Like Asking Superman to Race on Krypton
This week's ride went back to being a bit more low-key. A few guys were up at the Rent. Many of the guys at SGR were nursing tired legs from the Tour of Litchfield Hills two days prior. At rollout there were about 20. A couple more rolled in along the way on route 10. Alex D'Souza and a couple of the Mogodonon guys were back out. A new rider (Martin Szwarc?) was out there with Dan Smith. Also out and riding hard early on was Sean Maher.
It was quiet at the front of the ride for the early parts. There were no attacks heading up to the first light. Erin Rand had a big pull on Mountain Rd that nearl split the pack in two. Then, Chris C had a dig off the front on Moss Farms. Ben Bruce was also patrolling the front during this time and there were a couple of minor moves with him and Sean M leading the charge.
Heading over I84, Hunter P attacked and got a gap going to the light on 322 but it was red and everyone came back together. On the other side, Dan S was looking to roll clear but no one was willing to go with him. The next to have a go was Steve B, who attacked hard a ways away from Welch. Ben Bruce was along for that, and those two built up a decent gap by the hill to West St. Ben Bruce would come off the pace, allowing Steve B to charge on alone to the sprint. Little T jumped going into the corner, taking Hunter P with him. T stayed on the gas enough to go by Ben Bruce and cut into Steve's gap by quite a lot. He jumped for the sprint but Hunter P was able to come around him. Both passed Steve, who sat up early, mistaking the sprint line for too soon. He would have had it, so the commissaries will rule on this one to award the points.
On the backside, it all came back together, although Chris C and Dan S looked like they wanted to try to escape going thru the lights near I84. From there, the ride settled down. Dan S, Erin Rand, Ben Bruce and Steve B would all try their hand at getting off the front again. There was a big push from CW on West Johnson, which shed a couple of guys, or put em in the box for the run-down East Johnson.
Ben Bruce, Dan Smith, and Steve B were again lifting the pace on Cheshire St. The pack (now down to just 12 or so guys) split under the pressure. Little T crossed the gap, then Hunter P and that brought everyone back "on terms."
Heading up the Greenhouse climb, Dan S rolled off the front early and was allowed to go clear. The "sprinters" were too busy marking each other. Then Steve B launched it to bridge and he too was allowed to roll clear. Steve would catch Dan S right after the light and he had a little left in the tank to sprint, getting his revenge for the first sprint point. Behind Hunter P jumped first from the chase with Little T on his wheel. Those two came around Dan S. Hunter P stayed out in front to go across the line next.
The ride back into Hamden started normal enough, but there was some drama to be had. Towards the end of Talmage Rd, Chris C had a bit of a gap. He was caught after the right turn. Going left onto Coleman, Ben Bruce, Dan S, and Erin Rand juiced it going into the hill. Erin Rand used the slingshot and put his head down to send it. Soon after, Estaban S went down as the group was consolidating and coming together. Everyone stopped to make sure he was ok. This allowed Erin to take the crown on the night.
Great ride everyone! Remember, next week is World War Tuesday© at Rentschler Field. It is the final TNC of the season. There is full scoring and results at this race, and it's junior race night. It's also "Throwback Jersey Night." So everyone that can is encouraged to head up there to show support. All the "points" will be up there in East Hartford. This is the chance for the SGR crew to work together to bring home the trophy. Maybe Chris C will even ride around in the parking lot with us. The going bet is, however, that if he can't yell at anyone during a ride, his super power on the bike is gone like Sampson with his hair getting cut.
