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WBL 2025-2026: The End: Bill Boonen’s Alto World Cup. 110 miles.

History: Total Miles: 816 (10 rides). Two cancelled from snow/ice. Average speed: 20.4 mph. 2 cigarettes (Buechel), but no sparks now.

Fresh air blowing straight in your face pushing you away. That is the story of Bill Boonen’s Alto World Cup. The weather gods seemingly never really came around to help the Zealots this season. Be it harsh gale winds, searingly cold rain, drab dark damp days, and the double dump of ice and snow. Wasn’t smooth. But that’s how we like it. No coddling. Just the best organized group ride around. That’s our pride. Hard down the hills, easy up, then cruise those flat roads. So back to Alto. It is supposed to be difficult. That’s how you gain perspective or just quit. It's the point. Zealots don’t quit though. Slobber drips from chin to top tube. Eyes roll sideways. Eyes look like a demon. The demon is glory. To be etched into the annals of history. The Alto winners circle is a true time capsule. Any WBL win is important, be it pro, non pro, or ladies. We respect all. But we respect Alto above all. For it is the highest. Hence the name. And this year it was the end.

Gutcheck finally wrestled Lee Arrendale’s prison off his back and by doing so carved his name into two different record books. The first being multiple WBL overall winners and the second being the famed ALTO winners’ circle. We’d be negligent to not acknowledge not so little Julien Ruhe for giving Gutcheck the gas. See lil’Julien ripped that Norris Law cash straight from Gtucheck’s hands. Jenny the Rose took the Ladies and Sir Anthony the non pro.

Steep Dog hill: the final attack zone primer- it began slowly, but progressed to small salt crusted groups of wind burned folk. Gruber took the pro finish with the General Brown taking the ladies and that crazy Niwinski taking non pro.

Yearbook honors report coming and sponsor thanks in the next couple of days.

Pro Alto City Limit Line: From Norris Injury Law
1st: 5 pts + $100 Cash	Julien Ruhe
2nd: 4 pts + 100 gift card to Suburban Cycles	Gutcheck
3rd: 3 pts + 40 cash	Anthony Aker
4th: 2 pts +Flickr Drink everyday card	Andy Scarano
Women's Jackie Crowell Alto City Limit:
1st: 5 pts + $50	Jenny Thornton-Brooks
2nd: 4 pts +$30	Ashley Gruber
3rd: 3 pts +Bag of Choco Coffee	Morgan Brown
Non-Pro Alto City Limit Line:
1st: 5 pts + $30 from Norris Injury Law	Anthony Aker
2nd: 4 pts + 20	Challaghan Strickland
3rd: 3 pts + Flicker Free Drink Card	PJ Terry
4th: 2 pts + Flicker Free Drink Card	Noah Niwinski
Pro
1st: 15 pts. / $200 plus da box!	Gutcheck
2nd: 12 pts / $100	Julien Ruhe
3rd: 9 pt. / $50	Candy Andy
4th: 6 pts./ $25	Noah Niwinski
5th: 3 pts / Bag of Choco Pronto Coffee	PJ Terry
Ladies
1st: 15 pts. / $100 + Choco Pronto Coffee	Morgan Brown
2nd: 12 pts / $75	Ashley Gruber
3rd: 9 pt. / $25	Jenny Thornton-Brooks
Non Pro
1st: 12 pts. / $40	Noah Niwinski
2nd: 10 pts / $30	PJ Terry
3rd: 8 pt. / $20	Challaghan Strickland
4th: 6 pts. / Free Drink Card at Flicker	Kyle Kimball
5th: 4 pt.	Morgan Brown

 

OVERALL:

Place	Last	First	Total
1	Gruber	Jered	108
2	Gruber	Ashley	95
3	Terry	PJ	89
4	Brown	Morgan	85
5	Thornton-Brooks	Jennifer	64
6	Grainy	Brandon	58
7	Baker	Andy	39
8	Black	Kelly	39
9	Brown	Thomas	39
10	Desevaux	Cyril	39
11	von Dziembowski	Conrad	39
12	Eye	Preston	38
13	Strickland	Challaghan	38
14	Scarano	Andy	36
15	Zimish	Kaden	35
16	Murphy	Eric	34
17	Crabbe	Matthew	31
18	Dale	Nick	31
19	Kimball	Kyle	30
20	Heeb	Mark	29

 

WBL 8: Gruber Images Watson Mill, dry, not on ice. But first, thanks to our sag saint SIR GREGORY the GREAT! WBL it is!

It’s not often that a highway ages so much that it degrades to being suitable for a two wheeled apparatus. In memory, there is no memory of this occasion. Towns grow quickly; roads don’t. So how the hale does a busy rural highway turn into the most convenient cut through: ahhh we gotta ask Carney about that. Maybe ask that Crumley crumpet man too for they have sway on these types of things. No matter how you skin it, we have that crispy skin cookin! Oh, a new development: A HOUSE DIVIDED. Collusion ensues? Lawsuits pending. Gruber duo at the top of the leaderboard. More later.

