The Living Legend; Luigi Delbuono stops by for a beer and a spin
Not much time for a post today guys. Busy week around here....
It was a great ride, really fast. Hunter P clocked in one of his highest average wattage totals for the throwdown. And he wasn't even up front that much.
And it was great to see Luigi and John Elengo on the same mile of road! Rumors abound of a return of Gruppo Sportivo Europeo to the NRC curcuit!
The ride started decently quick. Chris C took off pretty early past route 10 and was joined by Guido. They had a gap coming up to South Brooksvale Rd. They slowed up a bit and let Hunter P, and Eric M, who were chasing, catch on.
The 4 worked well together, and got a decent gap right away. But then things went ballistic in the Peleton with Chris Jones and Mike McG moving up. the gap fell apart in a cocaine blink and by the first riser on Mountain rd, the 4 were done. The front of the peleton didnt stop for nothing and nearly tore a gap into the field. Mike McG, Jones, Rondo, Hacker, Matt (?!) from Stage one, Todd H... All of em drilling it past Higgans Rd. Chris C was good enough to jump across and his efforts, plus, Little T's kept things together. There was a little too much star power in the front group to work it smoothly anyway.
Onto Moss Farms Chris B from CCR drilled it, and with Matt from Empire, Hacker, and other Stage 1 guys keeping it going the pace was fast.
Onto the Chicane where Jones sailed to the front and kept it quick. Past that Tall John was lighting it up and riding strong and it was super fast going into the industrial park area. Some reports have as many as 10-15 guys getting flicked off the back from Moss farms to Rienhard.
So speed was high the entire time and the only effort that led to guys off the front was Mike McG and Hacker going up the hill before the turn onto Rienhard. Little T jumped on the Rienhard hill to bridge the gap. He took Hunter P and Eric M with him. Mike got to the corner first, and everyone was pretty much together going down Schoolhouse.
Turning back onto RT 10, Hacker and Chris C had a gap that they drilled going past Cheshire Park. The tail wind helped em out a bit. But by Norton School, all was together again. There was some jocking for the Stop n Shop sprint. Little T jumped from 7 or 8 bikes back and the only ones that went with him were Hunter P and Hacker. Little T got that one pretty easy.
It was really fast going thru town and into Hamden. No one tried anything tricksy, and coming into the finale, some guys got caught out in the front too early, Tall John, Hunter P and Eric M.
One of the Keltic riders ( greg ? ) was seen out of the saddle with less than a kilo to go and as a result, the entire team must be relegated from any finishes. The strong trio of Hacker, Mike McG, and Little T found themselves in the right place and we are giving Little T the win for this one.
Sorry for the brevity, great ride!
Tuesday the 29th
A slower ride for once as the rain clouds part way for the throwdown.
The rain ended promptly at 3:45 and by 6 the roads were pretty much all dry. A thinned out crowd of perhaps 45 rolled out of the Sleeping Giant parking lot at 6:01 PM
Turning off RT10 saw little action going on up front. Tall John from Stage 1 snuck off the front with Dillon P in tow. Soon after a small group containing Guido, Todd H, Matt the new Empire Cycling rider, and a couple of others was gassing it to get up to the duo. By the end of Brooksvale the group had been established, and even tracked down an "early out of the gate" Rondo. Strong riding from Peter P, Joe K, Mason from Dartmouth and Julio from Stage 1 kept it close.
Turning onto Mountain Rd, Hacker deftly set himself up for a strong bridging effort. But once he did, the whole group seemingly sat up and was soon caught after the crest of the first riser on Mountain Rd. The pace down the rest of Mountain wasn't that exciting. many different guys had a share in driving the pace.
Onto Moss Farms where Chris Butler from CCR shook the dirt from his shoes and rode off the front. He got about 20 yards before a cast of characters woke up and started in after him. By the end of Moss, going down toward Jarvis, we had another small split in the field. Matt, Chris C, "Look" rider, Matt from Stage 1, and others were pushing the tempo. But it all came together for the "chicane".
Once again, Little T drove the pace up the hill toward Marion, but this week, even in this hotspot of asphalt, the pace was controlled and all was together with relative ease going towrads the industrial park and the hills of North Cheshire. The slowdown let Chris C ride off the front the entire length and past the corner of Knotter. But it came back together with some strong riding by Rondo, Peter P and Joe K (pushing a cross bike and 35 mm tires this week!). Guido again tried to jump off befroe the corner of West Johson, but he never got more than a few bikes up.
The pace picked up a bit on West Johnson, Peter P, Hunter P, and Matt from Empire all chipping in. Matt rode strong thru the intersection of Peck and West Johnson. This set up a strong pull by Hacker with Julio in tow. They powered off the front, turning onto Reinhard with seemingly no one around to mark it. They kept up the effort to the Schoolhouse sprint point ( Hacker ). Rondo and Stage 1(Tall John) gave chase down the hill.
Turning onto Peck, Mike McG and Chris C, among others, had a hand in keeping it going into the wind that never made up its mind. It was all over the place today. Turning back onto RT 10, everyone was together and the wind was mostly from the back. Nothing too exciting heading into the center of Cheshire. Everyone had plenty of chance to setup for the jump up to Stop n Shop. And it was Mike McG getting that one with a couple of guys kicking hard to stop him.
