Tuesday the 14th

Make sure your Kenisio tape is on & looking tight.... Got to impress the lady Yalies!

It was a smaller then usual group tonight and a couple of the heavy hitters weren't around. Any thought of this being the yearly ice cream social ride was erased when Dillon P hit the front soon after turning off route 10 and taking along Bike Shop Bob, MoMoney and a couple of others with him.

    The pace stayed crisp from then on out. A small group was pushing for a gap heading to Mountain rd but lots of traffic stopped the ride for a couple of seconds and reset the peleton for the way down mountain. Jelle!Snoop was spied going in the opposite direction on Mountain so apparently he's gotten too good for the SG ride. We'll miss his Belgian flair for the dramatic. The ride toward the lights was uneventful with the quintet of Mike McG, Bubble Boys, Hacker, Ciocci and Larry M doing the most of the work.

     Moss Farms started out the same as always. Fast to slow and then faster again. Toward the end a good sized group was led off the front, captained by Hacker, Pescatore, and Ciocci. It was a group of about 12 heading to the Chicane so there was an appropriate response from the pack, although it was take a little while once onto Marion for the peleton to fully reconnect. Chris C attacked up the hill, taking along Hunter P who kept the pace high once onto Marion. That split off a small group along with Hacker, Larry M and MoMoney. That group couldn’t start work more then a 20 meters or so gap and it was all together again going by the industrial park and up to route 322.

      The ride got a another glorious green light over 322 and that kept things fast toward Mount Vernon Rd. Chris C and Special Ed rode off the front and had a 50 meter gap getting onto Mount Vernon. That was enough to sound some alarm bells. After a minute, when it became obvious that the 2 would stay up there for a bit, Hacker, Mike McG and a rider in a blue\green Castelli kit were the first to jump off in pursuit. Benje was next but got stuck in no man's land. The gaps behind were starting to open as the front of the pack lost cohesion. Chris B, Larry M, Hunter P and Bike Shop Bob would successfully bring the 4 guys up back and sew things up in time for the false flat section. After a reshuffling of the cards up front, leadership changed hands to anyone not involved in the break\chase.

      After the false flat, another good sized group was riding off the front but that didnt last very long. Dillon P used the slow-down to slingshot off the front but he was brought back soon after the shooting range. Turning onto Welch, Larry M, Hacker & MoMoney had a small gap that they clung to till about halfway down Welch. The front the pack ( Ciocci, A rider in a Club BMC jersey, Special Ed and Hunter P ) kept tempo high and slowed reeled the trio in. Hunter P jumped off the front as soon as the break was caught. He was allowed to get gap but by the hill was on his way to being brought back. Chris B was the next to jump, starting the hill in a sprint. He made it thru the corner first, but only with a slim gap over Ciocci and Hacker. Right behind, a decent sized group was there in pursuit. Chris B dug in for the long haul to the sprint and nearly clawed his way to it. Jacinto popped out of the group to get the sprint over Chris B, getting a much needed sprint win that will no doubt go a long way in his contract talks for next year..... Oh wait.... Nevermind.... It's Jacinto.

      The whole peleton consolidated for the right down West St and not too much happened on the descent. A couple of guys ( Larry M, Club BMC, Todd H ? ) rolled free heading to the corner and they drilled it hard enough to get a gap that they kept and added on during Atwater St. The chase slowing ramped up behind and just Larry M and BMC were hanging on by the highway overpass. Hunter P jumped on the little rise there, taking along Hacker, Ciocci and MoMoney Those 4 had a gap but couldn't quite get away in time for the light. Red light on 322 gave another chance for everyone reset.

     The ride up Peck was uneventful. On the very last tough section Chris C attacked, taking a small group with him ( Hacker, Ciocci, MoMoney, Hunter P ). That break had a gap but again, nothing that lasted too long as there wasn't enough hard terrain to give them the chance to break the will of the peleton behind. That same core group plus a Benje, BikeShopBob, Larry M and Club BMC led the way initially up route 10 but a red light at the top of the hill brought another reset. From there everyone got ready for the run in to Stop n Shop.

