Weekday rides

For anyone who can take off a chunk of time during the week to ride.....
We're trying out a new ride

Tuesday the 9th

2012 – finito !

    It was a small group for the final official ride of 2012. Maybe 18-20 guys and a girl. Things started slowly but once everyone got thru the rough roads it got going. MoMoney, Domination Dom ( Audi Danbury ), and Chris C foremost among the pace-setters. Hacker also peeked his salt n pepper head up front a couple of times to keep things honest. Good to see Mike McG back in action, healed up from a busted shoulder blade.

    Little T led the way up Mountain road at first with Chris C taking over and splitting the field a bit. Gary from Central wheel, Danbury Dom, MoMoney and Hacker were also there and with Chris C and Hacker hammering they got a gap pretty quickly with Central Wheel Gary stuck in between. Hunter P and Mike McG closed that gap down over the next minute or 2 and it was all together for the ride to the light, although Hacker would try to sneak off again with Chris C. Hunter P was there sewing things up and the red light was red anyway.

    There wasn’t much shenanigans on Moss Farms. Hacker, Hunter P, Gary, and MoMoney worked the front and kept the pace high. Hacker and The Gilbertoni had a small gap pouring onto the chicane and up the hill but Chris C charged up and the thru along with Hunter P, keeping the pace high into the industrial park. The speed stayed respectable, if not a bit a slow, thru Knotter Drive and onto West Johnson. Little T got things on the small rise. There were plenty of guys filling in the space behind although some were going up some were going back. Once onto Reinhardt, Hacker was in good position to jump and that's exactly what he did. He got a quick 40 meter gap on the first hill there and stayed on the hammer. By the time the sprint hill started he had probably close to 100 meters and was still going pretty good. That meant any sprinters just jumping on the hill wouldnt have time to close the gap. Little T tried for a but and Hunter P came around him to try a little longer but Hacker still had a 30-40 meter cushion going thru the corner to take the final prize.

     Everyone came back together on the way down. Hacker was back at it on Peck lane, striking out near the top of the riser there along with Chris C. Hunter P and MoMoney were there as well and those 4 had a gap that they took to Route 10 but good tempo from Mike McG, CWGary, and Mountain Man brought them back for the charge up Route 10.

     Things wound up again for the run-in to Stop n Shop. Hacker again snuck off a couple of minutes before everyone else was thinking go and hit the base of the hill with that same 40 meter gap. Back in the dwindling pack, Mike McG found himself setting a good clip for a couple of guys behind. Little T wasn't going to get snookered again. He had enough time to jump out, stay ahead of Hunter P, and come around Hacker by the top.

      From there the ride kind of went into safety mode as it was starting to get dark. Monty B had a good effort off the front once thru Cheshire but was swallowed up and spit off the back as Mountain Man, Domination Dom, Mike McG, Hacker, Little T and a couple of others were going full gas to the end. Hacker started off the final 500 meters with Little T on his wheel and those 2 rolled off to the end.

No one went up the hill because there was pumpkin ale waiting at the bike shop.

     So thus ends another year for the best training ride this side of the Mississippi. Sunday morning rides are on. 10 AM. Although this weekend may have a slim turn-out as most of the conservative Stage-One crew will be tea-partying it up on a corporate sponsored hiking trip.

See'yall in March!

Tuesday the 2nd

Rained out.

Chris C, Yelle!Snoop and MoMoney were the only ones out. We're betting the conversation took on a broad range of topics meaningful to residents from both sides of the Atlantic.

So it comes down to one last dark ride in seven days. Leaving at 5:30. Hopefully the weather is good.

We will do the beer and pizza thing at the shop regardless of weather next Tuesday.

Hopefully we don't drink all the beer till then.

Tuesday the 25th

Chances to impress the sponsors are waning.

    2012's SG rides are coming to a close. There were about 25 guys and girls out and everyone was feisty... Properly so. The ride may have left a minute or so early but was def still on the access road at 6PM proper. The ride down Route 10 was brisk and it continued onto the back roads. Right away, Tall John took off and was allowed to go. French Casey moved the field along as well as Nuemtion and Thompson from Keltic. Shortly after MoMoney and Alec C took off but didn't make it up to Tall John. They would be re-absorbed right after the crap road section as Eric and Nuemotion set tempo.
    Tall John continued to be a carrot up the road nearly all the way to Mountain Rd. Yelle!Snoop and Young Suto tried to get up to him and keep the break alive but by the corner it was all back together. The ride went into cruise control for the way down Mountain, as the speed was pretty good but nothing too out-of-control. Yelle!Snoop and a couple of others made a dig for the light but it was red.
     As everyone got going, a couple of guys were spied coming up thru the cars waiting for the light. Guido and Hacker had gotten to the parking lot probably no less than 30 seconds late and had to go into TT mode to get back. Their reverse breakaway was no doubt the most successful attack on the night. They latched on and with kindey's full of rage hit the front right away on Moss Farms. Hacker jumped off the front and was riding up to Tall John, who had, in the confusion of German-English curse words, rolled away yet again. Hacler took along Hunter P and soon it was 3 with a healthy gap. Only when Guido started to make the jump across did the rest of the field respond. Everyone was together for the most part by the chicane, although gravel on the road kept some guys hanging back.
     Up to Marion charged MoMoney and then Hunter P hit it, taking along Young Suto. Those 2 would get a gap and milk it for a little while, getting caught a little before the turn into the industrial park. The charge thru there was near record speed as testified by Strava. Guido was up there along with Numotion, Tall Dennis and others.
     Once onto West Johnson, Chris C attacked from near the front and quickly got a gap. Guys like Jacinto, MoMoney, Pescatori and Chris B kept the speed high and by the last kickers up to Reinhard, Chris C was coming back. He still had a decent enough gap to make a sprint by himself and quite nearly pulled it off. From behind, Eric M, with Little T and Hunter P had jumped at the base of the hill and rolled thru a handful of guys in full gallop. Eric M pulled off leaving Hunter P to try to go around Little T, which wasn't going to happen. Jacinto also gave a good chase from his front row spot and Joe K was also there, late to the party with a strong charge.
    On the backside there were enough guys way up to try to start something. Hacker got things going by charging off the front of the chasers but the corner onto Peck is never a smooth one and it gave opportunity for it all to come back. Hacker still tried to roll on Peck, along with Gary from Central Wheel, Hunter P and Benje. The headwind was starting to bite and it kept things under control on the front. And that is the way it stayed all the way up to Route 10 and toward the Stop N Sprint. The headwind buffered any attempts to ride away, although there was still a small group of opportunists who had a tiny headstart on the sprint. Nuemotion took off from among them and was able to get the points. He only had to hold off Eric M, who jumped from a ways back, outside of the lead group.
      The ride back into Hamden was standard stuff with no surprises. There were some dark horse riders who led the charge ( Literally, they were dark. It was dark. Couldnt really see who was up the way ). And so tit was the way it ended... A small group of guys who duked it out. Maybe someone can fill in the blanks as to who took the final meters. Up the hill, however, there was no doubt that Chris B takes honors. He jumped away and flew up the hill, taking along Mountain Man and Joe K. MoMoney and Hunter P were also there but out of the action.

The miles are counted down from here on out..... 5:30 start next week.... Not 5:28, not 5:29.... 5:30

Tuesday the 18th

Rained out!

Heavy winds and the threat of rain meant that no one showed up for the ride tonight...
Well, no one in their right mind.... So that meant Yelle!Snoop and MoMoney were out and ready to rumble.

Tuesday the 11th

The rides are numbered everyone... Make em count.

    Another 25 or so out for the ride tonight. Guido and NinjaGaidan lit the burners early on to drive the pace. Todd H and MoMoney also got involved along with Tall John and YEEHAAW..... Without the usual large crowd to hide behind guys were getting spit out the back early on. A couple of traffic filled corners let most catch back on and the speed slowed a bit coming up to Mountain Rd. Yelle!Snoop jumped off the front when the speed went down but was back in the pack by the corner for Mountain rd.

    Mountain rd started off normally. After MoMoney led up the risers Guido moved back to the front and brought the speed up. After the second set of risers, Hunter P hit the front and pedaled a gap to the field. Along for the ride was Young Suto and Root66Alec. Chris C jumped up a little later on but the break only lasted minute or 2. The ride had to slow down for a broken down car on the right and everyone soft pedaled to the red light.

    Onto Moss Farms where Tall John was the first to go. He got 50 meters up the road and then Hunter P chased him back, bringing up the peleton. Everyone slowed down a bit and that gave Guido, MoMoney and Benje a chance to ride off. Aidan was in pursuit and the rest of the pack was close behind. The foursome hit the corner with a little bit of a gap but it would be erased on the hill up to Marion as Eric M and Yelle!Snoop were setting the pace. Yelle! moved up to the front and kept going onto Marion along with Todd H and Chris C. The speed settled down a bit behind them but by the corner for the industrial park it was going good again thanks to Guido's cattle prod. Another quick trip thru the park and into the corner for West Johnson. Guido led everyone onto the riser there and there were plenty of guys to keep it going. After going thru the intersection, Hunter P jumped hard off the front and was allowed to get a gap for the run-in to Reinhard. Just before the corner, Chris B led a surge along with Danbury Audi, Root66Alec, and Gary from Central Wheel. That group was making up ground as Hunter P started to slide backwards. The peleton was close behind with Eric M and Little T leading the way for the sprint. Chris C jumped from near the front as Little and Eric M jumped from further back with Hunter P on their wheels. All the sprinters went up and thru the chase group pretty quickly giving Little T a straight shot to the corner which he held onto easily over Eric M, Chris C, Hunter P and Jacinto.