Blazing back into Hamden, the usual suspects were pitching in. Rondo, Mike, Matt, The Foley's, Stage 1 as a team, Mason, Peter P, and Andy G from Keltic, (filling in for the missing Eric M) were all present and active. Tall John laid it down pretty good in the final half kilo, letting Peter P power away to the finish, just holding off a yielding Rondo.
The rain ended promptly at 3:45 and by 6 the roads were pretty much all dry. A thinned out crowd of perhaps 45 rolled out of the Sleeping Giant parking lot at 6:01 PM
Turning off RT10 saw little action going on up front. Tall John from Stage 1 snuck off the front with Dillon P in tow. Soon after a small group containing Guido, Todd H, Matt the new Empire Cycling rider, and a couple of others was gassing it to get up to the duo. By the end of Brooksvale the group had been established, and even tracked down an "early out of the gate" Rondo. Strong riding from Peter P, Joe K, Mason from Dartmouth and Julio from Stage 1 kept it close.
Turning onto Mountain Rd, Hacker deftly set himself up for a strong bridging effort. But once he did, the whole group seemingly sat up and was soon caught after the crest of the first riser on Mountain Rd. The pace down the rest of Mountain wasn't that exciting. many different guys had a share in driving the pace.
Onto Moss Farms where Chris Butler from CCR shook the dirt from his shoes and rode off the front. He got about 20 yards before a cast of characters woke up and started in after him. By the end of Moss, going down toward Jarvis, we had another small split in the field. Matt, Chris C, "Look" rider, Matt from Stage 1, and others were pushing the tempo. But it all came together for the "chicane".
Once again, Little T drove the pace up the hill toward Marion, but this week, even in this hotspot of asphalt, the pace was controlled and all was together with relative ease going towrads the industrial park and the hills of North Cheshire. The slowdown let Chris C ride off the front the entire length and past the corner of Knotter. But it came back together with some strong riding by Rondo, Peter P and Joe K (pushing a cross bike and 35 mm tires this week!). Guido again tried to jump off befroe the corner of West Johson, but he never got more than a few bikes up.
The pace picked up a bit on West Johnson, Peter P, Hunter P, and Matt from Empire all chipping in. Matt rode strong thru the intersection of Peck and West Johnson. This set up a strong pull by Hacker with Julio in tow. They powered off the front, turning onto Reinhard with seemingly no one around to mark it. They kept up the effort to the Schoolhouse sprint point ( Hacker ). Rondo and Stage 1(Tall John) gave chase down the hill.
Turning onto Peck, Mike McG and Chris C, among others, had a hand in keeping it going into the wind that never made up its mind. It was all over the place today. Turning back onto RT 10, everyone was together and the wind was mostly from the back. Nothing too exciting heading into the center of Cheshire. Everyone had plenty of chance to setup for the jump up to Stop n Shop. And it was Mike McG getting that one with a couple of guys kicking hard to stop him.
Blazing back into Hamden, the usual suspects were pitching in. Rondo, Mike, Matt, The Foley's, Stage 1 as a team, Mason, Peter P, and Andy G from Keltic, (filling in for the missing Eric M) were all present and active. Tall John laid it down pretty good in the final half kilo, letting Peter P power away to the finish, just holding off a yielding Rondo.
Tuesday the 22nd
Solid ride tonight everyone! the evening of debuts...
Kyle F, Dillon P (sporting a new Scott Addict with “Srampy” - that’s Campy Shifters on a SRAM drive train! Hotness!) and Guido again on the offensive rolling off Route 10. Plenty of legs responded tho, Mason from Dartmouth, Rondo, Hunter P, Gregg F and others. The group of 5 or 6 that jumped hard at first was never far away and by the turn onto Mount Sanford the whole ride was together.
Turning onto North Brookvale saw big jumps from the Empire rider ( still don’t know his name ) and a rider from the Yale Collegiate Team (YCT). The pace again this week for the opening miles was fast fast fast. A couple of flats happened ( we hate flats !). Kyle F and Rondo both hit with em. Peter P slowed to assist.
Coming up to Mountain road, Stage 1, sporting the new yellow and black kit ( The ball bearing boys!? ), were driving the pace. Todd H and Chris C lead the field up the initial riser on MTN rd. After that it was Empire again hitting it hard along with another Yale rider (gerolstiener jersey) and the pace continued to be hot enough so that no one was attacking.
Tall rider from Keltic (?) jumped at the end of mountain road, but the light of course was red and it was all together.
Onto Moss Farms where the Yale riders, along with Chris C and Empire continued to drill it. Dr. Hacker came up briefly to give everyone a shock but then retreated to the I.C.U. A small split actually developed as over the small risers toward the end of Moss Farms. A handful of riders were off the front. Empire, Mason, Jesse from Keltic, and a few others were steam rolling away. Hunter P jumped late to bridge which started a reaction and by the “chicane”, Mike McG, Hacker and Stage 1was stretching things out nicely. All was together for the climb up to Marion rd. A rejuvenated Little T came bounding like a stag past everyone before the turn and kept it motoring along down half the length to Knotter.
Turning onto Knotter - John Gregory came thru going hard and Stage 1 ( Chris C, Julio) kept it up. Again, Empire and the Yalies, doing a great job of making the ride hard. Hopefully they will continue to be regular “throw downers”. Guido again tried to jump off the front, this time with the rider always in the white Look kit (?). But no dice, and by the turn onto West Johnson, Empire and Yale were again at the front doing their best, unfamiliar with the course.
