Tuesday the 14th

     With rain coming form the North tonight it was mostly New Haven-ers gathered at the park at ride time. The group picked up several riders on the way up route 10 though. Probably 40 or so all told which is pretty impressive considering the cold, very wet weather. The ride got going with dosed efforts at first as everyone did their best to chat and look comfortable. Yelle!Snoop was the first to have a go and with no one chasing and Jelle still unawares of the ride route, ended up going straight by Mountain Rd and that was the last time he was seen for the night. So technically his breakaway never got caught. Chapeau!

      The pace picked up after the first rizer on mountain and around the second riser it was finally good ol SG ride with a steady fast pace all the way to Rt 68. On Moss farms Jacinto and Chris C took a short flyer to make up for Saturday in New Britain but that got brought back pretty quickly. From there on the Peleton stayed together with good pulls at the front from numerous folks to Rt 322. Most riders opted for long loop, despite the cruddy conditions.
     Once onto Mount Vernon the pace started out slowly. Or at least slower then usual but there was a headwind to deal with. Once past the flase flat the speed picked up and stayed high all the way to the turn. Mike McG, Eric M, VQ Rob, Joshy G, and Guido doing all of the grunt work. Guido went solo off the front at the corner on Welch, and the rest were content to watch for a while. JoshyG went in pursuit shortly after but Guido held the gap to the corner onto West street. Joshy G, by then towing all the other fast guys ( Eric M, Jacinto, Mike McG, Little T ) went up and through Guido and kept the pace all the way up to the sprint point, where ??? took it.

       Nothing out of the ordinary going back toward 322. Everyone pretty much working to get home in good time. On Peck ln, Eric M, VQ Rob, Guido, Joshy G, and Yahor from CCB stepped it up a notch or 2 and got things going.
     Once on Route 10, Guido and Tri Doug got a little gap on the rizer going by Cheshire Park and those 2 were able to keep it for a decent amount. Red Lights before the sprint brought everything back together. It was slow upon resuming, which led to a mess of a sprint by Stop n Shop so hopefully the winner will please come forward to collect his prize. Joshy kept it going after the center of Cheshire and then things got chaotic. Joshy had two or three riders with him (LT, Chris C, Bike Shop Bob??). The peleton behind was suffering from a lack of organization and with lights starting and stopping the chase the lead group had good conditions to make an escape. Eric M, VQ Rob and two or three others started the direct chase. 2nd chase group on the road being anchored by Guido but behind him there were less then 15 riders left. Eric M and that group  were close to making the bridge to the lead group, with a red light not stopping them. Guido jumped off his group and went thru that same red light leaving Rondo, Mike McG, and Yahor to do the chasing once it it turned green.

     With the front 2 groups together and then Guido and Mountain Man also catching on near the Cook Hill Rd intersection, you'd think a group that big would just motor on home right? Wrong.... Joshy G, VQ Rob and Eric M, turned it up and went off the front, getting a gap over the remaining. Guido once again bridged the gap shortly after that, making it 4 up front for the final push, where Guido duked it out with Eric M.

Tuesday the 7th

      Another mello start to the ride this week. VQ Rob took off early and everyone was cool with that. Also left the front and then Weaver left soon after to join him. The group behind moseyed along with Stage 1 up front. Soon enough things got going with Guido taking a bit of a flyer in order to bridge up. He made it across the gap and the trio shot thru a corner or 2 where the pack had to pause. So the gap went up initially. Eric M, and Koski started the rally with help from a bunch of guys. Bobby German, Thomas B, Mahoney, Todd H, and others. The gap was down to a handful of seconds starting on the initial ramps up Mountain Rd but but the trio, anchored by Guido would just not let it die and the gap went back up ever so slightly and in the process Weaver got dislodged. It took some more strong efforts from Eric M, Hunter P, Chris C, Mahoney and JelleSnoop! to finally bring them back. For the rest of the way down Mountain it was status quo. Nothing to report, with some good pacing being done by a few guys.

