Tuesday the 15th

Breakaway Filed, Legs Taxed

Another SGR, another windy war of attrition. With a relentless cross / headwind, the transition to Spring has been rocky. Great to see Jeff Pappy-naw out there. A certified New England cycling legand.... Few riders have spent more time off the front, off the back, and occasionally off course.

Chris C and Turner French turned the screws into the wind heading up route 10. Once off Route 10, Turner did what French does, rolled casually off the front like it was a big dare. The pack let him go. Tom Krol, not one to let a free ride go un-redeemed, bridged across just as the gap was getting good.

The peloton took their sweet time organizing a chase. Credit to Steve B, Steffen Huber, Sean Hurley, a bit of Hacker for finally punching the clock.

As the two escapees pushed on, the group encountered the real villain of the day: an overly cautious car that crept up Mountain Road like it was trying to avoid spooking deer. However Steve B and Sean Mayer., got around before it became obnoxious, and the rest of the pack got stuck in slow mo for a few hundred meters.

Tom Krol realized he has more fun enduring the pack's mental problems and let Turner French go. He gets bonus points for trying, which is more than can be said for a few riders enjoying the draft a little too much these days.....

Tom Krol joined the Steve B and Mayer, but instead of boosting the bridge, it ended up stalling the effort. Meanwhile, the main group, now led by Hunter P, Steffen H, allegiance-challenged Chris C and a couple of others were reeling it back in and a red light on route 68 sealed the deal.

As soon as the light turned green, Steve B dropped the hammer and successfully tempted Hunter P along for the ride, Chris C, and Sean Mayer also jumped, and those four quickly had a gap just a few hundred meters into what would become the decisive break. With a stiff head crosswind punishing the pack behind, the four were determiningly rolling away, fueled by double pulls from Steve B and Hunter P.

The break caught Turner on the second 322 crossing, forming a group of five that stayed tight through the final segments. Turner rolled away on the Greenhouse climb and grabbed the extra point there. In the finale, Steve B took the sprint.