Tuesday the 10th

Summer isn’t going down without a fight!

    The usual guys were at the ride tonight. Since the short loop has a bad rap for some reason, the idea was floated to turn soon on Mount Vernon and create a middle loop. Response was mixed for this idea but with Chris and Mike McG leading the call, it was agreed upon.

     The tail wind helped get the ride going and once again it was Jordan Lynn taking the reigns along with Guido and other Central Wheel riders. The ride moved thru to the crap road section with Joe K up front keeping the pace high. Moving onto North Brooksvale, a small group of riders went immediately clear and started on a gap. Jordan L, Todd H, Joe K and Rusty held on to a gap of about 60-75 meters as the ride came up to Mountain Rd. With some traffic in the intersection, the front riders were slowed and it came back together  soon after with Mike McG and Chris C leading the charge. The rest of the ride down Mountain was decent and without incident. More than the usual amount of riders were getting involved and chipping in.

     The ride moved onto Moss Farms and the speed stayed high thanks to Little T and others. Toward the end of the Moss Farms, Hunter P rolled off the front and took a small group of guys attentive at the front. Hacker, Chris C, Jordan L, Hunter P and Nuemotion, who joined up a few moments after. That group hustled thru the chicane and toward Marion with the rest of the pack wisely chasing hard. Despite going full gas for a few hundred meters, the pack would bring them back and Guido used the catch and added some great timing to be the next to shoot off the front. There were enough riders in between to make up the gaps and it was all together heading to 322.

     Moving past the light and toward Mount Vernon, Rory D, Jordan L, Hacker, Todd H, Tall John Young Suto and a couple of others all had a hand in trying to get off the front but everyone seemed to be ready to charge down the shortened stretch of Mount Vernon. The race for the front continued to the corner as everyone wanted to prove their sense of geography and be the first one to the new street. Once there, guys like Gregg F, Joe K, Jordan L, Chris C, Tall Dennis and Little T were up front and paying attention in case someone was thinking up mischief. The road offered little by way of challenging terrain so it stayed together for the brief trip to toward West St and the hard right to get back on to the regular route. From there the next one to stab at the major organs of the front of the ride was Guido, who got things going on Atwater. The Headwind was strong and it served to tamp down most efforts to get of the front.

     Jordan L, Hacker, and Young Suto jumped the front of the ride coming off the 322 intersection and they went clear right away. Going thru the 4-way intersection, the main field has a serious case of “ummmm should we go, should we stop, nah let’s just slow dow really hard, really fast”. That let the trio work the gap up a little more. Once everyone in the peleton got going on Peck, Hunter P jumped up to bridge and so did French Casey. Those 2 would by joined mid-chase by Aidan C, who was riding from the South. The trio held onto the lead, into the headwind up to the top of the false flat on Peck. The tough pace was starting to break up the group with Hacker being the one that was turning the screw mostly. The chase joined up and sped thru with Young Suto getting stuck in no-man’s land. The renewed break of French Casey, Hutner P, Hacker, Jordan L, and Aidan C kept the pressure on. Behind in the pack, It was all-hands on deck for the chase. Sensing the possibility of a strong break running away with it in the tough headwind, it took some strong riding to keep the gap manageable. Chris C, Todd H, Guido, Mike McG, Nuemotion, Timmy Hip, Gatorade rider on a Calfee and others worked the front. The higher speed would end up shedding a few guys as small gaps quickly become chasms in the headwind. Up front, the gap continued to go up but Hacker was the proverbial horse chopping at the bit. The pace was a little hot for some and as a red light or 2 came up the pace-line suffered and that gave the peleton a chance to bring it back in time for the sprint. Hacker would stay on the gas, riding up the road a little ways. As guys tried to get into good position in among the break riders, it gave a good line of wheels for Little T to use to ramp up the speed for the sprint. He took it ahead of Hacker and way ahead of others. The Full Nalini, Jacinto, Young Suto, Rusty etc. Red lights in the center of Cheshire rolled everyone back together for the ride back to Hamden.

