The ride got underway with a hearty group of around 50 riders tonight. There continues to be a weekly new face or two.
Turning onto Brooksvale saw Dillon P riding off the front as the rest of the field slowly got things going. Dillon never got farther than 40 yards and by the time the turn to Mount Sanford was made, he was caught by a field led by Eric M and other Keltic riders. Plowing down South Brooksvale was quicker than normal as Target Training came up and drilled it. He had help from Tall John, Larry Lounge and a rider in an Alpe Du Heuz jersey. Just as the ride was nearing Mountain rd, Empire Matt came breezing thru on his TT rig. So that of course means that the yard sticks were gonna be out for this ride. He punched it right away on Mountain, with Eric M and a Stage one rider in tow (Todd H?). The pace was high but everyone stayed together. Going down the road past Higgans a small gap started to open under the pressure from Matt, Tall John, John Gregory, and Trek TT rider (?!). Hunter P jumped up late which brought pressure from the front of the chase and that closed things up for the rest of the way down Mountain.
Onto Moss Farms where Target Training again went straight at it. He created a good gap for himself pretty quickly. The chase wasnt being done by any one person but going into the Chicane we had Eric M and Greg from Keltic. Morgan may have been up there too. And there was a couple of Stage One riders up there as well. Chris C and Brian Girard (?!). Good to see Brian back in the ride if that was him. Coming up to the base of the quick climb to Marion, Target Training was caught, and that let the pace ease a bit right away. Turning onto Marion was a lot slower than normal. Once thru Tall John, complete with the spirit of Fiordafruitta in his skinsuit, started TTing away from everyone else. There wasnt a ton of pressure to catch him as everyone was preparing for the industrial park hill section.
Turning onto West Johnson, Empire Matt was back up there going hard, Mike McG was moving up as well. Girard jumped early on the hill up to Reinhard and following him was a bunch of riders, Chris C, Hunter P, Little T, Target Training and a couple of others. Target Training rode thru Girard and was the first to jump up the sprint hill. Chris C and Hunter were giving a slow chase. Then, in probably-calculated fashion, Mike McG came by at full speed with Little T in tow. That kinda leadout was more than enough to send Little T easily past Target Training to pick up the points. Coming down the backside saw everyone get back together.
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Back to the action on Peck Ln where Chris Butler from Cheshire Cycle Racing was moving up with Gregg F and Hunter P. The 3 punched it hard but no one was really having it. Target Training closed a gap and everything was fast and attack free till Route 10.
The usual suspects were keeping it respectable into the headwind on 10. Chris B was still up there trying to get free. Morgan from Keltic and Stage 1 riders too. Coming up to the Stop & Shop Sprint, Little T was again slotted in under Mike's care. There was some more jockeying for position as other guys would be shooting for this one. Tall John took off early in an unselfish move & when it was said and done Little T had a line of bikes about 30 yards long to follow and took prize number 2 on the night.
Nothing unusual about the run into Hamden. There was a small split at the front briefly as Guido and others were turning the knob to high. Credit Gregg F for shutting a small but tough gap as the ride came into Hamden. For the final K, Mike McG was again at the front going hard, this time with Hunter P ready to go. Hunter jumped hard off Mike's wheel, but a little too early as a few select riders were picking up speed for the last 400 meters. Target Training and Little T most notably. In the end, we are giving Little T credit for getting there first.
Well done on the hat trick for Mr Alessio. Its been a while, if ever, one guy getting all the bragging rights on the night. Though admittingly, he had help.
Going up Shepard Ave. Chris B was untouched in the final assault on his heart rate and got to the top easily over Gregg F.
Tuesday the 15th
First off, a big 'ol thanks to Craig from Bonk Breaker for dropping by the parking lot and giving out full Bonk bar samples. Not just little ones! The whole thing! Go out and buy some Bonk Breaker bars kids!
So after our little tea party was over the ride commenced with around 45-55 guys. The Keltic boys, along with Dillon P and a couple of others were eager and they rolled off a little gap right away. By the turn onto Brooksvale a gap had opened up. A few had joined the Keltic charge and there was a split. But with some traffic while turning onto Mount Sanford, the peleton, led by Dartmouth Mason and Stage 1, brought it back.
The ride resumed normal pace. an effort by a new Target Training rider (?!) on South Brooksvale got things going quicker than normal. Then heavy traffic while turning onto Mountain Rd meant everyone had to (gasp!) stop... and start from a standstill... Target Training right away jumped back into attack mode and made everyone chase up the opening hill. Going down the rest of Mountain was pretty much standard stuff. Hunter P attacked while going by Cornwall Ave, that set off a reaction that almost led to another split in the field at the light as the front 15 got the green. But everyone else was close enought to scamper thru the intersection.
Once on Moss Farms, Target Training again went off the front. He wasnt given too much room as Stage 1 was pretty much controlling the ride at this piont. As the ride came down to the chicane, there was four Stage 1 riders at the front. Even still, for the second week in a row, Pete (on a Scott) was the first thru in the Chicane. He let off though, just as Hunter P was jumping hard and early on the hill torward Marion. He went thru the corner alone, but He was soon caught by the field, led by Chris C, Crazy Chris, Jesse and Greg from Keltic and others.
That brought us into the industrial park where Tall John opened it up and put in a good effort. Eric M, Rondo, Joe K, Thompson from Keltic, Guido, all were up there driving the bus. Onto West Johnson where the Keltic \ Stage 1 battle for Best Team raged on. The ride paused for a bit at the Peck Ln intersection for traffic ( again ). But that didnt stop Mike McG from getting to the front and drilling it up to Reinhard. The ride was very much together here and it was a tense free for all heading to the sprint point. Big guns Little T, Target Training, Peter Petrillo, and Chris B were all making their way to the front. Mike McG jumped first in regular fashion but attached at his hip was Jesse from Keltic. Jesse was able to use the final meters to come around and he gets credit for the sprint ahead of Mike and Target Training.