          Once a ways down Moss Farms it got going again with Sasha from CCB leading the charge. No one was letting that get very far and it stayed together and fast-ish. Eric M took advantage of the tempo pace and charged off the front as it got close to the corner and Chicane. Dillon P, quickly bridged up and it was 2 off the front going up to the corner for Marion. Dillon P. hung on as Eric M twisted the throttle as Larry M, Guido, Chris C, CCB and O'shea let the field up. Things calmed down a little heading towards Route 322. O'shea was ripping it up up front in an effort to summon up 2008 when he was always hitting up the S.G. Ride.

          That brought everyone to Mount Vernon where the Belorussians from CCB were moving ahead and rode some nice pulls. Things got interesting right before the false flat with Eric M taking a long hard pull followed by Hunter P and Mike McG along the shooting range. Good to see Tall John also up there hitting it hard. Heading into the turnaround section, O'Shea was up there again along with Guido and VQ Rob. Oshea briefly was off the front along with Bike Shop Bob which led to BSB getting the jump on the hill on Welch. Everyone else behind him was cuing up \ sitting up \ watching a few select guys. Not too many fireworks thru hill and corner. A group led by Air Jordan moved off the front for most of the run-in but never too far behind was the sprinters, led by Koski. Eric M, hunter P and Little T were all up there and waiting. The front group getting overhauled with 150 meters to go. Little T jumped fast again and took this one over Sasha from CCBer

         Eric M pushed the pace on the backside but it was all everyone was all together to gawk at Mountain Man as he was experiencing some shrinkage issues ( of the seatpost kind ). Once onto Peck it got going again with Guido, Larry M and Sasha leading the charge. On the rizer up to the top of Peck ln Eric M charged off with Bike Shop Bob, Chris C and Hunter P. That group punched it over the top and thru the construction, sending the field into chase mode. The other half of the CCB toss up, Yahor, got hit with a flat on the broken up road.

          Things settled down on route 10 as the field kamikazed to the stop n sprint mark, although Todd H was hit with another flat, 2 weeks in a row. He needs a hug. In a bizarre turn, Jacinto was leading a balls-to-the-wall lead out. With him was Koski and Guido. Koski jumped for the sprint but right there was Little T yet again. Someone pop his tires or something.... Putting up a good fight was Julio L.

         Rolling thru Cheshire, a break of 3 or 4 ( Eric M, Little T , ??? ??? ) slid thru a light and then caught a green when the field had to wait. That let them build up a gap. Initially only Guido and Benge were chasing hard, but by the time it got back into Hamden, others had got involved ( good to see the kids from Bikers Edge, Owen and Alec contributing to the chase ) and the gap was coming down. Kudos the break for staying out there for as long as they did. VQ Rob, Hunter P and Larry M powered thru the final kilo to get the break back and that gave Guido and Jacinto a chance to ride and thru them to duke the finish out. Up the hill, Tri Doug led the way with good position at the corner, holding his gap over Gregg F, Hunter P and Dillon P.

Great ride everyone !

Ride changes flavor this week - Attack & counter-attack

Mellow start to the ride this week as everyone was ok to let Peter P, the National Kit, and Joshy G roll the pack out slowly. Eric M took off once onto North Brooksvale and took along Tri Doug and Bike Shop Bob. 45 seconds later Guido launched hard to get the bridge. The trio up the road were going good, making Guido work for it. Thomaas B also tried to get up there but was stuck in no mans land. There wasn’t much of a response from the pack for a surprisingly amount of time, as everyone seemed ok to let the gap go up. Chris C, Koski, and Mike McG finally kick started the peleton, and by the corner of Mountain Rd, the chase full on. Meanwhile up the road, Guido pulled close to the break but the risers on the first parts of Mountain gave the break a chance to stretch the lead. Soon after however Tri Doug had to come unlatched. Eric M and BSB kept the gap up all the way to the light on Route 68.