      Nothing too interesting to report for the ride back. It played out as usual with a solid 12-15 rider paceline keeping the speed high all the way back. There were a bunch of guys in a position to get to the last light first. Surprisingly Little T wasn’t among them. Someone will have to fill in the blanks as to who got it. Up the hill Chris B rolled away with it early on over Hunter P. 

Tuesday the 3rd

Ride recap coming soon!

Tuesday the 27th

Don't get all lazy just yet...

   Good sized group of guys and girls out tonight. Good to have Sarah W back out. It was also good to see Laura Summers out, no doubt putting up with the group's shenanigans for the sake of the upcoming CX season. Right away off of route 10 the Central Wheel boys were up and on attention with Riff Raff Ralph and J Lynn and Rory D hitting the front. That got things going right away and Chris C, Tall John, Tall Dennis, Hunter P and a couple of others made sure they didnt get too far.
   The whole peleton made it's way onto Mountain Rd without too much drama as the pace stayed high enough to discourage attacks. Chris C tore up the first riser on Mountain Rd and had help from CT's very own Chris Froome impersonator, Sam Smith. Hunter P led it up the second set of risers and that led to a small group getting off the front. That was short lived though as Guido got to the front and had help in keeping the speed high going toward route 68.
    Once onto Moss Farms, Hacker and Jacinto were setting tempo up front with help from JLynn, Neumotion, Hunter P, The Full Nalini and a couple of others. The pace stayed high and even with strong pulls from Little T and Hunter P approaching the Chicane, there were no real gaps behind. Heading up to Marion, there was a good sized group up front pushing the pace enough to create a gap. Sam Smith, Chris C, and Nuemotion foremost among them. Hunter P came up from the bunch along with Hacker and a couple of other riders and that served to sew things up despite the pace staying high up front. Hacker kept on the pressure along with Nuemotion going by the corner for the short loop, but it was pretty much all together going up to the light at 322.
    Things got anyway past the light when a small group ( Hacker, Jlynn, Riff Raff Ralph etc ) took off approaching Mount Vernon. That got things going in the pack and it bunched up soon after. The pace all and all was decent down Mount Vernon. Things slowed down before the false flat for some reason but surges from The Gibertoni, Gregg F, Chris C, and the Full Nalini broke off a small group early on. That turned into a duo off the front, The Gibertoni and Hunter P. Those 2 got a gap and ran with it. Behind in the pack, there was a couple of incidents with the pylons and gravel in the road. Jacinto (?) hit a cone, and Hacker got hit with a flat tire. Up front the break stayed away for a few hundred meters but eventually broke down as a few guys attacked off the front of the chase to bridge the gap. It was soon after all together heading into the turnaround.
