Tuesday the 10th

Faster then last week? Is it tuesday? Yes and yes

It was another strong crowd out tonight. All the usuals... The Yalies were on vacation but we got a couple of new faces to fill in for them.
     Just like last week, no one was interested in warming up any more then was needed. VQ Rob was the  first to have a go, getting an early bird gap that would hol for a kilo. Aidan was the next to jump a few minutes later. Hunter P and Dillon P went after him and that got things going. Eric M, tore off a slight gap going into the crap road section with Chris C and company chasing. By the next corner it was all together. Aidan and Eric M stayed up front, making sure no one went to sleep behind. BenGe, Joe K, and a Stage one guy ( Todd H?, Dave?!!)  hit the front after that and rolled off a gap as the ride made its way to Mountain Rd. The improbable trio held onto the gap for a decent amount of road, getting caught on the first riser on Mountain. In the dance off, it was Mahoney's turn, and he pushed the door open a bit with help from Eric M, Aidan, Richie Sachs Chris, Koski and Steve Grey. That was brought back by the end of the risers section just in time for Eddy A to collect his Padawan; "Air" Jordan Lynn and make a trench run to the front. Eddy A was bullish for nearly a kilo, not slowing to let anyone by. After he was done, Steve Grey, Todd H, Hunter P and Chris C rolled the group up to the red light on route 68.
   Onto Moss Farms where Aidan, as training in anticipation for the CX season, sprinted things to a start right off the line. Hacker and Eric M were wise to it, and didnt let any gaps open up.... except for the ones behind them. After everyone got a chance to adjust, a few more guys came up and did the heavy lifting at the front. Weaver, Mike McG, Bob "club Fit" German, Hunter P, Little T, Air Jordan, Todd H and Jeff "the businessman" Gelt to lead everyone into the Chicane. Hacker started the approach up to Marion Ave, but it stayed pretty calm as the ride came up to and past the industrial park. Coming up to Route 322 Sasha from CCB attacked taking a couple of guys along. No one was getting fooled by that and there was a quick scramble to jump up and match the pace.
    Once the light went green, Aidan and Sasha stayed on the throttle and were responsible for sending a couple of riders out the back. That turned into a foursome off the front as everyone went thru the corner of Mount Vernon Road. Jacinto, Hacker, BenGe, and Sasha had a small, but workable gap as the headwind started to pick up. Behind, Steve Gray, Eric M, VQ Rob, and Hunter P worked to bring them back. BenGe fell off the pace, as Weaver and a couple of others worked off the front to close the gap, eventually the break up the road was broken up and there were guys all over the place. In theory, it would have been a great time to attack, but the headwind was taking its toll and it came all back together in time to hit the false flat. Mike McG gunned it hard enough to get off the front, taking along the mini Peter P ( Jordan Lynn ) and Mahoney ( to even up the score with you know who ). Eddy A sensing an opportunity to lead by example, lit the burners to close the gap, taking along Chris C and Hunter P with him. Soon after the climbing stopped,everyone came together, making it 6 off the front. A dangerous group, with a lot of guys feeling the effort back in the Peleton. It wouldnt be given much room though, and Aidan, Eric M, and Steve Grey and a couple of others brought it back soon after. Everyone took a bit of a breather as the turnaround was coming up. Turning the corner onto Welch, Hacker and Larry M attacked, getting a gap pretty quickly. BenGe, Todd H and Ferraro tried to jump across but came up short. Weaver moved up to set pace for Eric M as it became apparent that the break wasnt going to stay out there. LIttle T then jumped hard 30 meters from the corner and quickly made it across to Hacker and Larry. He left without saying goodbye or signing anyone up to come along, but it seemed a little too far to go all in. Behind, Eric M and Chris C kept up the tempo but in a few hot seconds it became apparent that no one would catch T. So a hearty high five to him for sticking this one.... Oh and yea, he won the Masters Sterling Race.
   On the backside, it all came back together, but with CCB and Hacker up there drilling it, it wasnt easy. Thus started the slow section of the ride.... NO wait, Aidan is going again. This time Tall John was with him right away and the 2 peeled off a couple of guys, Hunter P,  John Pescatore, Hacker and Bike Shop Bob. So that kept it interesting heading downhill to the corner. Once pass the 84 exit ramp, Aidan stayed up front and kept it spirited. It stayed fast all the way up to the 322 crossing with Mike McG, Bike Shop Bob, VQ Rob, CCB, Jacinto, etc going hard.
   Nothing to report until Hacker attacked hard going up Peck Ln, looking to take advantage of the tail wind. Eric M, Aidan, Sasha, Hunter P and a new Central Wheel rider were right on that, but more guys were being put thru the ringer behind. Hacker stayed just out front, bringing everyone up to the road construction at speed. Cash register bells ringing for Bike Shop Bob and Dillon P as guys bikes were taking unexpected hits. A couple of guys got flats (?). Meanwhile the CCB was drilling it up front and ended up hitting route 10 with a 30 meter gap as Todd H, Central Wheel, and Chris C chased. Sasha kept on the gas 110% going up past cheshire park as Central wheel, Hunter P and Crowle buried it to close the gap. The catch was made half a kilo past the hill just as everyone was teetering on the edge of scorched. A red light stopped everyone before the Stop n Sprint point. A small group containing Eric M and Jacinto jumped right off the red light looking to surprise everyone. Aidan gave chase and that kept it all together but the trick worked. Eric M got the best look at the sprint, and was able to stay out in front of Aidan and Hacker for the points.
   The usual full-on escape tactics ensued thru cheshire but no one was able to get away. The ride back was nice and fast. Jacinto tried some last minute stuff, taking Eric M with him up but it got rounded up and there was a big group riding the last meters together. Up the hill, Mahoney got snuffed out midway up as Larry M rode away from Hunter P with Steve Grey on his 6. Those two crested the hill together with Ferraro, the new Central wheel guy and other guy also going up the hill. Phew.... Time for a break....