     Tempo tempo tempo on Peck lane back to rt10. No attacks. Yelle!Snoop again jumped off the front going onto Route 10 but was back on the hill by Cheshire Park ( site of CheshireCross 2012! Mark your calendars... November 17th ).

     After the hill, Guido again drilled it off the front and was joined by one or 2 others. Red lights stopped the pack and it seemed like the leaders were holding up but after everyone got back up to speed Guido and Aidan were making a run for the border and weren't gonna get caught. Aidan bounced up to take the Stop n Sprint as Guido brought him to the base of the hill with a good cushion. Lights stopped everyone in the center of Cheshire. From there the ride back was decently fast with plenty of guys chipping in. It seems the reduced crowd was the right mix of leaders and followers. For the finale, slow moving cars brought the front 10 guys to a near stop and nullified the last 200 meters. Up the hill however went MoMoney with Hunter P chasing and Chris B a little ways behind. MoMoney clawed and faought like a bleeding dog but was passed by Hunter P in the final meters of the hill.

     It was a bit dark for the ride back. Stay tuned for next week's departure time. Interbike is next week. As such if you would like to help out and contribute to the ride re-cap email the shop at info ( at ) cheshirecycle dot com. If you don't the bylaws of the SG Ride state that Chris C writes the recap.... The usual “eyes in the sky” will be expected to send in their notes after the ride.

Don't forget the Tuesday-ride-send-off \ Sunday-morning-ride-deflowering party after the ride on Oct 2^nd. If you are stuck at work or are afraid of the dark, you don't have to have done the ride that night to show up. Rumor has it a new SG tee shirt will be unveiled because we know a lot of you guys need more tee shirts.

Tuesday the 4th

Short loop kicks in, feels....... Shortish

The threat of rain scared off a lot of riders tonight and there were only about 23 or so, ready to get their vag's a little sandy. Fortunately, the rain stayed away and only the stop n shop crew heading down from Cheshire got wet. After some heated debate it was decided to stick to the plan and go short. Mike McG wanted to go long. Chappy as well. Hacker, Hunter and Nuemotion said short. Crowle was eating waffles.

     The first to get things going on the backroads was MoMoney, who took off and was joined by Hunter P. They rolled a little while but Mike McG brought the peleton up and he stayed up there to set Tempo. MoMoney and Nuemotion were up there as well and Guido got involved heading to Mountain Rd. Late on Mountain, the dangerous trio of Nuemotion, Hacker and Guido got some daylight and were looking to get to the light. Koski put in a long pull to sew it up and the light was red.

     Chris C punched it on Moss Farms, taking along Koski. They had a gap when Hacker jumped up to bridge, taking along MoMoney and Hunter P. Those 5 briefly worked together and Guido got up to the group late and the rest behind were winding up to get there as well. Hacker tried to go again at the top of Moss Farms but was contained by the corner and it was all together ( although strung out ) going into the Chicane. Gregg F led all up the hill onto Marion and there were no real attacks heading to the turn.

      Everyone made it thru the corner safely and once into the industrial park proper, Das Deutschlandlied started playing signaling entry into Guido's territory. He hit the front and made sure the speed stayed high at first. No sitting in!
      There were sure to be some eager beavers on West Johnson and sure nuff, Chris C hit it, taking along a new guy in red (Rory D!?) and Hacker. Mike McG was riding hard to bring them back and there were a few guys on his 6. Once thru the 4-way intersection, things reshuffled a bit but Hacker was next to go off the front along with Nuemotion and MoMoney. Those 3 were making headway as Chris C assumed role of chaser but the speed wasnt that crazy as there were some guys who didnt know the corner onto Reinhard. Gregg F and Dillon P moved up, looking to snooker the sprint as the trio up the road had ended the attack and were soft pedaling to the base of the hill. Hacker would jump from the group to get a headstart as Hunter P jumped from the peleton. Mike McG jumped as well and was soon leading it out as He and Hunter P went thru all others. Hunter was able to get around Mike for the last bit and make it thru the corner first. Everyone came back together on the descent and there was a collective - we're here already?! when the pack started in on Peck Ln. A few guys kept the speed up on the way to Route 10. No attacks. Guido and Tall Dennis were seemed to be looking to get something going but to no avail. Hunter P pulled back Tall Dennis and the Willier rider on the hill by Cheshire Park, which lead to Guido getting a slingshot off the front for the run in to Stop n Shop. A Red light ended that though and it reset for the sprint. Guido jumped straight to the front after the liught and ramped it up quickly. Standing there to benefit was Hacker and Nuemotion. Koski tried to head-up a plan B leadout for those behind which setup Hunter P to jump from a little ways back. Up front, Nuemotion jumped from Hackers wheel and was the only one up there. Hunter P came round at the last moment and stuck it with Mike McG on his wheel. From there, with reduced numbers, the ride back into Hamden was uneventful..... Except for the very last bit when word made its way to the front that Peter K may have been hit by a car going thru the Cook Hill intersection. A bunch of guys ended a bit before Shepard and went back to investigate so the sitsprint ending and hilltop finish was null. Peter K was no where to be found and it turned out he just slid into the curb, onto some grass, and was ok besides a couple of bruises. 

Just a head's up to all. Cheshire Cycle will be hosting a little send-off for the last ride of the year. History tells us that it would be October 9th but the last 5:30 ride has always been a small crowd so we're going to do it on the 2nd with a rain date of the 9th. We'll have beer, pizza and maybe a hazing or 2. A ballot box for new 2013 nicknames will be there cause everyone needs a fresh start once in a while. Feel free to drop off your civilian clothing before the ride if you are normal and do not like socializing in lycra. We'll assume Chappy will be in even tighter clothing then during the ride. Significant others are invited if that's the only way you can justify having beers on a tuesday night.

Tuesday the 28th

The long loop gets a crowded send-off.

    The Ride started off slow today, despite a big crowd. It also started on a downer as Hacker got hit with a flat right away. Mountain Man and Guido jumped off right away on the backroads and were allowed to ride off. The pack slowly chugged along. Tall John, French Casey tried to get things going at first. Neumotion also jumped in and then Eric M. But all in all the opening 4 miles or so were slow.

    Coming onto Mountain Rd, the speed was picking up a bit and the leading 2 had throttled back and were coming back quickly. They would still stay off the front for a little while longer on Mountain. Once the catch was made, the speed went back up nicely all the way to the light. Bike Doctor, The Gopher, IanForth, The Full Nalini, a new guy on a Fondreist, Chris C and a couple of others were responsible for the speed. Near the light IanForth jetted off the front, causing a reaction but it was handled quickly.

     Some excitement happened on Moss Farms when 4 riders went clear right away ( Benje, IanForth, Guido, and Daniel Caridi ? ). Eric M started to bridge the gap, no doubt recognizing the threat. A couple of guys in the pack ( The Full Nalini, Tall John, Nuemotion ) responded but mostly everyone stayed at tempo. Eric M was just about up the the group when they started to slow slightly. Just then the Gopher, Yelle!Snoop, Nuemotion, Hunter P and the Bike Doctor charged off the front, leading the whole pack back up to the group single file. Some traffic in the corner kept the peleton at bay as the leaders and the chasers sorted out who would charge up the hill to Marion. Chric C and Joe K came up from the field and led all thru the corner. They would stay dangling off the front for a little while. Bike Doctor and Nuemotion, Little T and Hunter P led the rest up and it was all together heading by the industrial park. The next one to animate was Yelle!Snoop as he: A) nearly chopped off the sausage and B) wound it up for the run-in to the light, stretching things out behind him. As the single file front hit came up to the light, it was green. The front went thru as it was going yellow and someone mid way back slammed on the brakes, causing the back half to stop for the red. Probably just as well, seeing as how it would have been pretty blatant for the sizable group. Up front Todd H commanded the front to wait and so the front waited. Once the peleton was back on, Mike McG moved up and got things going along with Steve Grey, Tall John & Tall Dennis. From there the pace stayed decent on Mount Vernon. An effort by Aidan and Chris C nearly broke a small group free ( Aidan, Chris, Guido, Hunter P ) but instead it just served to keep the pace high going into the false flat. Nuemotion and Stevesy got things going up the incline and midway thru, Quadzilla jumped hard on the left, taking along Hunter P. He hammered out a 75 yard gap for the 2 of them but the pack behind responded at the top and reeled them in soon after. CXC Chris (?) was there up front after the reconnect along with Aidan, Mike McG, the Gopher and Nuemotion. From there the ride settled down a bit as everyone was content to follow Aidan for half a kilo.

     On the lead-in to the corner, IanForth moved up along with Steve Grey, French Casey a couple of others. Chris C jumped across the gap and legitimized it. Others were quick to respond and cover up holes but the very front of the ride was well up the road on the single-file line of riders going thru the corner. IanForth, after a good lead out from French Casey was all-in and soon rode off solo toward the hill. Behind, the pace was steady and there were a lot of riders up front looking to have a go for this last sprint on the year. IanForth would get caught just on West St as a huge group of guys moved thru the corner and started winding it up for the sprint. Steve Grey stayed well up there as the favorites were 5-7 bikes back. After some last hard pulls from Chris C, Yelle!Snoop, the Bike Doctor ( on a CX bike YEEEEAAAAAA! ) and Tall John...... Little T and Hunter P jumped for the sprint... Problem is that Stevesy was still up there and had jumped a several seconds earlier, not quite sprinting but flying none-the-less. It went down to the wire with Little T and Grey with Grey getting the prize on ballsy points. Hunter P, Chris B and Jacinto close behind in that order.