     Coming up to Welch, The Central Wheel boys were leading a charge along with Sam Smith, French Casey the Bike Rhino on the Calfee (Name?) and maybe one other. Hunter P came across the gap last second, taking along Chris C. The front group didnt have much of a gap but solid work up front by JLynn, Sam Smith, Hunter P and Chris C extended the lead to about 50 meters by the base of the hill. Chris C charged off the front with Sam Smith and French Casey as Little T came across the gap on the hill. The initial chase work would fall on Hunter P and Little T, and those 2 couldn't make up their mind who would work. Others soon came up, Jacinto among them, in a good spot to pounce. Little T came off some wheels at the last moment as Chris C was putting in everything for the line. It went to the judge's box to decide who got it and it's going to Chris C who has been cantankerous as of late since his family stopped feeding him. He worked the hardest for it tonight.
     On the backside it was civil and all together down to Atwater St. The pace stayed high as a bunch of guys were ok with doing the work up front. On the hill under the highway, Hunter P took off, taking along Paul Casey. Those 2 extended their lead despite a decent pace from the pack. There may have been some unmotivated-to-chase Central Wheel guys near the front, letting the duo keep off the front till the light on 322. It turned green just as the 2 leaders where coming to a slowdown, letting the 2 the now closing in pack thru as well.
     The speed stayed high onto Peck thanks to the green light and it went a long way toward making tonight a record breaking fast long loop. Something like 12 riders now sit atop the Strava segment for the long loop thanks to the night's pace+favorable lights. On the riser for Peck as it was going single file up front, Paul Casey this time was the one to attack, taking Hunter P with him. Those 2 were back off the front and working hard to keep the gap for a while. It would eventually come back together at the top of the hill on route 10. From there the speed stayed respectable heading into the sprint.
    Going past the one of the last lights ("HOLE!"), Dillon P hit the front and ran up a gap. The speed behind was good, but there was some shuffling of riders as guys looked around to see where they say in the pecking order. Dillon P hit the base of the hill with about a 50 meter gap and it was coming back fast. He managed to keep the gap solid enough on the hill to make Little T chase, along with a couple of other guys. Little T took it by a bike length with Dillon P rolling thru next.
    The ride back thru Cheshire was pretty quick and pretty much all the lights were green, which was great. Nothing unusual for the ride back into Hamden. Pace stayed high and there were about 5 or 6 guys ready to duke it out for the sit n sprint. Little T had Jacinto on his six the final 70 meters and despite a good effort, T kept out in front.
    Up the hill went only a couple of riders, and Christian, a regular on the Thursday night Cheshire Cycle Ride took the hill over Gregg F and Dillon P.... Although he may have had to take a shortcut earlier in the ride. In which case, his name will be scratched out of the trophy.
    Great ride everyone! There has been talk of switching to the short loop next week, which is about right for tradition's sake. If you want to get into a heated debate over it ( or any other SG ride topics ) be sure to stop by the Funky Monkey this Saturday to support Tall John's GF, Kerri Powers, as she performs songs about cycling all night long*. Chris C will be there as opening act, doing his best drunken impression of Ben Affleck doing his best impression of Long-Lost-Rondo.

