Another week of At the start of the ride tonight, guys had a few ants in the pants. The Body Over Bike guys especially. They were quick to dart out of the parking lot but, at the same time, respectful of route 10 etiquette.
Once the ride turned off route 10 it got going a bit more but there were no big attacks. Aaron B led everyone at first with a respectable pace. The body over bikes guys stayed up there, as did Jason Williams, Gibertoni, and Scott Rosy Rosenthal. Jordan was spotted up front quite a bit, setting tempo with his teammate Rusty. All in all, the pace was calm all the way up to the light on 68/70.
Wild Bill took a dig off the front early on Mountain RD. The pack reeled him in a kilo or two later though. Getting onto Moss Farms, Wild Bill was quick to hit the afterburners along with Gibertoni, Hunter P and Thule Tom. It wasn't enough to get a gap though. Aaron B then attacked, and the timing looked good, but everyone was coming around. When Jordan Lynn jumped as well, everyone got going. Steve B was the last to get across the gap but traffic at the 4-way intersection meant a reset. Everyone was together going up the hill to Marion.
Next to attack was Hunter P, who took a flyer on the way to the light. It was red so nothing doing there. Onto Mount Vernon where Aaron B, Rich Nadeau and Wild Bill got things going initially. The pack stayed together all the way down Mount Vernon. A good bit of posturing, no real attacking. Once the ride turned onto Welch for the turnaround though, Wild Bill took off. Then Steve B jumped up to bridge the gap. Behind, The Sernyak, Rosy, Thule Tom, Joe K, and Chris C were que'd up at the front, ready to pounce on the hill. Then Jordan L struck off the front, and the rest gave chase. Wild Bll was caught on the hill before the corner, and Steve nursed a slim lead onto West St. Joe K moved off the front, and had teammates right behind "blocking." That made it two up the road, as Steve B was able to gain on the rest in the headwind.
With 300 meters to go, Joe K rolled away from a fading Steve B, who was not sure of where the sprint point was. Joe was all-in when Kieran H, Aaron B, and Hunter P jumped for the sprint. Aaron B had a good jump and was able to hold it in front of Hunter P, with Joe K's effort netting him 3rd across the line.
Down the backside, Kieran and Hunter P stayed on it, as did Aaron B. The headwind + everyone behind realizing if they had an inch, they'd take a mile, kept the leaders close, and it was all together going over 84. After that, the pace stated steady. It was good to see Big Red back at the front pushing the pace. Heading onto Atwater, a small group led by Wild Bill was pushing off the front no one was willing to let that go. Hunter P attacked going under the overpass and had a gap heading to the light. At the last second, he got the green light but the chase, which was 75 meters behind, slipped thru a yellow/red turning light, which brought the pack together for the ride back into Cheshire.
Heading up to the light on route 10, Jeff Scala, Joe K, Hunter P, and Evan B made a break for it, but the light was red (sad trombone). Grouppo Compacto for the now weekly slow-down approach into the Greenhouse climb, which also gave everyone a chance to rinse the sand out of their you-know-wheres. Give the Body Over Bike guys credit for at least keeping the pace respectable. The usual suspects were near the front for the start of the climb. One could almost feel the sigh of relief when young Kieran took off off the front. This gave the chance for a few new guys to set the pace up the climb (A rider from Class Cycles, Rich Nadeau, Scala, and Wild Bill) as well as Chris C. They set a good enough pace that Kieran was on his way back as everyone went under the light. Steve B and Turner French once again got involved in the chase. Aaron B jumped first again and had the legs to stay in front of Hunter P as the two passed Kieran with 50 meters to go to the sprint. Once again, the three stayed on the gas, but everyone got the green light at the corner.
The ride back into Hamden was uneventful. Thule Tom and Hunter P attacked once, then the Sernyak. Then Aaron B, Esteban S, Rich N, Scala, and Rosy. Then Hunter P rolled off the front and hit the downhill with a 100-meter gap. That was eaten up as the road flattened out, setting up a the positioning showdown between Body Over Bike, CW, the Sernyak, Wild Bill, and a couple of other riders thrown in for good measure (Vitaly, Esteban, Thule Tom, Alex D). Aaron B jumped with Rich N on his wheel. Hunter P came around Dillon P late, but neither could get around Aaron, who made it three for three on the night.
