The Sleeping Giant Ride…. Safer than training alone!
A lean and mean crowd out tonight.. Maybe 45-50 guys and a couple of girls too.
The ride got off to slow start but that lasted about 2 blocks as Old Man Josh Gewirtz came up to the front breathing fire and brimstone. He tried to get a gap on a couple of occasions… Guido, Hunter P, Mike McG, Brian K, Eric M, and a couple of others were up there at different times to help out. Nothing doing on the breaks tho and a lot of traffic turning onto Mountain Rd slowed things way down. There was another gap going up Mountain as Old Josh, Chris MaHoney, Jay Pearlman on a Parlee, Ken just Ken, and the Non Kiwi rider in black hit it hard. Things got strung out, but it stayed together.
Yalie Adam was the only one to make it thru the light at route 68, and all reports have him not being heard of again as he didn’t wait.
*Apparetnly, Tall John and Chris C had been off the front. Attacking everyone in the only spot that could allow them to get away, on route 10, right around Wentworth's, 30 seconds into the ride. Whether or not that counts as a true breakaway is your call. General consensus is that it is not. Save those bullets for when it counts boys....
The pace down Moss Farms was respectable as Thomaas B got involved as well as TriGuy with Knee highs. Chris Mahoney was up there as well. Crap nearly happened as a nice big golden retriver nearly got away from his owner in order to run into everyone. That woulda sucked.
No one really attacked going thru the chicane and then the hill after. The pace was crisp though and a small group formed after the hill. Mike McG, Guido, Old Josh and others with a 30 yard gap. Crazy Chris and Todd H kept the speed up in the pack and brought it back within 300 meters though. Mike McG stayed up front and was drillling it past the industrial park and to route 322. Good to see Rondo arrange his busy schedule to stay on the long loop tonight. He stayed on probably cause Chris C was no where to be found.
The trip down Mount Vernon Rd was fast… Again Old Josh and Not a Kiwi were up there. Guido got involved and gaps would form briefly. On the long riser where the strong guys can turn the screws on the weaker guys, there was some activity… Though not enough to spring anyone. On the next small riser Hunter P shot off and was joined by Guido. The two weren’t given any room though and were brought back with a kilometer. As soon as those two were caught, Mike McG attacked and took a new rider, New Haven Jacinto (on a Duratec) with him. The 2 worked a small gap heading onto Welch as guys behind started realizing that Little t wasn’t around. Cha-Ching Cha-Ching as dollar symbols flashed up in everyone’s eyes and it was game on for the sprint. Meanwhile Mike had left Jacinto on the Duratank behind and was calmly beginning the long assualt of Welch Rd. Chris B then shot up the left side, as expected, and took along Hunter P with him. Those 2 quickly left the front of the group, now being led by Not a Kiwi and Ciocci along with a couple of others. Guido responded to the surge, sensing Mike McG would not have the gap needed. Guido took along Joe K and Julio L. Chris pulled away from Hunter ( or he let a gap open to make Guido chase ) just as Mike was killing the thottle. Chris was caught by Guido just as the hill kicked and although Guido gave it a good sprint after chasing for 300-400 meters, Joe K was just sitting there ready to jump around him and was able to with room to spare. Good team work from the CCR guys to get to the corner first.
It has been decided though that for the remaining long loop weeks ( 2 or 3 max? ) that the reported winner of the sprint needs to get to the very top of the hill first… The top of the hill past the corner… Call it to the light at Spring St. This should make things interesting and create a chance for a true sprint. Let’s hope Little T gets over his fever and is back in the protection of the fold next week.
The rest of the ride into Cheshire was uneventful. Old Josh and Jacinto were up there along with Mike McG and Rondo setting tempo on Atwater and Canal St. Then on Peck ln. going up toward Sandbank Josh G was back at it, trying to find guys willing to drill it. Once back onto Route 10 the speed dropped probably cause of the head wind. That didn’t stop John Gregory and Not a Kiwi from setting a good tempo going up past Cheshire Park. Heading to Stop n Shop, the speed went up again as guys were getting ready for round 2. Julio L was not to be beated this time, riding away from the rest…. Jay Parlee, Ciocci, Thomaas B, Ken just Ken, Peter K etc…
Heading into the finale, Todd H hit the front with too far to go. Hutner P followed with still too long way to go. That led to a gap opening that Julio L and Guido closed in hurry once the end was in logical sight. Guido was able to come around Julio at the end….
This report may undergo a couple of changes as reports start filling in Wednesday morning.
Good ride….
Tuesday the 11th
Its been decided… The ride is better in the winter when no one can talk to each other.
Another good size crowd out for the TWC tonight in the thick August air. The ride got going with Chris C and Dave "Horny" Hartmann blasting tempo off the front, pretty much right from the start. Following was Mike McG, Hunter P, Eric “electric shift” Merrill and Maison C from CCR. Maison has just been chosen to model the CCR 2 thousand &10 kit. So watch for that. The pace was up and down coming up to Mountain rd. There were no real attacks on Mountain as a super long pace line developed 15 riders long. Hitting it twice was Hacker, Ciocci and Eric M and Mike McG. Hell, even Rondo was up there pullin. Little T jumped off the front right before the light and sure enough he got thru the light. Yalie Adam was chasing but didn’t make it. Everyone waited patiently, confident that Little T wasn’t gonna drill it alone off the front for too long.
