Tuesday the 22nd

As He Says, Not Does

Good weather meant the return of the 25-plus crowd for the sleeping giant ride. The pace getting going was average until Steve B and Erin Rand hit the front trying recreate the breakaway of last week. Chris C and Sean M were wise to to the early moves, and it stayed together. Steve B accelerated a couple more times, and each time Turner F and Erin R were there to play defense. The most successful early break came when Steve B and Chris C rolled off the front through an early intersection, in a  questionable move that put the rest of the pack into the path an on coming car. The irony of it being Chris C was easily found by even the dullest of SGR regulars, and many in the pack spent the next 20 seconds cracking jokes.

With Turner patrolling the front like a mako, the two up the way had a gap the entire time into Mountain Rd and through it. Behind it came down to Dan Smith, Joe K, Hunter P, Rich N, Cedric and maybe one or two others putting in the chase work. The gap was coming down by the end of Mountain Rd and the red light sealed the deal and brought it all back together.

 Onto Moss farms where Hunter P, Turner F, and J Fesik the Tri guy all had solid pushes on or off the front. Going into the chicane Little T hit the front and he had TCC and Fecik up there pushing the pace, but it stayed together all the way to the light.

Through the detour, Hunter P attacked, and AlejetHuber took off with him. Then Turner F hit it hard and by the top of the climb, a small grenade had gone off the pack, and riders were everywhere. Hunter P led down back toward Marion on the way and a handful of riders close to the front followed. Another handful of riders took the Roseanna Rd shortcut, which dumped them out onto Mount Vernon 5 seconds in front of the strongest riders (who were no-doubt thinking they had a gap). The "break" turned into a chase and in kilo or two it was back together, however a few stragglers who went with the leaders but could not close the early gap to them would get caught out and dropped for the night, or have to shortcut back on West St.

The run down Mount Vernon was standard stuff. Steve B attacked once more halfway to the turnaround, and then Sean Cahill timed his jump across perfectly. Those two hit the corner for Welch with a 7-8 second gap and had a good chance for the sprint. There was not much of an early chase, and the gap was up as the hill and corner loomed. Behind, Little T jumped hard at the base of the climb and was able to get to the two leaders. Sean C jumped along and those two went to the line with Little T nabbing it. Steve B was between the duo and the pack, and it would all came back together on the backside.

The next action was on Atwater, where Justin Hardwick jumped hard before the hill under the highway. Then Hunter P jumped hard on the hill and those two went to work holding a gap to the light. The light was red, but Hunter P slipped thru between cars, Justin held up and the pack was right there. The red light lasted for another 30 seconds. That, plus the ramp back up to speed gave Hunter P a cushion up the road. The chase was slow moving through to the next light on route 10, but it picked up after that.

Too little too late though, as Hunter P was able to hold the gap (and slip through lights) to the end and finish in front by that same 30 seconds.

Little T cleaned up the sprints from the pack.