Grand HUNdo

The last couple days I've rolled into my place around 9:00 pm after extending my ride home for no particular reason other than the weather has been perfect and I want to get some mellow longer rides in my legs this week in prep for a ride/race on Saturday called the Grand HUNdo.

I guess the HUNdo has been going on out in Western Massachusetts for a few years now and it's run by some good dude's Alec Donahue & Mukunda Feldman of J.A.M. Fund/ Wheelhouse Racing and cyclocross uber star & road pro Jeremy Powers aka J-Pow.  I guess J-Pow, Alec and Mukunda are pretty tight, hence the acronym J.A.M.

I had no plans to do the HUNdo until this past weekend but here's how it went down.  I was racing in New Britain, CT on Sunday.  New Britain (a hop North of NYC) is always a jankie guerrilla crit earmarked by gnarly last lap crashes and usually a fist fight or two after the race.  Last year even the race promoter got sucker punched in the face.  So, yeah it's like that.

Anyway there was a break of four up the road with two laps to go. They were going to take the race but I was irritated and on edge because the crashes were beginning (my good bro's Keith Kelly & Jon Lowenstein both went down) and I wanted no part of it.  Dudes started screaming and I could feel a big pile up coming on.  I noticed Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) on my left and my friend Aaron Hubble (Bissell-Abg-Nuvo) on my right so I told both of them to follow me as I drove through the mess and chased the break full gas for about a mile or so.  This got the pack up to the break with a little less than one lap to go. The effort kept everything  strung out & safe.  In the final sprint Brad got pipped by Mengoni  for 2nd and Aaron rolled in strong for 3rd and there were no crashes so it was well worth the effort.

After the race Aaron let me know he appreciated the effort and Brad Huff came up to me as well.  Brad & I had never met but he was super cool and let me know he appreciated it as well. I guess J-Pow was crashed out as well so Brad was isolated and he didn't let my gesture go unrecognized.  After a bit of this and that, Brad mentioned the Grand HUNdo and encouraged me to do it this weekend.  He said it would be the most fun of the summer; highlighted by 2 ice cream stops and a pig roast n beer at the end, so I figured 'what the heck why not, I'm in.'  Somehow I get the feeling 'fun' will also include a plenty of time in the pain cave. 

Peace and roll strong.