     In cunning fashion, Hacker jumped hard thru the green light, as the group didn’t have to wait too long for it to change. The counter attack was well timed, albeit a little awkward. Hacker rode up a decent gap once onto Moss farms and with a limited but steadily increasing pace from Guido, Eric M, Thomas B, Rattatatat, BSB, and a couple of others, Hacker was able to hold the gap all the way past the chicane and onto Marion, finally getting caught after more strong efforts from Larry M, Chris C, Mike McG and Peter P. Whether he turned off the burners or was out of fuel, is in the eye of the beholder. Impressive nonetheless. The catch allowed everyone to sit up and recover a bit, although Larry M would wade into the deep end a bit, briefly getting a gap as the ride barreled toward the industrial park. There was some more scrambling off the front as the ride got near to 322 but it all stayed together. Props to the Bikers Edge kid on an ancient Cannondale. Someone get that guy a new bike. One at least from the current era! There was also a new guy ( Yelle Stoop! ) with a blu-ish kit that had some Belgian name on it. Both those new guys were up front as the ride got to and went over 322 and would get up front later on during the ride at a couple of spots. Yelle can now teach a class on SG First Ride Introduction Habits to all the newbies out there. 

    The crap road section before 322 gave Toddo H a flat ( sad face ). Once onto Mount Vernon, Joshy G, Hacker, Eric M and Mike McG were out to make everyone’s life miserable by getting all hot-N-heavy with themselves at the front of the ride. It stayed up over 30 mph for a solid 3 or 4 kilo’s, or at least up to around the false flat section, after they were done, Joe K hit the front running along with Rattatatat and kept the speed up during that section. Rattatatat stayed up front for some extra credit time and back came McG, Eric M, Guido and Hacker to the front. It settled down after that and that let a few more guys get up front to put in some work.
     As the ride neared the turnaround, Hacker again jumped hard thru the corner onto Welch. After a few seconds, Eric M went up the road to bridge, triggering a tsunami of disorganization behind. Several guys jumped off the front, others prairie-dogging it near the front or in no mans land. DJ Dan, Larry M, Bike Shop Bob, Thomaas B, etc... Everyone deserves props for giving it ol college try but as per usual, the steady pace of the pack, led for a ways by Chris C, would end up collecting all but the 2 up the road. With about 250 meters to the corner, Brian Girard( good to see him making time for the SG ride ) jumped hard and looked like he meant business. Once onto the hill, Mike McG jumped along with Little T, still with a gap to make up to Hacker and Eric M with Girardo even further up the road. It ended up being a 3 horse run to the line with McG and Little T catching Girardo with some room to spare, letting T easily get this one with little contesting from the others. It all got rounded up on the backside, but not before Eric M took a flyer on the downhill that Peter P had to chase down. Koski and Guido would also drive up the pace for a bit but mostly it calmed down for the ride back to route 322 due to a pretty stiff headwind. Flat #2 on the night went to Mike McG, and some of the stragglers breathed a light sigh of relief. The light was red at 322, and a couple of guys snuck thru with the obvious intention of getting gap. Eric M, DJ Dan, Bike Shop Bob, and Ratta. Long way out to the sprint but that is what a couple of the front runners were thinking and they went to work building a gap as the pack slowly got going after the red turned green. There were a few guys pissed at the cheeky move. The leaders looked strong but a quick acceleration from Chris C got the chase going on Peck and the break would eventually get caught on the rizer up Peck Lane after hard efforts by Guido, Girardo, and Bobby German. Girardo led everyone thru the still-chewed-up road section. 
    Once back onto Route 10, it calmed way down for a minute or 2 and then ramped up again for the stop n shop sprint. A bunch of guys were in position for this one and there was some chaos as DJ Dan got hit a flat during the fast run in but was able to part ways without bringing anyone down. The ruckas didn't affect the very front tho where it ended up being between Little T and Hacker. T gets this one, upping his streak to 87 in a row or something like that.
Woe to us all and who oh who will step up to end his tyranny???