     On the backside, the sprinters seemed ready to roll on but red lights kept that from happening. Hacker was able to rejoin the ride. Things settled down for a while and the next guys off the front were all the way up onto Atwater St when The Gopher, Dillon P, IanForth, and a new set of calf-muscles in a Stage 1 kit rolled off the front. Yelle!Snoop also joined up and that group was allowed to roll but once the hill by the overpass bit in, the group split up just in time to be caught by the pack, led by Hacker, Danny C and Young Suto. Peleton agrupado for the rest of the way to the light on 322, over the light, onto Peck lane, past Peck ln, up to Route 10, onto Route 10, up the hill so on and so forth. Tall John and Hacker were trying to pull off gaps at a couple of different points but never made it far. A red light at the top of the hill slowed everyone down and offered a reset. Another red light little later on as well. Meanwhile, somehow, Hacker had kept on his onslaught and was off the front and making green lights the whole way. For the Stop n Shop sprint point ( to the light at the top the hill just before the plaza ) it was Guido, Benje and a couple of others who paved the way for Mike McG and then Little T, who was able to squeeze past another crowded run-in and get it over the likes of Yelle!Snoop, Dillon P, Chris B, CXC Chris (?) and a couple of others.
       Besides Hacker off the front of course, but seeing as how he re-joined after his flat, doesn't count, depending on who you talk to. 

     Going thru Cheshire, IanForth tired to snooker the group and jetted off. Eric M, Hunter P and Bike Doctor were there to match. Red lights would kill that effort though. From there it was uneventful heading back into Hamden. For the finale ( not even gonna mention all the late-to-the-party pack fill who decides to show up for the last 2k ) the picture perfect trio of Little T, Mike McG, and Eric M fought for the sit-sprint finish with T getting it by half a foot length. Up the hill went the usual guys who like to finish the ride off proper road race style.. On a hill, up to the top, full sprinting allowed. Hunter P got a head start and held it over Chris B, Mountain Man, Tall Dennis, Dillon P, C-Dale Rick and one or 2 others.

Tuesday the 21st

The Bouncy Castle equivalent of bike rides....

     The long loop hangs on with another week of fun as the usuals ( Guido, Chris C, Ratta, Hunter P, Hacker ) lead the way, some segments are dominated by others ( Todd H, Tall John ) and some new faces ( Bike Doctor, Calfee, Ag2R kit... yuck ) pop up to make the ride interesting.

      As soon as Professor Crowle was done handing out graded papers ( hope you all had a chance to review his rules! ) the ride took off.

     Right off route 10, Guido, Hacker and Hunter P rode off the front and quickly took a gap. Soon after, Ag2R Igor, visiting from NY, rode across the gap as the leaders paused slightly to gain the extra pony. The peleton slowly awakened and started to sort out how it would handle the threat. Some traffic stacked up on the Mount Sanford corner caused Guido to lose contact with Hacker and Hunter P but soon after would re-join with Igor, keeping the 4some together for the run-in to Mountain Road. Behind the chase was full on and a good sized group of strong guys had broken off the front going the thru the small risers and corners. By the turn onto Mountain, the chase group, led by Yalle!Snoop, Ciocci, Jacinto and a new guy in a Bike Doctor kit were coming up fast. The connection was made on the initial risers of Mountain. The rest of the peleton was within 50-60 meters but still had to work hard to keep the lead group, now with most of the reliable horsepower, from riding away into the sunset. The "D-bag merit badge" for the night goes to the gentleman who yelled at Timex Cassie to close a gap when he couldn't... Man up friend! ( and give Giordana or Hincapie clothing a try ). Another lesson learned in the classroom as it chased the leaders was the unreliability of fancy carbon h2O cages. Dillon P's bottle busted free and exploded on everyone.

     Up front, The lead group of 10 took a moment to recollect on the risers. Yelle!Snoop, Guido, Jacinto, and Hunter P tried to get things going smoothly up front. A car pulling too far out of Cornwall Ave spooked everyone and broke into the team work, giving the peleton a chance to pull closer. Hunter P and Tall John tried a last moment jump to stay clear before the light and before the peleton caught up but the light was red and it was all back together again.

     Hacker jumped on Moss Farms, no surprises there. He made it thru the light smooth enough so that no one was able to join him so it was going to be a long shot. An accident was nearly averted when The Bike Doctor went straight instead of onto Moss Farms, nearly crashing into Gregg F. ( Rule # ??? everyone!.... Don't make head-master repeat himself. ). Once onto Moss Farms, Yelle!Snoop jumped hard, taking Guido along. Hunter P bridged up, taking along Ratta and a couple of others and then the whole rest of the pack. As the Chicane loomed, Hacker was coming back. Ratta gets the “Safety First” merit badge this week by calling out traffic in the four-way intersection before everyone barreled thru, into a car that was running the stop sign.

      The speed slowed way down up the hill and onto Marion as everyone was needing to reset the ol blood pumpers. Yelle!Snoop, Todd H, French Casey, a older gent in black, Hunter P, a squirrelly rider in a US Army kit and Larry M got thing going again going past the Industrial Park. The weekly attempt to make the light was from Keltic O'shea, Chris C, Ratta and Yelle!Snoop but it was red.

      The initial speed on Mount Vernon was anemic. Super slow. A couple of usual sticklers-for-speed were resting up for a planned attack on the turnaround ( we'll hear more about them later ). The pace slowly went up before the false flat, but went straight back down again once there, making for some clumsy uphill group etiquette. That gave a chance for small group led by Gregg F to break clear but that didnt last too long as a few guys started it up again on the downhill rollers. Tall John was up there a lot, trying to break free. Chris C then moved up later on toward the turnaround. Heading up to the corner, Hacker attacked, taking along Guido. Also attentive and preset were Igor and Yelle!Snoop. That made for a foursome with a gap racing to West St. Behind, the peleton seemed content to peg the gap at 12 seconds and slowly pull it back on Welch. In the break, Yelle!Snoop had some drivetrain issues, nearly bringing him to stop. Then Igor put in a “this-is-the-end-of-the-ride-right” type pull, blowing up in the process. That left just the Guido and Hacker up front to execute the plan for world domination. Behind the peleton was closing in thanks to efforts from the guy on the Calfee, Chris C, The Bike Doctor, Todd H, Ratta, Tall Dennis, Hunter P and even Timex Cassie got involved. Igor also bravely rolled back into rotation once he was caught.

      Guido pulled hard once more for Hacker and left him at the base of the hill with a decent gap of 65 meters. On the hill, Little T, who is back to his out-of-the-saddle, bending-chainrings self jumped up and away. Hunter P jumped from the front and was on him in a moment and Chris B was also close behind. Little T settled in on West St for the chase just as Chris B decided to go all-in. Chris quickly got a small gap and with Hunter P sitting on Little T's wheel, unwilling to chase down the Cheshire Cycle Racer, Chris was allowed to go free. He ended up catching Hacker and he was able to put in a bit a sprint to go up and thru to get the sprint point. Kudos to Chris B, who is always up there trying to get it but falls short to the sprinters most of the time.

      On the backside, Hunter P came up with the Bike Doctor but the 3 would be held up by lights. Once over the highway, Little T unleashed a solid attack, taking along the C-Dale rider in teal. Hunter P gave chase and was barely keeping it close as it was full speed up hill for a while until a red light stopped Little T.

      Heading onto Atwater St, A new guy in a US National Tri Team kit, Teal guy in Castelli, Mountain Man and Hunter P got things going with the peleton responding. Ciocci and Igor also as the ride went under the overpass. Guido took the reigns after the slight hill there. That was enough to tear a small gap in the field with about 6 guys up front but light was red going over 322, making it compacto again.

       Over the light, Igor struck first with Tall John. Mountain Man and Ratta upped the pace and it was back together. Ratta then rolled off alone up the fisrt part of Peck and was soon joined by Bike Doctor, Tall Dennis & Ciocci. Again, Mountain Man sewed up it behind that group. Hacker then rolled thru with Guido and Hunter P. Behind, guys were scrambling both ways as the hill took its toll. Yelle!SNoop would dig hard on the front with Hunter P, Todd H, Igor and Ratta. That group had a small gap but once onto Route 10 it was pretty much all together. Todd H took a monster pull the whole way up the hill by Cheshire Park, keeping the speed high. Tall John eventually took over and rolled off the front as everyone else seemed ok to wait for the sprint. Hacker jumped on his wheel for a free ride but a red light stopped that from happening.

       For the Stop n Shop sprint, once everyone got going from zero, Jacinto pulled hard for a bit, Guido and the Full Nalini as well. A couple of new faces popped up in the top 10 for the first time on the night. This one was all Little T though as he was pretty much unchallenged as he jumped from 5 bikes back and took it easily.

      The ride thru Cheshire was interesting as there were a couple of red lights and stacked cars the pack had a to get thru. Going by the McDonald, there was a big gap to a good sized group up the way that had been more fortunate with traffic. Ratta put in a good pull to bring that back and from there it was status quo going back into Hamden. Good job ladies as Timex Cassie and the Velo Sport girl kept a solid place within the pack all the way back.

