It rained and poured but it didn't stop
the usual troops from coming out for some bike practice.
Right out of the parking lot, Tall John
was eager to dry off, setting off in front of everyone during the
neutral start. He took along Tall Dennis and a couple of Central
Wheel riders and Nate from Amity. They set off with no one in
particular from the bunch protesting. Soon after route 10, Rich
Foley, Gregg F and Young Suto struck off the front in proper fashion
and had as gap as they too were allowed to roll. They worked up a gap
of about 30 seconds before it started tumbling down on the way to
Mountain road. The peleton was being led by the usuals and a couple of flats ( Dillon P ) and the rain covered wet roads slowed the bunch down. The catch was eventually
made on Mountain rd and everyone settled in and by the light at
Route 68, even the early birds were back in the fold.
Hacker jumped up for Moss Farms
and was joined by Jacinto. Todd H was the first to dig in and chase,
keeping everyone close. Along the way, a couple of guys bridged up.
Ciocci, The Sernyak(?) and one other. Behind Mike McG, Eric M and
MoMoney were also up there lending a hand. The leaders came into the
chicane with barely a gap and by the turn onto Marion, it was all
together. The pace was solid to 322 from there. Again, a few guys
went up to try to catch the light but it was red.
On Mount Vernon things got a little
messy. Guido rolled off the front to get things going and took along
a few guys ( O'Shea, Nuemotion, Tri Doug, Hacker etc ). The front
group disintegrated though with just Hacker and one other up front.
Joe K powered off the peleton and got stuck in between until the
false flat section where everyone was rounded up. Chris C tried to
inflict some pain during and after the false flat, stretching the
group out nearly single file. No one was in the attacking mood though
and it stayed together. Guido would get to the front again and try to
get something going, and he briefly had a gap with Chris C, Silent
Steve, The Sernyak, and Thomaas B but everyone got wish to that when
Hacker moved and thru to the group, tying it all together for the
corner.
On Welch, Tall John got things going
with Chris C, Ciocci and Hacker responding. Tri Doug then kept things
fast along with Todd H. The dash up the hill to the corner was slower
then usual. Hunter P was the first to jump, getting into a narrow
seam between a car and the corner. The peleton had to deal with a bit
of a bottle neck and so that move was deemed a dickhead one but it
served to get everyone riled up for the chase on West St. Soon a
small group of guys was way off the front and chasing Hunter P down.
Jacinto, Hacker, Eric M, Chris B, and Tall John. Eric M got the best
jump in the sprint and came around Hunter P to take the sprint with
Jacinto behind. Red lights on the backside brought everyone back
together for the ride back into Cheshire.
Tall John tried to ride away with Chris
C on before the underpass, but there was enough guys paying attention
to keep it together. The ride back onto Route 10 was unexciting. A
good number of guys kept the pace high on Peck and Schoolhouse with
no one getting any gaps. Ditto for the first sections of route 10.
For the Stop n Shop sprint it was all Zane's up front. Mike McG set a
terrific initial leadout, keeping the pace high and leaving the other
sprinters fighting for wheels. Koski, and The Sernyak(?) where there
as well leaving Eric M in a good spot for the sprint. Jacinto got
onto Eric's wheel and those 2 duked it out to the very last meter
with being a very close call for who got it.
The whole group got an unusual amount
of green lights thru Cheshire, which kept the loners connected with
the bunch and the speeds high going back into Hamden. Props to Silent
Steve for handing a flat tire at 30mph with grace and not causing
mass destruction. For the finale, after Dillon P, Julio L and Tall
Dennis laid out the final kilometer, a small group ( Guido,
Nuemotion, Hacker, Eric M, O'Shea and Jacinto ) got free and fought
for the corner. A certain Kelt was out of the saddle quite a bit tho
so who knows who got this one fair and square. Up the hill, Hunter P,
on the tail end of the squatting sprinters group, used the head start
to keep out in front of a charging Chris B. Also present were Dillon
P, Mountain Man, Tall Dennis, and Koski (!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!? )
Good ride everyone... Cheers to all for
braving the wet weather.