    The ride back through Cheshire was pretty fast, with some good work into the wind done at the front. Eric M, Hacker and Ratta again, capping off solid rides. Guido did a long pretty fast pull from the center of town to McDonalds Land. Then more riders did stepped up. For the last section Pter P came surging to the front with about 1.5 miles to go and did some nice work to string things out. There were still way too many riders standing in line for cake for the final half kilo despite Ratta bolting down the cannons with flame in hand. Guido hit the front towrad the end as usual but this time to send off an Seal Team 6 to duke out the kill. ( Bob the Lady Germinator, Little T, HackAttack, Bike Shop Bob )

Tuesday the 24th

 Not much time for a re-cap this week guys ( and gals ), we stayed up too late at the Dancing with the Stars After party ( Kristie Alley was robbed ! )


It was a decent sized group out tonight. With the 'Rent starting up a few guys were missing from the SG scene. But on the other hand we got Guido and Crowle back and both were looking to miraculously make up for lost training time.
   Right from the get-go CVC Rob and Tri Doug hit the front along with Guido, Thomaas B and DJ Dan. Mahoney also worked his way front and the pace was steady for the first few miles leading to Mountain rd. Once onto Mountain, Eric M hit the jets and strung thing out behind him as he towed Bike Shop Bob up the hill. From there on the pace was good with lots of different guys getting involved up front and a slight tailwind. Everyone wisely sat up for the ultra fast light on Route 68, giving everyone to recollect and get ready for Moss Farms.
    There, Eric M, Thomas B, DJ Dan ( not the REAL Dj dan, but still a cool guy ) VQ Rob and Rondo got things going to which everyone was game. Eddy A and Air Jordan then hit the front and created a gap to the leaders. Guido followed along with Hunter P and the group, even though just a few meters up the way, was looking volatile. The CCB duo along with Hacker and Little T ramped things up from behind and sewed it up. as everyone was coming out of the Chicane. Heading up to Marion, Eddy A stayed up front to pace along the ever improving Jordan Lynn, Hunter P and Eric M were up there too and without any attacks, the pace stayed high up past the industrial park.
    The stragglers were left out as everyone got the green light over 322 and then VQ Rob punched it breifly on the other side.  Eddy A jetted off the front as everyone got to Mount Vernon and that sent everyone into race mode. It stayed fast for the next couple of miles leading to the false flats, with the speed just under 30 miles an hour. We can all tip the hat thanks to Mike McG, CCBs, Hacker, Eric M, Bike Shop Bob, etc etc yada yada yada..... Even Mahoney was up there driving it along. Good job everyone!
     Eddy A, Air Jordan, Hunter P, Chris C and Hacker were upfront dispatching the false flat for everyone. It stayed all together after that section and despite the CCB duo and John Pescatore looking itchy coming up to Welch Rd, everyone was getting a chance to recoup before the turnaround.
      Leading up to the corner, after some good pacing by Bike Shop Bob, a huge group massed near the front. Mike McG charged off unassumingly, taking along Yahor (?) from CCB, then Jordan L jumped to match that pace along with Hacker. They went thru the corner first right in front of Little T, who had jumped a few seconds prior, taking along Hunter P, Eric M and the rest of the guys going for it. There were some cars in the corner, which stacked things up a bit and once thru it, Mike McG, Hacker and CCB were left up front as leadout train. Mike was cool with that and kept the speed high up to about 150 meters to go at which point Little T jumped up fast enough so that once again, no one went with him. Chris C and CCB went over the line next.
    On the backside it all came back together. A red light scooped up a descent attacking Eric M. The pace stayed high as a couple of guys were ok with working thru the section. VQ Rob, Thomas B, Mike McG, Etc. The next action was before going over 322 again. A new guy from Central Wheel had jumped off the front with Guido, Thomaas B and MaHoney but a red light over 322 brought everyone back together.
    Eric M found a way to have an integrated seatpost slip so the group waited a little while soft pedaling onto Peck Lane as he fixed it. But it was back to bruises soon after. It got going again with Guido, Mahoney and Ike McG up front. Mike attacked hard at the end of the little rizer on Peck, causing Yahor and Chris C to bridge up hard as Mahoney, Hunter P, Eric M and Guido chose the slow-and-steady route back to the leaders. It all came back together once everyone was past the road construction it was gruppo compacto turning onto Route 10.
    Going up the hill by Cheshire Park, a new rider in a white and red (?) kit was setting tempo pace. Then VQ Rob took over and a CCBer. Soon enough it was time for the Zane's train to hit the front. Koski and Rondo kept it brisk as Little T, Tim "best legs of the pack" Ratta, Hacker and Hunter P were sitting in. Little T jumped taking along Rattatatat and Hunter P. The big guy in the Innova Health Jersey (?) was sliding backwards and slowed the sprint for everyone but Little T, although Rattatatat was feeling the 3 hours he put in before the SG ride (!) and was fading fast. T gets this one as well by a healthy margin.
    Fast forward to the end, where empty-the-tank-efforts from Rondo, VQ Rob, Eric M, Guido, and Hacker left an elite group up front, fighting Little T all the way to the bitter end. Up the hill went, Dr. Dennis, Mahoney, Hunter P, Gregg F, and a couple of others.

