A running account of the "race without an entry fee"..... The Tuesday night ride

Tuesday the 4th



Final SG Ride of 2016…
The switch to 5:30 has traditionally been met with smaller group sizes and tonight was no different. There was only 16 or 17 dudes out tonight. 5 or 6 of those riders would get popped at some point during the fast ride. The SG Ride does NOT go quietly into the night!
   Once again, Alan B was driving the pace in the early sections. He rolled off the front a couple of times. The Sernyak and Chris C were there to keep things together. Dana R and Dillon P were also up there. Turning onto North Brooksvale, Hunter P took off and was allowed to roll off. The chase got going slowly so the gap went up and Hunter P lasted out in front until after the first risers on Mountain Rd. Eventually Chris C would jump across the gap but many others responded. From there the pace stayed decent all the way the light on 68\70. The light was green which didn’t help any of the guys who were struggling to stay connected.  Once onto Mount Vernon, Dana R and Dillon P once again hit it pretty hard. Steve Grey joined in, but the trio never got organized off the front. Chris C would again come across the gap with the Sernyak bringing the rest of the field over.
      After the Chicane, Hunter P attacked up the hill to Marion, taking along Alan B and Chris C. Those 3 held onto a slight gap into the Industrial park but it was soon after all sewed up with Little T and Rusty leading the 10-11 guys who were left. Turning onto West Johnson, Hunter P went again, taking along guess who… Alan B and Chris C once again. And once again they would slowly be brought back.
     As they were caught past the 4-way intersection with Peck Lane, Little T jumped hard and most thought that was that for the mid-point sprint. Chris C and Steve grey stayed on the gas up front though. Little T would have to come off the throttle after turning onto Reinhart and Steve Grey was flying across the gap by then. That led to Hunter P jumping hard at the start of the sprint hill and no one went with him. Alan B took off in pursuit with New Guy Glenn several seconds later but Hunter P had it locked up from afar.
     Alan B and Hunter P kept on the gas on the backside and succeeded in hitting Peck lane with a real gap over the rest of the field. Those 2 stayed off the front of the chasing pack all the way till past the old rail road tracks. From there it was standard stuff getting back onto Route 10 and then up the hill.
    For the run into the Stop n Shop sprint, green lights made it quick. Steve Grey, Tall Dennis, and Chris C were at the front, driving the pace. Alan B tried to snooker the group with a 300 meter attack. Hunter P then bolted off the front but still very early on for the true sprint. A few seconds later Little T took off from a few bikes back and charged up fast. It was a close one between Little and Hunter P but T got it going away.
      The ride back into Hamden was as you would expect, fraught with traffic. The smaller group got thru a little easier than expected. For the finale, it was a blacked-out battle between The Sernyak and Little T. To close to call so someone can fill in the blanks.
      A good ride to close out the season of the Sleeping Giant Rides. It was generally another solid year for the ride. Sure it had its ups and downs and weird moments but overall, the riders that make up the core community should be proud. Quite a few new faces were seen throughout the year. Although they may not have had chance to make the ride a regular occurrence, having the fresh blood always made for more interesting rides. Be sure to leave a vote on the new poll.
    Don’t forget to support CheshireCross on October 29th. Here is the link. It will be a good time. Long lost Sleepy Giant rider Todd H will be up to his usual shenanigans, leading the “Hill People” in massive revolt against good taste and spectator manners.

Tuesday the 27th



Slowly thinning the herd for the season…

A group of 20 or so took off today in the ride. Just a couple more weeks of SG riding left for the year. :(
    The pace out of the parking lot was respectable. Once the ride got onto the back roads, the speed was consistence but nothing too crazy. Alan B, Chris C, Hunter P, Jason Williams and a couple of others were early antagonists. Alan B took off on Mount Sanford and would hold a gap just about to Mountain Rd. Steve Grey chased down the majority of the gap and nearly broke off a chase in the process. Once onto Mountain Rd, Hunter P attacked with The Sernyak in tow. Those 2 held a gap for a little while as Chris C fought up to bridge. That was enough to bring the rest of the field up.
     Alan B  got hit with a flat midway down on Mountain Rd. The rest of the stretch toward the light was standard stuff. Chris C, the Sernyak, Pescatore and Hunter P led all on the early parts of Moss Farms with basically those same riders tearing thru the Chicane. Little T and Gibertoni also got involved up front as the ride went into the industrial park. AS the ride turned uphill onto West Johnson, Chris C took off, taking Gibertoni, and the Sernyak with him. Those 3 held the gap as riders shuffled around behind. Steve Grey was among the first to try to close it down as everyone hit Reinhard. With the leaders now done for, the first to sprint was New Guy Chad then Mike McG and Hunter P. Little T came past all hallway up the hill and was able to hold off Hunter P to the sprint point.
     On the backside, everyone came back together, although the ride has lost a solid 5-8 guys by this point. On the run up Peck, Chris C was back at it. This time it was Rusty and Hunter P who closed the gap down. That led to Hunter P and the Sernyak off the front charging onto Schoolhouse. They were joined late by the ever present Steve Grey but traffic onto route and then at the light gave all a chance to reconnect.
     From there it was pretty standard stuff leading up to the Stop and Sprint. A group of 5 or 6 was up front clearing the way through the lights. Once again New Guy Chad was among the first to jump, and Little T again took it over Hunter P. Through the traffic lights in the center of Cheshire, Dillon P made it through a red and took off on his own. The pack would be slowed by 3 or 4 other lights before clearing Cheshire. The ride back in the dark was super sketchy and fast. Soon enough Dillon P’s blinking light was in view and with a long 750 meters to go it seemed like he would be caught by the field at full gas. He stayed out in front and took the final prize on the night by 40 meters or so.