     Tall John, Larry M and the usuals were up front for the leadout, leaving Benje, Dillon P, Hunter P and Mike McG in the best place to kick. Dillon P jumped first but Mike had the longest sprint was able to cruise to the top alone. No one got away in town, although Larry M tried to drill it but red lights foiled that. Heading up to the high school, the “wide load” peleton was met head-on by a police cruiser who stopped all and reminded the ride about proper 2 abreast rules. It was a brief visit and the concern is much appreciated by the SG participants and really all who pedal on Cheshire's public roads.

      Heeding the admonishment, however, lasted all of about 5 blocks and once past the cluster of lights and shopping centers, it was back to owning the road. The usual suspects + Young Suto pushed the pace back into Hamden and once again it was a large group heading into the finale. At the last moment, it was whittled down to Hacker and Mike McG. From there it was a toss up too close to call. Up the hill, MoMoney switched the lever to “full throttle” and then broke it off, leaving him to implode halfway up. Hunter P had only to pop out and sprint the last half to stay away from Chris B, who was charging hard but came up short.

Tuesday the 7th

Forget the New England Road Race Championships... Long Live the Sleeping Giant Ride!

Mello mood at the parking lot for tonight’s ride. Maybe there was some residual fatigue from the Litchfield Hills century. Good to see Luekens and French (bulldog) Casey. Aaaaaaaand away we go. Guido made no attempt to hide his intention to start the ride out quickly once off route 10. He rolled off the front and Benje went up as well. The 2 didn't work together ( always work together kids ) though and behind the speed crept up till it was all back together. Divine Electric and Hacker were up there with Larry M and a couple of new faces. The speed stayed high till Mountain Rd where French Casey led things off followed by Chris C, Hacker and Ciocci. Some gaps were allowed to open up to teammates pushing off the off front. Credit Divine E with keeping things together till the second set of risers. Hunter P and Guido then hit the front and strung things out single file for a little bit. Gaps were starting to appear and Guido was at the front pushing it when a car coming onto Mountain rd slowed everyone down. When it got going again, Chris C could be heard proclaiming “I love you!”. Whether that was to Nuemotion for warning Guido about the car or for someone else, it will make a nice addition to the official Chris Crowle soundboard.

     Onto Moss Farms where it was super fast right away thanks to Guido, Ciocci, Jacinto and a couple of others. Heading into the chicane though it was bunched up. Larry M and MoMoney drove the pace to the corner of Marion, taking along Guido and Tri Doug. Again, Divine E was there to bring up the rest. After the corner Hunter P pressed on, getting a gap that lasted till the turn for the industrial park. Everyone stayed together till the light despite a couple of guys going hard to perhaps get a gap.

      The light on 322 was green so everyone sailed thru, putting the hurt on any stragglers who would normally play catch up. The speed to Mount Vernon stayed high and no one got off the front. Once on Mount Vernon a small group started to put the hurt on. Steve Grey, Chris C, Ciocci, Mike McG, Todd H and Joe K were nearly getting a gap but Eric M and Divine brought it back. Shortly after that Guido took advantage of the regrouping and sped off at the same time as Hacker. MoMoney dug in and bridged the gap as well, making it 3 up the road heading into to the false flat. Behind, the group was cautiously allowing the break room to roam. The trio dangled out in front for a while, 40 yards or so. Going by the firing range, it got going again and it all came back in time to set up for the turnaround.

       Going down Welch, no one really took the horns, and instead, it just stayed reasonably fast with guys setting up for any potential run in to the sprint. At the hill Ciocci, Chris C and Steve Gray all seemed to jump at the same time. Mike McG, Eric M, Joe K and Hunter P were close behind. A car in the corner forced another bottle neck, but once thru, Ciocci, and Chris C hit the gas and the group of 5 gapped the rest quickly. Mike McG moved up to finish out the lead-out and Hunter P jumped first from a couple of wheels back and was able to stay in front of Eric M, who was the only other one to make a sprint.

