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

Tuesday the 28th



Crowells on a cruise = subpar SG ride…
It was a light crowd out tonight on the TWC. Vacations and the return of a dry Rentschler field crit meant that there was only 25 or so out tonight. The humidity meant that everyone was on the sluggish side, a least to start out. The opening 3-4 miles was 2 abreast and lesierely in pace. Hacker and Nuemotion got things going midway to the light on route 68. The light there was green, which gave a chance to Gibertoni, Hunter P and Hacker to try to slip off the front on Moss Farms but that wasn’t going to be allowed by the pack. The Keltic boys (O’Shea and John Morgan) , Ciocci, Tall Dennis, and a couple of others all chipping in to get the pace up there. Even still, after a reshuffle up front, that same 3 was up there along with a couple of others as the ride dove into the chicane. The pace slowed up the hill to Marion though.
     Heading to the light on 322, Gibertoni was attentive and he broke off a slight gap…. 10-15 meters or so. The timing was in his favor at the light as he and Dan Smith squeezed thru a green>red light fair and square. Burgster and Nuemotion took liberty to go thru the red light but when protest erupted from the pack that was braking hard, they spun around and waited to reconnect. The 2 up front continued with their gap, rightly so. They were just out of sight as the field crested the hill after the light. The 2 worked well together, and stayed out of sight for most of the ride down Mount Vernon. With 1000 meters to the turnaround, and the leaders in sight and coming back, Jordan L jumped up to slip across the gap. That brought a pickup in the pace and with 250 meters to the corner, it was all done for the 2 up front. Jordan L kept on it though. Hacker then jumped hard, taking Mike McG and Hunter P. Response to that was affirmative and it led to a speedy trip down the firs part of Welch. Halfway down, a trio rolled off the front in pursuit of Jordan L and the one rider that was with him. Nuemotion, Burgster, and Rob Dux hit the corner and soon were up to the leaders. Behind, Hacker jumped hard, Little T was next to go but it was quickly apparent that the 3 had a good enough head start and were motoring. From that trio, Nuemotion had little problem taking the sprint point.
     They kept on the gas on the backside and it looked like they may escape. The pack was one red light away from missing out. Everyone sailed thru the lights by I84 and the leaders were held up at the light on riser by Jude Ln. From there it was all together back into Cheshire. Hunter P attacked going under the overpass on Atwater. He held that gap till the red light on 322.
     Onto Peck, where Burgster and Gibertoni tried to sneak off as everyone slowly came off the 4-way intersection there. Hacker was having none o that. He jumped hard, taking 11teen guys with him up to the front. From there French Casey tore off a gap with The Sernyak and Hunter P as the ride went up the false flat. That trio would carry a gap all the way to route 10, but no one was going to let it get out of control.
     On the first parts of Route 10, Hacker was sensing weakness around him. But at the top of the hill, everyone had clawed their way back on. Mike McG then picked up the slack, as well as the Keltic boys, leading to a fast and pure run-in to the sprint. 3 or 4 jumped, but Little T jumped hardest and had little trouble cresting the hill alone. From there, the ride stayed its normal fast all the way back into Hamden. A speeding bus with 300 meters to go made more than a few guys choose between sensibility and a shot at the front. French Casey jumped into the draft of the 25 ton vehicle and as Little T chased em down, the sprint ended up being negated because that bus just wasn’t going fast enough!
    Good ride everyone. Let's take this moment to wish Kyle C a speedy recovery from a fractured elbow sustained when he tried to beat up a section of asphalt somewhere in the Redding area during the recent CT Challenge charity ride. Kyle, don't eat too much on the cruise. Your dad tho can have all the donuts he wants, right Rondo?

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