Scottsville, NY – Temperatures were low but spirits (and wind) were high for the first appearance of the year by the Salty Chimps at the GVCC Spring Giro training race series. It was expected to be a grueling early-season shakedown against the always formidable Rochester riders. The initial plan was for Dave Tate to execute early attacks to get a feel for the competition.
I heard Scott mutter ‘this would be a good place to attack.’ Though, he may have been joking since it was literally a 2 minutes into the race…
Dave Tate
Ready or not, the effort was successful. The solo breakaway was defended by the rest of the team and managed to stay away for the duration of the race. For added insurance, Fred Bulken was sent across the gap to join him in the final miles. By the end of the race, the team had swept the top 3 podium spots, and also secured 4th, 5th, and 6th place overall in the “B” race. The team has plans to race the “A” group next time.
After the race, the team debriefed to reflect on their early success and identify points to improve on:
I feel confident that I’m ready to go this season. Every member of this team is in good form in regards to fitness which showed on Sunday.
Rob Chimento
We ended up racing against each other which is never the goal… The positive take away here is that everyone is clearly on good form for early-season which makes the rest of the year seem really bright.
Tony Campagna
We were a bit sloppy with team cohesiveness and positioning in the wind, but overall this was a very good early season exercise for us.
Jonathan Cyganik
The bar has been set and we welcome all challengers.
Fred Bulken
No caption… 
The team gears up. 