On Moss Farms, there was a brief gap that developed with Thomaas B, Todd H, Matt Sack from CCR. Also there was the strong new guy with the jersey from New Zealand (?) on a badge less carbon frame. They never got more than 20 yards and heading thru the chicane it was all together. Little T was waiting up the road and went thru the corner first. Behind, hacker and Guido were twisting the throttle and leading everyone through. It all stayed together down Marion with a few guys up there doing work… Mike McG, Silent Steve, Steve Grey and Joe K among them. Maybe a few guys rolled off into the short loop. Sadly, Rondo was one of them….. L Before the peleton got up to route 322 Brian Girard from Stage 1 rolled off the front without protest and made it up to the light by himself.
Into Southington the pace was ok. Midway thru Mount Vernon Rd Guido, Joe K, and a Stage 1er ( Dave H?) moved off the front. The gap was 30 solid yards as the Stage 1 rider was shed, leaving just the 2. That lasted up the tough false flat\uphill section. As they were caught, Hacker attacked and Joe K, not yet finished, got his leather on and stayed on Hacker’s wheel for another go off the front. That group ended up being Joe K, Hacker, Chris C and one other (?). Behind Mike McG jumped hard with Hunter P just as the hill was leveling out and with the added horses the group of 6 rolled off the front. That set off alarms in the front and the peloton went into panic mode. The break was caught in a couple of minutes with help from Steve Grey, Little T and Ciocci. Hunter P and Joe actually stayed off the front for a bit more but called it in seconds later. The pace slowed down as everyone started to remember their date of birth and zip codes. Also everyone was prepping for the assault on Welch road.
Coming up to the hill, Gregg F slipped off the front and quickly got a gap as the others were ok with letting out some leash. Guido then came up and started the chase as Joe K sat on up front in a bid to let Gregg take it. Gregg nearly shocked em all, nearly missing it as Little T came storming around with a healthy amount to share. Joe K gave it the sprint a good shot and was 2nd. Hunter P, Hacker, and Guido were close behind. Mike McG and Crazy Chris jumped up and joined the group after the corner but that group didn’t get far… The West St. breakaway remains an elusive edict for even the strong riders to make.
Heading past the highway, there was some swervy riding going on or something like that and then Little T & Brian K were being unfriendly to each other. Once again, this one is too close to call folks. They are similar in size. The edge Alessio has in strength could be offset by the fact that Koski has worked for Cannondale. And we are pretty sure that once you get a paycheck from them, you have all sorts of imps, goblins and succubus’s ( succubi ? ) at your disposal. In the end, they were just being dramatic with each other but while it was being hashed out, Chris Butler had snuck of the front and was soloing away on his own like only he can. Once everyone started down toward the highway off ramp, the chase got going with Mike McG and Little T up front. Chris was eventually caught after the little riser on Canal St. It was gruppo compacto for the rest of the ride back to into Cheshire and onto Peck lane. Mike McG and Girard were the ones pushing past the cobbles and up onto Sandbank Road. That led to Yalie Adam and Mike getting a real deal gap onto route 10. But that was shut down due to a red light.
The Stop n Shop sprint was all Little T again, but this time he had a good fight come a steppin from Maison who only was a couple of bikes behind the whole way to the light. The ride back into Hamden was normal. Good to see Time Trial Pete hitting it hard on the front for a spell. Same goes for Kyle F who tried his hand at a late sneak away attack. For the last kilo, Mike McG hit it hard early with Hunter P on his six. Hunter hit the front too soon and killed the throttle, making Guido and Little T duke it out till the bitter end. Guido gets this one probably cause his legs are a couple of pounds heavier than Little T’s… It was that close.
Good ride all in all. If your name should be in here somewhere, leave a comment. Throw in some other names if you don’t want to seem the gloat…. On Tuesdays, it’s everyone's chance to get some street cred.
Another good size crowd out for the TWC tonight in the thick August air. The ride got going with Chris C and Dave "Horny" Hartmann blasting tempo off the front, pretty much right from the start. Following was Mike McG, Hunter P, Eric “electric shift” Merrill and Maison C from CCR. Maison has just been chosen to model the CCR 2 thousand &10 kit. So watch for that. The pace was up and down coming up to Mountain rd. There were no real attacks on Mountain as a super long pace line developed 15 riders long. Hitting it twice was Hacker, Ciocci and Eric M and Mike McG. Hell, even Rondo was up there pullin. Little T jumped off the front right before the light and sure enough he got thru the light. Yalie Adam was chasing but didn’t make it. Everyone waited patiently, confident that Little T wasn’t gonna drill it alone off the front for too long.