      Soon after that, Nuemotion and Chris B made it thru a red light in front of the rest. Those two would fight thru the descent down the rest of West St. They made a good go of it but would be caught a few hundred meters before 322.

       Once thru the light, Hacker jumped off the line in a sprint, no doubt to work on his cyclocross starts for the upcoming season.

        No one was game for the long ball thogh so he slowly got back into the group as the peleton chugged up Peck lane. Once onto Route 10 it was at first a blitz with a Devil's Gear rider, Danbury Audi, Todd H, Eric M, Chris C, Tall Dennis and Chappy! Drilling it up the hill. It settled down a bit but then quickly ramped up again for the sprint as lots of guys were moving up front to set tempo. Everyone wanted to lend a hand ( if you can't beat em, join em )... Danbury Audi, Tall John, Mike McG, Guido, Tri Doug, Chris B, Benje and a couple of others. Hacker slipped thru the right side at the same time as Eric M charged up the left but couldnt hold on the whole way to the top. Little T nearly came around Eric M as he sat-sprint.... sitted-sprinted...seated-sprint..... whatever. Impressive.

     The trip back into Hamden was uneventful. There was a little squirreliness but everyone got along. For the end there was again a good sized crowd up front as Eric M rolled thru the very last ahead of Nuemotion and a couple of other guys who were right there. Chris B got a bit of a jump on the hill but was tracked down by Hunter P, who got to the top first. MoMoney also was there for 3rd, having not gotten enough of a workout in.

Tuesday the 31st

 Welcome to the SG ride... Drug testers not needed cuz anything goes!

Great to see Little T out ( making it the shortest “long recovery” period for a broken wrist ).

However He would be a non-factor in tonight's ride.

      Right from the gun ( off of rt 10 ) Guido got involved up front and the Bikers Edge crew + Chris C were ready to oblige. Throw in Hunter P and a CVC guy without a helmet and an early break is formed. It didnt last long though but Guido stayed up there pushing things along. From there the ride settled down for a bit until a few guys got off the front heading to Mountain Rd. ( Eric M, The Full Nalini, The Sernyak, Jeremy B? & Larry-road-season-is-over-Merling ). Bridging up just before the corner was Joe K and Hunter P. The break went to work but no one from the field was rolling over to play dead this soon. There was also a police cruiser parked in the road ( the nerve!) which slowed everyone down and brought the field back together. Joe K and Eric M soldiered on but would get jumped by the flying Belgian Yelle!Snoop. Hunter P, Guido, The Full Nalini and Special Ed would put the screws down and bring that back. From there it was fast all the rest of the way to the light.

     Moss Farms started out fast thanks to a a few different guys. The Central Wheel guys were up there along Mike McG, Todd H, Ciocci and others. CCB also got involved toward the end and it was single file heading into the chicane and up the hill to Marion. Rounding the corner onto Marion was Little T and Nuemotion, followed closely by CCB, Toff H, Young Suto and the rest of the field. CCB rode a gap off the front and was joined quickly by Chris C, Guido and Hunter P. That group worked up a small gap but again, plenty of guys in the field were there to step up the tempo to start bringing it back after a few moments and by the short loop turn off it was all together. That was pretty much the story of the night. No breaks were staying out for more then a couple of minutes.

     Heading over 322, Quadzilla from Central Wheel timed the changing light well and charged off toward Mount Vernon while everyone else was still clipping in. The field was slow to get going but once everyone got onto Mount Vernon, there was the usual splintering starting to happen, Yelle!Snoop was driving the pace and gaps were opening up behind him. The gaps never last that long though and soon enough it was all back together. Quadzilla would jump again on the false flat section, taking along Ciocci this time. Those 2 held a gap for a little while but Mount Vernon is German territory and Guido along with help from Nuemotion and Mike McG reclaimed the front soon after. From there the pace calmed down a bit as the turnaround got closer.

