"My road racing season is over. Except of course for the SG ride"
The crowd seemed a little light today. Maybe vacations are in full
swing. No one seemed in too much of a rush to get to steppin. Dillon P
rolled off the front right off route 10 and was allowed to go clear.
Julio L would end up start the jump to bridge up but ended up
pulling the rest of the field into action and by the end of the crap
road section, it was all back together again. From there the pace was
solid with the usuals chipping in up front. On Mountain Rd a small
group was started to get a gap, led by Todd H and The Gibertoni but
that was short-lived.
Onto Moss Farms where Jacinto jumped up and was the first to
get going as the rest of the field had some trouble quickly getting
through the messed up road. Hacker would soon make his way up front
as well and that was enough to bring it all back. From there, guys
like Chris C, Mike McG, Hunter P and The Full Nalini drove the pace
thru the Chicane. Chis C and Hunter P led all up the hill to Marion
with Hunter P continuing it fast enough to break off a group of about
4 but the group fell apart with dis-jointed efforts from Hacker and
Hunter P at the very front. The field was bearing down pretty hard
with it being an obvious threat. Once Hunter P was back in the group
Hacker would try a couple more stabs before the light for 322, which
was red.
Once onto Mount Vernon, Guido took off with Gregg F and Rory
D in check and that got things going. No one was attacking so the
pace stayed level all the way to the false flat ( now 4 degrees
straighter! ) and beyond. Danbury Audi took a dig after the
construction section but the speed was too high to escape easily. A
couple of fast guys took to the front as the peleton got close to the
corner for Welch. Hacker, Chris C, Guido, etc. Even still, the pace
on Welch was average and that let Hacker slip free halfway to the
turnaround. He only had a handful of seconds going thru the corner as
there was a long line of guys cued up behind. Julio L, Chris C,
Jacinto, Mike McG and a little farther back was Little T and Todd H.
More strong riding from the Gibertoni as he was up there as well.
Jacinto would end up catching Hacker and there was hesitation as to
who else would join them. That let the 2 slip away and with Jacinto
up at front and setting a strong tempo, Hacker was able to collect
the sprint points with little problem.
As the group came down the backside, there was plenty of guys
ready to get going. Tall John, The Gibertoni, and Hunter P hit the
front looking to sneak away. They got all greens up to Jude Lane,
which is a rarity. The field was right there though so no escape. The
non-stop action was enough to pop a couple of guys though who would
normally use the lights to make a collect call to the front.
Once again Chris C jumped at the light going green by Jude and
this time Hunter P went with him. Those 2 wokred up a gap of maybe 75
meters at max but with a slight headwind, and a chasing pack were not
going to get far. The Gibertoni was right there at the catch and
moved straight on by and was the only one to get thru the changing
light before Atwater. He got straight to work on that gap by himself
and even though the field paused for only a few seconds Gibertoni was
nearly out of sight. Up front Young Keith from the Motoring Mullaly's
was eager to get going and along with Wade B and Hunter P briefly
had a gap on the rest but once Guido decided to step on the gas it
was all back together in chase of the one leader. The Gibertoni held
on all the way to the light, which was green, letting the field slip
by without incident.
From there, the ride onto Peck Lane was uneventful. Dave
Rustico, Julio L and Tall John were up there. Pitching in up front as
well with more stick-his-nose-into-the-wind-riding from Keith
I-broke-my-own-fingers-so-the-shop-would-”moto
route”-my-bike-brakes Mullaly. From there to route 10 it was
normal.
As the ride went by Cheshire Park ( site of Cheshire Cycling's
2013 Cyclocross Extravaganza! ) a small group went clear but it was
brought back as guys like Hacker, Mike McG and Little T squared up
for the sprint. The run-in to the hill was interesting as there were
a lot of guys going pretty hard up front. A couple riders decided to
pull chute at the wrong moment and that gave everyone a little dodge
for your life practice. The sprint was slow at first and contested by
a few guys but Little jumped out in front quickly and hung on. No one
was very close to getting clear thru the center of town. Once again,
almost all green lights for a change and the field was quickly thru
town in chase of Tall Dennis and Julio L who drilled it hard to get
off the front.
The usual fast guys ( and girl! ) on the flats help out up
front and that led to a good sized group gunning for the finale.
Little T jumped out in front but had to pedal extra fast to hold off a
charging Completo Nalino.
Good ride everyone... Be sure to leave your
words of motivational wisdom in the comments section!
Tuesday the 6th
The reluctant highlight of the week. The SG Ride!
Just another Tuesday night right? Nope... It's SG time! And the weather is perfect for a bike ride. Smoke if you got em kids... And there was a good sized group out tonight for the throwdown. The ride had it all, chicks, dicks, guys too fast for the Special Olympics, squirrels, sledgehammers, and the occasional superhero. Let's get it on!
