Tuesday the 19th

The Sleeping Giant Ride can not be held accountable for your sad display of strength!

     The summer solstice ride was greeted by a good sized crowd, not quite the biggest one this year but close. Good to see Todd H, Tall John, Chris LaSalle and Ratta out. Right off route 10, Dillon took off the front to do his CT champ jersey right. He was soon joined by Guido and at first, no one was eager to chase em down. Soon enough tho a young Yalie (J Levinsohn), Erica from Yale, Tri Doug and The new guy in full Nalini set out to bring em back. A couple of guys hit the front after that. A new guy from Zane's Tall Dennis and Eric M. Guido and Dillon worked well together and they stayed off till a little ways before Mountain Rd. Onto mountain where Koski, Chris C and Hunter got things started. Those 3 had a quick gap after the initial risers and set about to stretch it out. Behind, Mike McQ, never one to be left out of a fun time, jumped across the gap. Todd H joined him and a couple of guys did some kind of in between. That was enough to patch the ride back all up for the rest of the way down Mountain. Joe K spun off the front with Jacinto before the light, which was red, so they didn’t get very far.

     Joe K kept it going on Moss Farms with Ratta & Ciocci. Despite some gaps in the front 15 guys, everyone went thru the chicane all together. Once again, Chris C and Hunter P were ramping it up past the hill onto Marion. Eric M and Mountain Man were up there too. From there it was together heading to 322. Coming up to the light, Keltic O'shea, Ratta, Nuemotion, Eric M and Chris C all took off in hopes of getting the light. It was red so that 15 second full on effort seemed silly.

     On the other side, Luekens moved up to the front and that got things going. A small group was off the front heading onto Mount Vernon led by Larry M, but it was al together soon after. The ride down Mount Vernon was on the sedate side. No real attacks. Zane's was up front along with Yale, Guido and Thomaas B. After the false flat, Tall John and Guido took off the front. Ratta, Eric M, Nuemotion and the other guys were already up front kept it close. LaSalle and MoMoney went after the front 2 but that just served to bring it all back together.

     The pack slowed up on Welch, a few strong guys were moved up. Before the hill Luekens and Tri Doug rolled off the front and they were soon joined by Larry M. Behind Chris C jumped first at the base of the hill, taking Mike mCg, Hunter P and Jacinto. The rest of the field wasnt too far behind. Chris brought back the leading 3 right after the corner. He pulled a bit more while Mike McG stalled, forcing Hunter P to the front. Jacinto then lit it up from a ways out with Hunter sprinting to keep the gap. Eric M jumped proper from a few wheel back and was able to get past Jacinto just in time. On the backside it was together. Stayed that way till going under 84. There was some action up front on the way back over 322. Ratta, Larry M, the Full Nalini, Crowle and a couple of others mixing it up. Light was red though so it was slow and steady once thru it.

     Going back thru Cheshire was was standard fare, no surprises. The lead in to Stop n Sprint was decently fast after a red light. Julio L was up there driving it along. Ratta was the first to jump and led the sprint out. Eric M came off Mike McG wheel in good position again and was able to come round Ratta and Jacinto to get there first.

     Once thru Cheshire, Guido and a couple of others looked to pull a fast one on the bunch. A small group of about 7 or 8 shot off the front. It took inside-out riding from Julio and Tall Dennis to reconnect everyone. For the finale, Eric M looked for the hat trick but was thwarted when a driver came out almost half-way into the road from South Brooksvale, forcing the front 5 guys to stomp on the brakes. Up the hill, Mountain man dispatched MoMoney with the same effectiveness he did the rabbit caught and eaten for lunch earlier in the day.

Tuesday the 12th

Rained out....

There were still nearly 20 guys out. Led by Guido, Rondo, Aidan, Mountain Man a couple of Yalies and others. The ride ended up splitting in two, with the front group being led by Aidan, Guido and Chris B.

Details will be rolling in and posted here soon.

Tuesday the 5th

The return of The Beast! Ciocci gets a day off ( and shows up withOUT Di2 )! The CCB toss-up gets bored with your tempo... The veterans on the ride lament Joe Patalone's accident ( here's wishing to a speedy recovery Joe )
And more.... Just another SG ride.