*Probably not true.... Which is a good thing.

Tuesday the 20th

The most boring SG ride of the year is still pretty great.


    It's getting a little darker out but the warm weather was still around for this week's ride. The group was a little on the quiet side upon rolling out and getting going. Things started up and everyone was soon focused on the task at hand, having a good ride. Chris C looked ready to sneak off early on. When Jordan Lynn and Hunter P joined him that was got the ride going and it stayed fast thru the backroads. Todd H, Tall John, Ciocci, Little T and a couple of new faces were up there as well at the front in the early miles. No fireworks though as the ride kept up a solid pace up to and down Mountain rd. Chis B made an appearance up front in anticipation of the light on route 68 but he backed off as soon as he realized that others had something similar in mind.
    JLynn took off early on Moss Farms with Young Suto and those 2 worked up a quick gap as the field negotiated the chopped up road. Hacker was next to go across along with Yahor from the CCB toss-up. Hunter P then went across, taking along Chris C and Mike McG. The field picked up the pace and without any climbs to put the pressure on the peleton was bearing down by the corner. It stayed touch and go thru the chicane with some gaps outside the top 10 riders but there was no real attacks on the hill as Little T led the charge up along with Hacker, Timmy Hip and Hunter P. More solid pace up front the rest of the way toward 322. Hunter P had a go off the front going over the highway but it was a solo effort that didnt go too far.
    Onto Mount Vernon where the pace stayed decent as the usuals hit the front and got it going. Credit Guido for once again stepping up and hitting the front about a mile into the Mount Vernon stretch when the pace needed a bit of motivating and from there it stayed respectable to the corner. Despite the speed Hacker hit the front running a couple of hundred meters before the corner for Marion. He had bodies up there ( Guido, Timmy Hip, CCB, Rhino Rider on the Calfee ). It made for a splintered group of about 4 or 5 with a short gap early on. Behind Chris C jumped across the field with Hunter P and those 2 made it up to the group just as CCB and Hacker were leaving the station and starting on a gap. The rest of the way down Welch, Chris C, Hunter P and Timmy Hip plugged away at the gap. By the base of the hill, Hacker had left CCB and was alone with a 30 meter gap going up the hill to the corner. Little T, using the long line of guys in between the chase and the closing field, jumped hard at the base of the hill and was soon up to Hacker. Those 2 went to work trying to keep the gap up as behind it was Hunter P Chris C and Calfee doing the chase work. The leaders were coming back but Little T put in a sprint, leaving Hacker. Hunter P started the sprint from the front of the chase but was quickly overhauled by Mike McG who had timed the chase well. He would be the only one to challenge Little T, who was able to get it with relative ease.
     On the backside Chris B, The Mullaly, and Hunter P tried to sneak off and instead just ended up driving the pace nice and high for the field who was quick to catch on. The only red light was by Jude Lane again, no one jumped this time on the green light as it was evident the majority were gassed. Going downhill toward Atwater, plenty of guys were up front to keep it going. Chris B was back at the front, trying to be as invisible as possible. The left-hand turn light onto Atwater was red so that stopped any chance of a sneak attack. Even still, Chris B drove the pace up higher than usual for the first half mile on Atwater. Hunter P and The Mullaly followed it up and put the front of the field in a good position to possible attack up the hill under the underpass. Dave Rustico, Hunter P and Chris C put in efforts, but no separation was allowed. From there to the light Dillon P took the front along with Young Suto.
     Once the ride got over 322 again , the seed picked up again. Rustico, JLynn and Chris C hit the front and got a quick gap on Peck lane that they worked hard to maintain all the way up the false flat. Mike McG jumped across the gap at the last moment along with Hunter P but the group was unable to continue the gap. From there the ride settled into the normal speed to Route 10 and up the hill. Nothing unusual to report in the run-in to the sprint. There was a long line of guys cued up and ready to go but Little timed a gap-skipping surge well and hit the hill twice as fast as the front. He got to the top first no problem.
     One or 2 red lights later, the field was abit slow to get going while Hacker and Hunter P had jumped off the front and made it thru the lights in the center of town. The field had to slow down for a couple and that was all the front 2 needed to hold a substantial gap all the way back into Hamden. The 2 in the break didnt contest the sit n sprint or go up the hill, leaving the top o the hill prize to Dillon P to collect over a couple of other guys.

Tuesday the 13th

"My road racing season is over. Except of course for the SG ride"    