Tuesday the 3rd

Rondo yelling at someone - check

Cross-eye inducing speed - check

The long loop (at only minutes more then last week) - check

Everyone's Favorite Dave spitting on someone - check

Zero entry fee - check

Robyn cursing!?!?

Another great ride tonight folks. Plenty of guys, plenty of drama, plenty of speed. And we all managed to keep it safe as well. Right from the get go the message was clear. It was gonna be one for the books. The front got crowded very quickly and a couple of guys pegged it early. There was a new guy in a TargetTraining kit who was putting on a seminar all night long. VQ Rob and Mahoney were also up there early on. It was a true drag race to get to the pave section but everyone seemed to get thru ok. Zero vehicular traffic def helped as guys were diving all over the place. From there Hunter P hit the front with Guido, Rondo, Dillon P and the Target Training guy. Strong efforts were needed to stay up front. Guido rode the front alone for kilo heading up to Mountain rd and then guys like Hunter P, Target Training, and Mahoney took over. Good to see Tall Johnny back in the fold as well. 

    Mahoney got things rolling on Mountain road, and was followed up by Mike McG and other Zane's guys. With the tail wind and everyone's eager-beaver attitude it very well could have been record time to the light at route 68 for the peleton. Tensions ran a little higher then usual when there was some slower work up front and gaps allowed open. Rondo made sure everyone was on the same page though.

    French Casey sprint started the group once onto Moss Farms after the light, but then promptly checked out for the night. Coming up to the corner and the chicane, there was a dangerous looking group forming off the front a bit ( Guido, Eric M, A Yalie, The Garbernator, Aidan, etc.)  but Chris C, Julio, and Hunter P shored up the gap before the dive thru the comer. That slowed things a little as everyone hit the hill, giving Chris C and Hunter P a chance to roll off the front briefly. It was back to full gas as the full peleton went past the industrial park and toward Southington. Only a couple of people pulled off for the short loop. Good to see solidarity. Heading over the highway, another group was muscling off the front, ( CCBer, Eric M, Mike McG, Joshy G, GGarber, Guido again, and a couple of others. ). There were a couple of guys to pull it back together, Benje, Hutner P etc. Also the light was red, so everyone got a breather.

