A running account of the "race without an entry fee"..... The Tuesday night ride

Tuesday the 30th



 21 guys for the weekly cyclocross training ride, aka the SG Ride

Despite the road construction re-route right at the start, everyone was in a great mood for the 2nd to last ride of the year... As soon as the ride turned off the bike path, it was game on, with Jordan L jumping out first, followed by Rory D and Hunter P. Pretty soon they were joined by BurgieBaby, who took a risk or 2 getting thru the corners in order to get up the leading trio. Rory D dropped back as the lead group tore through the soon-to-be-the-crappy road section. The remaining 3 kept on it as behind, the field had a couple of slow corners thanks to those pesky cars.
                The leading trio of BurgieBaby, Jordan L and Hunter P kept on the pressure, kept extending the lead all the way to the light on 68/70. The lead group made good time down Mountain RD and was given the bonus green light. The pack was just getting up to speed, thanks to solid pulls on Mountain Rd from Mike McG and Rob Dux. 2 steps backwards though when the peleton got up to the light as it was turning red. The pack hustled soon thru all the same and onto Moss Farms, not content to just sit back and watch the ride go away. Hacker jumped out from the front and was had visual contact with the lead group just as they turned onto Marion, but he had to return to the pack and rfill the afterburners.
                The leaders stayed off the front all the way to the turnaround sprint, where Hunter P took it with no challenge. As the trio bombed down the backside, Hacker was going off the front 2.0, taking a flyer up the hill along with Ben Bruce. Those 2 kept the pressure up on the descent. Up front, Jordan L turned homeward at the Peck Ln intersection, but that was just in time for Hacker to make the connection to Hunter P and BurgieBaby. It stayed the 3 up front and off the pack all the way back onto Route 10 and up to the stop n sprint. The pack stayed close and was in striking distance as the leaders came up to the Stop n Sprint. Little T patiently bided time till the last moment, jumping hard from the now-closing-fast-chase. He was able to cruise-missile past all 3 to take the sprint there.
                As the remaining riders in the front were fracturing under the pressure of the sprint hill. Hacker kept up the pressure going thru Cheshire and that led to a small group getting off the front as the ride barreled toward the high school. A turning light there let some riders slip thru the red light, while others straight blowed it. When all was said and done, a group of 5 was successfully off the front, charging into Hamden. Hacker, Little T, Hunter P, The Full Nalini and Dillon P worked the gap and stayed off the front the entire way back. For the finale, The full Nalini gave Little T a run for it, but it was to no avail.