Once onto Peck, Chris B used the chance to drill it. The pace was high as Hunter P and Thompson kept it moving along. Onto Route 10 where Stage 1 and Keltic set it off again. The field was screaming up the hill past Cheshire Park. Chris B jumped off a red light at Maple Ave fair and square and headed to the Stop & Shop sprint alone. Little T was making his way up, with Dillon P in tow, along with Mike McG, Greg from Keltic and others. The light was red though which pretty much voided the sprint. Hard to say if Chris woulda held off the charge from Little T. Our money is on the teacher.
Flying into Hamden....Peter P, Rondo, Eric M, Thompson, Tall John, Mike McG and a couple of others all had a hand in ramping in up. Mike McG and Little T faded back toward the end to get a good look at the last kilo, and sure enough they lit the rockets as the front of the ride slowed about 750 meters from the Shepard ave. Little T stuck with it to the very end. But there were others right there as well.
And ho-hum, a side point, Chris B and Hunter P continued to the top of Shepard. Mason and an unknown rider from Iowa U (!?) as well came up for the icing on the cake.
Great ride!
So after our little tea party was over the ride commenced with around 45-55 guys. The Keltic boys, along with Dillon P and a couple of others were eager and they rolled off a little gap right away. By the turn onto Brooksvale a gap had opened up. A few had joined the Keltic charge and there was a split. But with some traffic while turning onto Mount Sanford, the peleton, led by Dartmouth Mason and Stage 1, brought it back.
The ride resumed normal pace. an effort by a new Target Training rider (?!) on South Brooksvale got things going quicker than normal. Then heavy traffic while turning onto Mountain Rd meant everyone had to (gasp!) stop... and start from a standstill... Target Training right away jumped back into attack mode and made everyone chase up the opening hill. Going down the rest of Mountain was pretty much standard stuff. Hunter P attacked while going by Cornwall Ave, that set off a reaction that almost led to another split in the field at the light as the front 15 got the green. But everyone else was close enought to scamper thru the intersection.
Once on Moss Farms, Target Training again went off the front. He wasnt given too much room as Stage 1 was pretty much controlling the ride at this piont. As the ride came down to the chicane, there was four Stage 1 riders at the front. Even still, for the second week in a row, Pete (on a Scott) was the first thru in the Chicane. He let off though, just as Hunter P was jumping hard and early on the hill torward Marion. He went thru the corner alone, but He was soon caught by the field, led by Chris C, Crazy Chris, Jesse and Greg from Keltic and others.
That brought us into the industrial park where Tall John opened it up and put in a good effort. Eric M, Rondo, Joe K, Thompson from Keltic, Guido, all were up there driving the bus. Onto West Johnson where the Keltic \ Stage 1 battle for Best Team raged on. The ride paused for a bit at the Peck Ln intersection for traffic ( again ). But that didnt stop Mike McG from getting to the front and drilling it up to Reinhard. The ride was very much together here and it was a tense free for all heading to the sprint point. Big guns Little T, Target Training, Peter Petrillo, and Chris B were all making their way to the front. Mike McG jumped first in regular fashion but attached at his hip was Jesse from Keltic. Jesse was able to use the final meters to come around and he gets credit for the sprint ahead of Mike and Target Training.
Once onto Peck, Chris B used the chance to drill it. The pace was high as Hunter P and Thompson kept it moving along. Onto Route 10 where Stage 1 and Keltic set it off again. The field was screaming up the hill past Cheshire Park. Chris B jumped off a red light at Maple Ave fair and square and headed to the Stop & Shop sprint alone. Little T was making his way up, with Dillon P in tow, along with Mike McG, Greg from Keltic and others. The light was red though which pretty much voided the sprint. Hard to say if Chris woulda held off the charge from Little T. Our money is on the teacher.
Flying into Hamden....Peter P, Rondo, Eric M, Thompson, Tall John, Mike McG and a couple of others all had a hand in ramping in up. Mike McG and Little T faded back toward the end to get a good look at the last kilo, and sure enough they lit the rockets as the front of the ride slowed about 750 meters from the Shepard ave. Little T stuck with it to the very end. But there were others right there as well.
And ho-hum, a side point, Chris B and Hunter P continued to the top of Shepard. Mason and an unknown rider from Iowa U (!?) as well came up for the icing on the cake.
Great ride!
Tuesday the 8th
Where did all the breakaways go
The attendance was low for this weeks WTC. Maybe around 35. With the heat and humididty being up there, no one was too eager to get off to a flying start.
Guido got things started on Brooksvale and we were off and running. He quickly got a good gap of 12 seconds, as it was just tempo at the front. As we turned onto Mount Sanford a trio of riders, Dave from CCR, a rider with a White bike (bianchi) and Saturn jersey and a Yale rider set off to bridge. They never quite made it up to Guido but by the initial parts of Mountain Rd, all was back together again. Joe K from CCR took a flyer going thru the intersection of Higgans on Mountain Rd. He had a small gap as the wind was changing its mind a lot. Hunter P jumped hard going up the slight incline a little further down Mountain Rd. He made it up to Joe K and the 2 got to work. The peleton was getting going too, with Empire Matt near the front along with bianchi Saturn. Joe & Hunter nearly made it to the end of Mountain, but Matt killed the move with help from Rondo.