     Aidan, Target Training and Mike McG rode hard once onto Mount Vernon, forcing everyone to pick up the slack. Joshy G started to hang out near the front and inflict pain. Hacker as well. The ride to the turnaround was more of the same, fast and deliberate. No one was accidentally finding themselves up front. The false flat section, usually a spot of field detonation was rendered moot thanks to a D bag parked in the middle of the lane. Aidan got rolling after that along with Rattatat, Eric M, and DJ Blizzack. A subsequent pull from Ratta almost broke a trio free but it stayed together. Target Training still was up there and content to go fast for everyone. Things calmed slightly before the turn to the sprint. But once onto Welch rd. it started getting interesting. There were no monster attacks or efforts as the bunch got to the corner, although Tri Doug was up there serving up some humble pie to the naysayers. He rolled thru the corner first as the strong guys lined up behind to ramp it up. Mike McG started it off immediately after the corner, pulling off a couple of riders and stretching it out into the wind. It quickly became a limited race for the sprint as gaps and distances were too much for guys to make up. Up front Mike, Joshy G, Target Training, and GrahamCrackerGarber were not getting caught. Mikey gets the notch in the belt this time, ringing the bell for first. It all came back together soon after. Giving everyone a slight chance to recover. Eric M had a dig on the descent, rolling off with a gap but gettting caught before the corner on West St.
    The ride went sedate for a while with Dillon P's demo set of Cole's the only thing breaking the silence. Once past the chopped up road on Sandbank rd., Chris C, Bike Shop Bob, Mahoney and Dillon P moved up front to set the pace and feel out the front. Dillon P then rode off alone for a bit but would come back to the group as everyone started the charge uphill by Cheshire Park. The headwind would take its toll on the run in to Stop n Shop. After the CCBer, Danny B, Peter P and Tall John got done with pulls, THX, Tri Doug and Graham jumped out front. That was short lived as Rattatat was leading the rest of the sprinters ( Jacinto, Chris C , Hunter P, Mike McG ) up and into the sprint. Little T jumped from 6 or 7 wheels back and was able to hold on to it, despite a good charge to the line from Hacker and Jacinto. 

     Once past the lights, Aidan hit the front full gas and tore of a gap that would take some chasing down. At some point Everyone's Favorite Dave took issue with the humming noise coming from one of the Yalies' ( Ian Forsyth?) cyclocross tires. Some words were exchanged, some threats to "F*ck%n pull over to get shown some more". In the end, the Yalie seemed content to laugh it off like last semester's housing bill, with Dave more determined on making a point with his saliva glands. We all got a good chuckle out of it, and once it was back to riding, it was almost time to wrap this baby up. Too many guys to list had a hand in the final kilo's. For the last push, the regulars had it timed well. Mike McG, Eric M, Jacinto, Little T off the front with Guido, Aidan, Graham and Ferraro from Central Wheel shooting across the gap. Guido rode up and thru in usual fashion.
    Up the hill, Mahoney jumped very early in response to a downright Schleckish Dillon P, but both imploded midway up, letting Hunter P get the prize for both "up the hill first" and "ugliest socks of the night". Gregg F, C-Dale Rick, Tri Doug and the Central Wheel boys also closed the ride out on the hill. 

   

Tuesday the 26th

Welcome to the Sleeping Giant Gran Fondo.
Special thanks to cheshire residents and the Police force for their patience.
Official apology; see below....

     All the fair weather riders oozed out of the wood work tonight. Nearly 70 riders eventually hooking up with the ride. Thankfully there was a southerly wind and some fast guys up front to make everyone feel good and fuzzy about themselves. The ride started off slowly as everyone was content to enjoy the nice weather. Either that or everyone was ogling the monstrosity that Dillon P was demo'ing tonight. ( Litespeed Archon C1... super stiff, uber fast, gets few points for comfort. ).

