Ride changes flavor this week - Attack & counter-attack

Mellow start to the ride this week as everyone was ok to let Peter P, the National Kit, and Joshy G roll the pack out slowly. Eric M took off once onto North Brooksvale and took along Tri Doug and Bike Shop Bob. 45 seconds later Guido launched hard to get the bridge. The trio up the road were going good, making Guido work for it. Thomaas B also tried to get up there but was stuck in no mans land. There wasn’t much of a response from the pack for a surprisingly amount of time, as everyone seemed ok to let the gap go up. Chris C, Koski, and Mike McG finally kick started the peleton, and by the corner of Mountain Rd, the chase full on. Meanwhile up the road, Guido pulled close to the break but the risers on the first parts of Mountain gave the break a chance to stretch the lead. Soon after however Tri Doug had to come unlatched. Eric M and BSB kept the gap up all the way to the light on Route 68.

     In cunning fashion, Hacker jumped hard thru the green light, as the group didn’t have to wait too long for it to change. The counter attack was well timed, albeit a little awkward. Hacker rode up a decent gap once onto Moss farms and with a limited but steadily increasing pace from Guido, Eric M, Thomas B, Rattatatat, BSB, and a couple of others, Hacker was able to hold the gap all the way past the chicane and onto Marion, finally getting caught after more strong efforts from Larry M, Chris C, Mike McG and Peter P. Whether he turned off the burners or was out of fuel, is in the eye of the beholder. Impressive nonetheless. The catch allowed everyone to sit up and recover a bit, although Larry M would wade into the deep end a bit, briefly getting a gap as the ride barreled toward the industrial park. There was some more scrambling off the front as the ride got near to 322 but it all stayed together. Props to the Bikers Edge kid on an ancient Cannondale. Someone get that guy a new bike. One at least from the current era! There was also a new guy ( Yelle Stoop! ) with a blu-ish kit that had some Belgian name on it. Both those new guys were up front as the ride got to and went over 322 and would get up front later on during the ride at a couple of spots. Yelle can now teach a class on SG First Ride Introduction Habits to all the newbies out there. 

    The crap road section before 322 gave Toddo H a flat ( sad face ). Once onto Mount Vernon, Joshy G, Hacker, Eric M and Mike McG were out to make everyone’s life miserable by getting all hot-N-heavy with themselves at the front of the ride. It stayed up over 30 mph for a solid 3 or 4 kilo’s, or at least up to around the false flat section, after they were done, Joe K hit the front running along with Rattatatat and kept the speed up during that section. Rattatatat stayed up front for some extra credit time and back came McG, Eric M, Guido and Hacker to the front. It settled down after that and that let a few more guys get up front to put in some work.
     As the ride neared the turnaround, Hacker again jumped hard thru the corner onto Welch. After a few seconds, Eric M went up the road to bridge, triggering a tsunami of disorganization behind. Several guys jumped off the front, others prairie-dogging it near the front or in no mans land. DJ Dan, Larry M, Bike Shop Bob, Thomaas B, etc... Everyone deserves props for giving it ol college try but as per usual, the steady pace of the pack, led for a ways by Chris C, would end up collecting all but the 2 up the road. With about 250 meters to the corner, Brian Girard( good to see him making time for the SG ride ) jumped hard and looked like he meant business. Once onto the hill, Mike McG jumped along with Little T, still with a gap to make up to Hacker and Eric M with Girardo even further up the road. It ended up being a 3 horse run to the line with McG and Little T catching Girardo with some room to spare, letting T easily get this one with little contesting from the others. It all got rounded up on the backside, but not before Eric M took a flyer on the downhill that Peter P had to chase down. Koski and Guido would also drive up the pace for a bit but mostly it calmed down for the ride back to route 322 due to a pretty stiff headwind. Flat #2 on the night went to Mike McG, and some of the stragglers breathed a light sigh of relief. The light was red at 322, and a couple of guys snuck thru with the obvious intention of getting gap. Eric M, DJ Dan, Bike Shop Bob, and Ratta. Long way out to the sprint but that is what a couple of the front runners were thinking and they went to work building a gap as the pack slowly got going after the red turned green. There were a few guys pissed at the cheeky move. The leaders looked strong but a quick acceleration from Chris C got the chase going on Peck and the break would eventually get caught on the rizer up Peck Lane after hard efforts by Guido, Girardo, and Bobby German. Girardo led everyone thru the still-chewed-up road section. 
    Once back onto Route 10, it calmed way down for a minute or 2 and then ramped up again for the stop n shop sprint. A bunch of guys were in position for this one and there was some chaos as DJ Dan got hit a flat during the fast run in but was able to part ways without bringing anyone down. The ruckas didn't affect the very front tho where it ended up being between Little T and Hacker. T gets this one, upping his streak to 87 in a row or something like that.
Woe to us all and who oh who will step up to end his tyranny???

    The ride back through Cheshire was pretty fast, with some good work into the wind done at the front. Eric M, Hacker and Ratta again, capping off solid rides. Guido did a long pretty fast pull from the center of town to McDonalds Land. Then more riders did stepped up. For the last section Pter P came surging to the front with about 1.5 miles to go and did some nice work to string things out. There were still way too many riders standing in line for cake for the final half kilo despite Ratta bolting down the cannons with flame in hand. Guido hit the front towrad the end as usual but this time to send off an Seal Team 6 to duke out the kill. ( Bob the Lady Germinator, Little T, HackAttack, Bike Shop Bob )