Tuesday the 23rd

The Warm Up for El Fuego Plainville..... ¡Ándale! 

New(er) faces: Ryan O was out tonight, which was great to see. Nate U all the way from G-bury was out for the 2nd week in a row.
Missing: Alan B, Joe K, Henk P.

    The ride was slow to take off today. Chris C was one of the guys pushing the pace earlier on. Little T was up there as well. The Lujambio... Julio and Julen were near or on the front working early on too. Once onto Mountain Rd, Chris C and Hunter P lifted the pace, but no attacks meant it stayed together. Hunter P attacked with a couple of hundred meters to the light, but that was red, and everyone waited before continuung.
     On Moss Farms, Julen and Julio quickly went off the front with The Sernyak. Ben Bruce, Hacker, Little T, Ryan O and a couple of others kept it close at first, then brought it back when the break couldn't keep the pace going. Chris C then attacked hard, gapping the rest heading to the corner and chicane. He was slowly reeled back in before the righthand uphill turn onto Marion. Kyle C countered, and took along Dillon P. Those two were allowed to roll, but they split from each other a little ways up the road and Kyle C didn't keep up the gap on his own. From there onto Mount Vernon, the pace was steady, but it was uneventful off the front. There was steady paceline going with about 8-10 guys involved. 
     Up and over the flase flat section, still together was the pack. No one attacked leading into or on Welch at the turnaround. There were a couple of guys that were making their way into position but everyone stayed together. The pace was not that crazy, making the stalemate off the front all the more a head-scratcher.
      Chris C took his usual place near the front for the charge up through the corner. Once again, Gerard O'shea was there as well. A long line of sprinters set up for the charge to the line. Little T jumped from 4 or 5 bikes back and was able to hold it over Kyle C and Ben Bruce. On the backside, Hunter P hit the front hard along with Ben Bruce and Chris C but a red light by the highway kept it all together. From there, on the next uphill Hong took off, taking along Sean Cahill and Nate U. Then Brian G joined in. That group got a small gap, but it was downhill, making it all but impossible to stretch out the lead. It was all-together heading onto Atwater. Hong attacked once more going under the highway but it was shortlived.
     All the way up to and over Route 10 the ride was together. Cahill took a dig on the early uphill of East Johnson but then on the downhill it was all back together. It stayed like that all the way to "the climb". Little T was the first to push the pace, and as everyone was getting into rhythm, he rolled off a gap for a couple hundred meters. Then Hong bolted off the front, taking along Cahill, Hunter P, Chris C, and the rest clawing on to stay there. Then Brian G rolled off the front briefly, but Hong kept on the offensive, steamrolling up and over the main part of the climb. Chris C rolled off the front briefly, but again, the pace from behind fast steady. Going under the light, Kyle C went thru the front and accelerated. Hunter P jumped on his wheel and then soon attacked. It was a big jump, and a long way to the sprint, but he rolled thru past the sign for the orchard store first, several bike lengths in front of Ciocci and then the rest of the field.
      The pack regrouped at the red light. Then Hong attacked on the next uphill, taking along Gregg F. Those two never got it together and two streets later, it was all together as Brian G, Hacker, Hunter P and Chris C ramped the pace up again. The next attack was from Cahill, after the Boulder Rd climb. He attacked hard into the of Tuttle Ave and held a gap until midway up the climb there. Then Brian G rolled off the front but by the intersection, it was all back together again. Hong attacked one more time with Cahill, and those two were joined by 3 or 4 more. Heading downhill, everyone behind got going though, and it was all together for a fast run into to the sprint. A parked car on the road was a quick road swerve for the pack and there was plenty of time for 8-10 guys to jockey into position. Little T got this one as well, outkicking Hacker, Ben Bruce, Kyle C, Dillon P and others by 6 or 7 bike lengths. Be careful there everyone! It's only a matter of time until someone goes down there. Don't be that guy!