     The crowd seemed a little light today. Maybe vacations are in full swing. No one seemed in too much of a rush to get to steppin. Dillon P rolled off the front right off route 10 and was allowed to go clear. Julio L would end up start the jump to bridge up but ended up pulling the rest of the field into action and by the end of the crap road section, it was all back together again. From there the pace was solid with the usuals chipping in up front. On Mountain Rd a small group was started to get a gap, led by Todd H and The Gibertoni but that was short-lived.
      Onto Moss Farms where Jacinto jumped up and was the first to get going as the rest of the field had some trouble quickly getting through the messed up road. Hacker would soon make his way up front as well and that was enough to bring it all back. From there, guys like Chris C, Mike McG, Hunter P and The Full Nalini drove the pace thru the Chicane. Chis C and Hunter P led all up the hill to Marion with Hunter P continuing it fast enough to break off a group of about 4 but the group fell apart with dis-jointed efforts from Hacker and Hunter P at the very front. The field was bearing down pretty hard with it being an obvious threat. Once Hunter P was back in the group Hacker would try a couple more stabs before the light for 322, which was red.
     Once onto Mount Vernon, Guido took off with Gregg F and Rory D in check and that got things going. No one was attacking so the pace stayed level all the way to the false flat ( now 4 degrees straighter! ) and beyond. Danbury Audi took a dig after the construction section but the speed was too high to escape easily. A couple of fast guys took to the front as the peleton got close to the corner for Welch. Hacker, Chris C, Guido, etc. Even still, the pace on Welch was average and that let Hacker slip free halfway to the turnaround. He only had a handful of seconds going thru the corner as there was a long line of guys cued up behind. Julio L, Chris C, Jacinto, Mike McG and a little farther back was Little T and Todd H. More strong riding from the Gibertoni as he was up there as well. Jacinto would end up catching Hacker and there was hesitation as to who else would join them. That let the 2 slip away and with Jacinto up at front and setting a strong tempo, Hacker was able to collect the sprint points with little problem.
      As the group came down the backside, there was plenty of guys ready to get going. Tall John, The Gibertoni, and Hunter P hit the front looking to sneak away. They got all greens up to Jude Lane, which is a rarity. The field was right there though so no escape. The non-stop action was enough to pop a couple of guys though who would normally use the lights to make a collect call to the front.
     Once again Chris C jumped at the light going green by Jude and this time Hunter P went with him. Those 2 wokred up a gap of maybe 75 meters at max but with a slight headwind, and a chasing pack were not going to get far. The Gibertoni was right there at the catch and moved straight on by and was the only one to get thru the changing light before Atwater. He got straight to work on that gap by himself and even though the field paused for only a few seconds Gibertoni was nearly out of sight. Up front Young Keith from the Motoring Mullaly's was eager to get going and along with Wade B and Hunter P briefly had a gap on the rest but once Guido decided to step on the gas it was all back together in chase of the one leader. The Gibertoni held on all the way to the light, which was green, letting the field slip by without incident.
From there, the ride onto Peck Lane was uneventful. Dave Rustico, Julio L and Tall John were up there. Pitching in up front as well with more stick-his-nose-into-the-wind-riding from Keith I-broke-my-own-fingers-so-the-shop-would-”moto route”-my-bike-brakes Mullaly. From there to route 10 it was normal.
      As the ride went by Cheshire Park ( site of Cheshire Cycling's 2013 Cyclocross Extravaganza! ) a small group went clear but it was brought back as guys like Hacker, Mike McG and Little T squared up for the sprint. The run-in to the hill was interesting as there were a lot of guys going pretty hard up front. A couple riders decided to pull chute at the wrong moment and that gave everyone a little dodge for your life practice. The sprint was slow at first and contested by a few guys but Little jumped out in front quickly and hung on. No one was very close to getting clear thru the center of town. Once again, almost all green lights for a change and the field was quickly thru town in chase of Tall Dennis and Julio L who drilled it hard to get off the front.
      The usual fast guys ( and girl! ) on the flats help out up front and that led to a good sized group gunning for the finale. Little T jumped out in front but had to pedal extra fast to hold off a charging Completo Nalino.

Good ride everyone... Be sure to leave your words of motivational wisdom in the comments section!

Tuesday the 6th

The reluctant highlight of the week. The SG Ride!