      Going into the corner for Welch, Central Wheel looked to planning something. Little T could barely stand on the pedals with his stem so pointed heavenward and his arm in a cast, so the sprint was going to come from someone else. Garber and Gelt had a small gap but once Mike McG kicked at the base of the hill, that came back quickly. Mike was stayed at the front and tracked down the remaining ( CCB, Garber, and Quadzilla ). Out of the attack only Quadzilla put up a fight but Eric M had a good spot to launch for the sprint. Chris C gave chase along with Chris Butler. The long sprint run-in was good enough to spring a good sized group of guys way off the front from the rest but a red light brought it all back. The road was blocked due to a warehouse fire a mile or so up the way so it was decided on the fly to turn back toward Jude lane and head back to Mount Vernon. The road heading south on Mount Vernon is crap. Couple of guys were hit with flats. ( Dillon P and MTB Owen ). Cahill attacked yet again, but CCB, Todd H and others eventually brought it back as the speed was fast going down the false flat section. Fast enough to make the juniors in the group ( including National Crit & CX Champ Austin V ) curse their smaller gear ratios. Guido at some point dropped off to assist with tire changing. The route was back to 322 and then into the industrial park were Chris C attacked, Yelle!Snoop and Hunter P answering. Everyone made it safely onto Peck and from there, just a couple of attackers made themselves known, CCB was up there, Thomaas B, Gelt, Ciocci, and a few others.

     The run in to the Stop n shop sprint was fast thanks to the Central Wheel crew jumping on a motor pace opportunity. Mike McG kept Eric M in a good spot and had some help from Little T. Aidan challenged Eric M in the sprint but that looked more like scarecrow in a hurricane. After the sprint, it was standard fare going back into Hamden. There was a huge group for the very end with some guys sprinting out of the saddle and others riding it in proper. Gary from Central Wheel and Chris B were the only ones to hit the hill with Butler dancing away with it and then going on to ride a bunch more miles to cap off the night.

Hopefully the team warfare continues for a few more weeks.

Tuesday the 24th

It rained and poured but it didn't stop the usual troops from coming out for some bike practice.

    Right out of the parking lot, Tall John was eager to dry off, setting off in front of everyone during the neutral start. He took along Tall Dennis and a couple of Central Wheel riders and Nate from Amity. They set off with no one in particular from the bunch protesting. Soon after route 10, Rich Foley, Gregg F and Young Suto struck off the front in proper fashion and had as gap as they too were allowed to roll. They worked up a gap of about 30 seconds before it started tumbling down on the way to Mountain road. The peleton was being led by the usuals and a couple of flats ( Dillon P ) and the rain covered wet roads slowed the bunch down. The catch was eventually made on Mountain rd and everyone settled in and by the light at Route 68, even the early birds were back in the fold.

Hacker jumped up for Moss Farms and was joined by Jacinto. Todd H was the first to dig in and chase, keeping everyone close. Along the way, a couple of guys bridged up. Ciocci, The Sernyak(?) and one other. Behind Mike McG, Eric M and MoMoney were also up there lending a hand. The leaders came into the chicane with barely a gap and by the turn onto Marion, it was all together. The pace was solid to 322 from there. Again, a few guys went up to try to catch the light but it was red.

      On Mount Vernon things got a little messy. Guido rolled off the front to get things going and took along a few guys ( O'Shea, Nuemotion, Tri Doug, Hacker etc ). The front group disintegrated though with just Hacker and one other up front. Joe K powered off the peleton and got stuck in between until the false flat section where everyone was rounded up. Chris C tried to inflict some pain during and after the false flat, stretching the group out nearly single file. No one was in the attacking mood though and it stayed together. Guido would get to the front again and try to get something going, and he briefly had a gap with Chris C, Silent Steve, The Sernyak, and Thomaas B but everyone got wish to that when Hacker moved and thru to the group, tying it all together for the corner.