Onto Moss Farms where our own Joe K wasnt even close to done yet. He took off again right away, this time with Pete-on-a-Scott. The two worked up a good gap quicksmart as the field was only slightly chasing. But it was nt slow by any means. Eric M and Jesse from Keltic were up there. Yale rider and Stage 1 ( Crazy Chris and??? ). Turning onto the chicane Joe and Pete had still had a gap going into the hill before Marion. A problem with cars turning\stopped right before the hill meant that the rest of us had to pause and re-start going into the hill. This no doubt assisted Joe, who had ridden away from Pete and was making ground on his own. Who knows if he would have been caught without the car problems... Probably though...
Tall John, Chris C, Peter Petrillo, and Guido were all up there for the ride into the industrial park. Joe showed no sign of slowing tho and still held his gap into the park and up West Johnson Ave a bit. A big tip-o-the-hat to Joe. Its been a LONG time since we have seen a solo effort like that on the throwdown. While on W. Johnson, going thru the intersection for Peck Ln, a small group started to ride off the front. Mike McG, Saturn Jersey, Chris Butler from CCR, and Tall John had a bit of a gap turning onto Reinhard. Hunter P jumped late to get up to them and Saturn jersey held up, which made it four charging to the sprint point. Tall John lead em up the hill for a 100 meters, then Mike jumped hard. Chris was a tad late in responding and Hunter too. Mike easily held off Hunter till the corner. Behind them Eric M was leading the rest of the ride up the hill. It all came back together for a bit on the backside. Though Chris B wasnt finished and took off on Peck Ln. He took Mike with him and one other (Peter Petrillo?). But it was all together once on rt 10.
The headwinds were rough going back home, and it was slow leading up to the stop n shop sprint. Little T jumped from 7 bikes back and dragged with him Empire Matt and Jesse from keltic(?). Little T held it though and gets the sprint.
From there it was the usual catch a couple of lights, go fast ride back into Hamden. For the finale, Little T jumped from way out, nearly a kilo. He drove it hard to the end but Mike McG slowly reeled him in and passed him with a hundred meters to spare. Up the hill it was a slow, painful-to-watch end for Hunter P and Chris B. Neither gets style points but Hunter attacked last and got to the mail box first.
The attendance was low for this weeks WTC. Maybe around 35. With the heat and humididty being up there, no one was too eager to get off to a flying start.
Guido got things started on Brooksvale and we were off and running. He quickly got a good gap of 12 seconds, as it was just tempo at the front. As we turned onto Mount Sanford a trio of riders, Dave from CCR, a rider with a White bike (bianchi) and Saturn jersey and a Yale rider set off to bridge. They never quite made it up to Guido but by the initial parts of Mountain Rd, all was back together again. Joe K from CCR took a flyer going thru the intersection of Higgans on Mountain Rd. He had a small gap as the wind was changing its mind a lot. Hunter P jumped hard going up the slight incline a little further down Mountain Rd. He made it up to Joe K and the 2 got to work. The peleton was getting going too, with Empire Matt near the front along with bianchi Saturn. Joe & Hunter nearly made it to the end of Mountain, but Matt killed the move with help from Rondo.
Onto Moss Farms where our own Joe K wasnt even close to done yet. He took off again right away, this time with Pete-on-a-Scott. The two worked up a good gap quicksmart as the field was only slightly chasing. But it was nt slow by any means. Eric M and Jesse from Keltic were up there. Yale rider and Stage 1 ( Crazy Chris and??? ). Turning onto the chicane Joe and Pete had still had a gap going into the hill before Marion. A problem with cars turning\stopped right before the hill meant that the rest of us had to pause and re-start going into the hill. This no doubt assisted Joe, who had ridden away from Pete and was making ground on his own. Who knows if he would have been caught without the car problems... Probably though...
Tall John, Chris C, Peter Petrillo, and Guido were all up there for the ride into the industrial park. Joe showed no sign of slowing tho and still held his gap into the park and up West Johnson Ave a bit. A big tip-o-the-hat to Joe. Its been a LONG time since we have seen a solo effort like that on the throwdown. While on W. Johnson, going thru the intersection for Peck Ln, a small group started to ride off the front. Mike McG, Saturn Jersey, Chris Butler from CCR, and Tall John had a bit of a gap turning onto Reinhard. Hunter P jumped late to get up to them and Saturn jersey held up, which made it four charging to the sprint point. Tall John lead em up the hill for a 100 meters, then Mike jumped hard. Chris was a tad late in responding and Hunter too. Mike easily held off Hunter till the corner. Behind them Eric M was leading the rest of the ride up the hill. It all came back together for a bit on the backside. Though Chris B wasnt finished and took off on Peck Ln. He took Mike with him and one other (Peter Petrillo?). But it was all together once on rt 10.
The headwinds were rough going back home, and it was slow leading up to the stop n shop sprint. Little T jumped from 7 bikes back and dragged with him Empire Matt and Jesse from keltic(?). Little T held it though and gets the sprint.
From there it was the usual catch a couple of lights, go fast ride back into Hamden. For the finale, Little T jumped from way out, nearly a kilo. He drove it hard to the end but Mike McG slowly reeled him in and passed him with a hundred meters to spare. Up the hill it was a slow, painful-to-watch end for Hunter P and Chris B. Neither gets style points but Hunter attacked last and got to the mail box first.