That’s the way it was all the up to Reinhard. Julio was setting a great pace and briefly was riding away but then, on the climb up to Schoolhouse, Little T jumped pretty good. He took Mike McG and Hunter P with him. The 3 had a small gap ( credit Mike McG with the intermediate sprint point ). Going down hill, things came back together tho. Hacker and Chris C had also gassed it on the climb and were stringing things out around the corner.
The ride met up with Peter P & Rondo on Peck ln. Things were fast, nothing exciting happened tho. There was a headwind going down route 10. But that ok when Keltic and Stage 1 are up front setting tempo. Hacker, Mason, Peter P and others contributing. Coming up to Stop n Shop, Little T jumped off the front and collected his 50 sprint points.
Traffic was tough going thru town, a couple of aggressive ( defensive? ) drivers meant that there was some friction. ( lets be nice guys ). But once past all the lights and cars, things opened up. Guido tried once more to jump off the front, but he started from so far back that he was covered nicely once getting to the front.
Everyone rode pretty smoothly into Hamden, Stage 1 (Little T) seemed to be setting up Julio for the finish, but much like highway off-ramps, you always have more room to go than you think. Julio was stuck out front too early (after more unselfish riding from Peter P) and Hunter P jumped second to last. He gets the finish after narrowly holding off the last man to jump, Eric M from Keltic.
Good ride, but too much drama with the traffic and too many flats. Both of which can prolly be attributed to the high speed .
Kyle F, Dillon P (sporting a new Scott Addict with “Srampy” - that’s Campy Shifters on a SRAM drive train! Hotness!) and Guido again on the offensive rolling off Route 10. Plenty of legs responded tho, Mason from Dartmouth, Rondo, Hunter P, Gregg F and others. The group of 5 or 6 that jumped hard at first was never far away and by the turn onto Mount Sanford the whole ride was together.
Turning onto North Brookvale saw big jumps from the Empire rider ( still don’t know his name ) and a rider from the Yale Collegiate Team (YCT). The pace again this week for the opening miles was fast fast fast. A couple of flats happened ( we hate flats !). Kyle F and Rondo both hit with em. Peter P slowed to assist.
Coming up to Mountain road, Stage 1, sporting the new yellow and black kit ( The ball bearing boys!? ), were driving the pace. Todd H and Chris C lead the field up the initial riser on MTN rd. After that it was Empire again hitting it hard along with another Yale rider (gerolstiener jersey) and the pace continued to be hot enough so that no one was attacking.
Tall rider from Keltic (?) jumped at the end of mountain road, but the light of course was red and it was all together.
Onto Moss Farms where the Yale riders, along with Chris C and Empire continued to drill it. Dr. Hacker came up briefly to give everyone a shock but then retreated to the I.C.U. A small split actually developed as over the small risers toward the end of Moss Farms. A handful of riders were off the front. Empire, Mason, Jesse from Keltic, and a few others were steam rolling away. Hunter P jumped late to bridge which started a reaction and by the “chicane”, Mike McG, Hacker and Stage 1was stretching things out nicely. All was together for the climb up to Marion rd. A rejuvenated Little T came bounding like a stag past everyone before the turn and kept it motoring along down half the length to Knotter.
Turning onto Knotter - John Gregory came thru going hard and Stage 1 ( Chris C, Julio) kept it up. Again, Empire and the Yalies, doing a great job of making the ride hard. Hopefully they will continue to be regular “throw downers”. Guido again tried to jump off the front, this time with the rider always in the white Look kit (?). But no dice, and by the turn onto West Johnson, Empire and Yale were again at the front doing their best, unfamiliar with the course.
That’s the way it was all the up to Reinhard. Julio was setting a great pace and briefly was riding away but then, on the climb up to Schoolhouse, Little T jumped pretty good. He took Mike McG and Hunter P with him. The 3 had a small gap ( credit Mike McG with the intermediate sprint point ). Going down hill, things came back together tho. Hacker and Chris C had also gassed it on the climb and were stringing things out around the corner.
The ride met up with Peter P & Rondo on Peck ln. Things were fast, nothing exciting happened tho. There was a headwind going down route 10. But that ok when Keltic and Stage 1 are up front setting tempo. Hacker, Mason, Peter P and others contributing. Coming up to Stop n Shop, Little T jumped off the front and collected his 50 sprint points.
Traffic was tough going thru town, a couple of aggressive ( defensive? ) drivers meant that there was some friction. ( lets be nice guys ). But once past all the lights and cars, things opened up. Guido tried once more to jump off the front, but he started from so far back that he was covered nicely once getting to the front.
Everyone rode pretty smoothly into Hamden, Stage 1 (Little T) seemed to be setting up Julio for the finish, but much like highway off-ramps, you always have more room to go than you think. Julio was stuck out front too early (after more unselfish riding from Peter P) and Hunter P jumped second to last. He gets the finish after narrowly holding off the last man to jump, Eric M from Keltic.
Good ride, but too much drama with the traffic and too many flats. Both of which can prolly be attributed to the high speed .
Tuesday the 15th
Will unfinished business from Bethel spill into our friendly ride?
Great weather today as the ride had about 35-40 riders. Vacations from school no doubt meant that some were elsewhere.
Turning off RT 10, it seemed the ride would be civil for a while.
