean M launched it first for the sprint point, but Steve B chased him down Sean to beat him at the mailbox. 

Fast forward to route ten crossing, Little T and Big Red were nursing a breakaway on West Johnson, but they got the light going across route 10. That meant that Steve B, Turner F and Brian O had to go into chase mode. They would catch them in time for the Greenhouse climb but Little T was able to sneak off before the light at the top of the climb. The rest held up slightyl waiting for green and that was enough for Little T to take the points. Steve B was second jumping from the group. 

After that Little T had an issue he had to deal with, which meant he dropped out. That left Steve B and Sean Cahill to team up and go two-man breakaway style for the rest of the ride. They would end up finishing over 1 min up on the fractured chase.