"F#ck*n pull thru!" - Ronnie's Back!
Small group out tonight ( <25 guys ) to battle the rain and cold ( again! ). Something must be wrong with the rest of us when Rondo can miss 5 weeks of rides, spend a week in the hospitable and still keep up and push the pace when he comes back. Anyway it was good to see him back out and giving everyone a hard time.
Once off the route 10, Chris C and hunter P got things going off the front. That wasn't given much room, which got the ride going for everyone. Dillon P managed to bridge up to the 2 at the end of South Brooksvale, which kept the break going for a little longer but it only would last for a 2-3 kilo's. Once the ride slowed down a bit. That gave Mahoney and Weaver a chance to get off the front but that move never made it farther then 50 meters off the front. Once everyone got onto Mountain road, the cream of the crop came up and drove the pace. Aidan, Hunter P, Mike McG, Eric M, PeteReed, the Suto clan and even Rondo was up there. On the second half or Mountain, others got involved up front and it stayed fast till the light.
Aidan charged on the front once on Moss Farms, right away spreading things out. Eric M, new guy on an older litespeed, a couple of Yalies, Young Suto, and Hunter weren't giving up much there and kept it together. Despite the small group out tonight, no one was really willing to try to attack the bunch. Going thru the chicane and up the hill, with Chris C and PeteReed danglin off the front, Eric M started to go, taking Aidan and hunter P with him, Hunter P kept up the pace thru the corner but sat up as no one else was responding.
Going into the indutrial park, Eric M was up front and going hard with Weaver there for back-up. Aidan, Mike McG and PeteReed were paying attention and didnt let the gaps open up. Turning onto West Johnson, Aidan was once again up there and keeping it heavily starched up front. When no one would chip to help Aidan, Chris C took off to have a go, hacking off a decent gap as the climbing section hit. No one seemed overly concerend about that, although, Weaver and a Yalie also jumped off the front looking for an upset. He would get up to Chris just as the bunch was winding up behind. The climbing started on West Johnson steady pace. Mike McG would lay down an attack right before the corner for Rienhard. He rode up and thru the 2 up front as guys started looking around for wheels to latch onto. Aidan jumped at the crest of the initial climbs on Rienhard which looked pretty convincing. He scampered up to were MIke McG was just as Eric M was moving out of traffic to start the sprint. Hunter P was latched on though and was able to come around all of them with room to spare, passing Mike about halfway up the hill.
On the backside, Eric M rolled off the front with a couple of guys but as usual, it all came together before Peck Lane. No real surprises heading back to Route 10. The group had to roll over some chewd up road but everyone seemed ok. Once onto route 10 heading south, the tailwind picked up and got things going. Guys started jostling around for a good position and wheel to follow. A police cruiser exiting a side street 1.5 k's from the sprint would bring everyone to a halt. In the ride's younger days, no doubt we would have blown right past him, making the po-po wait for us!
Once everyone got going there was no time to lose for the stop n shop sprint. With a couple of yalies, Eric M, Aidan and others up front, it was going to be fast. The Yalie with red tights and Weaver tore off early on getting a gap and then turning it into a sprint as Mike McG blasted off the front. There was a red light on the hill with traffic stacked up, slowing down a crowded sprint. The away team gets this one though as Red tights narrowly stayed off Mike, Weaver , Eric M and Hunter P.
The ride back into Hamden was quick thanks to the tailwind (and the Suto's). Weaver and PeteReed would duke out the final little bit as Mountain Man, Gregg F, Tri Doug, Mahoney, Hunter P and one other went up the hill to finish things off there.