On Moss Farms, there was a brief gap that developed with Thomaas B, Todd H, Matt Sack from CCR. Also there was the strong new guy with the jersey from New Zealand (?) on a badge less carbon frame. They never got more than 20 yards and heading thru the chicane it was all together. Little T was waiting up the road and went thru the corner first. Behind, hacker and Guido were twisting the throttle and leading everyone through. It all stayed together down Marion with a few guys up there doing work… Mike McG, Silent Steve, Steve Grey and Joe K among them. Maybe a few guys rolled off into the short loop. Sadly, Rondo was one of them….. L Before the peleton got up to route 322 Brian Girard from Stage 1 rolled off the front without protest and made it up to the light by himself.
Into Southington the pace was ok. Midway thru Mount Vernon Rd Guido, Joe K, and a Stage 1er ( Dave H?) moved off the front. The gap was 30 solid yards as the Stage 1 rider was shed, leaving just the 2. That lasted up the tough false flat\uphill section. As they were caught, Hacker attacked and Joe K, not yet finished, got his leather on and stayed on Hacker’s wheel for another go off the front. That group ended up being Joe K, Hacker, Chris C and one other (?). Behind Mike McG jumped hard with Hunter P just as the hill was leveling out and with the added horses the group of 6 rolled off the front. That set off alarms in the front and the peloton went into panic mode. The break was caught in a couple of minutes with help from Steve Grey, Little T and Ciocci. Hunter P and Joe actually stayed off the front for a bit more but called it in seconds later. The pace slowed down as everyone started to remember their date of birth and zip codes. Also everyone was prepping for the assault on Welch road.
Coming up to the hill, Gregg F slipped off the front and quickly got a gap as the others were ok with letting out some leash. Guido then came up and started the chase as Joe K sat on up front in a bid to let Gregg take it. Gregg nearly shocked em all, nearly missing it as Little T came storming around with a healthy amount to share. Joe K gave it the sprint a good shot and was 2nd. Hunter P, Hacker, and Guido were close behind. Mike McG and Crazy Chris jumped up and joined the group after the corner but that group didn’t get far… The West St. breakaway remains an elusive edict for even the strong riders to make.
Heading past the highway, there was some swervy riding going on or something like that and then Little T & Brian K were being unfriendly to each other. Once again, this one is too close to call folks. They are similar in size. The edge Alessio has in strength could be offset by the fact that Koski has worked for Cannondale. And we are pretty sure that once you get a paycheck from them, you have all sorts of imps, goblins and succubus’s ( succubi ? ) at your disposal. In the end, they were just being dramatic with each other but while it was being hashed out, Chris Butler had snuck of the front and was soloing away on his own like only he can. Once everyone started down toward the highway off ramp, the chase got going with Mike McG and Little T up front. Chris was eventually caught after the little riser on Canal St. It was gruppo compacto for the rest of the ride back to into Cheshire and onto Peck lane. Mike McG and Girard were the ones pushing past the cobbles and up onto Sandbank Road. That led to Yalie Adam and Mike getting a real deal gap onto route 10. But that was shut down due to a red light.
The Stop n Shop sprint was all Little T again, but this time he had a good fight come a steppin from Maison who only was a couple of bikes behind the whole way to the light. The ride back into Hamden was normal. Good to see Time Trial Pete hitting it hard on the front for a spell. Same goes for Kyle F who tried his hand at a late sneak away attack. For the last kilo, Mike McG hit it hard early with Hunter P on his six. Hunter hit the front too soon and killed the throttle, making Guido and Little T duke it out till the bitter end. Guido gets this one probably cause his legs are a couple of pounds heavier than Little T’s… It was that close.
Good ride all in all. If your name should be in here somewhere, leave a comment. Throw in some other names if you don’t want to seem the gloat…. On Tuesdays, it’s everyone's chance to get some street cred.
Tuesday the 4th
A massive crowd out tonight. Seemed like nearly 75 riders at the start. Good to see some old faces with Gordon and Josh Gewirtz out just like the olden days. Also out was French Casey, Steve Grey, and Empire Matt. So there was plenty of get up & go out for the ride.
Once everyone rolled into the backroads, it was VQ Rob and Mike McG setting early tempo. Mike was up there just to get thru the cobbled section of Brooksvale. The 2 of them actually rolled off the front but were caught at the next intersecion as traffice slowed everyone down. After that the pace was high thanks to VQ Rob still up there setting good tempo along with Hunter P, Peter P and a new rider with a flame tatoo on his leg (?). There were a couple of other new faces involved in the mix. Gordon was up there as well. Guido came moving up to the front along with Empire Matt and Hacker coming up to Mountain.
Right before the corner for Mountain Road, Mike McG flatted, Julio stopped to assist, and in the hesitation…. “ do we stop? Do we go? Do we wait?” A group of 4 or five rolled off the front. Guido, Peter P, VQ Rob, and a couple of others. Behind, riders were strung out and isolated up the initial climb. Dillon P was leading what was now the peleton with Hacker and Hunter P right on his wheel. Hacker jumped up to make the bridge and took Hunter P along with him. That made a dangerous group of about 6 guys up the road. Behin d, the field was starting to come together and the chase was on thanks to Eric M, Little T, Joe K Josh G, and Empire Matt. Up the road Hacker, Guido, Hunter P, and Peter P were doing good work keeping the pace up. The chase was a good one though and with all thought of waiting for Mike McG erased, the break would eventually get caught a little past Cornwall Ave. From there, Hacker kept the pace high with Joe K and Empire Matt.