Yea.....right...... and 8 seconds into Brooksvale Guido "Time2TT" Wollmann sped off. He has been humiliating Plainville & Bethel Cat 5 races by simply riding off the front and staying there. Diane, if you are reading this, get this man an upgrade to Cat 3.5 STAT.
Only one rider today would jump on his wheel. Our own Team manager, Dillon P from Cheshire Cycling Racing. Dillon too has been sprinting well in the Plainville cat 4 and 3\4 races. The duo very quickly built up a 15 second lap and where out of sight by Mount Sanford. Guido was doing the lion's share of the work tho, and even with CCR boys up at the front of the peleton patrolling\controlling, the break was in sight by the turn onto Mountain Rd. Guys like Rich(silver Giant), Peter P , Tall John Interlandi (good to see him back) and Kyle Foley were keeping things moving along.
Going up the initial riser on Mountain, Tall John snuck off the front and was making his way toward the leading two. Going thru the stop sign for Higgans a tall rider on a Cervelo from Empire Cycling (name?) jumped away and Hunter P tracked him down so soon after the leading two became 5. Guido and Dillon were feeling the effects of the break and team work wasn't the best. By Cornwall ave Cervelo and Hunter P found themselves riding off the front alone. No cars in the queue for the light on West Main means that the two had stop. the P'ton was closing in anyway. Def a dangerous break if they had gotten the light.
Moving onto Moss Farms, Kyle F, fresh off embarrassing the Masters field in Bethel, again went at it alone. It took solid riding from Cervelo, Gregg F and Joe K from CCR, and Peter P to keep him close. Going down hill toward the intersection of Jarvis and Moss Farms, Hacker ( champion of Bethel, but don't tell Allessio that ) snuck thru and was drilling it toward the chicane. Hunter P, again playing the opportunist, was matching his effort to get the free ride. Peter P was up the road a bit but the 3 couldnt get their speed right and Hunter P was alone going up the hill towards Marion. Little T came sailing to the front along with the Cervelo rider but things were on the sedate side heading into the hills of North Cheshire.
Strong pulling from Rondo, Peter P, Little T, Cervelo, and Eric M almost made a split happen in the industrial park. Turning onto West Johnson saw still a strong pace on the front. Hacker, Peter P, Alessio were going hard up to the stop sign for Peck. Unfortunately, Little T hit some kind of metallic object prolly left over from the Nicaraguan occupation of Cheshire. He flatted and was out for the evening. the field slowed ever so briefly and that was all Hacker and Peter P needed. They got a quick gap. Hunter P jumped hard to get up to them by Reinhard. Also doing the same was Joe K and the Cervelo rider.
Once the 5 saw that they had a gap, team time trial mode was telepathically decided on and going up the climb towards Schoolhouse, they worked well and were riding away from the rest.
Chris B from CCR tried to jump across with Julio from Stage One going up toward Schoolhouse, but it was too late.
The leading 5 were working well with Hacker and Joe K doing solid work on the front. Going over the train track scars on Sandbank, Cervelo lost his front light and slowed to retrieve it. 5 was down to 4. It didnt matter tho, they already had a 30-40 second gap.
The front 4 snuck thru most of the lights in Cheshire, whereas the Peleton was caught at most of them. Chris B had left Julio and was doing his darnest to make up the huge gap. Moving into the final kilo, the cat and mouse games started in the quartet. Hacker waiting, Hunter following. Peter P took it upon himself to lead the 3 out for the finish and Hacker easily bounded off the front without much resistance. Joe K gave chase, with Hunter following him in and thats how it ended. Chris Butler rolled in about 25 seconds after alone.
Back in the field the whole Keltic crew was trying to salvage the ride with some hard riding into Hamden, Mike McG and Rondo as well.... But as they say, all the money was up the road.
Great weather today as the ride had about 35-40 riders. Vacations from school no doubt meant that some were elsewhere.
Turning off RT 10, it seemed the ride would be civil for a while.
Yea.....right...... and 8 seconds into Brooksvale Guido "Time2TT" Wollmann sped off. He has been humiliating Plainville & Bethel Cat 5 races by simply riding off the front and staying there. Diane, if you are reading this, get this man an upgrade to Cat 3.5 STAT.
Only one rider today would jump on his wheel. Our own Team manager, Dillon P from Cheshire Cycling Racing. Dillon too has been sprinting well in the Plainville cat 4 and 3\4 races. The duo very quickly built up a 15 second lap and where out of sight by Mount Sanford. Guido was doing the lion's share of the work tho, and even with CCR boys up at the front of the peleton patrolling\controlling, the break was in sight by the turn onto Mountain Rd. Guys like Rich(silver Giant), Peter P , Tall John Interlandi (good to see him back) and Kyle Foley were keeping things moving along.
Going up the initial riser on Mountain, Tall John snuck off the front and was making his way toward the leading two. Going thru the stop sign for Higgans a tall rider on a Cervelo from Empire Cycling (name?) jumped away and Hunter P tracked him down so soon after the leading two became 5. Guido and Dillon were feeling the effects of the break and team work wasn't the best. By Cornwall ave Cervelo and Hunter P found themselves riding off the front alone. No cars in the queue for the light on West Main means that the two had stop. the P'ton was closing in anyway. Def a dangerous break if they had gotten the light.