Tuesday the 1st
"We won't get rained on"..."The rain will miss us"
The sun was shining nicely as the ride got underway with a relatively slow pace turning off rt 10. The pace picked up near Brooksvale, as it usually does. Then on Mt Sanford Guido (on a straight up TT bike, 650 wheels, the whole nine!) put in a hard pull and all the guys on regular bikes did OK keeping up. VQ Rob, Eric M and Tall John were all working hard. Todd H as well. Then on Mountain rd the rain came! And oh boy did it ever pour! It came so hard the helicopter we use to write this review was grounded and we lost all track of who was up or down. Only a few guys were willing to work in the torrential downpour. Eric M, Julio, Hunter P, Joe K, Jesse from Keltic, a couple of others... The light at Rt68 gave everyone a chance to rub their eyes clean and spit out the road dirt. Everyone was in a bit of shock as the bad conditions came so quickly. The Powertap crew all nervously hoped that the penetrating power of water is overrated.
For some unresolved reason, a group of 20 or so riders decided to run the red light with cars barreling down on them?! Maybe they were playing by "rain rules" or something, but at that point they were no long on the "TWC"....
The Peleton resumed the ride at the GREEN light and there was talk of scrambling to any conceivable overhang to escape the rain and lightning. The delay no doubt let the rest of the ride get a bit of a gap. Dillon and tri-Doug pulled up Moss farms rd barly able to see anything! What the guys could see by Jarvis was Angry Ron, Mike McG and Joe K power away from the group with roster tails of water spraying all those who had couldn't keep up! Up the road, Eric M, Hunter P, and Jesse and the rest of the front group were slow in getting it going. High winds came and fianlly Eric M decided there was some good training to be had still. He took off and had a bit of a gap as Todd H, Chris C and others chased.
Back in the "real" group, Mike McG, Ron, Joe K, Tall John and Chris B had all jumped the gap.
The rest of the guys, trying to give chase, kept the pace high up the hills of north Cheshire.
Coming into the industrial park, Chris C came up screaming about there being guys left behind. He pulled his main man, Todd H off the attack. Chris was looking to re-group. Just then Tall John came barreling thru, pulling the rest of the chase group. The reformed front group went back to riding as usual, as the rain seemed to be letting up. Chris C (with shorts foaming at the "mouth"), Mike McG, and Hunter P all left for the sprint point, but Little T trumped em all by getting the better of Mike right before the corner.
Back in the second group, Thompson from Keltic pulled hard up Peck. The front group was in sight pulling on to rt10 but then the red lights came. The peleton was held up by at least 4 or 5 red lights and that let the front group quickly disappear. Coming out of the lights on rt10 near Hamden the pace quickened again so as to not loose to much time to the break. What Keltic guys were left and Guido on his new fancy pants bike kept the machine switched to "drill" back to the finish.
Up ahead, everyone had taken there turn on the front, Mike McG went hard for the finale with Eric M and Hunter P.
Back in the respectable, law abiding group, Guido got the Gentlemen's field win behind the break...
Crazy weather, crazy ride...
The sun was shining nicely as the ride got underway with a relatively slow pace turning off rt 10. The pace picked up near Brooksvale, as it usually does. Then on Mt Sanford Guido (on a straight up TT bike, 650 wheels, the whole nine!) put in a hard pull and all the guys on regular bikes did OK keeping up. VQ Rob, Eric M and Tall John were all working hard. Todd H as well. Then on Mountain rd the rain came! And oh boy did it ever pour! It came so hard the helicopter we use to write this review was grounded and we lost all track of who was up or down. Only a few guys were willing to work in the torrential downpour. Eric M, Julio, Hunter P, Joe K, Jesse from Keltic, a couple of others... The light at Rt68 gave everyone a chance to rub their eyes clean and spit out the road dirt. Everyone was in a bit of shock as the bad conditions came so quickly. The Powertap crew all nervously hoped that the penetrating power of water is overrated.
For some unresolved reason, a group of 20 or so riders decided to run the red light with cars barreling down on them?! Maybe they were playing by "rain rules" or something, but at that point they were no long on the "TWC"....
The Peleton resumed the ride at the GREEN light and there was talk of scrambling to any conceivable overhang to escape the rain and lightning. The delay no doubt let the rest of the ride get a bit of a gap. Dillon and tri-Doug pulled up Moss farms rd barly able to see anything! What the guys could see by Jarvis was Angry Ron, Mike McG and Joe K power away from the group with roster tails of water spraying all those who had couldn't keep up! Up the road, Eric M, Hunter P, and Jesse and the rest of the front group were slow in getting it going. High winds came and fianlly Eric M decided there was some good training to be had still. He took off and had a bit of a gap as Todd H, Chris C and others chased.
Back in the "real" group, Mike McG, Ron, Joe K, Tall John and Chris B had all jumped the gap.
The rest of the guys, trying to give chase, kept the pace high up the hills of north Cheshire.
Coming into the industrial park, Chris C came up screaming about there being guys left behind. He pulled his main man, Todd H off the attack. Chris was looking to re-group. Just then Tall John came barreling thru, pulling the rest of the chase group. The reformed front group went back to riding as usual, as the rain seemed to be letting up. Chris C (with shorts foaming at the "mouth"), Mike McG, and Hunter P all left for the sprint point, but Little T trumped em all by getting the better of Mike right before the corner.
Back in the second group, Thompson from Keltic pulled hard up Peck. The front group was in sight pulling on to rt10 but then the red lights came. The peleton was held up by at least 4 or 5 red lights and that let the front group quickly disappear. Coming out of the lights on rt10 near Hamden the pace quickened again so as to not loose to much time to the break. What Keltic guys were left and Guido on his new fancy pants bike kept the machine switched to "drill" back to the finish.
Up ahead, everyone had taken there turn on the front, Mike McG went hard for the finale with Eric M and Hunter P.
Back in the respectable, law abiding group, Guido got the Gentlemen's field win behind the break...
Crazy weather, crazy ride...
Tuesday the 24th
The Sleeping Giant Ride....Where NRC pros & lowly CatV's ride in (relative) peace.