      Mike McG, MoHoney, Vivid shorts guy ( aka Danny B ), Dillon P and a NYU rider finally got things rolling along right before the crap road section. Chris C was the first one to really dig in the heels on Mount Sanford Rd but Mike McG, Eric M and NYU lifted things, keeping Crowle on a short leash. That took everyone to Mountain Rd where the gent on the older litespeed, Hunter P and Guido kicked things off. Guido rolled off the front along with Hacker for a brief moment but there was PLENTY of guys rolling thru. From there, all the way down Mountain, you pretty much had to take a number in order to trade paint up front. Plenty of guys to do work + tailwind meant any ol fred could roll along with the boys... But that's a nice change right?

      Once onto Moss Farms Bob German, Hacker, Guido and Eric M hit it hot up-front right away to keep everyone on their toes. Rattatat moved up front along with Joe K and kept it fast up to the chicane. Mike McG got it rolling up to Marion Ave. followed by Hunter P and Thomaas B but a parked truck at the corner brought everyone to a screeching halt. It took a little to regroup and get rolling again but Chris C put himself out there along with Mike and a CCB rider. Into the industrial park with guns blazing. Again, it was perfectly possible to wind along, work pretty hard and never make it to the front cause there were plenty of guys. The hills on West Johnson started to thin out the front. Yalie with the vivid shorts (name?) launched off the front in a bid to get himself a sprint upset. Mike McG, Jacinto, Bob German, Eric M, Julio L and Everyone's Favorite Dave also took the chance to move off the front but everyone, including the Yalie was brought back pretty quickly. Mike McG, looking to get in a get workout, stayed up front and kept the speed high as everyone started looking for position. Mike actually rolled off the front alone as everyone figured their best chance was to sit and wait. Die schnelle maschine, Guido, wasn't cool with that and hit the front to close the gap. That gave everyone something to follow up to McG just at the crest of the hill on Rienhard, before the sprint. Guido passed Mike alone as Eric M, Hunter P, and Ratta were queuing up behind. Ratta started if off, Hunter P was next, but Little T was waiting in the shadows and had plenty of time, plenty of room, plenty of kick to come around all, taking it over Hunter P easily.

        Larry M and Eddy A quickly rolled off the front on the descent, looking determined to pounce. But Eddy was just teasing us and ended up turned to head north. Gruppo Compacto heading up Peck Ln toward Route 10. But not before Joe K rolled off the front alone, into the headwind, throwing caution out the window. He was uncatchable for a bit as everyone on the front was either a teammate ( Ratta, Hunter P, Larry M ) or gassed from the effort. He came back just as the cut up pavement section was crossed. Eric M, Rondo and BikeShopBob peeled off due to flat tires.

        The headwind on route 10 stood everyone up. It was slooooow. No one was willing to drill it for obvious reasons. Guido moved up to the front not giving 2 craps about wind speed. He had a little help but overall it was lollygag time. A few guys rolled off the front, plus a few guys who took shortcuts were getting caught in time for the stop n shop sprint. There was a small group off the front being led by Rattatat. On his six was last weeks winner, Blue tires \ blue shorts ( Danny Blizzard ). Behind Guido was catching up and Jacinto was leading the usual suspects across the gap. Guido gets the prize for this one tho, well deservedly so.

        The rest of the ride was a circus side show........Fine motorists of Cheshire ( and the officers who police them ), many apologies..... Bicyclists get all jittery when the wind blows at our face. We will be better next time. Promise.....

         For the final kilometers Rattatat gets the Big Balls Award for stomping his way up and ahead of everyone a couple times. In the end Guido rolled off the front with Little T in hot pursuit. Up the hill, Hunter P had a head start and stayed in front of Mahoney, Tri Doug and Gregg F.