    The ride started out sedate enough but once onto Mountain Rd it kicked up thanks to Koski and Hunter P. Chris C had a dig off the front but was corralled by Yelle!Snoop, the CCB toss-up and Tri-Doug. There was slightly less action off the front on Moss Farm, where it was solid tempo followed my solid-ier tempo when CCB moved up to the front. Thru the Chicane, Chris C attacked, followed by Hunter P, which strung things out but no one was delivering the widow maker.
    A small group tried to sneak off the front coming onto Mount Vernon... Chris C, Chris C, Eric M, Gregg F, Central Wheel Dennis, MoMoney and one other. That didnt make it very far but Chris C and Yelle!Snoop kept the pressure up afterward and then CCB came up and drove things along. From there is was solid pace with a few good opportunities for attacks, but no one was up to it.
    Heading onto Welch, Ciocci kept the pace high till Graham Garber took over. Chris C jumped early, followed by Hunter P thru the corner. Little T sewed things back up and took on front for a bit, which slowed things down a bit as others were content to sit in. Chris B attacked the best he could on a 20 pound cross bike and quickly got a gap. The pace was starting to wind up agian with a few guys in position to go for it. Mike McG jumped on the left with Little T responding on the right. It was a drag race to the end with Little T edging it out for the sprint.
    On the backside Eric M tried to TT off the front, taking along Yelle! and a rider from Central Wheel. Once things settled down it looked like Central Wheel had plans to TTT off the front for the run-in back over 322. 3 riders were there but by the red light stopped all, Graham cracker Garber had spit everyone out the back. Chris C was also there, attacking under the overpass.
    It was status quo till route 10 and then some. The run in to Stop n Shop was disrupted by a red light at the base of the hill by the school there, basically making it a non sprint for Little T to mop up. Little T and Mike McG went down swinging again for the finale, with T getting to the corner for Shepard Ave first. Up the hill went a big crowd. MoMoney tried to dislodge Hunter P early on the hill with Tri Doug in tow. Hunter P gets to the top first ahead of #42.

Good ride everyone and be sure to keep Joe P in your thoughts as he waits for surgery.