      For the finale, Guido buried himself 6 feet under with a good pull in the last kilo. A bunch of guys cued up behind him but there were only a couple who could really capitalize on it. Little T, Chris B, Yelle!Snoop and 1 or 2 others. Little T was able to pedal thru to the end.

      Up the hill went Chris B with a gap on Hunter P and Mountain Man that he was able to hold onto all the way to top. Making it 2 on the night for Butler.

Good ride guys. All newbies are expected to turn in their make-up papers before next weeks ride.

     As for the long loop and daylight, the New Haveners have right of way here as they don’t have the bike path to ride back on ( well actually they do.... They just like to steer clear of the nightly beer-crawl rides that the single speeders love ). They are good with one more week of long loop so long as the weather is decent.

Tuesday the 14th

Make sure your Kenisio tape is on & looking tight.... Got to impress the lady Yalies!

It was a smaller then usual group tonight and a couple of the heavy hitters weren't around. Any thought of this being the yearly ice cream social ride was erased when Dillon P hit the front soon after turning off route 10 and taking along Bike Shop Bob, MoMoney and a couple of others with him.

    The pace stayed crisp from then on out. A small group was pushing for a gap heading to Mountain rd but lots of traffic stopped the ride for a couple of seconds and reset the peleton for the way down mountain. Jelle!Snoop was spied going in the opposite direction on Mountain so apparently he's gotten too good for the SG ride. We'll miss his Belgian flair for the dramatic. The ride toward the lights was uneventful with the quintet of Mike McG, Bubble Boys, Hacker, Ciocci and Larry M doing the most of the work.

     Moss Farms started out the same as always. Fast to slow and then faster again. Toward the end a good sized group was led off the front, captained by Hacker, Pescatore, and Ciocci. It was a group of about 12 heading to the Chicane so there was an appropriate response from the pack, although it was take a little while once onto Marion for the peleton to fully reconnect. Chris C attacked up the hill, taking along Hunter P who kept the pace high once onto Marion. That split off a small group along with Hacker, Larry M and MoMoney. That group couldn’t start work more then a 20 meters or so gap and it was all together again going by the industrial park and up to route 322.

      The ride got a another glorious green light over 322 and that kept things fast toward Mount Vernon Rd. Chris C and Special Ed rode off the front and had a 50 meter gap getting onto Mount Vernon. That was enough to sound some alarm bells. After a minute, when it became obvious that the 2 would stay up there for a bit, Hacker, Mike McG and a rider in a blue\green Castelli kit were the first to jump off in pursuit. Benje was next but got stuck in no man's land. The gaps behind were starting to open as the front of the pack lost cohesion. Chris B, Larry M, Hunter P and Bike Shop Bob would successfully bring the 4 guys up back and sew things up in time for the false flat section. After a reshuffling of the cards up front, leadership changed hands to anyone not involved in the break\chase.

      After the false flat, another good sized group was riding off the front but that didnt last very long. Dillon P used the slow-down to slingshot off the front but he was brought back soon after the shooting range. Turning onto Welch, Larry M, Hacker & MoMoney had a small gap that they clung to till about halfway down Welch. The front the pack ( Ciocci, A rider in a Club BMC jersey, Special Ed and Hunter P ) kept tempo high and slowed reeled the trio in. Hunter P jumped off the front as soon as the break was caught. He was allowed to get gap but by the hill was on his way to being brought back. Chris B was the next to jump, starting the hill in a sprint. He made it thru the corner first, but only with a slim gap over Ciocci and Hacker. Right behind, a decent sized group was there in pursuit. Chris B dug in for the long haul to the sprint and nearly clawed his way to it. Jacinto popped out of the group to get the sprint over Chris B, getting a much needed sprint win that will no doubt go a long way in his contract talks for next year..... Oh wait.... Nevermind.... It's Jacinto.

      The whole peleton consolidated for the right down West St and not too much happened on the descent. A couple of guys ( Larry M, Club BMC, Todd H ? ) rolled free heading to the corner and they drilled it hard enough to get a gap that they kept and added on during Atwater St. The chase slowing ramped up behind and just Larry M and BMC were hanging on by the highway overpass. Hunter P jumped on the little rise there, taking along Hacker, Ciocci and MoMoney Those 4 had a gap but couldn't quite get away in time for the light. Red light on 322 gave another chance for everyone reset.

     The ride up Peck was uneventful. On the very last tough section Chris C attacked, taking a small group with him ( Hacker, Ciocci, MoMoney, Hunter P ). That break had a gap but again, nothing that lasted too long as there wasn't enough hard terrain to give them the chance to break the will of the peleton behind. That same core group plus a Benje, BikeShopBob, Larry M and Club BMC led the way initially up route 10 but a red light at the top of the hill brought another reset. From there everyone got ready for the run in to Stop n Shop.

     Tall John, Larry M and the usuals were up front for the leadout, leaving Benje, Dillon P, Hunter P and Mike McG in the best place to kick. Dillon P jumped first but Mike had the longest sprint was able to cruise to the top alone. No one got away in town, although Larry M tried to drill it but red lights foiled that. Heading up to the high school, the “wide load” peleton was met head-on by a police cruiser who stopped all and reminded the ride about proper 2 abreast rules. It was a brief visit and the concern is much appreciated by the SG participants and really all who pedal on Cheshire's public roads.

      Heeding the admonishment, however, lasted all of about 5 blocks and once past the cluster of lights and shopping centers, it was back to owning the road. The usual suspects + Young Suto pushed the pace back into Hamden and once again it was a large group heading into the finale. At the last moment, it was whittled down to Hacker and Mike McG. From there it was a toss up too close to call. Up the hill, MoMoney switched the lever to “full throttle” and then broke it off, leaving him to implode halfway up. Hunter P had only to pop out and sprint the last half to stay away from Chris B, who was charging hard but came up short.

Tuesday the 7th

Forget the New England Road Race Championships... Long Live the Sleeping Giant Ride!

Mello mood at the parking lot for tonight’s ride. Maybe there was some residual fatigue from the Litchfield Hills century. Good to see Luekens and French (bulldog) Casey. Aaaaaaaand away we go. Guido made no attempt to hide his intention to start the ride out quickly once off route 10. He rolled off the front and Benje went up as well. The 2 didn't work together ( always work together kids ) though and behind the speed crept up till it was all back together. Divine Electric and Hacker were up there with Larry M and a couple of new faces. The speed stayed high till Mountain Rd where French Casey led things off followed by Chris C, Hacker and Ciocci. Some gaps were allowed to open up to teammates pushing off the off front. Credit Divine E with keeping things together till the second set of risers. Hunter P and Guido then hit the front and strung things out single file for a little bit. Gaps were starting to appear and Guido was at the front pushing it when a car coming onto Mountain rd slowed everyone down. When it got going again, Chris C could be heard proclaiming “I love you!”. Whether that was to Nuemotion for warning Guido about the car or for someone else, it will make a nice addition to the official Chris Crowle soundboard.

     Onto Moss Farms where it was super fast right away thanks to Guido, Ciocci, Jacinto and a couple of others. Heading into the chicane though it was bunched up. Larry M and MoMoney drove the pace to the corner of Marion, taking along Guido and Tri Doug. Again, Divine E was there to bring up the rest. After the corner Hunter P pressed on, getting a gap that lasted till the turn for the industrial park. Everyone stayed together till the light despite a couple of guys going hard to perhaps get a gap.

      The light on 322 was green so everyone sailed thru, putting the hurt on any stragglers who would normally play catch up. The speed to Mount Vernon stayed high and no one got off the front. Once on Mount Vernon a small group started to put the hurt on. Steve Grey, Chris C, Ciocci, Mike McG, Todd H and Joe K were nearly getting a gap but Eric M and Divine brought it back. Shortly after that Guido took advantage of the regrouping and sped off at the same time as Hacker. MoMoney dug in and bridged the gap as well, making it 3 up the road heading into to the false flat. Behind, the group was cautiously allowing the break room to roam. The trio dangled out in front for a while, 40 yards or so. Going by the firing range, it got going again and it all came back in time to set up for the turnaround.

       Going down Welch, no one really took the horns, and instead, it just stayed reasonably fast with guys setting up for any potential run in to the sprint. At the hill Ciocci, Chris C and Steve Gray all seemed to jump at the same time. Mike McG, Eric M, Joe K and Hunter P were close behind. A car in the corner forced another bottle neck, but once thru, Ciocci, and Chris C hit the gas and the group of 5 gapped the rest quickly. Mike McG moved up to finish out the lead-out and Hunter P jumped first from a couple of wheels back and was able to stay in front of Eric M, who was the only other one to make a sprint.

      Soon after that, Nuemotion and Chris B made it thru a red light in front of the rest. Those two would fight thru the descent down the rest of West St. They made a good go of it but would be caught a few hundred meters before 322.

       Once thru the light, Hacker jumped off the line in a sprint, no doubt to work on his cyclocross starts for the upcoming season.

        No one was game for the long ball thogh so he slowly got back into the group as the peleton chugged up Peck lane. Once onto Route 10 it was at first a blitz with a Devil's Gear rider, Danbury Audi, Todd H, Eric M, Chris C, Tall Dennis and Chappy! Drilling it up the hill. It settled down a bit but then quickly ramped up again for the sprint as lots of guys were moving up front to set tempo. Everyone wanted to lend a hand ( if you can't beat em, join em )... Danbury Audi, Tall John, Mike McG, Guido, Tri Doug, Chris B, Benje and a couple of others. Hacker slipped thru the right side at the same time as Eric M charged up the left but couldnt hold on the whole way to the top. Little T nearly came around Eric M as he sat-sprint.... sitted-sprinted...seated-sprint..... whatever. Impressive.

