They came back for more.
A group of Cyclone fanatics who got stranded on the Coney Island coaster after it malfunctioned during its March 29 opening returned a week later to take the ride they missed out on. The loyal coaster fans said they wanted to show that the People’s Playground icon isn’t as rickety as critics say.
“The reason why were out here is to prove that the ride is safe, because there are tons of negative people out there who say the ride should be shut down because of this one little incident,” said Bensonhurster David Zobin, one of a handful of stalwarts calling themselves The Cyclone Seven who got their belated first ride of the season on April 4.
The thrill-seeker said he was a little worried that the coaster would stall out again as it climbed the first hill.
“I was like ‘c’mon, keep going, keep going,’ ” Zobin said.
And the plunge was pure catharsis, another rider said.
“It was worth the wait — the ride felt incredible,” said Adam Myers, a high-schooler who added that — counting the opening-day mishap — he has ridden the Cyclone 13-and-a-half times.
The octogenarian thrill ride locked up on its second run of the season on March 29, stranding about a dozen riders atop the first hill for 20 minutes before park staff helped them climb 85 feet to the ground without the aid the fire department and without any ambulances standing by in case of a stumble.
Luna Park, which operates the ride, let the Cyclone Seven ride for free because they were so unlucky on March 29. Members of the group were strangers before the attraction brought them together, they said.
“I knew two people — everybody else I met while we were stuck on the ride,” Zobin said. “That’s how we kind of clicked.”
Zobin and Myers exchanged contact info with some of the Seven and tracked the rest of the riders down on Facebook after reading their stories in the news, they said. Now the group, which has members from Brooklyn, Long Island, and upstate New York, plans to meet up for future rides.
“These are some of the nicest people I’ve met,” Myers said. “We’re already planning to ride on the Cyclone’s 88th anniversary in June.”