      On Welch, Tall John got things going with Chris C, Ciocci and Hacker responding. Tri Doug then kept things fast along with Todd H. The dash up the hill to the corner was slower then usual. Hunter P was the first to jump, getting into a narrow seam between a car and the corner. The peleton had to deal with a bit of a bottle neck and so that move was deemed a dickhead one but it served to get everyone riled up for the chase on West St. Soon a small group of guys was way off the front and chasing Hunter P down. Jacinto, Hacker, Eric M, Chris B, and Tall John. Eric M got the best jump in the sprint and came around Hunter P to take the sprint with Jacinto behind. Red lights on the backside brought everyone back together for the ride back into Cheshire.

     Tall John tried to ride away with Chris C on before the underpass, but there was enough guys paying attention to keep it together. The ride back onto Route 10 was unexciting. A good number of guys kept the pace high on Peck and Schoolhouse with no one getting any gaps. Ditto for the first sections of route 10. For the Stop n Shop sprint it was all Zane's up front. Mike McG set a terrific initial leadout, keeping the pace high and leaving the other sprinters fighting for wheels. Koski, and The Sernyak(?) where there as well leaving Eric M in a good spot for the sprint. Jacinto got onto Eric's wheel and those 2 duked it out to the very last meter with being a very close call for who got it.

     The whole group got an unusual amount of green lights thru Cheshire, which kept the loners connected with the bunch and the speeds high going back into Hamden. Props to Silent Steve for handing a flat tire at 30mph with grace and not causing mass destruction. For the finale, after Dillon P, Julio L and Tall Dennis laid out the final kilometer, a small group ( Guido, Nuemotion, Hacker, Eric M, O'Shea and Jacinto ) got free and fought for the corner. A certain Kelt was out of the saddle quite a bit tho so who knows who got this one fair and square. Up the hill, Hunter P, on the tail end of the squatting sprinters group, used the head start to keep out in front of a charging Chris B. Also present were Dillon P, Mountain Man, Tall Dennis, and Koski (!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!? )

       Good ride everyone... Cheers to all for braving the wet weather.

Tuesday the 17th

The Diuretic edition of the SG ride!

Good ride tonight with a decent group out. Good to see Robyn out on the bike hanging with the best of the best ( or something like that ).

     Right as soon as the ride left route 10, Divine Electric moved to the front and layed down a solid pace, stretching things out all the way till over the crap road. Then OttoX and Hacker took over, keeping the pace crisp and well startched for another street's worth. Hunter P and Mike McG were chipping in as well as the Big Nortonowski. Chris C jumped up on North Brookvale and O'Shea, Ciocci, and Koski went with. That four took advantage of the corner and everyone getting back up to speed. They soon had a solid gap heading to Mountain Rd. Behind, the Full Nalini, OttoX, Divine, and others led the chase once it got going.

The break hit Mountain rd with only a few seconds. O'Shea came back to the pack, with Chris C and others still on the gas past the initial risers. The break looked to have a good gap but it seemed like there wasn’t too much alarm in the pack as guys were added up the horsepower up front and behind. Guido doesn't give a flip about what's under your hood and so he jumped up on the second set of risers and took along Hacker. They overhauled the front group and were quickly off on their own. The move was enough to get Eric M off the front and he soon bridged up making it a dangerous 3 up front. For certain that was not going to go unchallenged and the main chase came quickly from Yelle!Snoop. He pulled for a solid 750 meters halving the gap. Mike McG chipped in along with CxChris, A tall new guys in white, Todd H, Joe K and HunterP. Joe K and Hunter P kept it up after the catch with a leadout for the light perhaps in the works. CxChris sees all and was on that move, making it Hunter P, OttoX and CxC the best to catch the light but it was red.

       Hacker timed the light well and went thru at good speed, giving him a great jump on his signature dish, Moss Farms Attackeroni. He worked up a solid 25 second lead as Yelle!Snoop, Guido, OttoX, Divine and a couple of others ramped up the speed. Once things settled down in the chase, Tall Dennis and Todd H jumped off the front and were allowed to close the distance to Hacker, who probably sat up and led the 2 latch on for the long haul. The 3 worked up a gap and hit Marion with 15-20 seconds. Behind Hunter P brought the field up the hill along with OttoX and CxChris.