We had a thinned out crowd of around 40 on this, nearly the longest day of the year. The mood was calm. Maybe everyone is getting ready for New England's own, new "Superweek" of racing that starts with Cox on Saturday.
Turning off RT10, we had a couple of new faces driving it early. Vision Quest Training rider (Rob Ehrman?)and a new rider in blue\yellow kit atop a cyclecross bike with road tires (cx rider). They kept it lively for a couple of minutes till Guido came thru and gunned it. That led to a small group off the front, but that didnt last long as Chris Jones, Chris C and Keltic baddies, Eric M and Greg C brought everyone back. Turning onto Brooksvale, Jones rode off the front. That brought a tizzy to the whole New Haven crew and soon there was a solid lead group. The 2 new guys, Chris C, Jones, a couple of Keltic riders, a Bespeckled Litespeed(?) rider, Hacker and a couple of others for good measure.
Guido tried to jump across as the ride went by Bethany MT Rd. Hunter P was next to jump across and covered the gap going up the hill on Mountain rd. But Rondo, Tall John, and a couple of others had dug in and dragged everyone up. Good to see Peter Petrillo up there (you guys remember him right?). It was all together for the rest of Mountain rd. Jones continued to tempo-wedgie everyone, VQ Rob as well, keeping it real. Cant go without mentioning Stage 1 and Keltic as well, still battling it out for TWC dominance.
Turning onto Moss Farms saw VQ Rob and Hunter P have a go at it. They stayed off the front for an allowable amount of time and by the turn onto Jarvis, it was all back together. Jones, Hacker, and a young dude with a Fuji kit(?) were drilling it uphill toward the corner of Marion. Hunter P snuck on with Tall John and others. This kept things fast into the industrial park as a trio of Stage 1 guys were up front.
Nothing really exciting until the turn onto West Johnson. The presence of Jones keeping everyone alert and ready to go. Hacker jumped on the reinhard hill with Peter P. Pete, who has been hiding in the safety and ease of the East Hartford training Crit, admitted in the press conference tonight that every week he logs on and reads with much delight, what he has been missing here in Hamden\Cheshire. Anyway, its good to have him back. He and Hacker were going for the sprint point no doubt, but Mike McG, who only needs half the hill to catch em, spoiled the fun with a late jump and got to the corner first.
Coming back on Rt 10, Rondo, Keltic, and Jones were all active up front. Hacker was able to get his revenge at the Stop & Shop sprint. A split happened thru the lights of Cheshire's center and about 20 guys got caught back.
At the front, it was VQ Rob, CX rider, Rondo and Stage 1 \Keltic. Jones slid back with a couple of k to go so as to not get mixed up in the amateur carnage. everybody seemed to wind it up a little too soon tho and at the very end it was all Sommerville. Mike McG starting things off with a late jump and Rondo chased him down even later. Peter P tried to get in the action and those 3 round out our podium. On the hill, VQ Rob was pretty much soft pedaling up, Hunter P got up first and a couple of Keltic guys (Morgan and Thompson) came up moments after.
If you count the TWC as a "race", starting with Saturday there's 8 races in the next 9 days. Should be an interesting week.
We had a thinned out crowd of around 40 on this, nearly the longest day of the year. The mood was calm. Maybe everyone is getting ready for New England's own, new "Superweek" of racing that starts with Cox on Saturday.
Turning off RT10, we had a couple of new faces driving it early. Vision Quest Training rider (Rob Ehrman?)and a new rider in blue\yellow kit atop a cyclecross bike with road tires (cx rider). They kept it lively for a couple of minutes till Guido came thru and gunned it. That led to a small group off the front, but that didnt last long as Chris Jones, Chris C and Keltic baddies, Eric M and Greg C brought everyone back. Turning onto Brooksvale, Jones rode off the front. That brought a tizzy to the whole New Haven crew and soon there was a solid lead group. The 2 new guys, Chris C, Jones, a couple of Keltic riders, a Bespeckled Litespeed(?) rider, Hacker and a couple of others for good measure.
Guido tried to jump across as the ride went by Bethany MT Rd. Hunter P was next to jump across and covered the gap going up the hill on Mountain rd. But Rondo, Tall John, and a couple of others had dug in and dragged everyone up. Good to see Peter Petrillo up there (you guys remember him right?). It was all together for the rest of Mountain rd. Jones continued to tempo-wedgie everyone, VQ Rob as well, keeping it real. Cant go without mentioning Stage 1 and Keltic as well, still battling it out for TWC dominance.
Turning onto Moss Farms saw VQ Rob and Hunter P have a go at it. They stayed off the front for an allowable amount of time and by the turn onto Jarvis, it was all back together. Jones, Hacker, and a young dude with a Fuji kit(?) were drilling it uphill toward the corner of Marion. Hunter P snuck on with Tall John and others. This kept things fast into the industrial park as a trio of Stage 1 guys were up front.
Nothing really exciting until the turn onto West Johnson. The presence of Jones keeping everyone alert and ready to go. Hacker jumped on the reinhard hill with Peter P. Pete, who has been hiding in the safety and ease of the East Hartford training Crit, admitted in the press conference tonight that every week he logs on and reads with much delight, what he has been missing here in Hamden\Cheshire. Anyway, its good to have him back. He and Hacker were going for the sprint point no doubt, but Mike McG, who only needs half the hill to catch em, spoiled the fun with a late jump and got to the corner first.
Coming back on Rt 10, Rondo, Keltic, and Jones were all active up front. Hacker was able to get his revenge at the Stop & Shop sprint. A split happened thru the lights of Cheshire's center and about 20 guys got caught back.