Good ride everyone. Next week the big loop, which hopefully will dilute traffic on the return home. If not, things are gonna get all.... Bacon-y

Tuesday the 19th

"F#ck*n pull thru!" - Ronnie's Back!

     Small group out tonight ( <25 guys ) to battle the rain and cold ( again! ). Something must be wrong with the rest of us when Rondo can miss 5 weeks of rides, spend a week in the hospitable and still keep up and push the pace when he comes back. Anyway it was good to see him back out and giving everyone a hard time.
     Once off the route 10, Chris C and hunter P got things going off the front. That wasn't given much room, which got the ride going for everyone. Dillon P managed to bridge up to the 2 at the end of South Brooksvale, which kept the break going for a little longer but it only would last for a 2-3 kilo's. Once the ride slowed down a bit. That gave Mahoney and Weaver a chance to get off the front but that move never made it farther then 50 meters off the front. Once everyone got onto Mountain road, the cream of the crop came up and drove the pace. Aidan, Hunter P, Mike McG, Eric M, PeteReed, the Suto clan and even Rondo was up there. On the second half or Mountain, others got involved up front and it stayed fast till the light.
     Aidan charged on the front once on Moss Farms, right away spreading things out. Eric M, new guy on an older litespeed, a couple of Yalies, Young Suto, and Hunter weren't giving up much there and kept it together. Despite the small group out tonight, no one was really willing to try to attack the bunch. Going thru the chicane and up the hill, with Chris C and PeteReed danglin off the front, Eric M started to go, taking Aidan and hunter P with him, Hunter P kept up the pace thru the corner but sat up as no one else was responding.
     Going into the indutrial park, Eric M was up front and going hard with Weaver there for back-up. Aidan, Mike McG and PeteReed were paying attention and didnt let the gaps open up. Turning onto West Johnson, Aidan was once again up there and keeping it heavily starched up front. When no one would chip to help Aidan, Chris C took off to have a go, hacking off a decent gap as the climbing section hit. No one seemed overly concerend about that, although, Weaver and a Yalie also jumped off the front looking for an upset. He would get up to Chris just as the bunch was winding up behind. The climbing started on West Johnson steady pace. Mike McG would lay down an attack right before the corner for Rienhard. He rode up and thru the 2 up front as guys started looking around for wheels to latch onto. Aidan jumped at the crest of the initial climbs on Rienhard which looked pretty convincing. He scampered up to were MIke McG was just as Eric M was moving out of traffic to start the sprint. Hunter P was latched on though and was able to come around all of them with room to spare, passing Mike about halfway up the hill.
     On the backside, Eric M rolled off the front with a couple of guys but as usual, it all came together before Peck Lane. No real surprises heading back to Route 10. The group had to roll over some chewd up road but everyone seemed ok. Once onto route 10 heading south, the tailwind picked up and got things going. Guys started jostling around for a good position and wheel to follow. A police cruiser exiting a side street 1.5 k's from the sprint would bring everyone to a halt. In the ride's younger days, no doubt we would have blown right past him, making the po-po wait for us!
   Once everyone got going there was no time to lose for the stop n shop sprint. With a couple of yalies, Eric M, Aidan and others up front, it was going to be fast. The Yalie with red tights and Weaver tore off early on getting a gap and then turning it into a sprint as Mike McG blasted off the front. There was a red light on the hill with traffic stacked up, slowing down a crowded sprint. The away team gets this one though as Red tights  narrowly stayed off Mike, Weaver , Eric M and Hunter P.
   The ride back into Hamden was quick thanks to the tailwind (and the Suto's). Weaver and PeteReed would duke out the final little bit as Mountain Man, Gregg F, Tri Doug, Mahoney, Hunter P and one other went up the hill to finish things off there.

Tuesday the 12th

This ride must be famous, new guys all over the place... in the rain no less

The assured rain that was soon to hit didnt stop about 35 guys from rolling out tonight. There was all kinds of famous-ness in the parking lot. The fastest guy from Battenkill, a winner there ( one of 35 top-steppers from that race ), a rider who may or may not have been a former national champion on the track..... and VQ Rob!