     The trip back into Hamden was uneventful. There was a little squirreliness but everyone got along. For the end there was again a good sized crowd up front as Eric M rolled thru the very last ahead of Nuemotion and a couple of other guys who were right there. Chris B got a bit of a jump on the hill but was tracked down by Hunter P, who got to the top first. MoMoney also was there for 3rd, having not gotten enough of a workout in.

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.

Tuesday the 24th

It rained and poured but it didn't stop the usual troops from coming out for some bike practice.

    Right out of the parking lot, Tall John was eager to dry off, setting off in front of everyone during the neutral start. He took along Tall Dennis and a couple of Central Wheel riders and Nate from Amity. They set off with no one in particular from the bunch protesting. Soon after route 10, Rich Foley, Gregg F and Young Suto struck off the front in proper fashion and had as gap as they too were allowed to roll. They worked up a gap of about 30 seconds before it started tumbling down on the way to Mountain road. The peleton was being led by the usuals and a couple of flats ( Dillon P ) and the rain covered wet roads slowed the bunch down. The catch was eventually made on Mountain rd and everyone settled in and by the light at Route 68, even the early birds were back in the fold.

Hacker jumped up for Moss Farms and was joined by Jacinto. Todd H was the first to dig in and chase, keeping everyone close. Along the way, a couple of guys bridged up. Ciocci, The Sernyak(?) and one other. Behind Mike McG, Eric M and MoMoney were also up there lending a hand. The leaders came into the chicane with barely a gap and by the turn onto Marion, it was all together. The pace was solid to 322 from there. Again, a few guys went up to try to catch the light but it was red.

      On Mount Vernon things got a little messy. Guido rolled off the front to get things going and took along a few guys ( O'Shea, Nuemotion, Tri Doug, Hacker etc ). The front group disintegrated though with just Hacker and one other up front. Joe K powered off the peleton and got stuck in between until the false flat section where everyone was rounded up. Chris C tried to inflict some pain during and after the false flat, stretching the group out nearly single file. No one was in the attacking mood though and it stayed together. Guido would get to the front again and try to get something going, and he briefly had a gap with Chris C, Silent Steve, The Sernyak, and Thomaas B but everyone got wish to that when Hacker moved and thru to the group, tying it all together for the corner.

      On Welch, Tall John got things going with Chris C, Ciocci and Hacker responding. Tri Doug then kept things fast along with Todd H. The dash up the hill to the corner was slower then usual. Hunter P was the first to jump, getting into a narrow seam between a car and the corner. The peleton had to deal with a bit of a bottle neck and so that move was deemed a dickhead one but it served to get everyone riled up for the chase on West St. Soon a small group of guys was way off the front and chasing Hunter P down. Jacinto, Hacker, Eric M, Chris B, and Tall John. Eric M got the best jump in the sprint and came around Hunter P to take the sprint with Jacinto behind. Red lights on the backside brought everyone back together for the ride back into Cheshire.

     Tall John tried to ride away with Chris C on before the underpass, but there was enough guys paying attention to keep it together. The ride back onto Route 10 was unexciting. A good number of guys kept the pace high on Peck and Schoolhouse with no one getting any gaps. Ditto for the first sections of route 10. For the Stop n Shop sprint it was all Zane's up front. Mike McG set a terrific initial leadout, keeping the pace high and leaving the other sprinters fighting for wheels. Koski, and The Sernyak(?) where there as well leaving Eric M in a good spot for the sprint. Jacinto got onto Eric's wheel and those 2 duked it out to the very last meter with being a very close call for who got it.

     The whole group got an unusual amount of green lights thru Cheshire, which kept the loners connected with the bunch and the speeds high going back into Hamden. Props to Silent Steve for handing a flat tire at 30mph with grace and not causing mass destruction. For the finale, after Dillon P, Julio L and Tall Dennis laid out the final kilometer, a small group ( Guido, Nuemotion, Hacker, Eric M, O'Shea and Jacinto ) got free and fought for the corner. A certain Kelt was out of the saddle quite a bit tho so who knows who got this one fair and square. Up the hill, Hunter P, on the tail end of the squatting sprinters group, used the head start to keep out in front of a charging Chris B. Also present were Dillon P, Mountain Man, Tall Dennis, and Koski (!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!? )

       Good ride everyone... Cheers to all for braving the wet weather.

Tuesday the 17th

The Diuretic edition of the SG ride!

Good ride tonight with a decent group out. Good to see Robyn out on the bike hanging with the best of the best ( or something like that ).

     Right as soon as the ride left route 10, Divine Electric moved to the front and layed down a solid pace, stretching things out all the way till over the crap road. Then OttoX and Hacker took over, keeping the pace crisp and well startched for another street's worth. Hunter P and Mike McG were chipping in as well as the Big Nortonowski. Chris C jumped up on North Brookvale and O'Shea, Ciocci, and Koski went with. That four took advantage of the corner and everyone getting back up to speed. They soon had a solid gap heading to Mountain Rd. Behind, the Full Nalini, OttoX, Divine, and others led the chase once it got going.

The break hit Mountain rd with only a few seconds. O'Shea came back to the pack, with Chris C and others still on the gas past the initial risers. The break looked to have a good gap but it seemed like there wasn’t too much alarm in the pack as guys were added up the horsepower up front and behind. Guido doesn't give a flip about what's under your hood and so he jumped up on the second set of risers and took along Hacker. They overhauled the front group and were quickly off on their own. The move was enough to get Eric M off the front and he soon bridged up making it a dangerous 3 up front. For certain that was not going to go unchallenged and the main chase came quickly from Yelle!Snoop. He pulled for a solid 750 meters halving the gap. Mike McG chipped in along with CxChris, A tall new guys in white, Todd H, Joe K and HunterP. Joe K and Hunter P kept it up after the catch with a leadout for the light perhaps in the works. CxChris sees all and was on that move, making it Hunter P, OttoX and CxC the best to catch the light but it was red.

       Hacker timed the light well and went thru at good speed, giving him a great jump on his signature dish, Moss Farms Attackeroni. He worked up a solid 25 second lead as Yelle!Snoop, Guido, OttoX, Divine and a couple of others ramped up the speed. Once things settled down in the chase, Tall Dennis and Todd H jumped off the front and were allowed to close the distance to Hacker, who probably sat up and led the 2 latch on for the long haul. The 3 worked up a gap and hit Marion with 15-20 seconds. Behind Hunter P brought the field up the hill along with OttoX and CxChris.

      Once onto Marion, others jumped in and soon were reeling in the front 3. The break lasted to the highway overpass. For the weekly “sprint to the red light” Eric M once again launched with Chris C. The field wasn't too far behind and the light was red.

      Onto Mount Vernon where the main attack came from Tall John and Larry M who rolled off the front early on and took along Tri Doug. That trio worked up a good gap before Mike Norton tried to bridge by the ski slopes and then Yelle!Snoop decided to attempt an intercept, but got stuck in between. The pace was high leading to the false flat with the gap coming down the whole time. Credit goes to the trio for impressively staying away but it started to break apart after the fast climbing. Behind Joe k and Chris C turned good pulls to bring them close. Guido buttoned things up just after the false flat, riding up and thru the front only to find Tall John the lone guy willing to press on. There were stragglers a-plenty though with no one putting down the bone-crusher. It was bunch together till the Welch and the turnaround.

       Despite several guys keeping the speed respectable on the run in the hill, Hacker had a go off the front but was on his way to being brought back before the corner thanks to Norton, The Seryak, Ciocci, Divine and Mike McG. Chris B led up and thru the corner and was pushing hard to get a gap for West St. He succeeded, hammering out less then 30 meters as Divine led a small group of about 6. Mike McG was the next to surge bringing along only Eric M and Hunter P. Chris B had a long way to go but was still just off the front. Eric M had to close the final gap down as Hunter P wasn't going to chase his teammate. Chris B got caught just in time for the sprint, which Hunter grabbed with room to spare, taking it over Eric M.

       It came back together on the backside and there were no attacks until after 322. Guido and Thomaas B rolled off the front after the light and got onto Peck Lane with a good gap. They were joined by Central Wheel Gary (?) and a new guy in all black, Arizona Joe. The group rolled up Peck and then Sandbank just outta reach of the peleton. As the corner for route 10 came up, it was only Guido and Arizona Joe left, with Chris B successfully bridging up from the pack. Chris B went straight to work, dragging the break up the hill by Cheshire Park and then settling in with all 3 doing good work. Behind, the Zane's leadout train was coming together and the gap looked to be manageable. The peleton just snuck under a light but got stuck at the last one before the sprint, giving the prize to the break for certain. In the break Guido called for a truce but Arizona Joe, with having done only 1other SG ride, was wise to the opportunity and easily got the sprint ahead of a charging Chris B.

       Behind the trio, now split apart by the sprint, a couple of guys were flying across the gap with the long ball in mind, Eric M and Todd H being primary instigators. Eric M rolled thru a red light in the center of town, much the to chagrin of others behind. He was by himself and that does provide a chance for some rule bending but no one seemed to appreciate that this time around. However, it was all Eric needed to strike out on his own to make it back solo. He was not out of view yet when he snuck thru another light, causing more grumbling under breath back in the pack, which seemed to get snagged by more lights then usual this week. Eric M rolled home alone while the pack finished like it usually does. Up the hill, Chris B used great position up front to get a good jump and was easily able to hold back Dillon P, Hunter P and C-Dale Rick.