Great ride everyone! Next week we really roll the dice with a 5:30PM start.

Tuesday the 20th

6PM start time tonight folks...

A 5:30 start time is the least desirable solution for waning light.... Remember that!

Tuesday the 13th

No signs of slowing up!

The ride went off as per usual with a decent crowd out tonight. It was decided that it would be the medio loop, turning down "the goat street" off Mount Vernon.

The ride itself got started quickly when Gibertoni and Hunter P took off. The response was quick and deliberate. There were more attacks coming up to Mountain Rd and when Hunter P bridged a gap to 4 riders on the initial risers there, it was full red alarm in the pack. Riders were shed as the pack remained in tact for the most part. Alan B and Hacker took off on Moss Farms and those 2 held a real-deal gap all the way to the light on route 322. Tip o the helmets to those 2 as the chase was reported to be "in earnest". Had they gotten the green light, it would have been most likely lights out.

From there, the next attacks were from The Sernyak and Hunter P on Prospect street. Then from Little T, who is apparently hard-programmed to sprint balls out on Tuesday night when the direction goes from North to west/south. The corner getting back onto West Street made everyone stop and scratch their head as to why they took that road but it adds a precious few seconds to the ride before everyone has to get back to their miserable lives.

More attacks from Hunter P on Atwater, and then a good sized group led by Chris C attacked as the ride was coming back up to Route 10. No dice for anyone though. Then, on the hill there by Cheshire Park (site of Cheshire CX 2016!!! Be there!) Alan B and Hunter P took off. The field responded though. A red light coming up after that slowed all but Alan jumped hard on the green light, taking along Chris C. Alan was digging deep and soon after dropped Chris C like third period french. Alan rolls away with the lone sprint prize of the night as he was well away and in no danger of being caught.

He kept on the gas all the way back into Hamden and got a few time bonuses thanks to red lights for the peleton. Alan stayed on it all the way to the bitter end nearly took the final prize, but was caught with 250 meters to go. Little T charged away with the Sit n Sprint....

Great ride everyone!

Tuesday the 6th

Recap never coming.
Instead of reading this recap.... Go register for Cheshire CX!

Tuesday the 30th

The Upside Down

Great ride tonight as the aggressitivity was up a notch or 2...
The Crowells and Alan B led a group of about 5 or 6 off the front early on. The Full Nalini, Hacker and Hunter bridged and made it a formidable group up the road that would have rolled on for the night but th elight on Route 68/70 was red.
   After some regrouping on Moss Farms, the strong guys were back at it, keeping the pace generally high. Hunter P rolled off alone heading past the industrial park but the next light was red. All together. Then on Mount Vernon, Henk and Chris C led a group of 4 or 5 up the road and behind the chase got going real good. A couple of surges and half-attacks later, Chris C, Hunter P, Nuemotion and Markowitz rolled off the front with no one able to chase. Reports are that Markowicz put in a monster pull at the front to create the separation. The group got to work keeping it there and all in all, were dialed in with the pacing. The break hit the corner for Welch with a SOLID 20 second gap which was more than enough to roll thru the sprint (Hunter P took it) and on the back side.
    Behind the break, an elite group of guys bridged up as they didn't want to be left out of the action. Gibertoni, Hacker, Alan B and Henk. That new group of 8 or 9 would have rolled off the front for the night expect that more red lights near I84 gave the pack a chance to catch up.
    From there the ride calmed down and was more predictable. Markowicz again led a group in rebellion as the ride turned onto Atwater St, with Hacker, Alan B, Chris C and Hunter P adding to the efforts but the chase was on in the pack and it was all together again by the light at Route 322.
    The Stop n Sprint was a super close race between a new rider (Name???) and a late charging Little T. T got it just in the last meters. The ride back into Hamden was usual stuff. Henk and Aidan C charged off the front as everyone rolled thru Cheshire, caught a light and were off to make a run for the border. Good on em for trying. 2500meters later the pack, led by Mike McG, was tracking em down, leading to a pretty solid group in position for the final sit n sprint. Dillon P played the patience game and rolled off the front with speed at the right moment to take it just ahead of he Full Nalini.

Great ride everyone!

Tuesday the 23rd



Big day for the ride. Big crowd. Big efforts. Big Wimps.
     The ride was fast from the gun, which was good. It spread everyone out and cut down the front group to 30 or so, down from the nearly 60 that started. The winner of the midpoint sprint was looking to come from a group of 4 attackers, Special Ed, The Crowells and Steve Grey. Behind the field caught up a bit and then Hunter P rolled off the front with no one but Sean Cahill in tow. Sean charged and thru the front to get past Steve Grey.
    The ride was as you would expect heading back into Hamden. A couple of attacks here and there but nothing of consequence. The Stop n Sprint was all Little T*. He was back at it for the Sit n Sprint but he had company in the form of The Full Nalini, Gibertoni, Jimmy C, and 2 or 3 cars that got in the way. They pretty much negated the sprint.

*shortcut the ride due to a flat.