The pace stayed high on Moss Farms with plenty of guys doing work. Toward the end of Moss Farms, Josh G attacked and took Hutner P with him. Hacker jumped up as well as the 3 had a gap heading down toward the chicane. The field responded and moved to shut it down, Empire Matt, O‘Shea from Keltic, and Steve Grey at the front. The 3 were caught as everyone hit the base of the false flat to Marion. Hacker again stayed near the front, with Little T making his way thru in time to attack on the hill. Hunter P was right with him and Hacker jumped later and made it thru the corner with the 2. That trio formed a decent gap as well. ( plenty of good breaks today, but too much strength overall to keep the gaps ) They flew toward the industrial park, with Empire Matt, Yalie Adam, A newer guy on an older Trek, and Steve Grey doing a lot of chasing. The catch of the break was about to happen when Empire Matt shot off and thru everyone with an impressive dosage of speed. It was enough to kill the break and the will any one would have to try to catch him. Matt ended up staying off the front all the way to route 322 as the pace behind him slowed a bit for more cobbles. Again, not too many to turn off into the industrial park, though the fast pace of the night was definatly thinning the herd quite a bit. Onto Mount Vernon Road, CCR riders Chris B, Joe K and newcomer Matt Sack were leading it for the first sectors. The pace went up and down a couple of times, based on who was pinning it at the front. Hacker was absent, making sure his dropped and retrived Garmin was still registering power in the thousands, but Empire Matt and the Yalies kept the speed up along with Flaming Legs (?), Peter P and Steve Grey. As the ride turned onto Welch, CCR ers Joe K Chris B and Hunter P massed at the front for a run to the corner. Joe K and Butler then got a gap that Yalie Adam, Thomaas B, Guido and VQ Rob had close right as everyone hit the hill. Little T was up in the mix, being trailed by Hacker. Joe k had jumped for the corner hard but was passed by Guido, Little T and Hacker. Despite a furious charge by Little T, Guido gets the credits for this one, just holding it to the corner.
Hacker kept it going past the corner along with Little T and Crazy Chris but a severe headwind kept them from getting much of a gap. It was group bunched heading down West Street as Mike McG and Julio met back up with the ride. Once everyone recovered from the hill the pace went up quite a bit with Empire Matt and others tearing down the backside toward the highway. Mike McG had a brief go off the front with an antsy Josh G on Canal St but by the light at 322 it was all together again.
Heading up Peck lane, with Thomaas B and VQ Rob a little up the road, Hunter P rode off the front and no one was too concerned to try to catch him right away. He pedaled thru the uphill cobbled section of Peck alone and was caught by a now charging front end-o-the ride, led by MIke McG, Peter P and Young guy on Older Trek. The 3 had caught Hunter P with a bit of a gap behind them so that made 4 now up the road with a 6 or 7 second cushion for pushin. That gap held up to Route 10 were Hunter P and Older Trek attacked once more and got a gap heading up the hill by Cheshire Park. That was short lived though and it was all together once at the top of that climb.
Heading into the Stop n Shop sprint, thigns got spread out pretty quick as Little T, Guido, Steve Grey, Hacker and one other (?) all were going for the sprint. Little T had this one in the bag tho, taking it by a couple of lengths from Hacker. The rest of the ride into Hamden was slow cause of red lights. Everyone did a good job of taking up 65% of the total road and French Casey even gotta little motor pacing in.
Little T turned off on route 42 so that meant dollar signed poped up in everyone's head for the final test. And heading into that it was fast with a buch of guys looking for the right wheel. Guido however, needs no wheel to follow and was the last to hit the front with a solid 500 meters to the end and he railed it the whole time. Leaving Mike McG, Julio, Hacker, and others just shaking their fists in the now dusk skies.
Tuesday the 28th
The (long) ride is back with a vengeance. And so is Professor Hacker.
Plenty of guys ( and a couple of grrrls too ) out tonight to enjoy the heat and humidity. It was good to see Jacob Hacker back out on the ride as he has moved back to CT.
Right off Route 10 Action Figure Mike McG rolled off the front but everyone was ok with letting him just cruise by himself out front. Chris C jumped off the front and caught him quickly right after the cobbles section and then the 2 took off. Maison from CCR was taken out by a flat, there may have been one other with a flat.
Mike and Chris made nice and started working well together as the pace behind started ramping up under the coaxing of Eric M, Guido, VQ Rob, Greg Ciocci and a new rider on a Time with one of those fugly jerseys that you get on a charity ride. The gap to the break stayed a strong 8-10 seconds as everyone was working hard. As the ride roared up to Mountain Rd, a chase group behind the break was forming under the sheer speed. Ciocci (who was flying tonight), Eric M, Todd H, Tall John, VQ Rob, Charity Ride Time, and a couple of others had a brief gap. Turning onto Mountain it kinda came back together, just to see it start to get ripped apart again as those riders in the front drilled it up the hill. Still the break stayed out there, just outta reach. Little T and Hunter P played seamstresses and kept the Peleton, still 40-50 guys strong, close enough charging up the hill so that it came back together on the other side. The catch of the break didn’t happen for another kilo as it was none other than Hacker putting the finishing nails in the chase, after Craig L, Hunter P, Little T, and others team time trialed up the gap. There was some surges\counter attacks right after, but everyone seemed gased and it was together up to the light.