Tuesday the 10th

We miss the Fantano's

    The ride tonight had a different kind of tone. Right from the parking lot, things were askew a bit with the venerable Mike Norton in attandance here instead of at the Renzlerrr feild training crit.
If they don't want ya, we'll take you Mike!
     Right off route 10, Chris C immediately attacked. Otto X and Hunter P jumped up to join him and right off the bat the ride has the first of a few breakaways. The 3 quickly rung up a gap on the backroads. Behind a chase group was sorting itself out and within a minute, a group ( Eric M, Norton, MoMoney, Tri Doug, Guido and one or 2 others ) came up. That made for a strong group off the front but by the the turn onto North Brooksvale the field behind was starting to work itself out. Jacinto, Guido, a couple of Stage 1 guys, a couple of Zane's guys were setting a good enough tempo to keep it close. On that initial riser tho, Eric M stepped on it leaving the others behind except for Chris C and Hunter P. That trio hammered out a small gap and some traffic in the corner for Mountain road let this new break work up a gap. Behind, Guido was getting antsy and was trying to drum up support for a chase and capture. Tall John was game. In the front group, the 3 worked well, despite some "retarded" pulling.
     When the catch was made, Yelle!Snoop had a dig off the front followed by a couple of guys who didn't help chase the break down at all. ( bad form ). Everyone was content to roll the rest of mountain rd together, except for Dillon P and Jacinto. Dillon took a late dig off the front to try to catch the light and it succeeded. Jacinto was a little under the red but in context it was a fair play. That made for 2 up the road with about a 30 second headstart.
     Moss Farms, in the peleton was standard stuff. The chase didnt really get going until the Chicane. Mostly New Haveners ( Yalies, Ciocci, Thomaas B, MoMoney, The Sernyak ) up front pushing the pace. Up the hill to Marion, Eric M jumped, taking along OttoX, a yalie or 2, Hunter P and Nuemotion. The front of the Peleton started to break up a bit as Eric M charged on alone with Gregg F, Nuemotion and fellow Yalies inbetween. Meanwhile, Jacinto would tackle the hills and Dillon P would roll the rest of the stuff and the duo was working hard to stay away.
    As the peleton rolled over 84, a big dig by Tall John and then by Chris C served to tie things down and round everyone up as the break quickly got into sight. Fortune was up front tonight though as Dillon P and Jacinto just squeaked thru a changing-to-red-light and were gifted another time bonus. Behind the peleton had to deal with a dicky driver in an SUV and Tall John almost became Punching John. Slowly the group got going again and by Mount Vernon, it was back to full gas, thanks to the usuals. Mostly Guido.
    The break ( now soundly in over their heads ) was eventually caught on the False Flat. Suspected counter attacks came from Eric M, Yelle!Snoop, Todd H, Gregg F and a couple of others. No dice though and it was gruppo compacto. Little T looked like he was going to test the waters at the deep end along with a couple of others but no one took the plunge. Leading up to Welch, Mike McG, Guido and MoMoney rolled off the front and were allowed some room. When it came to storm the castle, a few guys set down a good tempo. Norton, Yahor from CCB, Ciocci, Benji, etc all up front and chipping in. Tall John got hold of Chris C and stormed off the front just in time to catch the leading three. Tall John blew the doors off everyone, including his sprinter, giving guys like The Sernyak, Little T, Jacinto, Chris B, Joe K, Eric M, Mike McG, Nuemotion, Ciocci and one or 2 others a chance to get going right before the corner. That led to a sizable group heading off to the sprint, quickly getting ground on the rest. From that Eric M was able to hold off Chris B and Jacinto to get the sprint points. Eric would continue on down the backside. 
     From there the ride resumed normal mode. Guido had actually gotten a flat at the turnaround and Tall John stopped for the assist. The pace up front was mello and the peleton caught a few red lights. Eric M was able to keep his gap all the way to Peck Ln. Once it was all together on back onto Route 10, guys started to cue up for the Stop n Sprint Sprint. A good size group of the usual sprinters rolled thru a red light on Rt10, much to the dismay of everyone behind. About 8 or 9 made it thru and kept going the short distance to the sprint. Behind, the field had no chance of getting back on. Up front, it was still a battle though, this time Little T getting in one last sprint win before a forced vacation off the bike due to wrist surgery. Hopefully it won't be a prolonged one.
    After the Stop n Shop Sprint, Little T and Eric M kept up the pace and were able to secure a gap as the peleton was hit with 3-4 red lights. Those 2 had little problem getting back to Hamden off the front. Up the hill went the usuals ( plus Chris LaSalle holy crap! ). Hunter P gets revenge this week and is the first up the hill.

Tuesday the 3rd

What the heck! Go on vacation people!

     Good crowd out for the ride. A couple of heavy hitters were riding so it was bound to be quick. Things started out mello with Dillon P and Guido being the first to hit out. Divine Electric and Tri Doug also were up there. Chris C jumped once onto North Brooksvale ( just to get that special feeling back ) leading to Eric M off the front for a bit but by Mountain Rd it was all together. Larry M took a good dig up front on the initial parts of Mountain. He was chased down by Divine Electric and the Graham-inator. A small group went clear on the next set of risers when Graham G punched it off the front with a Central Wheel teammate. A couple of guys jumped with them ( Little T, Guido, Ciocci, Summers ) and some guys in the pack chose to sit up a bit. This led to a slightly dangerous looking gap. Hunter P came across it shortly after which got things going in the pack. Chris C hammered up and helped dragged the peleton back up, catching the break with a couple hundred meters left before the light.
      The ride down Moss Farms was a bit slow. Larry M continued hammering the front and was rewarded with a gap that a couple of others jumped in on. The break was allowed to off the front just before the corner. Larry M, Yahor from CCB, Thomaas B, Twin Six, Ciocci, and MoMoney all went thru the chicane and worked up a 100 meter gap. Hunter P jumped across the gap on the hill and got up there quick. The break started a good working rotation but it was a little on the slow side, allowing the pack to bear down as everyone went over 84. Eric M jumped off once the catch was made with CCB and Hunter P continuing with him. Surprise surprise, the light was red so it all came back together though.
      Sean Cahill from Central Wheel attacked as soon as the light was green and sped off toward Mount Vernon. No one was in a hurry to bring him back, although Kyle F jumped to try to bridge the gap. Once onto Mount Vernon things started to get a bit messy. Guys were up, down and in between. Cahill was still nursing a lead and Central Wheel was riding in defense of that when Guido moved up the right side and punched a hole thru the blockade along with Larry M. Guido quickly made tracks to Young Foley and his  surge helped get things going enough to tractor-beam everyone back in time for the false flat. Aidan and his dog Maddy jumped mid-way thru the false flat, taking along Little T. Instead of responding in kind, the front of the peleton went on coffee break. Aidan and T went up the road. Only until the top of the uphill did guys start to go into action mode. Guido, Nuemotion, and Eric M primarily. Those 3 were in-between as still the general response was slow. Chris B went to action, pulling a monster truck pull, followed up by Hunter P, dragging up the pack. Yelle!Snoop, in classic CCNS form, responded with a counter attack that only Guido, Eric M and Hunter P went with at first. There was a couple of seconds were a straw could've broken the collective back of the ride, but instead, things slowed down just enough for everyone to re-group before the corner.
       Guido continued the charge on Welch, with guys lining up behind him to be the first to get popped from the sprint. Sernyak (?) took matters into his own hands and went off the front. Little heed was paid. Everyone rolled up to the hill in formation, and Chris C was the first to dig with Mike McG and Chris B right behind. Once everyone got onto West St, a good sized group was rolling clear with CCB, Eric M, Divine Electric, Ciocci, and Garber-nator joining in late. Eric M got onto Mike McG's wheel and got a good lead out, taking the sprint over Yelle!Snoop and Chris B. Eric tried to recreate the goings on of last week but red lights and more diligent riding from the front stopped anyone from getting a gap for the rest of the ride down West. Aidan tried to get off the front and CCB once again played group-ride police, shutting it down and then settling into tempo. Yelle!Snoop tried to get off the front as everyone went under the highway but that didnt take.
        Nothing to report for the ride back to route 10. Steady tempo and no attacks. CCB, Central Wheel and the usuals making up the workload. The Stop n Sprint was a slug-out between Little T and Eric M, with T taking it. There were no attacks thru Cheshire although Chris B was called on to once again corral a small group off the front. From there it was standard fare back into Hamden with the end being contested by Little T and a bunch of other guys. More noteworthy though is the effective killing style again on display from the Mountain Man, who dispatched an out-of-matches Hunter P and a very non-Sagen-esque MoMoney as if they were cornered hares. Chris B put up a measure of resistance but came up a bit short on the hill.
      Good ride everyone with a fair amount of fireworks for the 4th of July ride! Enjoy the holiday y'all.
    

Tuesday the 26th

The Rattlesnake Ride.... It'll bitecha!

