Tuesday the 31st

 Welcome to the SG ride... Drug testers not needed cuz anything goes!

Great to see Little T out ( making it the shortest “long recovery” period for a broken wrist ).

However He would be a non-factor in tonight's ride.

      Right from the gun ( off of rt 10 ) Guido got involved up front and the Bikers Edge crew + Chris C were ready to oblige. Throw in Hunter P and a CVC guy without a helmet and an early break is formed. It didnt last long though but Guido stayed up there pushing things along. From there the ride settled down for a bit until a few guys got off the front heading to Mountain Rd. ( Eric M, The Full Nalini, The Sernyak, Jeremy B? & Larry-road-season-is-over-Merling ). Bridging up just before the corner was Joe K and Hunter P. The break went to work but no one from the field was rolling over to play dead this soon. There was also a police cruiser parked in the road ( the nerve!) which slowed everyone down and brought the field back together. Joe K and Eric M soldiered on but would get jumped by the flying Belgian Yelle!Snoop. Hunter P, Guido, The Full Nalini and Special Ed would put the screws down and bring that back. From there it was fast all the rest of the way to the light.

     Moss Farms started out fast thanks to a a few different guys. The Central Wheel guys were up there along Mike McG, Todd H, Ciocci and others. CCB also got involved toward the end and it was single file heading into the chicane and up the hill to Marion. Rounding the corner onto Marion was Little T and Nuemotion, followed closely by CCB, Toff H, Young Suto and the rest of the field. CCB rode a gap off the front and was joined quickly by Chris C, Guido and Hunter P. That group worked up a small gap but again, plenty of guys in the field were there to step up the tempo to start bringing it back after a few moments and by the short loop turn off it was all together. That was pretty much the story of the night. No breaks were staying out for more then a couple of minutes.

     Heading over 322, Quadzilla from Central Wheel timed the changing light well and charged off toward Mount Vernon while everyone else was still clipping in. The field was slow to get going but once everyone got onto Mount Vernon, there was the usual splintering starting to happen, Yelle!Snoop was driving the pace and gaps were opening up behind him. The gaps never last that long though and soon enough it was all back together. Quadzilla would jump again on the false flat section, taking along Ciocci this time. Those 2 held a gap for a little while but Mount Vernon is German territory and Guido along with help from Nuemotion and Mike McG reclaimed the front soon after. From there the pace calmed down a bit as the turnaround got closer.

      Going into the corner for Welch, Central Wheel looked to planning something. Little T could barely stand on the pedals with his stem so pointed heavenward and his arm in a cast, so the sprint was going to come from someone else. Garber and Gelt had a small gap but once Mike McG kicked at the base of the hill, that came back quickly. Mike was stayed at the front and tracked down the remaining ( CCB, Garber, and Quadzilla ). Out of the attack only Quadzilla put up a fight but Eric M had a good spot to launch for the sprint. Chris C gave chase along with Chris Butler. The long sprint run-in was good enough to spring a good sized group of guys way off the front from the rest but a red light brought it all back. The road was blocked due to a warehouse fire a mile or so up the way so it was decided on the fly to turn back toward Jude lane and head back to Mount Vernon. The road heading south on Mount Vernon is crap. Couple of guys were hit with flats. ( Dillon P and MTB Owen ). Cahill attacked yet again, but CCB, Todd H and others eventually brought it back as the speed was fast going down the false flat section. Fast enough to make the juniors in the group ( including National Crit & CX Champ Austin V ) curse their smaller gear ratios. Guido at some point dropped off to assist with tire changing. The route was back to 322 and then into the industrial park were Chris C attacked, Yelle!Snoop and Hunter P answering. Everyone made it safely onto Peck and from there, just a couple of attackers made themselves known, CCB was up there, Thomaas B, Gelt, Ciocci, and a few others.

     The run in to the Stop n shop sprint was fast thanks to the Central Wheel crew jumping on a motor pace opportunity. Mike McG kept Eric M in a good spot and had some help from Little T. Aidan challenged Eric M in the sprint but that looked more like scarecrow in a hurricane. After the sprint, it was standard fare going back into Hamden. There was a huge group for the very end with some guys sprinting out of the saddle and others riding it in proper. Gary from Central Wheel and Chris B were the only ones to hit the hill with Butler dancing away with it and then going on to ride a bunch more miles to cap off the night.

Hopefully the team warfare continues for a few more weeks.