Onto Moss Farms where the pace was a little slower. Lots of guys doing work including some new faces to the ride. Guido and Peter K, with their scariest game faces on, led the ride thru the chicane as everyone winded up the engines for the attacks. They came from Little T and Craig L who shot thru the corner first with a small gap. The two worked for a bit together but folded pretty soon as Mike McG, Chris C, Joe K, Crazy Chris and others were going hard right behind them. Everyone did a good job setting up for the long\short group split, but really only a handful ( 6 or 7? ) turned on the short loop and it was game on as soon as everyone on the long loop got the warm and fuzzy feelings out of their system.
The pace down Mount Vernon road was respectable as CCR standouts Peter K and Joe K kicked going past Mount Southington. Tall John, Hacker, Luekens, Charity Ride Time and a few others pitched in some gas money and the ride rolled along all the way till Welch Road without attacks or breaks. There was some accelerations that stung, but nothing too crazy.
Onto Welch Rd. where everyone with eighth of a brain could see that Luekens, Little T, Chris Butler, and HackAttack up front wasn’t too good a thing. The pace went up as everyone else played musical chairs to see what space they would fill for the hill. Ciocci (?) was in a good spot for the sprint up the hill but sure as summer rain, Little T jumped up and shot round all for 1st into the corner. Crazy Chris, who is starting to read the uphill sprints like a Nigerian Shaman, also flew thru and was in good position to help pace everyone else into the cruel headwind on West Street. The front of the ride regrouped and rolled along back into Cheshire without incident.
Fast forward to the Stop n Shop sprint, where a red light or two slowed things down on the approach. Also Mike McG and Hacker stopped abruptly… Either to fix a flat, or it also seemed like they may have been simply done with pedals and handlebars and were gonna settle it with their fists. All bets are off on that one. Mike clearly has the strength, size and the Irish potato-mongering lineage. But Hacker probably has some voodoo health care reform\power-up potion in his jersey pocket 24\7 so he may be able to outlast Mike’s punches. In either case, we hope they got back to riding soon after that. Back to the sprint where again it was Little T, duking it out and proving up the challenge of a few stubborn sprinters. Julio L, and Leukens among them. The “wins” keep coming for T, who recently bent his chain ring nearly in half while doing hill repeats. Either that says really good for Him or really bad for the Cannondale crap he’s on. We think its equal parts of both….. Here is as good as time as any to shamelessly plug the Scott bikes, now on year end sale, available from Cheshire Cycle.
The rest of the ride back into Hamden was standard issue. The finale was the usual fake sprint setups & leadouts. In the end it was Little T coming around Julio L with a solid 600 meters to go with a right time\right place Hunter P on his wheel. The two tried to put Speed out of business and left a hard chasing Guido. In the end Hunter was able to come around Little T to cockblock the hat trick(?!).
Plenty of guys ( and a couple of grrrls too ) out tonight to enjoy the heat and humidity. It was good to see Jacob Hacker back out on the ride as he has moved back to CT.
Right off Route 10 Action Figure Mike McG rolled off the front but everyone was ok with letting him just cruise by himself out front. Chris C jumped off the front and caught him quickly right after the cobbles section and then the 2 took off. Maison from CCR was taken out by a flat, there may have been one other with a flat.
Mike and Chris made nice and started working well together as the pace behind started ramping up under the coaxing of Eric M, Guido, VQ Rob, Greg Ciocci and a new rider on a Time with one of those fugly jerseys that you get on a charity ride. The gap to the break stayed a strong 8-10 seconds as everyone was working hard. As the ride roared up to Mountain Rd, a chase group behind the break was forming under the sheer speed. Ciocci (who was flying tonight), Eric M, Todd H, Tall John, VQ Rob, Charity Ride Time, and a couple of others had a brief gap. Turning onto Mountain it kinda came back together, just to see it start to get ripped apart again as those riders in the front drilled it up the hill. Still the break stayed out there, just outta reach. Little T and Hunter P played seamstresses and kept the Peleton, still 40-50 guys strong, close enough charging up the hill so that it came back together on the other side. The catch of the break didn’t happen for another kilo as it was none other than Hacker putting the finishing nails in the chase, after Craig L, Hunter P, Little T, and others team time trialed up the gap. There was some surges\counter attacks right after, but everyone seemed gased and it was together up to the light.
Onto Moss Farms where the pace was a little slower. Lots of guys doing work including some new faces to the ride. Guido and Peter K, with their scariest game faces on, led the ride thru the chicane as everyone winded up the engines for the attacks. They came from Little T and Craig L who shot thru the corner first with a small gap. The two worked for a bit together but folded pretty soon as Mike McG, Chris C, Joe K, Crazy Chris and others were going hard right behind them. Everyone did a good job setting up for the long\short group split, but really only a handful ( 6 or 7? ) turned on the short loop and it was game on as soon as everyone on the long loop got the warm and fuzzy feelings out of their system.