      Once onto Marion, others jumped in and soon were reeling in the front 3. The break lasted to the highway overpass. For the weekly “sprint to the red light” Eric M once again launched with Chris C. The field wasn't too far behind and the light was red.

      Onto Mount Vernon where the main attack came from Tall John and Larry M who rolled off the front early on and took along Tri Doug. That trio worked up a good gap before Mike Norton tried to bridge by the ski slopes and then Yelle!Snoop decided to attempt an intercept, but got stuck in between. The pace was high leading to the false flat with the gap coming down the whole time. Credit goes to the trio for impressively staying away but it started to break apart after the fast climbing. Behind Joe k and Chris C turned good pulls to bring them close. Guido buttoned things up just after the false flat, riding up and thru the front only to find Tall John the lone guy willing to press on. There were stragglers a-plenty though with no one putting down the bone-crusher. It was bunch together till the Welch and the turnaround.

       Despite several guys keeping the speed respectable on the run in the hill, Hacker had a go off the front but was on his way to being brought back before the corner thanks to Norton, The Seryak, Ciocci, Divine and Mike McG. Chris B led up and thru the corner and was pushing hard to get a gap for West St. He succeeded, hammering out less then 30 meters as Divine led a small group of about 6. Mike McG was the next to surge bringing along only Eric M and Hunter P. Chris B had a long way to go but was still just off the front. Eric M had to close the final gap down as Hunter P wasn't going to chase his teammate. Chris B got caught just in time for the sprint, which Hunter grabbed with room to spare, taking it over Eric M.

       It came back together on the backside and there were no attacks until after 322. Guido and Thomaas B rolled off the front after the light and got onto Peck Lane with a good gap. They were joined by Central Wheel Gary (?) and a new guy in all black, Arizona Joe. The group rolled up Peck and then Sandbank just outta reach of the peleton. As the corner for route 10 came up, it was only Guido and Arizona Joe left, with Chris B successfully bridging up from the pack. Chris B went straight to work, dragging the break up the hill by Cheshire Park and then settling in with all 3 doing good work. Behind, the Zane's leadout train was coming together and the gap looked to be manageable. The peleton just snuck under a light but got stuck at the last one before the sprint, giving the prize to the break for certain. In the break Guido called for a truce but Arizona Joe, with having done only 1other SG ride, was wise to the opportunity and easily got the sprint ahead of a charging Chris B.

       Behind the trio, now split apart by the sprint, a couple of guys were flying across the gap with the long ball in mind, Eric M and Todd H being primary instigators. Eric M rolled thru a red light in the center of town, much the to chagrin of others behind. He was by himself and that does provide a chance for some rule bending but no one seemed to appreciate that this time around. However, it was all Eric needed to strike out on his own to make it back solo. He was not out of view yet when he snuck thru another light, causing more grumbling under breath back in the pack, which seemed to get snagged by more lights then usual this week. Eric M rolled home alone while the pack finished like it usually does. Up the hill, Chris B used great position up front to get a good jump and was easily able to hold back Dillon P, Hunter P and C-Dale Rick.

