Tuesday the 17th

The SGR Takes on the 'Rent! 

The CCAP goes out to make the final Tuesday race at Rentschler Field each year a bigger-than-normal deal. The Cheshire Cycle Racing crew got involved an donated the funding needed to get a results person there. That, combined with other fun details like "Wear a Retro Jersey" and an ice cream truck giving out ice cream to the racers, tonight's race featured record breaking attendance for a TNC. 

There are many in CT that would debate which ride is better, and for anyone living in the Southinton/Avon/West Hartford area, you know the struggle it is sometimes deciding what to do on a Tuesday. With that in mind, the last Rentschler Field crit has traditionally been the night that SGR riders are invited to come up to try to unseat the crit regulars at the top of the A and B races in a battle of "who is stronger."

Tonight, there were many SGR riders taking part, and it gave everyone a chance to ride together against a common enemy. In the B race, that enemy was the juniors from TTE of Fairfield County. The trio of Ben Stokes, David Thompson, and George Elias put on a clinic for the rest. Ben and David escaped the pack in the first 8 laps or so, and never looked back. For the SGR crew, Steffen Huber placed 5th, Damien Roy was in the top 10, as was Cedric Baylor. Those were the high points for the visiting team. Oh and the fact the Craig freakin Luekens was racing! Craig can be remembered for viciously tearing off not just the legs of the SGR ride but the entire Northeast racing scene numerous times in the early 2000's. We hope he keeps riding! 

In the A race, team SGR had Hunter P attacking a few times early on. Aaron and Noah Black, and Costa Rica John as well. Eventually, the trio of Chris Pendergrast, Geno Villafano, and Ben Gorodetsky, all TNC regulars, broke clear and would hang on for the win. Behind, a second breakaway group of 5 formed in the closing laps, with Joe K riding for team SGR in that group. Little T caught a couple of those riders at the lap, so he was the top SGR finisher on the night in 7th place. Joe K in 9th. 

Thanks to all for supporting the night. And a big thank you to Dillon P for announcing the race action. One rider had this to say, "I was listening to the A race with my son, who doesn't know much about bike racing, and hearing the announcer talk about what was going on in the race made it much more enjoyable for us both."