The pace down Mount Vernon road was respectable as CCR standouts Peter K and Joe K kicked going past Mount Southington. Tall John, Hacker, Luekens, Charity Ride Time and a few others pitched in some gas money and the ride rolled along all the way till Welch Road without attacks or breaks. There was some accelerations that stung, but nothing too crazy.
Onto Welch Rd. where everyone with eighth of a brain could see that Luekens, Little T, Chris Butler, and HackAttack up front wasn’t too good a thing. The pace went up as everyone else played musical chairs to see what space they would fill for the hill. Ciocci (?) was in a good spot for the sprint up the hill but sure as summer rain, Little T jumped up and shot round all for 1st into the corner. Crazy Chris, who is starting to read the uphill sprints like a Nigerian Shaman, also flew thru and was in good position to help pace everyone else into the cruel headwind on West Street. The front of the ride regrouped and rolled along back into Cheshire without incident.
Fast forward to the Stop n Shop sprint, where a red light or two slowed things down on the approach. Also Mike McG and Hacker stopped abruptly… Either to fix a flat, or it also seemed like they may have been simply done with pedals and handlebars and were gonna settle it with their fists. All bets are off on that one. Mike clearly has the strength, size and the Irish potato-mongering lineage. But Hacker probably has some voodoo health care reform\power-up potion in his jersey pocket 24\7 so he may be able to outlast Mike’s punches. In either case, we hope they got back to riding soon after that. Back to the sprint where again it was Little T, duking it out and proving up the challenge of a few stubborn sprinters. Julio L, and Leukens among them. The “wins” keep coming for T, who recently bent his chain ring nearly in half while doing hill repeats. Either that says really good for Him or really bad for the Cannondale crap he’s on. We think its equal parts of both….. Here is as good as time as any to shamelessly plug the Scott bikes, now on year end sale, available from Cheshire Cycle.
The rest of the ride back into Hamden was standard issue. The finale was the usual fake sprint setups & leadouts. In the end it was Little T coming around Julio L with a solid 600 meters to go with a right time\right place Hunter P on his wheel. The two tried to put Speed out of business and left a hard chasing Guido. In the end Hunter was able to come around Little T to cockblock the hat trick(?!).
Tuesday the 21st
The ride has gone off in blizzards with better turnout....
Just a few brave souls out today. Chris Mahoney, Builder Pete, John "i dont race" Gregory, Dillon P, Hunter P, Guido, and a surprise visit from everyone's favorite coach, Aidan C with Ronny "Sprints" LaRose and Peter P in tow.
The ride was good till Ron flatted. Everyone waited and then the ride got good again with Aidan doing steady strong man tempo, Hunter P attacking, Ronny Sprints countering and Peter P chasing. Everyone turned at the industrial park in honor of Rondo. Then Ronny flatted again and then again in minutes and everyone went their separate ways, sad and solemn to think of what could have been.....
Rain sucks, but on the plus side Builder Pete's shorts were producing only a little special sauce this week.
Just a few brave souls out today. Chris Mahoney, Builder Pete, John "i dont race" Gregory, Dillon P, Hunter P, Guido, and a surprise visit from everyone's favorite coach, Aidan C with Ronny "Sprints" LaRose and Peter P in tow.
The ride was good till Ron flatted. Everyone waited and then the ride got good again with Aidan doing steady strong man tempo, Hunter P attacking, Ronny Sprints countering and Peter P chasing. Everyone turned at the industrial park in honor of Rondo. Then Ronny flatted again and then again in minutes and everyone went their separate ways, sad and solemn to think of what could have been.....
Rain sucks, but on the plus side Builder Pete's shorts were producing only a little special sauce this week.
Tuesday the 14th
We only have time for a quick report now... Our man Fabian Cancellara looks like he's gonna out sprint everyone going up the false flat finish in the tour today!
The Usual total numbers out tonight but the short ride had low attendance. 17-25 guys. The long ride was up at about 45-55 guys. Awesome.
Chris C had a solo early gap for the early streets off rt 10 as everyone was cautious about the worsening road conditions on Mount Sanford. It was all together then until the Mountain rd little grinder hill where Joe K just pedaled away from the front and stayed out to Cornwall. Impressive. A lot of the bubble boys and mike McG pulled him back.
It was fast all the way to the turn around in Southington where Little t made the right at the light 1st just edging out Joe K.
The pace back to into Cheshire was respectable. Little T made the S&S sprint 1st just passing Chris C. Little T kept going after the hill ended and made it thru a light by the town hall and started on the solo effort. The rest of the field got caught up at 3 lights in Cheshire and interviews with Little T at the end proved that he made the rt 10 break red light free, no stops. So hats off to T for the hat trick tonight.
In the group finish behind little t was a cervelo guy in a skin suit, guido, then dillon
The Usual total numbers out tonight but the short ride had low attendance. 17-25 guys. The long ride was up at about 45-55 guys. Awesome.