Tuesday the 10th

We miss the Fantano's

    The ride tonight had a different kind of tone. Right from the parking lot, things were askew a bit with the venerable Mike Norton in attandance here instead of at the Renzlerrr feild training crit.
If they don't want ya, we'll take you Mike!
     Right off route 10, Chris C immediately attacked. Otto X and Hunter P jumped up to join him and right off the bat the ride has the first of a few breakaways. The 3 quickly rung up a gap on the backroads. Behind a chase group was sorting itself out and within a minute, a group ( Eric M, Norton, MoMoney, Tri Doug, Guido and one or 2 others ) came up. That made for a strong group off the front but by the the turn onto North Brooksvale the field behind was starting to work itself out. Jacinto, Guido, a couple of Stage 1 guys, a couple of Zane's guys were setting a good enough tempo to keep it close. On that initial riser tho, Eric M stepped on it leaving the others behind except for Chris C and Hunter P. That trio hammered out a small gap and some traffic in the corner for Mountain road let this new break work up a gap. Behind, Guido was getting antsy and was trying to drum up support for a chase and capture. Tall John was game. In the front group, the 3 worked well, despite some "retarded" pulling.
     When the catch was made, Yelle!Snoop had a dig off the front followed by a couple of guys who didn't help chase the break down at all. ( bad form ). Everyone was content to roll the rest of mountain rd together, except for Dillon P and Jacinto. Dillon took a late dig off the front to try to catch the light and it succeeded. Jacinto was a little under the red but in context it was a fair play. That made for 2 up the road with about a 30 second headstart.
     Moss Farms, in the peleton was standard stuff. The chase didnt really get going until the Chicane. Mostly New Haveners ( Yalies, Ciocci, Thomaas B, MoMoney, The Sernyak ) up front pushing the pace. Up the hill to Marion, Eric M jumped, taking along OttoX, a yalie or 2, Hunter P and Nuemotion. The front of the Peleton started to break up a bit as Eric M charged on alone with Gregg F, Nuemotion and fellow Yalies inbetween. Meanwhile, Jacinto would tackle the hills and Dillon P would roll the rest of the stuff and the duo was working hard to stay away.
    As the peleton rolled over 84, a big dig by Tall John and then by Chris C served to tie things down and round everyone up as the break quickly got into sight. Fortune was up front tonight though as Dillon P and Jacinto just squeaked thru a changing-to-red-light and were gifted another time bonus. Behind the peleton had to deal with a dicky driver in an SUV and Tall John almost became Punching John. Slowly the group got going again and by Mount Vernon, it was back to full gas, thanks to the usuals. Mostly Guido.
    The break ( now soundly in over their heads ) was eventually caught on the False Flat. Suspected counter attacks came from Eric M, Yelle!Snoop, Todd H, Gregg F and a couple of others. No dice though and it was gruppo compacto. Little T looked like he was going to test the waters at the deep end along with a couple of others but no one took the plunge. Leading up to Welch, Mike McG, Guido and MoMoney rolled off the front and were allowed some room. When it came to storm the castle, a few guys set down a good tempo. Norton, Yahor from CCB, Ciocci, Benji, etc all up front and chipping in. Tall John got hold of Chris C and stormed off the front just in time to catch the leading three. Tall John blew the doors off everyone, including his sprinter, giving guys like The Sernyak, Little T, Jacinto, Chris B, Joe K, Eric M, Mike McG, Nuemotion, Ciocci and one or 2 others a chance to get going right before the corner. That led to a sizable group heading off to the sprint, quickly getting ground on the rest. From that Eric M was able to hold off Chris B and Jacinto to get the sprint points. Eric would continue on down the backside. 
     From there the ride resumed normal mode. Guido had actually gotten a flat at the turnaround and Tall John stopped for the assist. The pace up front was mello and the peleton caught a few red lights. Eric M was able to keep his gap all the way to Peck Ln. Once it was all together on back onto Route 10, guys started to cue up for the Stop n Sprint Sprint. A good size group of the usual sprinters rolled thru a red light on Rt10, much to the dismay of everyone behind. About 8 or 9 made it thru and kept going the short distance to the sprint. Behind, the field had no chance of getting back on. Up front, it was still a battle though, this time Little T getting in one last sprint win before a forced vacation off the bike due to wrist surgery. Hopefully it won't be a prolonged one.
    After the Stop n Shop Sprint, Little T and Eric M kept up the pace and were able to secure a gap as the peleton was hit with 3-4 red lights. Those 2 had little problem getting back to Hamden off the front. Up the hill went the usuals ( plus Chris LaSalle holy crap! ). Hunter P gets revenge this week and is the first up the hill.

Tuesday the 3rd

What the heck! Go on vacation people!