Moving onto Moss Farms, Kyle F, fresh off embarrassing the Masters field in Bethel, again went at it alone. It took solid riding from Cervelo, Gregg F and Joe K from CCR, and Peter P to keep him close. Going down hill toward the intersection of Jarvis and Moss Farms, Hacker ( champion of Bethel, but don't tell Allessio that ) snuck thru and was drilling it toward the chicane. Hunter P, again playing the opportunist, was matching his effort to get the free ride. Peter P was up the road a bit but the 3 couldnt get their speed right and Hunter P was alone going up the hill towards Marion. Little T came sailing to the front along with the Cervelo rider but things were on the sedate side heading into the hills of North Cheshire.
Strong pulling from Rondo, Peter P, Little T, Cervelo, and Eric M almost made a split happen in the industrial park. Turning onto West Johnson saw still a strong pace on the front. Hacker, Peter P, Alessio were going hard up to the stop sign for Peck. Unfortunately, Little T hit some kind of metallic object prolly left over from the Nicaraguan occupation of Cheshire. He flatted and was out for the evening. the field slowed ever so briefly and that was all Hacker and Peter P needed. They got a quick gap. Hunter P jumped hard to get up to them by Reinhard. Also doing the same was Joe K and the Cervelo rider.
Once the 5 saw that they had a gap, team time trial mode was telepathically decided on and going up the climb towards Schoolhouse, they worked well and were riding away from the rest.
Chris B from CCR tried to jump across with Julio from Stage One going up toward Schoolhouse, but it was too late.
The leading 5 were working well with Hacker and Joe K doing solid work on the front. Going over the train track scars on Sandbank, Cervelo lost his front light and slowed to retrieve it. 5 was down to 4. It didnt matter tho, they already had a 30-40 second gap.
The front 4 snuck thru most of the lights in Cheshire, whereas the Peleton was caught at most of them. Chris B had left Julio and was doing his darnest to make up the huge gap. Moving into the final kilo, the cat and mouse games started in the quartet. Hacker waiting, Hunter following. Peter P took it upon himself to lead the 3 out for the finish and Hacker easily bounded off the front without much resistance. Joe K gave chase, with Hunter following him in and thats how it ended. Chris Butler rolled in about 25 seconds after alone.
Back in the field the whole Keltic crew was trying to salvage the ride with some hard riding into Hamden, Mike McG and Rondo as well.... But as they say, all the money was up the road.
Tuesday the 8th
New Faces - Same Places
(the triumphant return of Todd Hamel)
A large crowd tonight for the Throwdown. Over 60 riders. Good to see some faces that have been missing these last couple of weeks. Good to see Mike McG back on the bike despite a broken collar bone. Todd H is back and inspiring fear whenever he rides by. Chris Jones, back from races in Cali, stopping in for a ride to shake off the jet lag. A full Keltic crew and a couple of extra Target Training riders. Throw em all together and we sure to have some General Hospital style drama.
It all started nice enough but as soon as the ride turned off RT 10 it got going like an open-bar wedding. Chris C, showing he can play by the rules, jumped first and fast. Eric M, probably looking to repeat the ride they had last week, jumped right on his wheel. Hunter P and two other riders went as well ( tall guy on a Cervelo, and unknown Orbea rider from last week ).
The quartet flew down the road and got a gap, but back in the field, Keltic was riding to bring them back along with the likes of Peter P, Jacob H, Little T and Todd H. A split soon happened and by Mount Sanford Rd, the peleton was in two. It was perhaps the fastest start in over a year ( or more ) for the ride
The leading four were working well together, but by Mountain road it was evident that it was all coming back together. The break was caught just as it passed the route 42 turnoff. Turning onto Mountain road, Todd H and Craig L from TargetTraining drove the field up the climb. For the next mile and a half, no one person can be singled out. The pace was super high and everyone was putting in effort.
Getting thru the light on West Main St, the group was about 20 or 25 strong, with no sight of the chasing Peleton at all. The usual suspects were all there. Good to see both Foley’s made it, as well as a down-but=not=out Mike McG,
On Moss Farms, Hacker went right to work solo style. He was quickly chased by Eric M and a Duke (?) rider. Joe K from Cheshire Cycle, along with Rondo, stayed on the arrow head of the field. Hacker was never too far off, and by the corner for Jarvis he was just a few bike lengths away. He did however get a friendly bus ride from a Van the slipped thru the intersection before the field did. The boost gave hacker what he needed to stay off the front until after the Chicane. Again, everybody was doing a good job keeping the pace high. The stronger guys seemed content to ride nice with everyone instead of starting the vicious cycle of attack\counter attack, so a breakaway was unlikely. Hacker was caught and by the turn onto Knotter, all was together. Steve Grey, fresh off a win in Plainville last weekend, tried to power off the front, but never got farther than 10 bikes.
There were no further attacks until Hunter P rode off the front going up the rise of west Johnson Ave. But this too was short lived and by Reinhard, all was together. Going up that climb, Chris C sprinted off the front, but as before, there was always a couple of guys to pick up and cover the gap. Credit Sunday’s Bethel winner; Little T with getting to the Schoolhouse corner sprint before everyone else.
Nothing to report, unless going fast is worth reporting, till the end of the slight climb up Peck Lane. This is where Little T gassed it and rode off the front, in front, of everyone. The field then passed some shortcut-ing guys who are usually right at the front the whole ride. Their missing the cut was indicative of the overall speed of tonight’s ride.