You didn't need to be a genius to sense that something was up as the ride rolled up route 10. Subtle as a sphinx Chris B was at the front. So you know something was going on. Sure enough, pretty much once the ride took the left off route 10, Chris B hit it and took along a dude in a generic jersey. Maybe Nate from Amity? After a couple of moments, Hunter P was up there as well and those 3 started working up a gap. No one was about to let that roll though and by the nasty section on South Brooksvale, it was coming back together. Ciocci, Hacker, Mike McG Chris C, a couple of others chipped in to bring it back. From there the speed stayed higher than normal and got going even a bit more on Mountain Rd. A small group ( Special Ed, Chris C, Ralph A... Do we have a nick name for him yet? and a couple of others) worked their way off the front and were steam rolling a small gap but some big trucks in the road slowed everyone down and reset the peleton. Some guys still were looking to jet off thru the light (Little T, Hunter P) but it was red.
Wreck-it Ralph was the only one to jump on Moss Farms and he was allowed a "send-a-real-warrior-to-our-gates" type gap. The CCB Toss-up was in attendance and in true strong man fashion, hit the front and didnt care to look back. Several others, as expected, responded and followed. Ralph was covered in a moment and for the rest of the way down Moss Farms and up the hill to Marion, the field was strung out with some very hard to cover gaps thrown in there. Probably about 10-15 riders got dropped and didn't have time to recover by the light on 322. Although an exception was made for a couple of riders as the field opted to pause a little bit past the light.
The ride slowly got going again on Mount Vernon with no one putting any real attacks in. Everyone approached the now newly paved section like puppies and kittens.... Once the coast was clear it was ok to play again. Chris C jumped late, along with Hunter P but there was plently of guys to cover it. From there to the corner it was solid pace, with no attacks. Going thru the corner for Welch, Hacker was on the front and running. He got a gap pretty quickly and then Rhino-man, aka Bike Doctor, started off in pursuit. It took a few meters for the front of the peleton to sort itself out but once again, it was CCB up front leading the charge. Hacker would the hit the corner with maybe 20 meters on the field, next thru was Chris B, who would be the first to chase down the Professor. Behind it was a mix of Chris C, Julio L, Hunter P, Mike McG and the Giant of Provence... French Casey. Soon it was Hacker, Chris B, and French Casey up front as the sprinters strapped in. Hunter P led it out, going past the leaders with 100 meters to go. On his wheel was Little T, who came around in enough to time to take it home to the line. French Casey, riding like a man possesed, would briefly lead an attempt to get a gap on the backside but it was all together soon after.
As the ride went by the light for Jude lane, Special Ed jumped off the line hard, taking along Wreck-it Ralph and Chris C. Those 2 snuck off on the downhill and quickly got a gap as no one chased for 20 seconds or so. The response would come eventually, and as the peleton reached the corner, the trio were sneaking thru the light there to get onto Atwater St. The field had to pause a bit there at then at the highway off ramp stop sign, letting the leaders get further up the way. They were working well together and had a solid 25 seconds by the highway underpass, where Guido jumped off the front, followed by Hunter P. That was enough to get a real chase going. The leaders were held up by the light on 322, and as they were getting thru it, the front handful of riders from the peleton also barged thru. It was decided to wait and so the leaders soft-pedaled until the rest came up on Peck Ln. No attacks there to the turn for Route 10.
The pace stayed fast up the hill past Cheshire Park. Hacker was leading a charge off the front along with Mike McG, Tall Dennis, Rory D and a couple of others. Again it was CCB drilling it back. Heading into the sprint, the new building across from the police station has set a new pattern for the traffic light there. It was red as the field plowed into it, forcing the front half to slow way down and pretty much negate the sprinting action. Little T still took it to the line but the light really messed things up. It remains to be seen if this light will be red more than it is green and if so, the Stop n Shop sprint will never be the same.
Heading thru the center of Cheshire, there was plenty of guys who were looking to try and sneak off. Rory D, Ralph, Hunter P, The Gibertoni etc. Once all that blunderbuss got over with it was back to serious riding to get into Hamden. The usual suspects were up there. Credit the ladies on the ride Sarah (and Karen?) for both making it up there when it got going fast. They've been killing it lately! Guido put the icing on the cake, allowing for a few guys to try to snag the last line, Hacker and Little T foremost. Little T gets this one as well. Up the hill went the usual handful of guys. Hunter P took it over Chris B.
Solid ride one and all... Keep working on building up the cajones....chutzpah....fegato.... Whatever you want to call it...... And we'll all have some good rides to look forward to.
Just another Tuesday night right? Nope... It's SG time! And the weather is perfect for a bike ride. Smoke if you got em kids... And there was a good sized group out tonight for the throwdown. The ride had it all, chicks, dicks, guys too fast for the Special Olympics, squirrels, sledgehammers, and the occasional superhero. Let's get it on!
You didn't need to be a genius to sense that something was up as the ride rolled up route 10. Subtle as a sphinx Chris B was at the front. So you know something was going on. Sure enough, pretty much once the ride took the left off route 10, Chris B hit it and took along a dude in a generic jersey. Maybe Nate from Amity? After a couple of moments, Hunter P was up there as well and those 3 started working up a gap. No one was about to let that roll though and by the nasty section on South Brooksvale, it was coming back together. Ciocci, Hacker, Mike McG Chris C, a couple of others chipped in to bring it back. From there the speed stayed higher than normal and got going even a bit more on Mountain Rd. A small group ( Special Ed, Chris C, Ralph A... Do we have a nick name for him yet? and a couple of others) worked their way off the front and were steam rolling a small gap but some big trucks in the road slowed everyone down and reset the peleton. Some guys still were looking to jet off thru the light (Little T, Hunter P) but it was red.