Right out of the blocks, Guido was looking to get in a good workout and hit the front started rolling away. Antonio D, Mountain Man and Hunter P jumped on and the ride got going. Peter Reed from Breakaway bikes was up there and would end up help to animate the whole ride. It was good to see Joshy G out as well hammering early on. The newbies made it thru the crap roads ok and the ride steamrolled toward Mountain Rd. Guido continued to work the front, a couple of times pulling a gap with other riders. MaHoney and VQ Rob mainly.
   Mike McG moved up on Mountain road, chipping in when Joshy G came off the front. Thanks to the quick pace, guys were getting popped early on. The ride tore down Mountain Rd with a hnadful of guys doing the work. Chris C, Aidan, Little T, MaHoney, PeteReed, Hunter P, Jacinto, Guido, etc.
     There was no surprises moving thru Moss Farms rd, everyone played nice the pace was decent. Chris C jumped off the front after the chicane, taking a gap into the corner for Marion. He would be joined by Aidan, PeteReed, and another new rider. Those 3 went through Chris C and had a gap as the ride approached the industrial park. That was a little too dangerous looking and the front of the peleton put in out couple of extra watts in order to keep the gap close. As the ride turned into the industrial park the rain started steady. The gap was still a fast moving 50 meters or so. Chris C again hit the front and took back most of that, stretching the pack out and nearly causing a split in the process. Mike McG and Hunter P finished it off the break. Mike continued, riding thru the trio, taking along Aidan and then Hunter P. Aidan surged as the ride went up West Johnson and Hutner P followed. Those 2 appeared determined to fight for a gap, so again, the front of the ride went in to damage control mode. Joshy G, PeteReed, Guido, Mike McG and a couple of others were in charge of keeping tabs on the front. Aidan and Hunter P would get caught 100 meters or so from the corner to Reinhart. The chase efforts good enough to spring a new break simply by attrition. Mike McG, Little T and PeteReed held a short lead heading to the crest of the road before the sprint hill. Joshy G put in a huge effort to get across the gap as best he could before hte sprint happened. Once on the hill, Mike was surely working for Little T to make sure the home field advantage kept the win from going to the new guy, and sure enough, Little T danced off the front to roll thru the corner alone.
       Joshy G was intent on keeping any gap the sprint created and rolled off the front with Little T and PeteReed as the ride came up to Peck Ln. That trio killed the throttle though when Little T slid back to the group and everyone hit the false flat on Peck lane together. Near the top of that rise, Aidan ( New Haven's biggest pain monger since Craig Luekens ) hit the front running, getting things going and putting more bodies in hurt. He peeled off a gap as the ride went over the old train tracks and Guido jumped up after him. Then Mike McG went up, which started pulling more guys up to speed, but still Aidan was alone up there. Guido and Mike eventually did make it across as the ride was back onto route 10. The chase on route 10 for the 2nd week in a row put the peleton into the blender. This time a chase group pulled clear on the hill by Cheshire Park as PeteReed, Chris C and Hunter P sped off the front. Guido lost contact with Aidan and Mike on the hill but joined up in the chase, making it 4 guys chasing Beauty and the Beast up the road. The chase grew as JoshyG again bridged a hard gap, taking along Little T and one other (?).
       As the chasers came up on the center of Cheshire, Aidan and Mike rolled past Stop n Shop alone, proving they don't need a sprint point to show their dominance. Red lights slowed them and allowed the chase group to catch. Damage was done though as the rest of the field was long behind, out of sight nearly. The lead group of 8 or so never had a chance to get going strong again. Red lights and traffic gave the Peleton a chance to catch up and as the ride was leaving Cheshire, it was all back together again. Perhaps someone can fill in the blanks for the rest of the ride, as the Cheshire Cycle guys rode back to the shop at this point.
      All in all, a great ride despite the rain. Thanks to the new guys for making it interesting. Hope to see everyone back next week.

