It happened!

The streak hasn't died!  Yes, while I didn't want to skip a year, I didn't put much time or effort into running the ride for 2018.  In fact, I spend more time riding the ride than planning it despite this being my fastest time around the loop yet (more on that later).

It was an intimate affair, a nice way of saying not many people showed up.  Ten of us rolled out together with more than half that number already planning on cutting the ride short.  All told, three of us rode the full loop in great conditions, with Sam doing at least that distance despite skipping the Meshomasic to ride home to Middletown and despite suffering whiplash just two days prior.  Maybe we should be checking him for brain damage as well!  A few others joined us en route here and there to stir the mix.  I was just overjoyed anyone along for the ride.

One of those people was Seth, whom I met for the first time last year on the ride and we eventually figured out we have mutual friend in Santa Barbara.  In 2017, he didn't have time for the full route, but impressed us with his crossing of the Mohegan Forest on a road bike with 23c tires and not a lot in the way of low gear.  For this year, he had a true cross bike and simply blew all our doors off, which went a long was to this being the quickest Detour ever.  If he hadn't slowed to ride with me after I cracked hanging onto his 24mph (I honestly thought he was kidding when he first said it--didn't think it possible) pulls on the Airline Trail, he easily would have finished under the 8hr barrier.  As it was, we made it back to the start about eight hours and ten minutes after leaving.  Phew!

Thanks to Susan from the Willimatic Historical Museum

We stop for water & she fed us cookies!

So thanks to everyone who rode some or all.  It was good to see Jessie as always, especially after he missed last years installment as well as the spring WeeTour.  Brendan as usual was a fixture, although the realities of having reproduced meant he couldn't manage time beyond the first pass into Willimatic.  Hopefully a good time was had by all.  Oh, and one last note: as comments point to the new start location being a rousing success with a better overall feel.  I'll hopefully have time to modify the GPX and cues for next year as well as a little promotion to get more in on the fun.
Until the next ride,
Cheers,
Salem