Wreck-it Ralph was the only one to jump on Moss Farms and he was allowed a "send-a-real-warrior-to-our-gates" type gap. The CCB Toss-up was in attendance and in true strong man fashion, hit the front and didnt care to look back. Several others, as expected, responded and followed. Ralph was covered in a moment and for the rest of the way down Moss Farms and up the hill to Marion, the field was strung out with some very hard to cover gaps thrown in there. Probably about 10-15 riders got dropped and didn't have time to recover by the light on 322. Although an exception was made for a couple of riders as the field opted to pause a little bit past the light.
The ride slowly got going again on Mount Vernon with no one putting any real attacks in. Everyone approached the now newly paved section like puppies and kittens.... Once the coast was clear it was ok to play again. Chris C jumped late, along with Hunter P but there was plently of guys to cover it. From there to the corner it was solid pace, with no attacks. Going thru the corner for Welch, Hacker was on the front and running. He got a gap pretty quickly and then Rhino-man, aka Bike Doctor, started off in pursuit. It took a few meters for the front of the peleton to sort itself out but once again, it was CCB up front leading the charge. Hacker would the hit the corner with maybe 20 meters on the field, next thru was Chris B, who would be the first to chase down the Professor. Behind it was a mix of Chris C, Julio L, Hunter P, Mike McG and the Giant of Provence... French Casey. Soon it was Hacker, Chris B, and French Casey up front as the sprinters strapped in. Hunter P led it out, going past the leaders with 100 meters to go. On his wheel was Little T, who came around in enough to time to take it home to the line. French Casey, riding like a man possesed, would briefly lead an attempt to get a gap on the backside but it was all together soon after.
As the ride went by the light for Jude lane, Special Ed jumped off the line hard, taking along Wreck-it Ralph and Chris C. Those 2 snuck off on the downhill and quickly got a gap as no one chased for 20 seconds or so. The response would come eventually, and as the peleton reached the corner, the trio were sneaking thru the light there to get onto Atwater St. The field had to pause a bit there at then at the highway off ramp stop sign, letting the leaders get further up the way. They were working well together and had a solid 25 seconds by the highway underpass, where Guido jumped off the front, followed by Hunter P. That was enough to get a real chase going. The leaders were held up by the light on 322, and as they were getting thru it, the front handful of riders from the peleton also barged thru. It was decided to wait and so the leaders soft-pedaled until the rest came up on Peck Ln. No attacks there to the turn for Route 10.
The pace stayed fast up the hill past Cheshire Park. Hacker was leading a charge off the front along with Mike McG, Tall Dennis, Rory D and a couple of others. Again it was CCB drilling it back. Heading into the sprint, the new building across from the police station has set a new pattern for the traffic light there. It was red as the field plowed into it, forcing the front half to slow way down and pretty much negate the sprinting action. Little T still took it to the line but the light really messed things up. It remains to be seen if this light will be red more than it is green and if so, the Stop n Shop sprint will never be the same.
Heading thru the center of Cheshire, there was plenty of guys who were looking to try and sneak off. Rory D, Ralph, Hunter P, The Gibertoni etc. Once all that blunderbuss got over with it was back to serious riding to get into Hamden. The usual suspects were up there. Credit the ladies on the ride Sarah (and Karen?) for both making it up there when it got going fast. They've been killing it lately! Guido put the icing on the cake, allowing for a few guys to try to snag the last line, Hacker and Little T foremost. Little T gets this one as well. Up the hill went the usual handful of guys. Hunter P took it over Chris B.
Solid ride one and all... Keep working on building up the cajones....chutzpah....fegato.... Whatever you want to call it...... And we'll all have some good rides to look forward to.
Tuesday the 30th
Long loop or die
Glorious glorious day. Perfect weather AND the return of Hacker. Although he brought back one of those "euro" helmets and like the girl that developed before everyone else in 6th grade, the boys didn't quite know how to deal with it today. Pretty soon surely everyone is going to want cup a feel. At any rate, the ride rolled out amidst murmurs of how the peleton was going to deal with the worsening situation on Mount Vernon rd.
The usual doods and a new BMC pushed the pace thru the backroads and with little regard for safety, the ride blew thru the crap road section... Flat #1 on the day. ( hope everyone was invested in petrochemicals and\or rubber producing heavy industry ).