Tuesday the 5th

Aprils Fool weather for the SGR..... Sucks......

Cold and slightly wet for the ride tonight. It was a smallish group. No more then 30 out. Notably missing was Eric M, most of the Stop n Shop Crew, Little T, a few guys from CCR and of course.... Rondo. But on the other hand, we got Hacker and a cadre of Yale riders, 4 or 5 of them.
   As soon as the ride turned off Route 10, Guido took control up front and the Yale guys were right with him. Chris C, Hunter P and MaHoney were up there too. The initial couple of miles were brisk, with the Yalies taking turns off the front and the others sitting up and blocking. A couple of times it looked like gaps were gonna stick but it always came back together. Guido seemed determined to guide his young Whiffenpoofs thru the cobbled section way off the front and out of trouble. Can't really argue with that logic. Once onto Mountain road, the pace settled down and more guys got involved up front. Aidan was up there and so was the Germanitor. Hacker, Jacinto, THX-1138 and Mike McG also came up and thru. BenGe too (?).
   Weaver got things going on Moss Farms, but the pace wasn't back-breaking. Guido and Jacinto were allowed to ride off the front and the Yale guys just sat up and let their New Haven compatriots ride away. Maybe that's how they do it in D2, round these parts though that doesn't pass muster. Hunter P jumped up and bridged the 100 meter gap and that got everyone going and chasing. The now trio kept up a gap for maybe a kilo, making it thru the chicane alone, but would be caught on the run-up to the corner for Marion Ave. German Bob, Aidan and Mike McG leading the peleton. There was also a new guy on an older Litespeed (?). Aidan punched it after the corner good enough to spring a group free. Jacinto, Aidan, Litespeed, Hunter P and Hacker. But that group would be caught as they turned into the industrial park. A A Aidan kept up the pace though as the cross winds started to bite.
    Once onto West Johnson, Mike McG took control up front along with THX1138 and Mahoney. Cross wind became a tailwind and the front scampered up the climbs on the way to Reinhard. Mike McG peeled off, then Guido, then a couple Bulldogs. Aidan hit the front again with clear plans to pound out a big one. Mike stayed with him briefly but then retreated as the group started on Reinhard. Jacinto followed Aidan and the 2 quickly had a decent gap of 75 meters. Mike McG rolled up and grabbed Hunter P for a sprint dash. Mike got the sprint started, leading out Hunter and letting him loose with maybe 50 meters to close on the 2 up front. Hunter caught and passed them with room to spare pretty much uncontested. Hacker had gotten a flat at the start of Reinhard and Guido, always the gentleman, stopped to provide impeccably styled german assistance. On the backside, everyone rolled up back together, although Mountain Man suffered a flat at the top of the false flat of Peck Ln. Chris C and Aidan were bent on making the others hurt, pushing the pace for the way back onto Route10. THX1388 and Mike McG also chipping in.
    The very first light immedialty on route 10 was red, but as soon as it changed, Aidan lit it up like it was a cyclocross race. The sting of the hill, plus the cross wind was putting everyone into the red. With no knowledge of any upcoming sprint, the Yalies buried themselves in the name of sport, and that was enough to tear the peleton into 3. Mike McG made the gap along with CxC and a couple of others. Behind, guys ( and Robyn ) had their hands fulls getting it sorted out. Not even Chris C could bridge the gap to the now smoothly working front group. They hit the stop n shop sprint rolling strong with no time or desire to sprint it out. The red light at the corner of Route 68 was the only thing that kept them from doing the rest of the ride alone.
      So gruppo compacto for the rest of the way to hamd-...... nope, Lux et Velocitas back up front and drilling it thru Cheshire. 3 of them had a gap for a little while but Aidan, Mike McG,, THX 3811, Chris C, and Hunter P erased that quickly. There were a couple of more individual attacks from the Yalies, with some more subtle-as-a-sphinx blocking from the teammates. All in all, it was fast ride back into Hamden, with Jacinto using Chris C as a launch pad to ride the last few hundred meters all alone.

