Steffen Howard cruised to the win on last week, doubling up on WorldTour points with a heroic ride on drop bars – and bald tires.

On his first (and likely last) SOL on drop bars, Steffen survived the early climbs alongside Ed Rogers before powering away to the win. On a warm, fast night in the woods, that lead pair immediately established a lead over the CC Climb and never looked back.

Behind, John O’Hearn, Patrick Cotant, and Cody Sovis tried to hold on over the climbs, but ultimately settled into three-man team time trail to limit their losses. They had good reason to stay on the gas, too. The second SOL more than doubled in size, with two to three strong groups forming up on the Power Section.

Sarah Black, Piper Schumar, and Erica O’Hearn opened the Ladies’ campaign with their debuts, which should be an exciting theme for the rest of summer. The “SOL Just-Barely-Before-Dark”, which leaves after 6pm, also welcomed Allyson Klug, Emili Jackson, and Janelle Schillnger. The ladies, under the experienced guidance of Keith Conway, will likely get under the hour mark in a matter of weeks!

And SOL is certainly getting faster. Without the rain, nearly everyone took a minute or more off their time from Week One, with five riders under the 40 minute mark.

Next week, it’s Fat Bike Night! Double points on offer for riders on tires 4″ or wider. We’re also going to fiddle with this segment because it’s missing about a third of the group each week. It’s science time.

Here are the standings after Week Two.