Tuesday the 9th

Quick, send reinforcements! 

There were 20 or so riders out today for what ended up being a barn burner of a ride! Early accelerations came from Dillon P and a couple of the CVC boys. Alan B, ABlack, and a new guy on a Specialized tarmac were up front as well. Alan B put in a couple of digs in the first 15 minutes but there were plenty of fresh legs to keep everything together.

Mountain road was chopped up due to road paving, so that broke up the pack a little bit as Alan B, Little T, and a couple of others were upfront pushing the pace. The disorganization allowed Alan B and ABlack to roll off the front midway through Mountain Road. They met up with Jordan Lynn who was backtracking on the course and all of a sudden that threesome looked like it was rolling away. Back in the pack CVC went to the front to try and bring it back. Chipping in also was Gregg F and Hunter P. The three up front would have rolled away had it not been for the red light RT 68/70.

Damage was done in the pack though, at least four or five guys got dropped and were not to be seen of again. Once the ride got back onto Moss farms, Alan B looked ready to strike out again, and then Ablack as well. But it stayed all together as everybody ripped through the chicane and then on to Marion Avenue. Little T jumped off the front getting to the intersection for Marion, and a couple of others followed suit, but it wasn't enough to drive a wedge in the pack just quite yet. Then Alan B took advantage of the soft legs and jumped off the front. A couple of chasers, Chris C, Aaron B went along and then that created a gap to the rest.

As everyone was rolling by the industrial park Hunter P jumped across the gap which set into a set into motion a quick response from anybody who had the legs to go for it. Hunter P got across the gap but dragged a few other guys all with him, leading to a truce up front which allowed it to come back together. The result: More guys dropped. The now smaller front group got a green light quickly going over Rt 322 and from there the group took a moment or two to reset and catch their breath.

There are a couple of early moves on Mount Vernon but nothing serious enough to be considered a breakaway. Most of it coming from Alan B, Chris C, or Ablack. Eventually, the persistent surges plus teamwork from the CCR guys gave Alan B and Ablack a chance to roll off the front. The chase came from CVC once again, and it all came back together just in time for the false flat section. Hunter P  then attacked taking along Chris C and those two got to work on a gap.

Never to be left out, Alnn B and Ablack bridged up taking also Little T with them which made for a group of five up the road. Behind Brian G, the aforementioned new guy, Steve Beaulieu and a couple of others kept the pace honest but it was not enough to bring the quintet back by the corner for Welch road. Upfront Ablack took to the front keeping the pace high before any cat and mouse games could start. Going into the sprint, Little T jumped from behind all and hit the headwind. Hunter P came around and was took it by a few bike lengths. The gap to the breakaway was 8 to 10 seconds at the start of Welch Rd but after the leaders settled in on West Street it was much higher. With the gap in hand, the breakaway stayed away for the rest of the ride.

There was plenty of drama in the break as it was CCR versus CVC with Ablack playing the wild card. For the Hickory Hill Sprint, Alan B took it over Ablack. And those two ended up holding the escaped despite the chase from Little T and Chris C.  The remnants of the peloton, just six or seven guys, rolled in three minutes later. Great ride everyone!