Tuesday the 29th

Windy day at S.G. brings out the best in everyone.... 

     A big ol North wind greeted everyone for the ride tonight. Somehow it made things a little more interesting then usual. It wasn't the largest crowd, not more than 35 riders. Right from the get-go, a small group pushed off the front. Koski, Bob German, Weaver (?), Suto, Chris C and a couple of others. Guido then jumped up to the group and that started the chasing behind. Meanwhile the ride is less then a mile from Route 10 and blasting into the headwind, so there was plently of guys seeking refuge wherever possible. Eric M made the jump and that really whipped everyone into shape. Alas, a corner with some traffic slowed the front group and brought it all together for the ride to Mountain road. A new guy in a Verizon vest would hit the front a couple of times and pick up the pace. There was also a new guy in all black ( Cervelo? ), a new guy in a CVC kit and the great Peter Petrillo as well. So between the new faces and the wind, the ride wasn't routine.
      The Mountain rd section was a steady pace with a good group of guys pushing the pace. Eric M looked antsy a couple of times and surged off the front. Ratta, Tim, was also up there turning the screws. Chris C rode into a gap with Thomaas B and a couple of others toward the end of Mountain road but the light was red.
     The pace slowed down on Moss Farms as the front of the pack grew weary of the wind. Same thing for the chicane and the rizer up to Marion. Guido once again pushed the pace there and towed along a group of 5 or 6. Chris C, Jacinto, the Frenzilli Monster, Hunter P, and the Verizon dude all were up there but no one followed thru after the corner it all got rounded up for the ride into the industrial park. Chris C was active up front all the way down Knotter and rolled off the front with a couple of New Haven guys and the Verizon dude. After a little game of "Who's on first" at the front of the peleton, Dillon P and Peter K took matters into their own hands. They charged off the front, chasing down the group in time for the corner of West Johnson, doing a good job of setting up teammates, Rattatatat and Hunter P for the sprint. The Verizon dude kept up the attack after the corner and was waitin for no one! Hunter P rode up and thru the group but got stuck in the middle of the growing gap to the lone leader and the field behind, now led by Guido at a respectable pace. Verizon dude started to slow and was sliding back to the group with about 100 meters to the corner of Rienhard. Rattatatat and MaHoney were now leading everyone up and thru the corner and into the base of the climb. Ratta started the sprint but was no doubt gassed from setting the strong tempo. Eric M, Little T and Peter P were the ones to jump, and it quickly turned into a 2 horse race with Peter P getting gapped with 100 meters to go. Little T had the position battle and was able to come over Eric M, but needed pretty much the whole drag to do it. On the backside, Guido kept the pace up and rounded up everyone before the turn onto Peck Lane.
     The tailwind was Peck was epic and it was easy for the group to charge up the false flat there at almost 30 mph. Verizon dude wasn't satisfied with that crap and attacked. Chris C, Jacinto, Eric M, Hunter P and a couple of others were up to the challenge and went with him. The tailwind made sure no one was cracking tho and it was back to all together as everyone went over the old train tracks. The tailwind kept up the pace once back onto Route 10 and it all stayed together for the run-in to the Stop n Shop sprint. There was a couple of guys up there driving the train for the sprint, Koski, Weaver, CxC (?) and a couple of others. Ratta jumped from about 3rd wheel and took along Eric M. It was another good sprint, with Tim able to stay out in front of Eric just barely.
    Everyone was keyed up on the tailwind heading in thru Cheshire and it was full on ( cars or no cars!) the whole way back to Hamden. A couple of guys had a go at the front with attacks. Dillon P and Ratta most notably with 750 meters to go. Eric M, Bob, Jacinto, Chris C and Guido covered it and went thru to the end, with Little T slugging it out with Eric for the final push. For the hill finish, there was only a couple of guys that went up Shepard. No one wants to finish with a true climb apparently.