Moving onto RT 10, a traffic light let Jesse, Hunter and Todd thru while the others stopped. The trio went into TTT mode and was able to stay away till the Stop n Shop sprint. Spinergy Rev X sponsored athlete, Little T, came away with that again. Hacker and Steve G gave him chase.
The Field caught all the worst lights on the way back, and flying into the final meters, Keltic and Stage 1 were driving. Hacker waited patiently to show up at the front, and when he did, he popped off the front and was able to hold the gap for a 1\3 mile. Peter P put in a good effort to trump him in the end, but needed another football field worth of tarmac to do it.
(the triumphant return of Todd Hamel)
A large crowd tonight for the Throwdown. Over 60 riders. Good to see some faces that have been missing these last couple of weeks. Good to see Mike McG back on the bike despite a broken collar bone. Todd H is back and inspiring fear whenever he rides by. Chris Jones, back from races in Cali, stopping in for a ride to shake off the jet lag. A full Keltic crew and a couple of extra Target Training riders. Throw em all together and we sure to have some General Hospital style drama.
It all started nice enough but as soon as the ride turned off RT 10 it got going like an open-bar wedding. Chris C, showing he can play by the rules, jumped first and fast. Eric M, probably looking to repeat the ride they had last week, jumped right on his wheel. Hunter P and two other riders went as well ( tall guy on a Cervelo, and unknown Orbea rider from last week ).
The quartet flew down the road and got a gap, but back in the field, Keltic was riding to bring them back along with the likes of Peter P, Jacob H, Little T and Todd H. A split soon happened and by Mount Sanford Rd, the peleton was in two. It was perhaps the fastest start in over a year ( or more ) for the ride
The leading four were working well together, but by Mountain road it was evident that it was all coming back together. The break was caught just as it passed the route 42 turnoff. Turning onto Mountain road, Todd H and Craig L from TargetTraining drove the field up the climb. For the next mile and a half, no one person can be singled out. The pace was super high and everyone was putting in effort.
Getting thru the light on West Main St, the group was about 20 or 25 strong, with no sight of the chasing Peleton at all. The usual suspects were all there. Good to see both Foley’s made it, as well as a down-but=not=out Mike McG,
On Moss Farms, Hacker went right to work solo style. He was quickly chased by Eric M and a Duke (?) rider. Joe K from Cheshire Cycle, along with Rondo, stayed on the arrow head of the field. Hacker was never too far off, and by the corner for Jarvis he was just a few bike lengths away. He did however get a friendly bus ride from a Van the slipped thru the intersection before the field did. The boost gave hacker what he needed to stay off the front until after the Chicane. Again, everybody was doing a good job keeping the pace high. The stronger guys seemed content to ride nice with everyone instead of starting the vicious cycle of attack\counter attack, so a breakaway was unlikely. Hacker was caught and by the turn onto Knotter, all was together. Steve Grey, fresh off a win in Plainville last weekend, tried to power off the front, but never got farther than 10 bikes.
There were no further attacks until Hunter P rode off the front going up the rise of west Johnson Ave. But this too was short lived and by Reinhard, all was together. Going up that climb, Chris C sprinted off the front, but as before, there was always a couple of guys to pick up and cover the gap. Credit Sunday’s Bethel winner; Little T with getting to the Schoolhouse corner sprint before everyone else.
Nothing to report, unless going fast is worth reporting, till the end of the slight climb up Peck Lane. This is where Little T gassed it and rode off the front, in front, of everyone. The field then passed some shortcut-ing guys who are usually right at the front the whole ride. Their missing the cut was indicative of the overall speed of tonight’s ride.
Moving onto RT 10, a traffic light let Jesse, Hunter and Todd thru while the others stopped. The trio went into TTT mode and was able to stay away till the Stop n Shop sprint. Spinergy Rev X sponsored athlete, Little T, came away with that again. Hacker and Steve G gave him chase.
The Field caught all the worst lights on the way back, and flying into the final meters, Keltic and Stage 1 were driving. Hacker waited patiently to show up at the front, and when he did, he popped off the front and was able to hold the gap for a 1\3 mile. Peter P put in a good effort to trump him in the end, but needed another football field worth of tarmac to do it.
Tuesday the 1st
Weird Throwdown as the weather turns warm.
We all hope that Mike McG is resting up and will be back on the bike soon. He fell during Sunday’s Bethel race and broke his collarbone.
Tonight was another windy day but the air was humid and warm for once. Eric M and Chris C wasted no time and the sacredness of the “neutral zone” (RT 10) continues to get trampled on. The two had a small gap turning off RT 10 and continued to lay the hammer down on the rain shrunken field of about 30 riders.
The rest of the Keltic crew came up to the front and rode tempo. In a rare sight, the field was actually experiencing some stiff gaps on Brooksvale ave as Peter Petrillo laid it down hard. Turning onto Mount Sanford, the duo was kinda in sight but their gap was going up as some in the peleton started rumors of this being a slow day for the ride.
Turning on to Mountain Rd, Gregg F from Cheshire Cycle and Dillon P were up in the front, trying to move things along, Rondo and Hunter P also were keeping things moving. Team work was not in the cards tonight, and strong pulls from Peter P, Jacob Hacker, and an unknown rider from Dartmouth (name?) would go down as singular efforts without anyone to follow them up. Getting to the light on West Main, Eric M and Chris C were just getting thru and the rest of the field had to stop for a full red light cycle. The duo also had to wait a bit so we could call that one even-steven.
