Aprils Fool weather for the SGR..... Sucks......
Cold and slightly wet for the ride tonight. It was a smallish group. No more then 30 out. Notably missing was Eric M, most of the Stop n Shop Crew, Little T, a few guys from CCR and of course.... Rondo. But on the other hand, we got Hacker and a cadre of Yale riders, 4 or 5 of them.
As soon as the ride turned off Route 10, Guido took control up front and the Yale guys were right with him. Chris C, Hunter P and MaHoney were up there too. The initial couple of miles were brisk, with the Yalies taking turns off the front and the others sitting up and blocking. A couple of times it looked like gaps were gonna stick but it always came back together. Guido seemed determined to guide his young Whiffenpoofs thru the cobbled section way off the front and out of trouble. Can't really argue with that logic. Once onto Mountain road, the pace settled down and more guys got involved up front. Aidan was up there and so was the Germanitor. Hacker, Jacinto, THX-1138 and Mike McG also came up and thru. BenGe too (?).
Weaver got things going on Moss Farms, but the pace wasn't back-breaking. Guido and Jacinto were allowed to ride off the front and the Yale guys just sat up and let their New Haven compatriots ride away. Maybe that's how they do it in D2, round these parts though that doesn't pass muster. Hunter P jumped up and bridged the 100 meter gap and that got everyone going and chasing. The now trio kept up a gap for maybe a kilo, making it thru the chicane alone, but would be caught on the run-up to the corner for Marion Ave. German Bob, Aidan and Mike McG leading the peleton. There was also a new guy on an older Litespeed (?). Aidan punched it after the corner good enough to spring a group free. Jacinto, Aidan, Litespeed, Hunter P and Hacker. But that group would be caught as they turned into the industrial park. A A Aidan kept up the pace though as the cross winds started to bite.
Once onto West Johnson, Mike McG took control up front along with THX1138 and Mahoney. Cross wind became a tailwind and the front scampered up the climbs on the way to Reinhard. Mike McG peeled off, then Guido, then a couple Bulldogs. Aidan hit the front again with clear plans to pound out a big one. Mike stayed with him briefly but then retreated as the group started on Reinhard. Jacinto followed Aidan and the 2 quickly had a decent gap of 75 meters. Mike McG rolled up and grabbed Hunter P for a sprint dash. Mike got the sprint started, leading out Hunter and letting him loose with maybe 50 meters to close on the 2 up front. Hunter caught and passed them with room to spare pretty much uncontested. Hacker had gotten a flat at the start of Reinhard and Guido, always the gentleman, stopped to provide impeccably styled german assistance. On the backside, everyone rolled up back together, although Mountain Man suffered a flat at the top of the false flat of Peck Ln. Chris C and Aidan were bent on making the others hurt, pushing the pace for the way back onto Route10. THX1388 and Mike McG also chipping in.
The very first light immedialty on route 10 was red, but as soon as it changed, Aidan lit it up like it was a cyclocross race. The sting of the hill, plus the cross wind was putting everyone into the red. With no knowledge of any upcoming sprint, the Yalies buried themselves in the name of sport, and that was enough to tear the peleton into 3. Mike McG made the gap along with CxC and a couple of others. Behind, guys ( and Robyn ) had their hands fulls getting it sorted out. Not even Chris C could bridge the gap to the now smoothly working front group. They hit the stop n shop sprint rolling strong with no time or desire to sprint it out. The red light at the corner of Route 68 was the only thing that kept them from doing the rest of the ride alone.
So gruppo compacto for the rest of the way to hamd-...... nope, Lux et Velocitas back up front and drilling it thru Cheshire. 3 of them had a gap for a little while but Aidan, Mike McG,, THX 3811, Chris C, and Hunter P erased that quickly. There were a couple of more individual attacks from the Yalies, with some more subtle-as-a-sphinx blocking from the teammates. All in all, it was fast ride back into Hamden, with Jacinto using Chris C as a launch pad to ride the last few hundred meters all alone.