Onto Mountain rd where there was some brief gaps opened up, mostly at the behest of Hacker, but it stayed together. The pace stayed high all the way to route 68 with Ciocci peeking out and looking to snooker the light. Little T followed suit but low n behold, the light was green, allowing everyone thru. Hunter P jetted off the front and onto Moss Farms with a gap. Road work there made it slow for the field, fast for the leaders. Max from CVC rolled off in pursuit, taking along Young Suto. They got up there with Hunter P and with another group ( Chris C, Ciocci, Hacker, Nuemotion and one or 2 others ) making the bridge up to the trio. That made for a pretty solid group charging toward the chicane. Behind the peleton was ramping up and not allowing much room. Little T, Guido, Joe K, Bike Doctor, and even a couple of new faces chipped in helped limit the losses. By the road up to Marion it was all back together. Little T jumped on the rider there, taking along Chris C and Ciocci. That trio held a gap for a little while but by the turn for the short loop, it was all back together and the field was given a chance to regroup before the light on 322.
As soon as that light went green, Chris C and Joe K took off. Response was slow at first as the field become obviously more concerned with the road conditions up ahead. That allowed for the 2 to build up a quick gap. One team that was missing the front spotlight was Central Wheel. Rory D and Ralph Rouleur took off to bridge the gap. The speed got going eventually in the peleton, erasing the Central Wheel advantage. The gap to Chris C and Joe K would take longer to peg back and it was the construction on the false flat that ended their run. Rory D would be hit with an immediate flat and right away guys ( and girls ) were stumbling to their feet in the new gravel layer. It made for a long slog thru the section. At least 4 flats during the gravel and one right after. The peleton would end up soft pedaling for a mile or so as it took some riders much longer to get thru the gravel and no one wanted to be guilty of leaving those behind right away. Even still, a couple of riders resorted to taking a shortcut. Needless to say, there will be real protest next week if the road hasn't been repaved by then.
The ride got going about half a mile out from the corner to Welch. Everyone picked up tempo without too much fuss and it was Ralph A taking up the pace making for the first sections. Joe k followed it up for the 2nd half, giving Little T a good launchpad. His jump was quick enough to get a gap at first but soon Hacker was on it with Chris C on his wheel, only a few bikes behind Little T. It soon became a 2 horse race to the line with Little T getting over the top of Hacker at the very end. Those 2 stayed on it but it was all together soon afterward.
The pace stayed crisp all the way back over 322 and up peck. No one put in any real attacks. Getting close to Route 10, action ensued when Hacker attacked right into the corner (crit racing 101 ). The attitude and response to that move was "metered" at best. Admittedly it did look quite dangerous although the Professor certainly had damage control worked out well before the corner. Some words of disapproval waved through the pack. Hacker used the chance and kept the gap going up the hill past the prison, despite a few guys putting in some solid pulls up front. A small group loyal to the principles of Animated Riding / Attacking Style made their way off the front with Hacker but inexplicably the lights went out of that move ( at a red light ) before the Stop n Shop sprint. ( remorse perhaps??? Naaaaaah ). The start back up to speed for the sprint was labored. A bunch of guys used the opportunity to show their claws.... Mike McG, The Sernyak, The Full Nalini etc. It was all playing-cards to Little T, who video-gamed his way off the front and up the hill in plenty of time to take the sprint.
The ride thru Cheshire was made interesting by a couple of yellow lights, and the guys who sped thru them. Still, it was all together into Hamden at an ok pace. Guido took the reins with a click and a half left and powered off the front, taking along Hacker and the Sernyak. He shot them off on their own with a bit of a gap but the field was revving up and getting ready for the finale. Mike McG and Dillon P emptied the tanks and that was followed up by strong pulls from Chappy and Todd H. Someone is going to have to fill in the blanks as for who took the sit n sprint.
Good ride everyone! Kinda..... Thanks for being good sports!
Glorious glorious day. Perfect weather AND the return of Hacker. Although he brought back one of those "euro" helmets and like the girl that developed before everyone else in 6th grade, the boys didn't quite know how to deal with it today. Pretty soon surely everyone is going to want cup a feel. At any rate, the ride rolled out amidst murmurs of how the peleton was going to deal with the worsening situation on Mount Vernon rd.
The usual doods and a new BMC pushed the pace thru the backroads and with little regard for safety, the ride blew thru the crap road section... Flat #1 on the day. ( hope everyone was invested in petrochemicals and\or rubber producing heavy industry ).
Onto Mountain rd where there was some brief gaps opened up, mostly at the behest of Hacker, but it stayed together. The pace stayed high all the way to route 68 with Ciocci peeking out and looking to snooker the light. Little T followed suit but low n behold, the light was green, allowing everyone thru. Hunter P jetted off the front and onto Moss Farms with a gap. Road work there made it slow for the field, fast for the leaders. Max from CVC rolled off in pursuit, taking along Young Suto. They got up there with Hunter P and with another group ( Chris C, Ciocci, Hacker, Nuemotion and one or 2 others ) making the bridge up to the trio. That made for a pretty solid group charging toward the chicane. Behind the peleton was ramping up and not allowing much room. Little T, Guido, Joe K, Bike Doctor, and even a couple of new faces chipped in helped limit the losses. By the road up to Marion it was all back together. Little T jumped on the rider there, taking along Chris C and Ciocci. That trio held a gap for a little while but by the turn for the short loop, it was all back together and the field was given a chance to regroup before the light on 322.