Back to it. Let’s be safe riding. That’s our miracle formula. The most reduced group of stubborn Zealots took part in the whether window WBL before the city of the gods was covered in the shiny icy stuff. Attendees included: FU Andy Baker, Coffee house Nick Dale, Grain train, Candy Andy, Preston’s wavy Eye, the Frenchman Cyril, returning Elliot Caldwell, John Petty PJ Terry, plus more. The Eye Preston took his first of many WBL wins, aiming for the records circle. But at the end: a House divided, not between the hedges, but between the sheets on the Playa and at the top of the leaderboard. See we now encounter a house covering the top two positions in the WBL. Loser sleeps on the couch. More later. Alto on tap. Results and overall below.

Gruber Images WBL:

Pro Finish:

1. Preston’s Eye
2. Gutcheck
3. Candy Andy
4. Challaghan
5. Tommy Morrison

Non Pro Finish:

1. Challaghan
2. Grain Train
3. Tom Petty PJ
4. DA Daniel Abbaraccin
5. Condor Nick

Women’s

1. Greenthumb Gruber

Sprants:

Pro:

Gutcheck

PRESTON EYE

Candy man Andy Scarano

Non Pro:

Tom Petty PJ

Challaghan

Grain Train

Womens- Greenthumb

OVERALL:

Place	Last	First	Total
1	Gruber	Jered	83
2	Gruber	Ashley	73
3	Terry	PJ	67
4	Brown	Morgan	57
5	Grainy	Brandon	52
6	Thornton-Brooks	Jennifer	44
7	Eye	Preston	38
8	Zimish	Kaden	35
9	Baker	Andy	33
10	Black	Kelly	33
11	Brown	Thomas	33
12	Desevaux	Cyril	33
13	von Dziembowski	Conrad	33
14	Crabbe	Matthew	31
15	Dale	Nick	31

*********

A Changing of the guard. The first combo double ride in recent memory merged the Suburban Cycles and Parks Law Classic into one convoluted convalesces of inconveniences. Sometimes the best intentions and thoughts don’t pan out the way you’d expect. Mist greeted the bravest group of peddlers? Wait, wasn’t supposed to be warmer?  It seems that was simply an echo of what was to come. A new crop. A younger generation. With an organization as old as the WBL, it is natural for things to change or evolve. People come and people go, but the stories live on. Stories of bravery, true grit, frozen digits, and frozen pizzas. Da Box will also be there to greet you at the end with candy, soap, and all those other vices to slow you down. This change is visible in the bright young faces of the new ZEALOTS. It’s palpable with their excitement. We are in the midst of being overrun by teenagers and slightly older scholastics. Not in eons have two rides been won by juniors who can barely drive. See Matthew the Crustacean Crabbe came into town with his money hungry teammate dashing for the Kash Adamski. The duo walked all over Gutcheck’s soul. Pummeled Preston’s Eye(s) swollen shut. Only the Grain Train, Chase on the case Brady, and PJ the Terry(iest) put up their arms in defiance. On the ladies’ side, Jenny the Thorn took the clean sweep. Now Alto awaits. Log jam in the overall for 2^nd to 4^th.

**Jackie Crowell Women's Sprint: PCL (Mile 32)
· 3 pts. $50 gift card to Suburban Cycles	Jenny Thornton-Brooks
· 2 pts. / $25	Ash Gruber
· 1 pts. / Flicker Free Drink Card	Emma Frost
**Non Pro: PCL (Mile 32). (sponsored by Choco Coffee).
· 3 pts. / Bag of Choco Coffee	Matthew Crabbe
· 2 pts / Flicker Free Drink Card	Noah Nwinski
· 1 pt	?
** PRO: Normaltown Brewing’s PCL (Mile 32)
· 3 pts. / $25	Preston Eye
· 2 pts. Bag of Choco Coffee Beans	Owen Lloyd
· 1 pt Flicker Free Drink Carl	Matthew Crabbe
Pro Finish Sponsored by Suburban Cycles (mile: 39.5)
· 10 pts / $100	M Crabbe
· 8 pts. / $75	Gutcheck
· 6 pt / $25	Preston Eye
· 4 pts	Kash Adamski
· 2 pts	PJ Terry
Ladies Jackie Crowell Finish: (mile: 39.5)
· 10 pts. / $50	Jenny Thornton-Brooks
· 8 pts / $30	Ash Gruber
· 6 pt. / $20	Morgan Brown
· 4 pts.
· 2 pts
Non Pro Finish sponsored by Crowe Law Firm: (mile: 39.5) Copyright 2026