Tuesday the 29th

Kick off summer with the Tuesday Night World Championships

    The SG ride usually deviates from script on the Tuesdays following Monday holidays and tonight was no exception. The crowd was a little on the low side and the high humidity seemed to be putting everyone in a slight haze. Dillon and Dana got things going off route 10 along with the Twin Six dude. Once Hacker rolled thru the front the ride started proper. Not much happened for the next couple of miles. Chris C took off briefly but didn't make a dent. A small group looked to be rolling off on Mount Sanford but another surge from Hacker thru the next corner ended that and started the chase behind as MoMoney, Twin Six, Hunter P, Mike McG and Jactino were drilling it toward Mountain Rd.
    The ride down Mountain Rd was uneventful except for a rabid car. Chris C rolled off after the initial climbs and got up a 40 meter gap before being recollected. After that, MoMoney & Hunter P were the only ones to test the waters but it all came back with the red light at the intersection.
   Hunter P got a good jump onto Moss Farms and was allowed to roll off as the peleton was dealing with cars on Route 68. Eventually the ride got going again and Nuemotion, Hacker, Chris C, MoMoney, and a new guy ( ( Bethel Cycles? ) were leading the charge up and thru the front. That group started to gap the front by the end of Moss Farms. Eric M started the bridge with Hunter P as the break was diving into the chicane and MoMoney was dropping back. It was 6 up front after the chicane. Hunter P drilled it up the hill to Marion, putting a solid gap on the peleton and the break went to work extending it. Nuemotion, Hacker, Chris C, Hunter P, Eric M and the New Guy ( CxC Chris? ) was the break. Back in the pack, Mike McG had set off in an attempt to bridge and he was able to quickly create a gap to get to work on. He still had 50-60 meters to make up to the leaders as they went by the short loop turn.
    The break came up to the light at 322 and low-n-behold, twas green, allowing them to shoot thru. When it was noticed that Mike McG slid across the yellow-turned-red light, the break held up, allowing him to get on. That put some extra ponies in the effort and with the red light holding the rest up, it was looking like today might be the day for the break.
    Not much to report for the next several miles, as up front they were all working together. Back in the pack, Tri Doug, Twin Six, Mountain Man, Dillon P and a couple of others were riding the lions share of work. Also up there was Chris B, who has a well documented phobia of being left out of a breakaway. The break was in sight as they turned onto Welch. The gap about 30-45 seconds. Up front, the group, though strong, was suffering with some tired legs as a couple of the guys were racing Monday at Killington and Sommerville. That, plus the headwind soon to come, lulled the break into thinking the catch was inevitable and some soft pedaling on Welch was reported. That allowed Hacker to simply roll off the front halfway down Welch and get a jump on the sprint. He was into a full blown attack once on the hill to the corner. Hunter P was the first to jump after him but was soon collected on West St by Chris C, leading the chase. The surge + hill immediately dispatched a couple of guys before the corner and it was down to Chris C, Eric M, Mike McG and Hunter P behind Hacker. Hacker was getting plowed over by the headwind, and the gap was close enough to allow Hunter P to jump out of the chase again and go up and over to take the sprint in the final 20 meters. The shrunken break of 5 reformed on the backside and the gap went up again.
    Back in the Peleton, Rondo was complaining about the pace, but wasn't about to chip in too much as he had 2 mates up the road. Tired-legs-from-racing-syndrome was also being felt by a couple of guys in the peleton, and with no core group to do battle in the vicious headwind, the break was going to succeed all the way.
    Not too much to report for the rest of the ride. A couple of shortcut guys joined up in the break and at first were polite in not moving past the breakaway guys. When the pace went down, a couple did slide up and take pulls, making Chris C get all territorial on their asses. The Stop n Shop sprint was taken by Mike McG, with Hacker giving chase. After that it was gab and move, gab and move against the wind going back into Hamden.

Tuesday the 22nd

Rain waves white flag.... For now...   

    The rain finally gave way for the ride tonight. Besides a little over spray off the back roads, everyone stayed dry tonight for the 35-45 guys and girls out. Good to see Peter K out on the bike, recovered from his fractured hip. Next, the ride waits for Joe K's return.
     Right off route 10 the speed ramped up as everyone was eager to get the HR up. YelleSnoop! was up there and inbetween saving his bike from disaster, was pushing the early pace. Also too was Hunter P, BlackTie\Aetna, MoMoney, Young Suto, Jacinto, and Hacker. Turning onto North Brooksvale saw Aidan and Hacker surge, bringing out BlackTie and Hutner P. The foursome got a gap right away and held that onto Mountain Rd. Behind Guido, Chris C, Mike McG, Jacinto and a couple of others were pulling weight to keep the gap close. Everyone was back together after the initial climbs on Mountain. Aidan kept up the pressure and took along Chris C, an FSU rider, and Gregg F. That group never made it more then 20 meters off the front as riders used the downhill sections to reconnect. From there to Route 68 was steady and fast as the ride snuck thru the light and kept the pace going onto Moss Farms.
    YelleSnoop and Thomaas B got an early jump on Moss Farms but were soon back in the bunch as Chris C, Rondo and Hunter P rode steady on the front, dragging the bunch up. There were no further attacks running into the chicane. Once onto Marion, turns of speed from Aidan, Chris C, Little T, and Hunter P sprung a break briefly but other strong guys were there to sew it up ( Guido, Hacker, Yelle, BlackTie ). No other attacks till going over route 322.
    Aidan, Hacker, Hunter P, and BlackTie continued being the protagonists and rolled off the front shortly after and hit Mount Vernon with a 40 meter gap. But too many guys, not wanting to be left out of the action, rode the gap shut and it was all together again. Things slowed down a bit after that as the ride reached the false flats. Good to see Craig Luekens out in his retro TargetTraining kit. Surely there are some New Haveners that can get that man a new kit... Anyway, things started to break up a bit on the false flat, but no one was delivering the crusher. A new guy from Central Wheel (?) shot off the front briefly, but didn't last long up there.
    Guido rolled off the front as everyone paused to recollect. Special Ed, The new Guy in Nalini, Gregg F and MoMoney rode up with him but it was all together a minute later as everyone got ready for the turnaround. SPeed stayed steady as the group turned onto Welch. A couple of new faces popped up to set tempo and get everyone's attention ( Rondo, Dillon P, Central Wheel ). Heading to the corner, Aidan, Jacinto, Hunter P and Hacker were in position. Hacker jumped first, taking Jacinto, Chris C and Hunter P along with him. Right after the corner, from his last-in-line position, Chris C jumped strongly and had a 30 meter gap. Jaconti and Hunter P rode the front to bring the gap down, then Hacker jumped to reconnect but came up short. Chris C gets a well deserved one here, as a late sprint from Hunter P wasn't enough to close the gap.
   On the backside, Aidan looked like he wanted to punch it. Little T joined him and the 2 looked to have a jump on the rest but a red light brought it all back together. No further attacks until Peck Lane, despite surges on the front from BlackTie, YelleSnoop!, Hunter P and Aidan.
    Onto Peck Lane where Chris C's early hard pacing rode a small group off the front. Chris C left first with Nalini and Aidan. Hacker and Hunter P bridged up and made it a break... Perhaps the most serious of the night. The group had 50 meters by the top of the false flat on Peck and were working well together. Behind, Guido, Jacinto, Mike McG, Little T and the other usuals didnt let the break go unnoticed. Also up there was John Gregory who was going over 100 miles on the day at that point. Props to the Mountain Man on keeping tempo for 140 miles.
   Onto Route 10, the break still had a healthy gap and were unfazed by the hill next to Cheshire Park. A red light before the Stop n Shop sprint finally brought it to an end and allowed the peleton to catch. Little T collected the Stop n Sprint ahead of a well timed Chris B and a Yalie ( DJ Dan? )
    The ride into Hamden was standard fare. Fast but could have been faster. For the finale, after final pulls from Craig L, Dillon P and Mike McG, it was Aidan, fighting it out with Nalini, Guido and Chris B. Nalini got in front of Aidan and was able to hold it. Up the hill went the usuals. Chris B attacked early but Hunter jumped mid way and took it.