Turning onto Moss Farms Kyle Foley and Chris Butler from Cheshire Cycle (CCR) snuck off the front and started getting a small gap. Other CCR riders came up to the front and perhaps were blocking a bit, but soon pulled thru leading to Rondo and Hunter whipping it up again. In a show or rebelliousness from the youngster, Kyle left Chris going thru the “chicane” (see previous posts) and started out on what would be many strong, singular efforts in the face of teamwork. It took strong riding from Rondo and Peter P to get everyone thru and on the way toward the Industrial Park. Still the duo ( Chris C & Eric M ) had a solid gap of at least 15-20 seconds.
Kyle was caught by Rondo and Peter P. The chasing trio had a gap that they went to work on as they rode down Knotter Dr. Behind them, John Gregory, an unknown rider on an Orbea (?!), Hunter P and the Keltic crew was on the front. Still, teamwork was shotty but the pace was decent. Rondo and Peter P sat up upon turning onto West Johnson, or else the trio might have really torn things apart in the peleton behind them. Still the duo had a gap that was pushing 25-30 seconds now. Kyle kept it going and was caught by a jumping Hunter P, but into the cross wind things were coming back together.
Turning onto Reinhard rd, into the wind, guys were going every which direction. Hunter P jumped hard up the hill to catch a still off-the-front-by-a-little-bit Kyle Foley. Really a surprising ride from the Ceuvas\ACT rider. Great job! Jesse (?) from Keltic also jumped on the hill and another trio was born. The trio had a good gap turning onto Peck Ln but the Smooth-like-sandpaper teamwork and killer headwind made it hard to make any time up on the still-in-sight-duo up the road. The handsome 2, Chris C and Eric M, were working well together.
Going up the hill by Cheshire Park, the chasing trio was caught by a Peter P led field. No one was very eager to work into the wind on RT 10 and this gave Kyle yet another chance to stick his nose up at the peleton and pull off the front by himself. But as usual, things were together for the lights thru the center of town. The headwind took its toll, guys were getting flicked off all down route 10. In the break Chris C gets credit for the win as he out-kicked Eric to West Shepard Ave.
We all hope that Mike McG is resting up and will be back on the bike soon. He fell during Sunday’s Bethel race and broke his collarbone.
Tonight was another windy day but the air was humid and warm for once. Eric M and Chris C wasted no time and the sacredness of the “neutral zone” (RT 10) continues to get trampled on. The two had a small gap turning off RT 10 and continued to lay the hammer down on the rain shrunken field of about 30 riders.
The rest of the Keltic crew came up to the front and rode tempo. In a rare sight, the field was actually experiencing some stiff gaps on Brooksvale ave as Peter Petrillo laid it down hard. Turning onto Mount Sanford, the duo was kinda in sight but their gap was going up as some in the peleton started rumors of this being a slow day for the ride.
Turning on to Mountain Rd, Gregg F from Cheshire Cycle and Dillon P were up in the front, trying to move things along, Rondo and Hunter P also were keeping things moving. Team work was not in the cards tonight, and strong pulls from Peter P, Jacob Hacker, and an unknown rider from Dartmouth (name?) would go down as singular efforts without anyone to follow them up. Getting to the light on West Main, Eric M and Chris C were just getting thru and the rest of the field had to stop for a full red light cycle. The duo also had to wait a bit so we could call that one even-steven.
Turning onto Moss Farms Kyle Foley and Chris Butler from Cheshire Cycle (CCR) snuck off the front and started getting a small gap. Other CCR riders came up to the front and perhaps were blocking a bit, but soon pulled thru leading to Rondo and Hunter whipping it up again. In a show or rebelliousness from the youngster, Kyle left Chris going thru the “chicane” (see previous posts) and started out on what would be many strong, singular efforts in the face of teamwork. It took strong riding from Rondo and Peter P to get everyone thru and on the way toward the Industrial Park. Still the duo ( Chris C & Eric M ) had a solid gap of at least 15-20 seconds.
Kyle was caught by Rondo and Peter P. The chasing trio had a gap that they went to work on as they rode down Knotter Dr. Behind them, John Gregory, an unknown rider on an Orbea (?!), Hunter P and the Keltic crew was on the front. Still, teamwork was shotty but the pace was decent. Rondo and Peter P sat up upon turning onto West Johnson, or else the trio might have really torn things apart in the peleton behind them. Still the duo had a gap that was pushing 25-30 seconds now. Kyle kept it going and was caught by a jumping Hunter P, but into the cross wind things were coming back together.
Turning onto Reinhard rd, into the wind, guys were going every which direction. Hunter P jumped hard up the hill to catch a still off-the-front-by-a-little-bit Kyle Foley. Really a surprising ride from the Ceuvas\ACT rider. Great job! Jesse (?) from Keltic also jumped on the hill and another trio was born. The trio had a good gap turning onto Peck Ln but the Smooth-like-sandpaper teamwork and killer headwind made it hard to make any time up on the still-in-sight-duo up the road. The handsome 2, Chris C and Eric M, were working well together.