    The year of injuries continues....Everyone was bummed to hear in the parking lot how Robyn's fall was as bad as it was imagined. Broken C-bone and lots of cuts and bruises. Robyn, if you are reading this, Everyone hopes you feel better real soon and get back out there not much later then that.( Congrats for what it's worth on a good women's race )
    The ride started out real mello this week. There was a stiff headwind coming in from the west \ north which seemed to dampen everyone's spirits. Tall Dennis and VQ Rob got things going along wth Timmy Nice-a-new-bike Ratta. Even so, there were no real attacks all the way to route 68. A new guy from Amity bikes tried to get off the front but that was short-lived. The trip down Mountain Rd was slower than usual. Seemed like everyone saw the front on the way to the light.
    Once onto Moss Farms, it picked up a bit with Ratta and MTB Owen up front picking up the pace. The headwind was making some guys a bit dodgy out there and it was far from smooth pretty much wherever you were in the bunch. Ratta tried to tear a couple of guys off the front leading into the Chicane but a car at the intersection stopped them, allowing Ciocci and Hunter P to sneak thru and start in toward the hill first. They had a bit of gap that OttoVan Gaul ( good to see him stateside ), the Full Nalini and a couple of others closed down. The pace was still high going onto Marion but no one sent out to really put everyone on the rivet. After a brief slow-down Ratta got it going again again leading to an attack from Hunter P which also brought Mike McG off the front, but those 2 couldnt get it going and it was all together heading into the light. A few Zanes guys, Ratta and one of 2 others rode thru the turning light but elected to sit up and wait. From there the pace was decent going down Mount Vernon. Nothing to brag about though. Ratta, MoMoney, Luekens, Nalini, The Sernyak, and others leading the way. On the false flat section Hunter P rode off the front near the top, taking along Gregg F. Those 2 worked up a brief gap that lasted for a couple of kilo's. Bridging up to them was Yahor from CCB, and Neumotion, but by then the peleton was bearing down and it was back all together soon after. No counter attacks though and it was all together leading into the turnaround.
    Luekens broke out of jail on Welch, heading up the road toward West St. Joe K and MTB Owen set out after him and were just about getting up to Luekens' wheel by the base of the hill. Behind a small group was  barely riding off the front of the rest. Traffic at corner forced everyone thru a bottleneck, slowing down everyone but the front 6 or so. Then a near crash between a couple of guys going thru the corner slowed it down even more, letting that gap go up to the front 7 or 8... Who had now caught the leading trio. Mike McG led out Eric M for the prize, fighting past Chris B and Ratta. On the descent it all re-grouped. Chris B made it thru a light near I84 fair and square as the rest of the pack had to wait. Chris B needs only an inch and he had way more then that so he was all in for the night. Once the pack resumed, Eric m, Todd H, and the Mountain Man rode off the front as everyone else went into lazy mode. No one was chasing and the trio were free to track down Chris B. Only till the underpass did Ratta move up to the front and spur a tempo increase but that was brief as the light going back over 322 was red. Ratta stayed on past that, riding off the front heading onto Peck Ln. Nuemotion, MTB Owen and Dillon P bridged up but by then the pack was bearing down. Up the road the 3 chasers were working well together and had Chris C in the sights. It would take a little while but they finally latched on past the hill by Cheshire Park on Route 10. From there the leading 4 were not going to be caught as they now had a decent tailwind to bring them back into Hamden. Eric M took the Stop n Shop sprint and behind more red lights slowed down the peleton. Todd H would get hit with a flat in Cheshire and had to peel off. The remaining 3 rode back into Hamden together. Chris B took the final prize on the Shepard Ave climb over Mountain man as Eric M was content to get to the corner first.

Tuesday the 19th

The Sleeping Giant Ride can not be held accountable for your sad display of strength!

     The summer solstice ride was greeted by a good sized crowd, not quite the biggest one this year but close. Good to see Todd H, Tall John, Chris LaSalle and Ratta out. Right off route 10, Dillon took off the front to do his CT champ jersey right. He was soon joined by Guido and at first, no one was eager to chase em down. Soon enough tho a young Yalie (J Levinsohn), Erica from Yale, Tri Doug and The new guy in full Nalini set out to bring em back. A couple of guys hit the front after that. A new guy from Zane's Tall Dennis and Eric M. Guido and Dillon worked well together and they stayed off till a little ways before Mountain Rd. Onto mountain where Koski, Chris C and Hunter got things started. Those 3 had a quick gap after the initial risers and set about to stretch it out. Behind, Mike McQ, never one to be left out of a fun time, jumped across the gap. Todd H joined him and a couple of guys did some kind of in between. That was enough to patch the ride back all up for the rest of the way down Mountain. Joe K spun off the front with Jacinto before the light, which was red, so they didn’t get very far.

     Joe K kept it going on Moss Farms with Ratta & Ciocci. Despite some gaps in the front 15 guys, everyone went thru the chicane all together. Once again, Chris C and Hunter P were ramping it up past the hill onto Marion. Eric M and Mountain Man were up there too. From there it was together heading to 322. Coming up to the light, Keltic O'shea, Ratta, Nuemotion, Eric M and Chris C all took off in hopes of getting the light. It was red so that 15 second full on effort seemed silly.

     On the other side, Luekens moved up to the front and that got things going. A small group was off the front heading onto Mount Vernon led by Larry M, but it was al together soon after. The ride down Mount Vernon was on the sedate side. No real attacks. Zane's was up front along with Yale, Guido and Thomaas B. After the false flat, Tall John and Guido took off the front. Ratta, Eric M, Nuemotion and the other guys were already up front kept it close. LaSalle and MoMoney went after the front 2 but that just served to bring it all back together.

     The pack slowed up on Welch, a few strong guys were moved up. Before the hill Luekens and Tri Doug rolled off the front and they were soon joined by Larry M. Behind Chris C jumped first at the base of the hill, taking Mike mCg, Hunter P and Jacinto. The rest of the field wasnt too far behind. Chris brought back the leading 3 right after the corner. He pulled a bit more while Mike McG stalled, forcing Hunter P to the front. Jacinto then lit it up from a ways out with Hunter sprinting to keep the gap. Eric M jumped proper from a few wheel back and was able to get past Jacinto just in time. On the backside it was together. Stayed that way till going under 84. There was some action up front on the way back over 322. Ratta, Larry M, the Full Nalini, Crowle and a couple of others mixing it up. Light was red though so it was slow and steady once thru it.

     Going back thru Cheshire was was standard fare, no surprises. The lead in to Stop n Sprint was decently fast after a red light. Julio L was up there driving it along. Ratta was the first to jump and led the sprint out. Eric M came off Mike McG wheel in good position again and was able to come round Ratta and Jacinto to get there first.

     Once thru Cheshire, Guido and a couple of others looked to pull a fast one on the bunch. A small group of about 7 or 8 shot off the front. It took inside-out riding from Julio and Tall Dennis to reconnect everyone. For the finale, Eric M looked for the hat trick but was thwarted when a driver came out almost half-way into the road from South Brooksvale, forcing the front 5 guys to stomp on the brakes. Up the hill, Mountain man dispatched MoMoney with the same effectiveness he did the rabbit caught and eaten for lunch earlier in the day.

Tuesday the 12th

Rained out....

There were still nearly 20 guys out. Led by Guido, Rondo, Aidan, Mountain Man a couple of Yalies and others. The ride ended up splitting in two, with the front group being led by Aidan, Guido and Chris B.

Details will be rolling in and posted here soon.

Tuesday the 5th

The return of The Beast! Ciocci gets a day off ( and shows up withOUT Di2 )! The CCB toss-up gets bored with your tempo... The veterans on the ride lament Joe Patalone's accident ( here's wishing to a speedy recovery Joe )
And more.... Just another SG ride.

    The ride started out sedate enough but once onto Mountain Rd it kicked up thanks to Koski and Hunter P. Chris C had a dig off the front but was corralled by Yelle!Snoop, the CCB toss-up and Tri-Doug. There was slightly less action off the front on Moss Farm, where it was solid tempo followed my solid-ier tempo when CCB moved up to the front. Thru the Chicane, Chris C attacked, followed by Hunter P, which strung things out but no one was delivering the widow maker.
    A small group tried to sneak off the front coming onto Mount Vernon... Chris C, Chris C, Eric M, Gregg F, Central Wheel Dennis, MoMoney and one other. That didnt make it very far but Chris C and Yelle!Snoop kept the pressure up afterward and then CCB came up and drove things along. From there is was solid pace with a few good opportunities for attacks, but no one was up to it.
    Heading onto Welch, Ciocci kept the pace high till Graham Garber took over. Chris C jumped early, followed by Hunter P thru the corner. Little T sewed things back up and took on front for a bit, which slowed things down a bit as others were content to sit in. Chris B attacked the best he could on a 20 pound cross bike and quickly got a gap. The pace was starting to wind up agian with a few guys in position to go for it. Mike McG jumped on the left with Little T responding on the right. It was a drag race to the end with Little T edging it out for the sprint.
    On the backside Eric M tried to TT off the front, taking along Yelle! and a rider from Central Wheel. Once things settled down it looked like Central Wheel had plans to TTT off the front for the run-in back over 322. 3 riders were there but by the red light stopped all, Graham cracker Garber had spit everyone out the back. Chris C was also there, attacking under the overpass.
    It was status quo till route 10 and then some. The run in to Stop n Shop was disrupted by a red light at the base of the hill by the school there, basically making it a non sprint for Little T to mop up. Little T and Mike McG went down swinging again for the finale, with T getting to the corner for Shepard Ave first. Up the hill went a big crowd. MoMoney tried to dislodge Hunter P early on the hill with Tri Doug in tow. Hunter P gets to the top first ahead of #42.