As soon as that light went green, Chris C and Joe K took off. Response was slow at first as the field become obviously more concerned with the road conditions up ahead. That allowed for the 2 to build up a quick gap. One team that was missing the front spotlight was Central Wheel. Rory D and Ralph Rouleur took off to bridge the gap. The speed got going eventually in the peleton, erasing the Central Wheel advantage. The gap to Chris C and Joe K would take longer to peg back and it was the construction on the false flat that ended their run. Rory D would be hit with an immediate flat and right away guys ( and girls ) were stumbling to their feet in the new gravel layer. It made for a long slog thru the section. At least 4 flats during the gravel and one right after. The peleton would end up soft pedaling for a mile or so as it took some riders much longer to get thru the gravel and no one wanted to be guilty of leaving those behind right away. Even still, a couple of riders resorted to taking a shortcut. Needless to say, there will be real protest next week if the road hasn't been repaved by then.
The ride got going about half a mile out from the corner to Welch. Everyone picked up tempo without too much fuss and it was Ralph A taking up the pace making for the first sections. Joe k followed it up for the 2nd half, giving Little T a good launchpad. His jump was quick enough to get a gap at first but soon Hacker was on it with Chris C on his wheel, only a few bikes behind Little T. It soon became a 2 horse race to the line with Little T getting over the top of Hacker at the very end. Those 2 stayed on it but it was all together soon afterward.
The pace stayed crisp all the way back over 322 and up peck. No one put in any real attacks. Getting close to Route 10, action ensued when Hacker attacked right into the corner (crit racing 101 ). The attitude and response to that move was "metered" at best. Admittedly it did look quite dangerous although the Professor certainly had damage control worked out well before the corner. Some words of disapproval waved through the pack. Hacker used the chance and kept the gap going up the hill past the prison, despite a few guys putting in some solid pulls up front. A small group loyal to the principles of Animated Riding / Attacking Style made their way off the front with Hacker but inexplicably the lights went out of that move ( at a red light ) before the Stop n Shop sprint. ( remorse perhaps??? Naaaaaah ). The start back up to speed for the sprint was labored. A bunch of guys used the opportunity to show their claws.... Mike McG, The Sernyak, The Full Nalini etc. It was all playing-cards to Little T, who video-gamed his way off the front and up the hill in plenty of time to take the sprint.
The ride thru Cheshire was made interesting by a couple of yellow lights, and the guys who sped thru them. Still, it was all together into Hamden at an ok pace. Guido took the reins with a click and a half left and powered off the front, taking along Hacker and the Sernyak. He shot them off on their own with a bit of a gap but the field was revving up and getting ready for the finale. Mike McG and Dillon P emptied the tanks and that was followed up by strong pulls from Chappy and Todd H. Someone is going to have to fill in the blanks as for who took the sit n sprint.
Good ride everyone! Kinda..... Thanks for being good sports!
Tuesday the 23rd
Aren't you glad you rode tonight?
The passing thunderstorms kept the
field on the light side tonight. By ride time thought, the rain had stopped for the most
part and as everyone headed further north, the roads were dryer and
dryer...
Chris C was up front as soon the flag
dropped. Mike McG was there as well the Gibertoni to make sure he
wouldn't sneak off. The ride mostly was quiet for the first several
miles. No one was attacking on the early on. A disruption in the
paceline up front as the ride got closer to the light on route 68
triggered a shift response and a few guys jumped up to try to nab the
lihgt. It was green all the way and everyone made it thru no problem.
Construction on the first part of Moss Farms closed everyone down and
it took a little while to get back going again.
Once it did, guys like Ciocci.
RalpheeBaby Allen, Nuemotion and a couple of others were pushing the
pace and got a bit of a gap but it was all together for the rest of
the way to the Chicane. Chris C upped the ante on the riser up to
Marion and a few guys followed him.... Pescatori, Ciocci, Hunter P,
Special Ed, etc. Again, gaps were few and far between, although Chris
C and Special Ed looked to keep the hammer down as the ride went by
the turn for the short loop. They had help from The Best-Looking-Ralph-Ever, and Hunter P. Gruppo Compacto to the light on 322.
After the light, it slowed down a
bit and everyone recollected. It took a but to get going again and
Guido ( good to see him back ) was ever so patient with the ride as
the field lolly-gagged its way to the construction zone. The more
delicate guys in the field held sway and it was declared a neutral
section thru the dirt road. Guido helped spark interest in going fast
once everyone got thru the dirt and had a chance to wipe down their
Asian-made plastic bikes. From there it was fast as a few guys hit
the front running ( Rusty, Chris C, Nuemotion, Rory D, Mountain Man,
etc ). As the ride came up on the turnaround, Ciocci ride off and was
allowed to go. Chris B then poked out of the field and quickly took a
gap in the crucial 150 meters before the corner to Welch. The only
one to go with him was Hunter P and the 2 rolled off a gap, went up
and over Ciocci and extended it nearly the whole way to the hill
thanks to Chris B's blatant disregard for the sprint coming up.