Going up the hill by Cheshire Park, the chasing trio was caught by a Peter P led field. No one was very eager to work into the wind on RT 10 and this gave Kyle yet another chance to stick his nose up at the peleton and pull off the front by himself. But as usual, things were together for the lights thru the center of town. The headwind took its toll, guys were getting flicked off all down route 10. In the break Chris C gets credit for the win as he out-kicked Eric to West Shepard Ave.
Tuesday the 25th
The elements take their toll... Roads, traffic, wind..... But the ride goes on.
Windy out today and cold. The ride left at 6:01 and some of the Stop n Shop crew was late and had trouble crossing traffic on RT 10. A small group that included at least Mike McG, John Gregory, & Crazy Chris were forced to chase most of the way. There were some strong collegiate riders out tonight, and it was good to see Craig L back on the ride sporting his new Target Training kit.
Right out of the blocks, Rondo & Pete from Zephr snuck off the front. A chase was started pretty quickly on Brooksvale by Joe K and Dillon P from Cheshire Cycle. The duo stayed in sight while Rondo and Pete were well up the road. On the crap road that we all know as Brooksvale, Eric M suffered a flat. That was too bad.
The Cheshire break stayed away all the way till Higgans Ave. on Mountain Rd. Dillon started to lose his crankarm and they were caught. Right away a surge from Steve Grey kept things moving along. The light at West Main found Rondo and Pete back into the group.
In what would happen a lot this ride, Ron took off again on Moss Farms Rd. This time he would be joined by a rider from Yale (?) but the two never got too much a gap. Going thru the Jarvis\Marion chicane, the pace was high, but not killer.
Coming up to the turn onto Knotter, Little T, fresh off a big win in Plainville last Saturday, shot by the field. unfortunately, there was oncoming traffic and he was nearly taken out in the turn. After everyone made it thru, Rondo shot off again, this time finding Steve G and Chris C willing to drive it with him.
Turning onto West Johnson, Steve was still pinning it. Although the field was pretty much together, He and Rondo still managed to get a bit of a gap. The cross wind was severe. Going up the climb before Reinhard Rd, Little t caught and then went by the duo, and guys like Craig L, Hunter P, Peter P & Chris C were close behind. When Hunter P jumped on the Reinhard climb, a break had established itself by the top.
Chris C
Joe k
Hunter P
Peter P
Unknown rider (?)
Julio
There may have been another rider or two. The group had a decent gap quickly, working against the wind, but oncoming traffic turning onto Peck Ln would stop them and the field was back together. The pace up Peck Ln into the wind was fast. Again, Rondo was turning screws and he had help from Brian K, Joe K and Chris C.
The ride back on RT 10 was predictable, lots of lights to stop for, and a fierce headwind to be battered by. Rondo, Craig, Peter P & a couple of others did the lion's share in keeping the pace near 30 mph. Nearing the end, Hunter P, in his best impression of Fabien Cancellara, jumped with a half mile to go. He was caught by Peter P very close to the end (?!) and that's how it ended.
Windy out today and cold. The ride left at 6:01 and some of the Stop n Shop crew was late and had trouble crossing traffic on RT 10. A small group that included at least Mike McG, John Gregory, & Crazy Chris were forced to chase most of the way. There were some strong collegiate riders out tonight, and it was good to see Craig L back on the ride sporting his new Target Training kit.
Right out of the blocks, Rondo & Pete from Zephr snuck off the front. A chase was started pretty quickly on Brooksvale by Joe K and Dillon P from Cheshire Cycle. The duo stayed in sight while Rondo and Pete were well up the road. On the crap road that we all know as Brooksvale, Eric M suffered a flat. That was too bad.
The Cheshire break stayed away all the way till Higgans Ave. on Mountain Rd. Dillon started to lose his crankarm and they were caught. Right away a surge from Steve Grey kept things moving along. The light at West Main found Rondo and Pete back into the group.
In what would happen a lot this ride, Ron took off again on Moss Farms Rd. This time he would be joined by a rider from Yale (?) but the two never got too much a gap. Going thru the Jarvis\Marion chicane, the pace was high, but not killer.
Coming up to the turn onto Knotter, Little T, fresh off a big win in Plainville last Saturday, shot by the field. unfortunately, there was oncoming traffic and he was nearly taken out in the turn. After everyone made it thru, Rondo shot off again, this time finding Steve G and Chris C willing to drive it with him.
Turning onto West Johnson, Steve was still pinning it. Although the field was pretty much together, He and Rondo still managed to get a bit of a gap. The cross wind was severe. Going up the climb before Reinhard Rd, Little t caught and then went by the duo, and guys like Craig L, Hunter P, Peter P & Chris C were close behind. When Hunter P jumped on the Reinhard climb, a break had established itself by the top.
Chris C
Joe k
Hunter P
Peter P
Unknown rider (?)
Julio
There may have been another rider or two. The group had a decent gap quickly, working against the wind, but oncoming traffic turning onto Peck Ln would stop them and the field was back together. The pace up Peck Ln into the wind was fast. Again, Rondo was turning screws and he had help from Brian K, Joe K and Chris C.
The ride back on RT 10 was predictable, lots of lights to stop for, and a fierce headwind to be battered by. Rondo, Craig, Peter P & a couple of others did the lion's share in keeping the pace near 30 mph. Nearing the end, Hunter P, in his best impression of Fabien Cancellara, jumped with a half mile to go. He was caught by Peter P very close to the end (?!) and that's how it ended.
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