Tuesday the 15th

Rained out for the second week in a row...

    

     Still, a few guys were out to ride. Chris C, Koski, John Gregory, Special Ed, Eric M, and Gary H from Cheshire Cycle. After waiting for a couple of minutes in the car park and after no one else showed up the stalwart group rolled out. They were sent off by a beer-toting Hunter P, standing in front of the shop. Hunter was unable to convince anyone to stop riding, even tho that beer looked waaaaay too good. Chris C, Eddy A and Eric kept a steady rotating pace up right through the back roads to RT-68. John, Koski and Gary were content to sit on and go for the ride. Status-quo out onto Moss Farms and Mt Vernon. At the turn-a-round Koski put in a blistering effort and rode everyone off his wheel to take the hill sprint on West street by at least 200 yards. Impressive attack! Soon after Special Ed peeled off at the West Street gas station and the rest of the guys rode back to Cheshire at a leisurely pace. Chris C took the S&S sprint and then checked out for the night... The visions of beer bottles still in his head and now too much to take. Eric, John G, Koski and Gary finished out the ride into Hamden.

All in all a fun night of riding in the rain.

Tuesday the 8th

     The rain derailed the ride tonight. There were still a few guys out to get in a good workout.
MoMoney, Chris C, Gary H, Dillon P, John Gregory, Timex Casey, Nuemotion, Builder Pete, Antonio D, Hunter P, Guido, & Rapha Ridley.
     Right from the start Crowle was looking to be the instigator. Guido got hit with a flat right off route 10 and Nuemotion waited with him. Chris would attack a bunch of times early on, fracturing the small group. John Gregory, MoMoney and Hunter P would sew things back up just to see Chris jump again. A couple of times Chris C and Hunter P would get a gap but Chris was the only one looking to get away most of the time. The ride lost a few guys by the turnaround. Chris and Hunter P shot off the front of the sprint. Guido rejoined on the backside and it was steady tempo the rest of the ride.

Time to go rinse off the shoes......