Behind the peleton seemed content with letting the chips fall as they
may, giving the break the chance to fall short. Chris C and Ralph A?
did jet off the front right before the hill kicked. Up front, the 2
leaders worked well together and Hunter P easily got the points as
Chris B didn’t contest after being the early afterburners for the
escape.
The ride came back together on the
backside without any incident or anyone thinking about attacking.
Chris C did seem feisty during a couple of moments but the field was
attentive or the lights were red, keeping everyone together. Together
aaaaaaaaall the way back into Cheshire and over 322. The pace was
tempo at best. Guido again picked up the slack up front on a couple
of occasions. Going up the false flat on Peck, no real action... The
ride has gotten too friendly as of late. More people need to be less
concerned with looking like they are calm and composed and actually
try to fight their way off the front.
The run in to the Stop n Shop
sprint was fast, with a few guys getting an early jump, ( Ciocci,
Nuemotion, Chris C, The Full Nalini, etc ) Chris B was back at it and
this time he brought Little T up across the gap, T had little problem
taking it over Chris C and the 1 or 2 others that put up a fight.
Moving thru Cheshire was uneventful, as an early red light let all
catch back on and gave no one the chance to sneak off.
Once past all the lights, Ciocci
fired things up on the front and then Guido continued pulling the
field single file. It settled down but with the smaller field left on
the road, the battle for the sit n sprint would end up shredding the
peleton. The Full Nalini.The Gibertoni, and Little T ended up in
front of the remains, with T taking it with a last minute surge,
coming out of the Gibertoni's shadow. Up the hill chris B took it
over Mountain Man, Hunter P, and the Gibertoni.
Good ride everyone!
Tuesday the 16th
One of those weeks....
The SG ride seemingly came back from vacation today with a good sized crowd out. Good to see several new faces out today. Still missing Hacker and Guido but soon enough they will be back. The ride got going pretty soon after route 10 and by the crap road section it was full gas. Mike McG led the field thru there at a good clip but there was no real attacks to try and break the front. As the ride was barreling toward Mountain Rd, a small group was pushing off the front led by Ryan RazzleDazzle Serbel from Aetna, new rider L.A. recently moved in from Cali, Max from CVC, Rusty, and Timmy Hip. Timmy Hip was rockin hiking shoes / MTBike clod hoppers today but still managed to mix it up in the front when he wasn't blowing by corners. Maybe the shoes are a new type of resistance training among the hipster elite. Sure enough, with no one calling out "take a left you turkeys" that handful of riders blew by Mountain Rd. They didnt all make it back to the peleton despite a general slow-down for a unusually generous 100 meters or so.
There was plenty of firepower up front heading down Mountain Rd with a bunch getting involved up front. A small group was breaking free by the second set of risers but it was soon back together again. Dillon P once again lined up the troops for a fast run at the light but gaps formed and he ended up leading no one out. The light was red as red gets anyway. The speed slowly got going on Moss Farms, giving Young Suto, Spencer from Yale, Special Ed and one more a chance to ride free. The responce was slow with a couple of riders trying to get a bridge going ( Ciocci, Mike McG, Tall Dennis, Danbury Audi, etc ) The gap held up to the corner and then the Chicane. Once on the hill to Marion, Chris C led the charge and came up and thru to the group, taking along Ciocci with him. That made a pretty solid group up the road by 50 or so meters. The gap would slowly come back down and by the turn for the short loop, it was all back together. Hunter P countered with an attack, taking along a new rider from Central Wheel but that was short lived after the newbie shut off the throttle.
Mount Vernon was slow to start and a Yalie ( CXC Chris?! ) took advantage by slipping off the front for a while. He dangled out there until the run-in to the false flat which is still an eighth mile of packed dirt and gravel. The ride slowed up for the narrow passage over the dirt but near the front and stomping it was Joe K. Close behind and bridging up was Gregg F and Hunter P. Those 3 made it out of the sector at speed and with a gap and went to work on the Team Time Trial. Behind, the pace quickly got back up to speed after the crappy road and the strong guys in the peleton went to high alert with the threat up the road building a gap. Mike McG, Special Ed, Little T, Rusty, The Gibertoni, Spencer etc. Several involved in a fast chase. The gap held up nearly to the turnaround, Special Ed jumped out at the last moment to bridge and try to coax a counter but it was it all coming back together.
Going into the corner for Welch a new guy in a Zane's kit who's done the ride a couple of times but has been racing a lot this year dove a bit too hard and snapped his wheel out from under him. He went down hard. Everyone stopped. It took a little bit to ascertain the damage. Hopefully he is not that hurt. He rang the ol bell a bit and got a little scraped up but was on his way to remounting and riding it off when the first shifts of the bike drove the rear derailleur into the spokes and tore the hanger off. That made for a further delay and eventually one rider ( Andy Lawson? ) elected to stay with him and wait for vehicular transport. Again, hope he is ok and back up near the front soon!