At the front, it was VQ Rob, CX rider, Rondo and Stage 1 \Keltic. Jones slid back with a couple of k to go so as to not get mixed up in the amateur carnage. everybody seemed to wind it up a little too soon tho and at the very end it was all Sommerville. Mike McG starting things off with a late jump and Rondo chased him down even later. Peter P tried to get in the action and those 3 round out our podium. On the hill, VQ Rob was pretty much soft pedaling up, Hunter P got up first and a couple of Keltic guys (Morgan and Thompson) came up moments after.
If you count the TWC as a "race", starting with Saturday there's 8 races in the next 9 days. Should be an interesting week.
Tuesday the 17th
Ride starts with a fashion show, ends with dignified leg-tearing-off...
Great ride tonight as some new pieces of clothing were put on display. Congrats to Eric M on his new winners jersey and his upset in the 30+field in Harlem. And everyone s favorite team, Sommerville Sports, were riding with the new "post-Memorial day, summer-white version" of the ol big globe jersey. Both look great on their respective owners.
On to the ride were we had a few new faces. Could it be that news of the TWC is spreading?
Turning off route 10, everybody was feeling a little chatty. And so no one was in a hurry to get on with the antics. Hunter P started things off on Mount Sanford rd. He was quickly joined by Mason from Dartmouth and the ride was on. The two worked up a small gap but by the time Mountain Rd was in sight, they had been caught. The field being led by Chris C, Morgan from Keltic(?), Hacker and others. Hacker continued the drilling up the first riser on Mountain. He had help at the front from Eric M and the Vision Quest rider.
The pace was high all the way on Mtn rd tonight. Going by Higgans, Matt from Empire, who it is now known, works as a wind tunnel test dummy during the day, came plowing thru on his new TT ride. This caused all sorts of crap to happen as guys were already stretched thin, and Matt was turning a "healthy" gear over. He rode off the front with an attentive Jesse from Keltic, and a Stage 1 rider (todd?Julio?). The trio pulled away and in its wake, nearly split the field in two. Guys like Chris C, Crazy Chris, Tall John, Hunter P, Mason?, New rider on a raw carbon Bianchi, and a CCB rider were all scrambling to chase. By the end of MTN rd. The trio waited at the light, the chase group, up to about ten guys, and the rest of the ride, all came together, but not before some were cursing the fact that Matt chose to ride the TT bike tonight.
Onto Moss Farms where Matt continued to roll. Guys were attentive to it tho & it meant the pace was high. Rolling into the Chicane, Todd H & hunter P lead things up the hill to Marion. Little T, Hacker, and Eric M busted out some phat beats and laid it down nice the rest of the way thru the corner. A little delay behind a slow car (stupid internal combustion engines) slowed things a tad and this let Tall John roll away. He kept his gap into the industrial park. Guido had a go at closing the gap by himself, but stayed in no man's land as the strong men behind were trying to decide how to play the rest of the ride out.
Lots of faces up at the front going thru the industrial park, Rondo, Eric M, Matt.... All going hard. Both CCB riders ( Bieliakowski and Buben ) made their way to the front by the end and that put everyone's ears back and tails low. They drilled it up the first sections of West Johnson, the pace was quite fast, faster than normal thru this section. They eased up going thru the insection of Peck ln and that gave Mike McG a chance to jump off the front, same as last week. After a pause, Hunter P gave chase, dragging Jesse from Keltic and Julio?. Maybe not him, but by the corner for Reinhard, Mike had two guys with him and a small but meaningful gap. Going up Reinhard, things got a little crazy, guys jumping across, guys sliding backwards. Credit Mike with the sprint (?!), but it was all together going back towards Peck Ln, albeit very fast and together.
Moving onto Peck, CCR strong men, Joe K and Chris B came up and led the charge to the Rt 10. Again, the speed was very respectable, and no one was motivated to attack. Onto Rt 10 where Chris B kept it redlined and was rolling away from the field by the top of the climb past Cheshire Park. But this week, guys were there to cover and make up the gap. A stop at the intersection of Rt10 and Maple let everyone catch their breath. Matt and Chris B rolled off the light fast and they had an acceptable head start toward the Stop & Shop hill. Little T jumped late in pursuit, but brought along with him, Hacker, Chris C, and a couple of others. The light was red though so we really cant declare a winner. Chris B and Matt would have gotten there first though.
The peleton caught every light red thru the first half of Cheshire. Things picked up on the south side and we were rolling along at a good clip as the Keltic and Sommerville boys kept it gentlemanly. A crazy run into the finish saw a DQ 'd CCB rider (no standing in the last kilo boys), and guys skillfully fighting for a bit of position. Everybody seemed to sit up a bit at the very end which gave Guido a chance to blitzkrieg to the end by himself. Good job!
On the hill, an early attack from a rider in red(?!) made Hunter chase with Little T sitting in third, Chris B fourth. With 300 meters to go, Little T was easily able to pop around all of them for the win. Chris getting 2nd.
Great ride tonight as some new pieces of clothing were put on display. Congrats to Eric M on his new winners jersey and his upset in the 30+field in Harlem. And everyone s favorite team, Sommerville Sports, were riding with the new "post-Memorial day, summer-white version" of the ol big globe jersey. Both look great on their respective owners.
On to the ride were we had a few new faces. Could it be that news of the TWC is spreading?
Turning off route 10, everybody was feeling a little chatty. And so no one was in a hurry to get on with the antics. Hunter P started things off on Mount Sanford rd. He was quickly joined by Mason from Dartmouth and the ride was on. The two worked up a small gap but by the time Mountain Rd was in sight, they had been caught. The field being led by Chris C, Morgan from Keltic(?), Hacker and others. Hacker continued the drilling up the first riser on Mountain. He had help at the front from Eric M and the Vision Quest rider.