     Just another Tuesday night right? Nope... It's SG time! And the weather is perfect for a bike ride. Smoke if you got em kids... And there was a good sized group out tonight for the throwdown. The ride had it all, chicks, dicks, guys too fast for the Special Olympics, squirrels, sledgehammers, and the occasional superhero. Let's get it on!
     You didn't need to be a genius to sense that something was up as the ride rolled up route 10. Subtle as a sphinx Chris B was at the front. So you know something was going on. Sure enough, pretty much once the ride took the left off route 10, Chris B hit it and took along a dude in a generic jersey. Maybe Nate from Amity? After a couple of moments, Hunter P was up there as well and those 3 started working up a gap. No one was about to let that roll though and by the nasty section on South Brooksvale, it was coming back together. Ciocci, Hacker, Mike McG Chris C, a couple of others chipped in to bring it back. From there the speed stayed higher than normal and got going even a bit more on Mountain Rd. A small group ( Special Ed, Chris C, Ralph A... Do we have a nick name for him yet? and a couple of others) worked their way off the front and were steam rolling a small gap but some big trucks in the road slowed everyone down and reset the peleton. Some guys still were looking to jet off thru the light (Little T, Hunter P) but it was red.
    Wreck-it Ralph was the only one to jump on Moss Farms and he was allowed a "send-a-real-warrior-to-our-gates" type gap. The CCB Toss-up was in attendance and in true strong man fashion, hit the front and didnt care to look back. Several others, as expected, responded and followed. Ralph was covered in a moment and for the rest of the way down Moss Farms and up the hill to Marion, the field was strung out with some very hard to cover gaps thrown in there. Probably about 10-15 riders got dropped and didn't have time to recover by the light on 322. Although an exception was made for a couple of riders as the field opted to pause a little bit past the light.
     The ride slowly got going again on Mount Vernon with no one putting any real attacks in. Everyone approached the now newly paved section like puppies and kittens.... Once the coast was clear it was ok to play again. Chris C jumped late, along with Hunter P but there was plently of guys to cover it. From there to the corner it was solid pace, with no attacks. Going thru the corner for Welch, Hacker was on the front and running. He got a gap pretty quickly and then Rhino-man, aka Bike Doctor, started off in pursuit. It took a few meters for the front of the peleton to sort itself out but once again, it was CCB up front leading the charge. Hacker would the hit the corner with maybe 20 meters on the field, next thru was Chris B, who would be the first to chase down the Professor. Behind it was a mix of Chris C, Julio L, Hunter P, Mike McG and the Giant of Provence... French Casey. Soon it was Hacker, Chris B, and French Casey up front as the sprinters strapped in. Hunter P led it out, going past the leaders with 100 meters to go. On his wheel was Little T, who came around in enough to time to take it home to the line. French Casey, riding like a man possesed, would briefly lead an attempt to get a gap on the backside but it was all together soon after.
     As the ride went by the light for Jude lane, Special Ed jumped off the line hard, taking along Wreck-it Ralph and Chris C. Those 2 snuck off on the downhill and quickly got a gap as no one chased for 20 seconds or so. The response would come eventually, and as the peleton reached the corner, the trio were sneaking thru the light there to get onto Atwater St. The field had to pause a bit there at then at the highway off ramp stop sign, letting the leaders get further up the way. They were working well together and had a solid 25 seconds by the highway underpass, where Guido jumped off the front, followed by Hunter P. That was enough to get a real chase going. The leaders were held up by the light on 322, and as they were getting thru it, the front handful of riders from the peleton also barged thru. It was decided to wait and so the leaders soft-pedaled until the rest came up on Peck Ln. No attacks there to the turn for Route 10.
    The pace stayed fast up the hill past Cheshire Park. Hacker was leading a charge off the front along with Mike McG, Tall Dennis, Rory D and a couple of others. Again it was CCB drilling it back. Heading into the sprint, the new building across from the police station has set a new pattern for the traffic light there. It was red as the field plowed into it, forcing the front half to slow way down and pretty much negate the sprinting action. Little T still took it to the line but the light really messed things up. It remains to be seen if this light will be red more than it is green and if so, the Stop n Shop sprint will never be the same.
     Heading thru the center of Cheshire, there was plenty of guys who were looking to try and sneak off. Rory D, Ralph, Hunter P, The Gibertoni etc. Once all that blunderbuss got over with it was back to serious riding to get into Hamden. The usual suspects were up there. Credit the ladies on the ride Sarah (and Karen?) for both making it up there when it got going fast. They've been killing it lately! Guido put the icing on the cake, allowing for a few guys to try to snag the last line, Hacker and Little T foremost. Little T gets this one as well. Up the hill went the usual handful of guys. Hunter P took it over Chris B.

Solid ride one and all... Keep working on building up the cajones....chutzpah....fegato.... Whatever you want to call it...... And we'll all have some good rides to look forward to.

