Tuesday the 24th

 Back to the Regular Hyjinks

With Rentschler Field being done and dusted for the year one could expect that there would have been a huge number of riders out for tonight's ride. SGR did pick up a few (Wild Bill, Don Kimball, Aidan C, Kevin Mullaly and a couple of others)

Right from the start, the Cheshire crew was up front drilling it with a concerted effort. Wild Bill got involved, along with Chris C and Mullaly. That made for a very fast first 15 minutes, and more than usual got dropped because of it. After Hunter P pulled thru on South Brooksvale, A group of about 6 had a gap from the oppressive pace. A bit off traffic turning on Mountain Rd, plus hesitation up front gave the group a chance to come back together. 

Further down Mountain Rd, after big pulls from Gibertoni and Damien Roy, another group rolled clear (Chris C, Brian G, Cedric Baylor and 1 or two more), but that was brought back after a little while. The pace onto Moss Farms was solid, with Chris C, Steffen H, Mullaly, Wild Bill, and Hunter P hitting the front. More gaps to the peloton, but not enough up front to make it stick. The next move came after turning onto Marion, where Hunter P jumped off the front with Chris C, Ben B, and a couple of others. That was short-lived though, with Mullaly, Brian G, Mike Williams and others pulling it back.

The pace stayed high going over 322 and onto Mount Vernon. Steffen H rolled off the front with Mullaly. That was chased back primarily by Big Red. Later on, Hunter P rolled off again with Mullaly and Brian G. The chase was fast. Thomas B was also one that pushed off the front as the pack made its way to the turnaround. 

For the sprint there, a bit of traffic turning onto West St interrupted the hard riding for most. Once it got going again, Ben Bruce was the first to go for the sprint, but Little T was able to come around, with Mullaly in second place. Hunter P and Wild Bill tried to sneak away on the backside, but couldnt get by the traffic lights. 

The Henk and Max pushed the pace after the highway, but no gaps from it. Gibertoni got an earful rolling thru the empty intersection at Marion. In the dramatic moments that followed, Hunter P slipped off the front and rolled toward 322 with a gap. Brian Girard gave chase, and was in striking distance as the 322 and the red light came up. It turned green just in time for Hunter P to go under but the chase slowed down more for it. Gibertoni also timed it well, and joined Hunter P up front. Those two stayed clear until after the Hickory Hill Orchard sprint point, and Gibertoni rolled thru there to collect the points. Behind, Aidan C led a big charge up the hill to close down the gap in time for the last 20 min of the ride.

From there, no big moves off the front. Wild Bill tried a couple more times to create separation. Then, a group of 4-5 rolled off the front on the early slopes of Tuttle. That was brought back in plenty of time to set up for the sprint, which was taken by Little T, with Mullaly close behind.

 

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."