The pace was high all the way on Mtn rd tonight. Going by Higgans, Matt from Empire, who it is now known, works as a wind tunnel test dummy during the day, came plowing thru on his new TT ride. This caused all sorts of crap to happen as guys were already stretched thin, and Matt was turning a "healthy" gear over. He rode off the front with an attentive Jesse from Keltic, and a Stage 1 rider (todd?Julio?). The trio pulled away and in its wake, nearly split the field in two. Guys like Chris C, Crazy Chris, Tall John, Hunter P, Mason?, New rider on a raw carbon Bianchi, and a CCB rider were all scrambling to chase. By the end of MTN rd. The trio waited at the light, the chase group, up to about ten guys, and the rest of the ride, all came together, but not before some were cursing the fact that Matt chose to ride the TT bike tonight.
Onto Moss Farms where Matt continued to roll. Guys were attentive to it tho & it meant the pace was high. Rolling into the Chicane, Todd H & hunter P lead things up the hill to Marion. Little T, Hacker, and Eric M busted out some phat beats and laid it down nice the rest of the way thru the corner. A little delay behind a slow car (stupid internal combustion engines) slowed things a tad and this let Tall John roll away. He kept his gap into the industrial park. Guido had a go at closing the gap by himself, but stayed in no man's land as the strong men behind were trying to decide how to play the rest of the ride out.
Lots of faces up at the front going thru the industrial park, Rondo, Eric M, Matt.... All going hard. Both CCB riders ( Bieliakowski and Buben ) made their way to the front by the end and that put everyone's ears back and tails low. They drilled it up the first sections of West Johnson, the pace was quite fast, faster than normal thru this section. They eased up going thru the insection of Peck ln and that gave Mike McG a chance to jump off the front, same as last week. After a pause, Hunter P gave chase, dragging Jesse from Keltic and Julio?. Maybe not him, but by the corner for Reinhard, Mike had two guys with him and a small but meaningful gap. Going up Reinhard, things got a little crazy, guys jumping across, guys sliding backwards. Credit Mike with the sprint (?!), but it was all together going back towards Peck Ln, albeit very fast and together.
Moving onto Peck, CCR strong men, Joe K and Chris B came up and led the charge to the Rt 10. Again, the speed was very respectable, and no one was motivated to attack. Onto Rt 10 where Chris B kept it redlined and was rolling away from the field by the top of the climb past Cheshire Park. But this week, guys were there to cover and make up the gap. A stop at the intersection of Rt10 and Maple let everyone catch their breath. Matt and Chris B rolled off the light fast and they had an acceptable head start toward the Stop & Shop hill. Little T jumped late in pursuit, but brought along with him, Hacker, Chris C, and a couple of others. The light was red though so we really cant declare a winner. Chris B and Matt would have gotten there first though.
The peleton caught every light red thru the first half of Cheshire. Things picked up on the south side and we were rolling along at a good clip as the Keltic and Sommerville boys kept it gentlemanly. A crazy run into the finish saw a DQ 'd CCB rider (no standing in the last kilo boys), and guys skillfully fighting for a bit of position. Everybody seemed to sit up a bit at the very end which gave Guido a chance to blitzkrieg to the end by himself. Good job!
On the hill, an early attack from a rider in red(?!) made Hunter chase with Little T sitting in third, Chris B fourth. With 300 meters to go, Little T was easily able to pop around all of them for the win. Chris getting 2nd.
Tuesday the 10th
Too Hot to Ride. Let's play Shuffleboard Instead
Today was a scorcher. High humidity and air temps in the low to mid 90's meant it was a tough day. The type of day where you better keep your max heart rate 5 beats less than normal, or else you're probably going to explode. The type of day where you have to find the right balance between drinking too much and too little. Its in heat like this where you dont get hot, you end up getting chills from the onset of heatstroke. Some guys like it, and for some its like riding with their brakes on.
We had a decent field, 50-60 guys. There was little activity off the front in the opening miles. Keltic was up front keeping a respectable pace. Some delays in a corner let Greg, Eric from Keltic and Hunter P and a fourth(?!) escape . They had a small gap going down the start of Brooksvale. But things picked up in the field and they were caught by the corner of Mountain road again, just like last week. From there, the field was led by Chris C, Hacker, a new Vision Quest Training rider, and a couple of others. The pace was good, but nothing crazy.
There was little pause at the light on West Main st, and going thru it, Hacker immediatly pedaled off the front. Probably thinking the peleton was too lazy today to chase. He was almost right. A couple of keltic riders came up to ride chase, a couple of Stage 1 guys ( good to see Brian Girard back ).Things strung out a bit as riders decided who would be sitting in and who would contribute, but coming up to the turn for Jarvis it was pretty much together. A group of 4 Stage one riders ( Chris C, Todd H, Tall John & Brian? ) managed to get off the front with some slippery conrnering and were drilling it team style up the hill to Marion. Behind them there was a touch of hesitation. Then strongman Joe K simply decided to catch them himself. He tore up the hill with Hacker and Hunter P in direct tow. The rest of the field was scrambling, but catching, behind them. Joe needed no help and thru the corner any guys off the front were caught. This led to what probably was the evening's most serious break. The group ( Joe K, Hunter P, Chris C, Crazy Chris? 2 more ? ) had a small gap that they kept into the indutrial park. But halfway thru Knotter they were caught by a strung out field led by Mike McG and Vision Quest.