The pace picked up slowly after that. Some guys had already elected to ride on, some detoured home, and still others who were backtracking for whatever reason where stymied in the search for the missing peleton. Eventually, after 20 minutes or so, it was all back together, heading south on Atwater. Ryan S was back in the fold as well as Max and that seemed to motivate the pace up front a bit. It didnt get going though till Peck Lane when Young Suto, Alec C, Thomaas B, and Spencer? got off the front early on. That was soon brought on the false flat with Mike McG, Max, and Ryan S driving the front. That would split off a dangerous group of 5 or 6 heading over the old train tracks and toward route 10. The response from the field was swift and it was all together for the corner back onto Route 10.
The pace stayed high though as the run-in to the Stop n Shop sprint came up quick. Chris C lead out all but behind him directly was the new Central Wheel rider and Serbel, both pretty much unawares of the sprint point. They did their best at responding when Little T and Jacinto came shooting by but it was a 2 man dance to the line with T staying out in front of Jacinto just barely. Those 2 kept up a gap heading into the center of town and would be joined by the new Central Wheel rider (name?) and Hunter P. That made for aa group of 4 with a gap, although Jacinto would drop off, making it 3. That trio would get some breathing room when a couple of red light stopping the field. Once it got going again past the center of town, it got quick again on the front. The leading 3 would work well into Hamden but broke apart with about 750 meters to go as the peleton came into view and was bearing down hard on the front. Little T just barely escaped Ciocci and The Gibertoni, who had distanced themselves after a solid leadouts from Dillon P and Mike McG. Up the hill was mostly stragglers and Chris B was the first to the top to claim that prize.
The SG ride seemingly came back from vacation today with a good sized crowd out. Good to see several new faces out today. Still missing Hacker and Guido but soon enough they will be back. The ride got going pretty soon after route 10 and by the crap road section it was full gas. Mike McG led the field thru there at a good clip but there was no real attacks to try and break the front. As the ride was barreling toward Mountain Rd, a small group was pushing off the front led by Ryan RazzleDazzle Serbel from Aetna, new rider L.A. recently moved in from Cali, Max from CVC, Rusty, and Timmy Hip. Timmy Hip was rockin hiking shoes / MTBike clod hoppers today but still managed to mix it up in the front when he wasn't blowing by corners. Maybe the shoes are a new type of resistance training among the hipster elite. Sure enough, with no one calling out "take a left you turkeys" that handful of riders blew by Mountain Rd. They didnt all make it back to the peleton despite a general slow-down for a unusually generous 100 meters or so.
There was plenty of firepower up front heading down Mountain Rd with a bunch getting involved up front. A small group was breaking free by the second set of risers but it was soon back together again. Dillon P once again lined up the troops for a fast run at the light but gaps formed and he ended up leading no one out. The light was red as red gets anyway. The speed slowly got going on Moss Farms, giving Young Suto, Spencer from Yale, Special Ed and one more a chance to ride free. The responce was slow with a couple of riders trying to get a bridge going ( Ciocci, Mike McG, Tall Dennis, Danbury Audi, etc ) The gap held up to the corner and then the Chicane. Once on the hill to Marion, Chris C led the charge and came up and thru to the group, taking along Ciocci with him. That made a pretty solid group up the road by 50 or so meters. The gap would slowly come back down and by the turn for the short loop, it was all back together. Hunter P countered with an attack, taking along a new rider from Central Wheel but that was short lived after the newbie shut off the throttle.
Mount Vernon was slow to start and a Yalie ( CXC Chris?! ) took advantage by slipping off the front for a while. He dangled out there until the run-in to the false flat which is still an eighth mile of packed dirt and gravel. The ride slowed up for the narrow passage over the dirt but near the front and stomping it was Joe K. Close behind and bridging up was Gregg F and Hunter P. Those 3 made it out of the sector at speed and with a gap and went to work on the Team Time Trial. Behind, the pace quickly got back up to speed after the crappy road and the strong guys in the peleton went to high alert with the threat up the road building a gap. Mike McG, Special Ed, Little T, Rusty, The Gibertoni, Spencer etc. Several involved in a fast chase. The gap held up nearly to the turnaround, Special Ed jumped out at the last moment to bridge and try to coax a counter but it was it all coming back together.
Going into the corner for Welch a new guy in a Zane's kit who's done the ride a couple of times but has been racing a lot this year dove a bit too hard and snapped his wheel out from under him. He went down hard. Everyone stopped. It took a little bit to ascertain the damage. Hopefully he is not that hurt. He rang the ol bell a bit and got a little scraped up but was on his way to remounting and riding it off when the first shifts of the bike drove the rear derailleur into the spokes and tore the hanger off. That made for a further delay and eventually one rider ( Andy Lawson? ) elected to stay with him and wait for vehicular transport. Again, hope he is ok and back up near the front soon!
The pace picked up slowly after that. Some guys had already elected to ride on, some detoured home, and still others who were backtracking for whatever reason where stymied in the search for the missing peleton. Eventually, after 20 minutes or so, it was all back together, heading south on Atwater. Ryan S was back in the fold as well as Max and that seemed to motivate the pace up front a bit. It didnt get going though till Peck Lane when Young Suto, Alec C, Thomaas B, and Spencer? got off the front early on. That was soon brought on the false flat with Mike McG, Max, and Ryan S driving the front. That would split off a dangerous group of 5 or 6 heading over the old train tracks and toward route 10. The response from the field was swift and it was all together for the corner back onto Route 10.