All in all a good ride with the workload shared, smooth rotations up front and solid speed throughout.

Tuesday the 17th

Nothing like a little positive peer pressure to get out in the miserable stuff.

     The Cheshire Cycle trio of Dillon P, Gregg F and Hunter P rolled up to the ride to find a few stalwart souls ready to ride. Ratta, Eric M, Hansel and Zoolander, Bruce, VQ Rob, Cosmo “Sigma Alpha Epsilon” Catalano, and Yahor (?) from CCB. Once the group got going it collected Pescatore, Mountain Man, Mike McG, Koski, Frenzilli, Little T, Jeff “my pick-up truck is cooler then yours” Gelt, and a couple of others. High fives all round to those that made it out. The rain actually didn't hit as hard as it was supposed to and besides being wet, and some tire spray, riding wasn't that bad. The ride got going with Dillon P and Eric M early instigators. Few surprises early on up front. The usual guys up there setting pace. CCB was always ready to push it and Eric M, VQ Rob, Little T and Mike McG were ready to follow. Cosmo would have a good dig once everyone got going on Moss Farms but Pescatore shut it down. Eric M moved up to be in a good spot for the chicane but went over the yellow line to get there, DQ'ing the entire ride..... race..... whatever. Mahoney was the first one up the hill toward Marion but it settled down after that. A few guys peeled off for the short loop bringing the group down to about 15-18. Eric M and CCB kept it quick heading to 322 which, combined with the rizers there, put some guys into the hurt.

      CCB, Eric M, and BenJe shot off the front briefly after going over 322, but it was held together by Rattatat and Hunter P. The ride down Mount Vernon was quick and windy with a bunch of different bikes up front doing the work. Heading onto Welch Rd and the turnaround, Cosmo, Mahoney, VQ Rob and Rattatatat rode off the front as Gregg F and Hunter P tried to coral the front. VQ Rob dropped off before the hill, just as Cosmo and MaHoney were upping the bet. After the corner Eric M took over the chase with Hunter P, Mike, and Little T close behind. Cosmo and Mahoney were the last to fall after putting in a solid effort to hang on to it. They got caught with about 125 meters to the sprint, just as Little T jumped fast enough to make everyone look around for a second to try to find the good spirits they all musta just dropped. T ride up and over easily and started working on the descent. Lost a couple of guys thru all that, group down to 8 or 9 as the front came together and started drilling it over I84. Gelt punched it right past the highway and then Mike McG took over with a vengeance. Lights that are usually red were now green and Mike was looking to dig himself and everyone else in a tidy little hole as the last ride went over the last climbing sections of West St. Pace was well good enough to pop a couple more guys. Things calmed down a bit for the section back to and over 322 again. The red light there gave a those couple of guys a chance to get back on.

     The ride was standard fare from there on out. Cosmo tried a couple more times off the front, getting his gas money's worth. Heading into Stop n Sprint, Eric M hit the front and set the pace for the final 3\4 kilo coming up to the sprint. Little T got number 2 in a row, adding to his lead in the points competition. Gonna need someone to fill in the blanks for the rest of the ride, but good guess says it ended with some fast guys riding fast.

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.