Good ride everyone and be sure to keep Joe P in your thoughts as he waits for surgery.

Tuesday the 29th

Kick off summer with the Tuesday Night World Championships

    The SG ride usually deviates from script on the Tuesdays following Monday holidays and tonight was no exception. The crowd was a little on the low side and the high humidity seemed to be putting everyone in a slight haze. Dillon and Dana got things going off route 10 along with the Twin Six dude. Once Hacker rolled thru the front the ride started proper. Not much happened for the next couple of miles. Chris C took off briefly but didn't make a dent. A small group looked to be rolling off on Mount Sanford but another surge from Hacker thru the next corner ended that and started the chase behind as MoMoney, Twin Six, Hunter P, Mike McG and Jactino were drilling it toward Mountain Rd.
    The ride down Mountain Rd was uneventful except for a rabid car. Chris C rolled off after the initial climbs and got up a 40 meter gap before being recollected. After that, MoMoney & Hunter P were the only ones to test the waters but it all came back with the red light at the intersection.
   Hunter P got a good jump onto Moss Farms and was allowed to roll off as the peleton was dealing with cars on Route 68. Eventually the ride got going again and Nuemotion, Hacker, Chris C, MoMoney, and a new guy ( ( Bethel Cycles? ) were leading the charge up and thru the front. That group started to gap the front by the end of Moss Farms. Eric M started the bridge with Hunter P as the break was diving into the chicane and MoMoney was dropping back. It was 6 up front after the chicane. Hunter P drilled it up the hill to Marion, putting a solid gap on the peleton and the break went to work extending it. Nuemotion, Hacker, Chris C, Hunter P, Eric M and the New Guy ( CxC Chris? ) was the break. Back in the pack, Mike McG had set off in an attempt to bridge and he was able to quickly create a gap to get to work on. He still had 50-60 meters to make up to the leaders as they went by the short loop turn.
    The break came up to the light at 322 and low-n-behold, twas green, allowing them to shoot thru. When it was noticed that Mike McG slid across the yellow-turned-red light, the break held up, allowing him to get on. That put some extra ponies in the effort and with the red light holding the rest up, it was looking like today might be the day for the break.
    Not much to report for the next several miles, as up front they were all working together. Back in the pack, Tri Doug, Twin Six, Mountain Man, Dillon P and a couple of others were riding the lions share of work. Also up there was Chris B, who has a well documented phobia of being left out of a breakaway. The break was in sight as they turned onto Welch. The gap about 30-45 seconds. Up front, the group, though strong, was suffering with some tired legs as a couple of the guys were racing Monday at Killington and Sommerville. That, plus the headwind soon to come, lulled the break into thinking the catch was inevitable and some soft pedaling on Welch was reported. That allowed Hacker to simply roll off the front halfway down Welch and get a jump on the sprint. He was into a full blown attack once on the hill to the corner. Hunter P was the first to jump after him but was soon collected on West St by Chris C, leading the chase. The surge + hill immediately dispatched a couple of guys before the corner and it was down to Chris C, Eric M, Mike McG and Hunter P behind Hacker. Hacker was getting plowed over by the headwind, and the gap was close enough to allow Hunter P to jump out of the chase again and go up and over to take the sprint in the final 20 meters. The shrunken break of 5 reformed on the backside and the gap went up again.
    Back in the Peleton, Rondo was complaining about the pace, but wasn't about to chip in too much as he had 2 mates up the road. Tired-legs-from-racing-syndrome was also being felt by a couple of guys in the peleton, and with no core group to do battle in the vicious headwind, the break was going to succeed all the way.
    Not too much to report for the rest of the ride. A couple of shortcut guys joined up in the break and at first were polite in not moving past the breakaway guys. When the pace went down, a couple did slide up and take pulls, making Chris C get all territorial on their asses. The Stop n Shop sprint was taken by Mike McG, with Hacker giving chase. After that it was gab and move, gab and move against the wind going back into Hamden.

Tuesday the 22nd

Rain waves white flag.... For now...   

    The rain finally gave way for the ride tonight. Besides a little over spray off the back roads, everyone stayed dry tonight for the 35-45 guys and girls out. Good to see Peter K out on the bike, recovered from his fractured hip. Next, the ride waits for Joe K's return.
     Right off route 10 the speed ramped up as everyone was eager to get the HR up. YelleSnoop! was up there and inbetween saving his bike from disaster, was pushing the early pace. Also too was Hunter P, BlackTie\Aetna, MoMoney, Young Suto, Jacinto, and Hacker. Turning onto North Brooksvale saw Aidan and Hacker surge, bringing out BlackTie and Hutner P. The foursome got a gap right away and held that onto Mountain Rd. Behind Guido, Chris C, Mike McG, Jacinto and a couple of others were pulling weight to keep the gap close. Everyone was back together after the initial climbs on Mountain. Aidan kept up the pressure and took along Chris C, an FSU rider, and Gregg F. That group never made it more then 20 meters off the front as riders used the downhill sections to reconnect. From there to Route 68 was steady and fast as the ride snuck thru the light and kept the pace going onto Moss Farms.
    YelleSnoop and Thomaas B got an early jump on Moss Farms but were soon back in the bunch as Chris C, Rondo and Hunter P rode steady on the front, dragging the bunch up. There were no further attacks running into the chicane. Once onto Marion, turns of speed from Aidan, Chris C, Little T, and Hunter P sprung a break briefly but other strong guys were there to sew it up ( Guido, Hacker, Yelle, BlackTie ). No other attacks till going over route 322.
    Aidan, Hacker, Hunter P, and BlackTie continued being the protagonists and rolled off the front shortly after and hit Mount Vernon with a 40 meter gap. But too many guys, not wanting to be left out of the action, rode the gap shut and it was all together again. Things slowed down a bit after that as the ride reached the false flats. Good to see Craig Luekens out in his retro TargetTraining kit. Surely there are some New Haveners that can get that man a new kit... Anyway, things started to break up a bit on the false flat, but no one was delivering the crusher. A new guy from Central Wheel (?) shot off the front briefly, but didn't last long up there.
    Guido rolled off the front as everyone paused to recollect. Special Ed, The new Guy in Nalini, Gregg F and MoMoney rode up with him but it was all together a minute later as everyone got ready for the turnaround. SPeed stayed steady as the group turned onto Welch. A couple of new faces popped up to set tempo and get everyone's attention ( Rondo, Dillon P, Central Wheel ). Heading to the corner, Aidan, Jacinto, Hunter P and Hacker were in position. Hacker jumped first, taking Jacinto, Chris C and Hunter P along with him. Right after the corner, from his last-in-line position, Chris C jumped strongly and had a 30 meter gap. Jaconti and Hunter P rode the front to bring the gap down, then Hacker jumped to reconnect but came up short. Chris C gets a well deserved one here, as a late sprint from Hunter P wasn't enough to close the gap.
   On the backside, Aidan looked like he wanted to punch it. Little T joined him and the 2 looked to have a jump on the rest but a red light brought it all back together. No further attacks until Peck Lane, despite surges on the front from BlackTie, YelleSnoop!, Hunter P and Aidan.
    Onto Peck Lane where Chris C's early hard pacing rode a small group off the front. Chris C left first with Nalini and Aidan. Hacker and Hunter P bridged up and made it a break... Perhaps the most serious of the night. The group had 50 meters by the top of the false flat on Peck and were working well together. Behind, Guido, Jacinto, Mike McG, Little T and the other usuals didnt let the break go unnoticed. Also up there was John Gregory who was going over 100 miles on the day at that point. Props to the Mountain Man on keeping tempo for 140 miles.
   Onto Route 10, the break still had a healthy gap and were unfazed by the hill next to Cheshire Park. A red light before the Stop n Shop sprint finally brought it to an end and allowed the peleton to catch. Little T collected the Stop n Sprint ahead of a well timed Chris B and a Yalie ( DJ Dan? )
    The ride into Hamden was standard fare. Fast but could have been faster. For the finale, after final pulls from Craig L, Dillon P and Mike McG, it was Aidan, fighting it out with Nalini, Guido and Chris B. Nalini got in front of Aidan and was able to hold it. Up the hill went the usuals. Chris B attacked early but Hunter jumped mid way and took it.

Tuesday the 15th

Rained out for the second week in a row...

    

     Still, a few guys were out to ride. Chris C, Koski, John Gregory, Special Ed, Eric M, and Gary H from Cheshire Cycle. After waiting for a couple of minutes in the car park and after no one else showed up the stalwart group rolled out. They were sent off by a beer-toting Hunter P, standing in front of the shop. Hunter was unable to convince anyone to stop riding, even tho that beer looked waaaaay too good. Chris C, Eddy A and Eric kept a steady rotating pace up right through the back roads to RT-68. John, Koski and Gary were content to sit on and go for the ride. Status-quo out onto Moss Farms and Mt Vernon. At the turn-a-round Koski put in a blistering effort and rode everyone off his wheel to take the hill sprint on West street by at least 200 yards. Impressive attack! Soon after Special Ed peeled off at the West Street gas station and the rest of the guys rode back to Cheshire at a leisurely pace. Chris C took the S&S sprint and then checked out for the night... The visions of beer bottles still in his head and now too much to take. Eric, John G, Koski and Gary finished out the ride into Hamden.

All in all a fun night of riding in the rain.