     Good crowd out for the ride. A couple of heavy hitters were riding so it was bound to be quick. Things started out mello with Dillon P and Guido being the first to hit out. Divine Electric and Tri Doug also were up there. Chris C jumped once onto North Brooksvale ( just to get that special feeling back ) leading to Eric M off the front for a bit but by Mountain Rd it was all together. Larry M took a good dig up front on the initial parts of Mountain. He was chased down by Divine Electric and the Graham-inator. A small group went clear on the next set of risers when Graham G punched it off the front with a Central Wheel teammate. A couple of guys jumped with them ( Little T, Guido, Ciocci, Summers ) and some guys in the pack chose to sit up a bit. This led to a slightly dangerous looking gap. Hunter P came across it shortly after which got things going in the pack. Chris C hammered up and helped dragged the peleton back up, catching the break with a couple hundred meters left before the light.
      The ride down Moss Farms was a bit slow. Larry M continued hammering the front and was rewarded with a gap that a couple of others jumped in on. The break was allowed to off the front just before the corner. Larry M, Yahor from CCB, Thomaas B, Twin Six, Ciocci, and MoMoney all went thru the chicane and worked up a 100 meter gap. Hunter P jumped across the gap on the hill and got up there quick. The break started a good working rotation but it was a little on the slow side, allowing the pack to bear down as everyone went over 84. Eric M jumped off once the catch was made with CCB and Hunter P continuing with him. Surprise surprise, the light was red so it all came back together though.
      Sean Cahill from Central Wheel attacked as soon as the light was green and sped off toward Mount Vernon. No one was in a hurry to bring him back, although Kyle F jumped to try to bridge the gap. Once onto Mount Vernon things started to get a bit messy. Guys were up, down and in between. Cahill was still nursing a lead and Central Wheel was riding in defense of that when Guido moved up the right side and punched a hole thru the blockade along with Larry M. Guido quickly made tracks to Young Foley and his  surge helped get things going enough to tractor-beam everyone back in time for the false flat. Aidan and his dog Maddy jumped mid-way thru the false flat, taking along Little T. Instead of responding in kind, the front of the peleton went on coffee break. Aidan and T went up the road. Only until the top of the uphill did guys start to go into action mode. Guido, Nuemotion, and Eric M primarily. Those 3 were in-between as still the general response was slow. Chris B went to action, pulling a monster truck pull, followed up by Hunter P, dragging up the pack. Yelle!Snoop, in classic CCNS form, responded with a counter attack that only Guido, Eric M and Hunter P went with at first. There was a couple of seconds were a straw could've broken the collective back of the ride, but instead, things slowed down just enough for everyone to re-group before the corner.
       Guido continued the charge on Welch, with guys lining up behind him to be the first to get popped from the sprint. Sernyak (?) took matters into his own hands and went off the front. Little heed was paid. Everyone rolled up to the hill in formation, and Chris C was the first to dig with Mike McG and Chris B right behind. Once everyone got onto West St, a good sized group was rolling clear with CCB, Eric M, Divine Electric, Ciocci, and Garber-nator joining in late. Eric M got onto Mike McG's wheel and got a good lead out, taking the sprint over Yelle!Snoop and Chris B. Eric tried to recreate the goings on of last week but red lights and more diligent riding from the front stopped anyone from getting a gap for the rest of the ride down West. Aidan tried to get off the front and CCB once again played group-ride police, shutting it down and then settling into tempo. Yelle!Snoop tried to get off the front as everyone went under the highway but that didnt take.
        Nothing to report for the ride back to route 10. Steady tempo and no attacks. CCB, Central Wheel and the usuals making up the workload. The Stop n Sprint was a slug-out between Little T and Eric M, with T taking it. There were no attacks thru Cheshire although Chris B was called on to once again corral a small group off the front. From there it was standard fare back into Hamden with the end being contested by Little T and a bunch of other guys. More noteworthy though is the effective killing style again on display from the Mountain Man, who dispatched an out-of-matches Hunter P and a very non-Sagen-esque MoMoney as if they were cornered hares. Chris B put up a measure of resistance but came up a bit short on the hill.
      Good ride everyone with a fair amount of fireworks for the 4th of July ride! Enjoy the holiday y'all.