Chris C had a solo early gap for the early streets off rt 10 as everyone was cautious about the worsening road conditions on Mount Sanford. It was all together then until the Mountain rd little grinder hill where Joe K just pedaled away from the front and stayed out to Cornwall. Impressive. A lot of the bubble boys and mike McG pulled him back.
It was fast all the way to the turn around in Southington where Little t made the right at the light 1st just edging out Joe K.
The pace back to into Cheshire was respectable. Little T made the S&S sprint 1st just passing Chris C. Little T kept going after the hill ended and made it thru a light by the town hall and started on the solo effort. The rest of the field got caught up at 3 lights in Cheshire and interviews with Little T at the end proved that he made the rt 10 break red light free, no stops. So hats off to T for the hat trick tonight.
In the group finish behind little t was a cervelo guy in a skin suit, guido, then dillon
Tuesday the 7th
The continuing Seattle-ization of the Northeast continues with more rain tonight.
The rain was looking like it would hold out. It did not. The pouring started at 5:20 and pretty much lasted till 7 pm. Even so there was probably 30 guys out tonight.
Right off route 10, in an effort to stay warm, a couple of guys started to push the tempo up. Hunter P, Tall John, Thomaas B, Dillon P, Gregg F from CCR as well. It strung things out a bit and the chase was on. Moving thru the cobbles on Brooksvale, the guys up front drilled it, taking advantage of the fact that all the holes looked the same with water filling them. Tall John let up as the front blew thru the intersection with brakes that didn’t work. This left Dillon P, Hunter P, and Gregg F off the front heading up Mount Sanford. The 3 went to work and were given a bit of room at first. The gap went quickly up to about 10 seconds before the chase back started. The leading trio rolled long and was working well together. Behind them, the peleton was ramping up under the supervision of Mike McG, Peter P, Little T, Rondo and others. The break hit mountain rd with a shrinking gap and clung to it, making it up the initial riser before getting caught on the other side. The pace continued to be respectable as Mike McG, Rondo and Little T kept on the gas. As the field hit the second set of risers, Joe K found some breathing room and broke the leash. There was some chasing and attacking behind and when it all was settled, Joe was still off the front, but joined by team mate Chris B. They held onto a 20 yard gap as everyone rolled up to the light on Route 68 and stopped.
The Cheshire Cycle show continued once on Moss Farms, with Hunter P and Chris B setting early tempo. Maison C, Kyle F, Gregg F and Chris F-bomb Mahoney was up there. After some shuffling, posturing, and surging, a group of 6 or 7 ended up with a gap but it was not significant as the strong guys were just keeping tempo 10 bikes behind. All the same, 5 CCR guys lead the ride thru the chicane and toward the hill. Once on the hill Little T attacked hard and quickly had a gap with Peter P and Hunter P chasing. The 3 briefly joined forces after the corner but it was all coming back together within a minute or two.
There was some confusion heading into the industrial park area, with guys going straight and guys turning. All in all, despite the fact that many just assumed everyone was all aboard the short bus this week, no one was in danger of being taken out. Most of the riders did turn however, leaving only about 12-15 guys to go straight on. Mike McG, the CCR guys less Ken and Maison, Ben from New Haven, Tall John, John Gregory, Little T, Dave H, the 2 Petes, and others.
Once on Mount Vernon Rd, after a kilometer of chasing Tall John to reel him in, the pace remained solid despite the low numbers. Everyone was taking turns at the front. Halfway down Mount Vernon, on the long false flat before a gentle right bend, Hunter P attacked at the top with Chris B in tow. The calculated move worked, and the 2 took a gap right away as the rest were re-sorting themselves after the 20mph surge up hill. The other CCR guys, in classic cat 3 fashion, were also doing their best to disrupt any chasing. So with the rain finally stopping for the night, the ride went into tempo mode and the gap to the break shot up. Chris B and Hunter P were working well together and hit the Welch Road with a gap of around 40 seconds.
Moving onto West St for the leaders, Hunter P rolled thru the corner with Chris B, and tried to minimize any losses as the group behind had ramped it up as soon as it hit Welch. Mike McG along with Tall Johnny riding hard now, along with Little T and one other (John Gregory?). This caused a split as the CCR guys were able to hold it together at the front no more. The catch finally happened right before the I84 interchange. Chris B tried to surge one last time before getting caught and may have trumped everyone if he had been a second earlier to make it thru a light, but everyone had the stop at this and the next light and so the ride was all together again.
The ride back into Cheshire was normal and fast considering the small group. Mike McG and Tall John, doing much to spur it along. Coming into the Stop n Shop sector, Tall John rode it the way it should be with 750 meters to the hill, going hard and taking along a couple of guys, Dillon P gave chase to keep it together until he realized Little T was camped at his six for the ride up. That led to Little T hitting the wind with 300 meters to go with Hunter P right at his side. The 2 took off at almost the same moment, side by side. Little T got the gap quickly on Hunter and took it with room to spare.
Heading back into Hamden was routine, Little T had a brief gap coming up to McDonalds. (an attack?) He may have just been concerned about his antique lamps needing repair. Any electricians out there? Going thru the light for Cook Hill Rd, Hunter P attacked one last time, getting a gap of about 70 yards before settling in. Dave H tried to bridge but was reeled in 30 seconds later. Hunter P stayed out there for a couple of minutes, but was carpet rolled up with about 2 k to go.