Turning onto West Johnson, the pace was back to not-so-crazy, even perhaps lazy. Coming up to and thru Peck ln, Mike McG picked it up and eveyone sat back, too scared because of the little hill coming up. Mike tore it up onto Reinhard, where finally a couple took notice to match his efforts. Little T, Hacker, Greg from Keltic, and a stage one rider (Brian), all jumped and with Mike, they had a small gap that they took to the base of the sprint climb. Coming up to Schoolhouse, Greg jumped around the efforts of Little T and Hacker and took the corner first. The rest of the field was closing in and all was together going down to Peck.
Riding on Peck, up the slight uphill there, Mike McG again came up and gave the rivet a hurtful twist. Credit him for going fast on the spots were everyone else was hurting today. Chris B, Joe K and others dug deep to keep him close. At the top as the road becomes Sandbank, it was back together. This is where insanely Strong man, Chris B, took off on his own. He simply pedaled off the front as we watched. Brian Girard gave chase, and by the turn onto RT 10, Chris was 15 seconds up, Brian about 8 or 9 off the front of the field. The Peleton paused a bit for the 2 first lights on 10, but Chris was riding away anyway.
Coming up to the Stop and Shop sprint, with Chris still up the road, Little T, Eric M and Hacker went for the points. Hacker stayed on the wheel of Little T, who dragged them to the top. A red light at the intersection Rt 68 ended Chris's run at the front. He probably would have stayed away had he gotten thru that light. He is dubbed tonight's master of pain.
Coming back into Hamden was status quo, but a few guys slipped thru the last light were as the peleton stopped. Chris B snuck up the road with V.Q.T. and Julio (!?). Hacker and Little T paused to re-join. Mike McG had another chance to inflict pain as he drove it the final mile, but in the end there was too many guys all over the place. On the hill, Chris used his 10 second advantage to easily hold off Hunter P, Gregg F, and Morgan* from Keltic.
*corrected from prior post
Today was a scorcher. High humidity and air temps in the low to mid 90's meant it was a tough day. The type of day where you better keep your max heart rate 5 beats less than normal, or else you're probably going to explode. The type of day where you have to find the right balance between drinking too much and too little. Its in heat like this where you dont get hot, you end up getting chills from the onset of heatstroke. Some guys like it, and for some its like riding with their brakes on.
We had a decent field, 50-60 guys. There was little activity off the front in the opening miles. Keltic was up front keeping a respectable pace. Some delays in a corner let Greg, Eric from Keltic and Hunter P and a fourth(?!) escape . They had a small gap going down the start of Brooksvale. But things picked up in the field and they were caught by the corner of Mountain road again, just like last week. From there, the field was led by Chris C, Hacker, a new Vision Quest Training rider, and a couple of others. The pace was good, but nothing crazy.
There was little pause at the light on West Main st, and going thru it, Hacker immediatly pedaled off the front. Probably thinking the peleton was too lazy today to chase. He was almost right. A couple of keltic riders came up to ride chase, a couple of Stage 1 guys ( good to see Brian Girard back ).Things strung out a bit as riders decided who would be sitting in and who would contribute, but coming up to the turn for Jarvis it was pretty much together. A group of 4 Stage one riders ( Chris C, Todd H, Tall John & Brian? ) managed to get off the front with some slippery conrnering and were drilling it team style up the hill to Marion. Behind them there was a touch of hesitation. Then strongman Joe K simply decided to catch them himself. He tore up the hill with Hacker and Hunter P in direct tow. The rest of the field was scrambling, but catching, behind them. Joe needed no help and thru the corner any guys off the front were caught. This led to what probably was the evening's most serious break. The group ( Joe K, Hunter P, Chris C, Crazy Chris? 2 more ? ) had a small gap that they kept into the indutrial park. But halfway thru Knotter they were caught by a strung out field led by Mike McG and Vision Quest.
Turning onto West Johnson, the pace was back to not-so-crazy, even perhaps lazy. Coming up to and thru Peck ln, Mike McG picked it up and eveyone sat back, too scared because of the little hill coming up. Mike tore it up onto Reinhard, where finally a couple took notice to match his efforts. Little T, Hacker, Greg from Keltic, and a stage one rider (Brian), all jumped and with Mike, they had a small gap that they took to the base of the sprint climb. Coming up to Schoolhouse, Greg jumped around the efforts of Little T and Hacker and took the corner first. The rest of the field was closing in and all was together going down to Peck.
Riding on Peck, up the slight uphill there, Mike McG again came up and gave the rivet a hurtful twist. Credit him for going fast on the spots were everyone else was hurting today. Chris B, Joe K and others dug deep to keep him close. At the top as the road becomes Sandbank, it was back together. This is where insanely Strong man, Chris B, took off on his own. He simply pedaled off the front as we watched. Brian Girard gave chase, and by the turn onto RT 10, Chris was 15 seconds up, Brian about 8 or 9 off the front of the field. The Peleton paused a bit for the 2 first lights on 10, but Chris was riding away anyway.
Coming up to the Stop and Shop sprint, with Chris still up the road, Little T, Eric M and Hacker went for the points. Hacker stayed on the wheel of Little T, who dragged them to the top. A red light at the intersection Rt 68 ended Chris's run at the front. He probably would have stayed away had he gotten thru that light. He is dubbed tonight's master of pain.
Coming back into Hamden was status quo, but a few guys slipped thru the last light were as the peleton stopped. Chris B snuck up the road with V.Q.T. and Julio (!?). Hacker and Little T paused to re-join. Mike McG had another chance to inflict pain as he drove it the final mile, but in the end there was too many guys all over the place. On the hill, Chris used his 10 second advantage to easily hold off Hunter P, Gregg F, and Morgan* from Keltic.
*corrected from prior post
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