Tuesday the 30th

Long loop or die

    Glorious glorious day. Perfect weather AND the return of Hacker. Although he brought back one of those "euro" helmets and like the girl that developed before everyone else in 6th grade, the boys didn't quite know how to deal with it today. Pretty soon surely everyone is going to want cup a feel. At any rate, the ride rolled out amidst murmurs of how the peleton was going to deal with the worsening situation on Mount Vernon rd.
The usual doods and a new BMC pushed the pace thru the backroads and with little regard for safety, the ride blew thru the crap road section... Flat #1 on the day. ( hope everyone was invested in petrochemicals and\or rubber producing heavy industry ).
    Onto Mountain rd where there was some brief gaps opened up, mostly at the behest of Hacker, but it stayed together. The pace stayed high all the way to route 68 with Ciocci peeking out and looking to snooker the light. Little T followed suit but low n behold, the light was green, allowing everyone thru. Hunter P jetted off the front and onto Moss Farms with a gap. Road work there made it slow for the field, fast for the leaders. Max from CVC rolled off in pursuit, taking along Young Suto. They got up there with Hunter P and with another group ( Chris C, Ciocci, Hacker, Nuemotion and one or 2 others ) making the bridge up to the trio. That made for a pretty solid group charging toward the chicane. Behind the peleton was ramping up and not allowing much room. Little T, Guido, Joe K, Bike Doctor, and even a couple of new faces chipped in helped limit the losses. By the road up to Marion it was all back together. Little T jumped on the rider there, taking along Chris C and Ciocci. That trio held a gap for a little while but by the turn for the short loop, it was all back together and the field was given a chance to regroup before the light on 322.
    As soon as that light went green, Chris C and Joe K took off. Response was slow at first as the field become obviously more concerned with the road conditions up ahead. That allowed for the 2 to build up a quick gap. One team that was missing the front spotlight was Central Wheel. Rory D and Ralph Rouleur took off to bridge the gap. The speed got going eventually in the peleton, erasing the Central Wheel advantage. The gap to Chris C and Joe K would take longer to peg back and it was the construction on the false flat that ended their run. Rory D would be hit with an immediate flat and right away guys ( and girls ) were stumbling to their feet in the new gravel layer. It made for a long slog thru the section. At least 4 flats during the gravel and one right after. The peleton would end up soft pedaling for a mile or so as it took some riders much longer to get thru the gravel and no one wanted to be guilty of leaving those behind right away. Even still, a couple of riders resorted to taking a shortcut. Needless to say, there will be real protest next week if the road hasn't been repaved by then.
    The ride got going about half a mile out from the corner to Welch. Everyone picked up tempo without too much fuss and it was Ralph A taking up the pace making for the first sections. Joe k followed it up for the 2nd half, giving Little T a good launchpad. His jump was quick enough to get a gap at first but soon Hacker was on it with Chris C on his wheel, only a few bikes behind Little T. It soon became a 2 horse race to the line with Little T getting over the top of Hacker at the very end. Those 2 stayed on it but it was all together soon afterward.
    The pace stayed crisp all the way back over 322 and up peck. No one put in any real attacks. Getting close to Route 10, action ensued when Hacker attacked right into the corner (crit racing 101 ). The attitude and response to that move was "metered" at best. Admittedly it did look quite dangerous although the Professor certainly had damage control worked out well before the corner. Some words of disapproval waved through the pack. Hacker used the chance and kept the gap going up the hill past the prison, despite a few guys putting in some solid pulls up front. A small group loyal to the principles of Animated Riding / Attacking Style made their way off the front with Hacker but inexplicably the lights went out of that move ( at a red light ) before the Stop n Shop sprint. ( remorse perhaps??? Naaaaaah ). The start back up to speed for the sprint was labored. A bunch of guys used the opportunity to show their claws.... Mike McG, The Sernyak, The Full Nalini etc. It was all playing-cards to Little T, who video-gamed his way off the front and up the hill in plenty of time to take the sprint.
     The ride thru Cheshire was made interesting by a couple of yellow lights, and the guys who sped thru them. Still, it was all together into Hamden at an ok pace. Guido took the reins with a click and a half left and powered off the front, taking along Hacker and the Sernyak. He shot them off on their own with a bit of a gap but the field was revving up and getting ready for the finale. Mike McG and Dillon P emptied the tanks and that was followed up by strong pulls from Chappy and Todd H. Someone is going to have to fill in the blanks as for who took the sit n sprint.

Good ride everyone! Kinda..... Thanks for being good sports!