For the finale, Mike McG, a little under the weather to boot, pulled off first and let Chris B and Little T go at it. A gap was allowed to open and that was all the 2 needed to pull off the front. Chris B towed for the next 500 meters and Little T had no problems coming around comfortably for the end.
The rain was looking like it would hold out. It did not. The pouring started at 5:20 and pretty much lasted till 7 pm. Even so there was probably 30 guys out tonight.
Right off route 10, in an effort to stay warm, a couple of guys started to push the tempo up. Hunter P, Tall John, Thomaas B, Dillon P, Gregg F from CCR as well. It strung things out a bit and the chase was on. Moving thru the cobbles on Brooksvale, the guys up front drilled it, taking advantage of the fact that all the holes looked the same with water filling them. Tall John let up as the front blew thru the intersection with brakes that didn’t work. This left Dillon P, Hunter P, and Gregg F off the front heading up Mount Sanford. The 3 went to work and were given a bit of room at first. The gap went quickly up to about 10 seconds before the chase back started. The leading trio rolled long and was working well together. Behind them, the peleton was ramping up under the supervision of Mike McG, Peter P, Little T, Rondo and others. The break hit mountain rd with a shrinking gap and clung to it, making it up the initial riser before getting caught on the other side. The pace continued to be respectable as Mike McG, Rondo and Little T kept on the gas. As the field hit the second set of risers, Joe K found some breathing room and broke the leash. There was some chasing and attacking behind and when it all was settled, Joe was still off the front, but joined by team mate Chris B. They held onto a 20 yard gap as everyone rolled up to the light on Route 68 and stopped.
The Cheshire Cycle show continued once on Moss Farms, with Hunter P and Chris B setting early tempo. Maison C, Kyle F, Gregg F and Chris F-bomb Mahoney was up there. After some shuffling, posturing, and surging, a group of 6 or 7 ended up with a gap but it was not significant as the strong guys were just keeping tempo 10 bikes behind. All the same, 5 CCR guys lead the ride thru the chicane and toward the hill. Once on the hill Little T attacked hard and quickly had a gap with Peter P and Hunter P chasing. The 3 briefly joined forces after the corner but it was all coming back together within a minute or two.
There was some confusion heading into the industrial park area, with guys going straight and guys turning. All in all, despite the fact that many just assumed everyone was all aboard the short bus this week, no one was in danger of being taken out. Most of the riders did turn however, leaving only about 12-15 guys to go straight on. Mike McG, the CCR guys less Ken and Maison, Ben from New Haven, Tall John, John Gregory, Little T, Dave H, the 2 Petes, and others.
Once on Mount Vernon Rd, after a kilometer of chasing Tall John to reel him in, the pace remained solid despite the low numbers. Everyone was taking turns at the front. Halfway down Mount Vernon, on the long false flat before a gentle right bend, Hunter P attacked at the top with Chris B in tow. The calculated move worked, and the 2 took a gap right away as the rest were re-sorting themselves after the 20mph surge up hill. The other CCR guys, in classic cat 3 fashion, were also doing their best to disrupt any chasing. So with the rain finally stopping for the night, the ride went into tempo mode and the gap to the break shot up. Chris B and Hunter P were working well together and hit the Welch Road with a gap of around 40 seconds.
Moving onto West St for the leaders, Hunter P rolled thru the corner with Chris B, and tried to minimize any losses as the group behind had ramped it up as soon as it hit Welch. Mike McG along with Tall Johnny riding hard now, along with Little T and one other (John Gregory?). This caused a split as the CCR guys were able to hold it together at the front no more. The catch finally happened right before the I84 interchange. Chris B tried to surge one last time before getting caught and may have trumped everyone if he had been a second earlier to make it thru a light, but everyone had the stop at this and the next light and so the ride was all together again.
The ride back into Cheshire was normal and fast considering the small group. Mike McG and Tall John, doing much to spur it along. Coming into the Stop n Shop sector, Tall John rode it the way it should be with 750 meters to the hill, going hard and taking along a couple of guys, Dillon P gave chase to keep it together until he realized Little T was camped at his six for the ride up. That led to Little T hitting the wind with 300 meters to go with Hunter P right at his side. The 2 took off at almost the same moment, side by side. Little T got the gap quickly on Hunter and took it with room to spare.
Heading back into Hamden was routine, Little T had a brief gap coming up to McDonalds. (an attack?) He may have just been concerned about his antique lamps needing repair. Any electricians out there? Going thru the light for Cook Hill Rd, Hunter P attacked one last time, getting a gap of about 70 yards before settling in. Dave H tried to bridge but was reeled in 30 seconds later. Hunter P stayed out there for a couple of minutes, but was carpet rolled up with about 2 k to go.
For the finale, Mike McG, a little under the weather to boot, pulled off first and let Chris B and Little T go at it. A gap was allowed to open and that was all the 2 needed to pull off the front. Chris B towed for the next 500 meters and Little T had no problems coming around comfortably for the end.
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