The pace stayed high though as the run-in to the Stop n Shop sprint came up quick. Chris C lead out all but behind him directly was the new Central Wheel rider and Serbel, both pretty much unawares of the sprint point. They did their best at responding when Little T and Jacinto came shooting by but it was a 2 man dance to the line with T staying out in front of Jacinto just barely. Those 2 kept up a gap heading into the center of town and would be joined by the new Central Wheel rider (name?) and Hunter P. That made for aa group of 4 with a gap, although Jacinto would drop off, making it 3. That trio would get some breathing room when a couple of red light stopping the field. Once it got going again past the center of town, it got quick again on the front. The leading 3 would work well into Hamden but broke apart with about 750 meters to go as the peleton came into view and was bearing down hard on the front. Little T just barely escaped Ciocci and The Gibertoni, who had distanced themselves after a solid leadouts from Dillon P and Mike McG. Up the hill was mostly stragglers and Chris B was the first to the top to claim that prize.
Tuesday the 9th
The ride that never takes no vacation!
A slightly smaller than the usual crowd out tonight for the ride. Vacations and injuries ( heal up quick Guido! ) taking the toll on attendance. It was also a special night up the 'Rent so there were a few SG regulars up there... But they ( and others who rarely venture south to Throwdown ) will surely be checking this write-up so which is the better ride???
Anyway, the ride was kicked off by Dillon P, Mountain man and Peter K. The field kept up a decent clip to Mountain Rd where it kicked it up a bit thanks to a lot of guys cycling thru the front. The peleton came up to the light on 68 and made it thru without any drama which kept the speed up for Moss Farms. The usual suspects led the way thru the Chicane and up to Marion.... Mike McG, Special Ed, Nathan C, and Little T as well.
Once onto Mount Vernon it was more Mike McG and Special Ed, trying to spur everyone else on while simultaneously looking for a opportunity to get off the front. The field was riding no-nonsense tonight though and it was mostly all together. The road construction on the false flat section helped tamp down any would-be attackers as the ride went thru the now 200 meters of dirt at a safe, neutral pace.... Let's all pat ourselves on the back for being reasonable bike riders!
Once it got going again, all eyes fixed on the turn-around... And without anyone to upset the script, Little T walked away with it with little fuss. Chris B tried to sneak one but to no avail. Once everyone got up and over the hill, the speed slowed a bit and the ride back over 322 and into Cheshire was slower than usual. Fast forward to the Stop n Shop sprint cause there was little action till then. Jacinto has been on a tear lately with the sprint there and maybe got a bit a little too eager to nab another. He ended up leading out Little T textbook style and had to settle for runner-up.
From there the ride got a pleasant dose of green lights heading back into Hamden and the Po-Po left everyone alone. Yay again for the SG ride. No accidents, crashes, or intervention from law enforcement... Can the Renshlerrr race say that?!
Little T took the end sit n sprint and up the hill Chris B nabs a prize for the night, going up and over Mountain Man.
Hopefully the ride is back at it's full YEE-HAW strength next week.
A slightly smaller than the usual crowd out tonight for the ride. Vacations and injuries ( heal up quick Guido! ) taking the toll on attendance. It was also a special night up the 'Rent so there were a few SG regulars up there... But they ( and others who rarely venture south to Throwdown ) will surely be checking this write-up so which is the better ride???
Anyway, the ride was kicked off by Dillon P, Mountain man and Peter K. The field kept up a decent clip to Mountain Rd where it kicked it up a bit thanks to a lot of guys cycling thru the front. The peleton came up to the light on 68 and made it thru without any drama which kept the speed up for Moss Farms. The usual suspects led the way thru the Chicane and up to Marion.... Mike McG, Special Ed, Nathan C, and Little T as well.
Once onto Mount Vernon it was more Mike McG and Special Ed, trying to spur everyone else on while simultaneously looking for a opportunity to get off the front. The field was riding no-nonsense tonight though and it was mostly all together. The road construction on the false flat section helped tamp down any would-be attackers as the ride went thru the now 200 meters of dirt at a safe, neutral pace.... Let's all pat ourselves on the back for being reasonable bike riders!
Once it got going again, all eyes fixed on the turn-around... And without anyone to upset the script, Little T walked away with it with little fuss. Chris B tried to sneak one but to no avail. Once everyone got up and over the hill, the speed slowed a bit and the ride back over 322 and into Cheshire was slower than usual. Fast forward to the Stop n Shop sprint cause there was little action till then. Jacinto has been on a tear lately with the sprint there and maybe got a bit a little too eager to nab another. He ended up leading out Little T textbook style and had to settle for runner-up.
From there the ride got a pleasant dose of green lights heading back into Hamden and the Po-Po left everyone alone. Yay again for the SG ride. No accidents, crashes, or intervention from law enforcement... Can the Renshlerrr race say that?!
Little T took the end sit n sprint and up the hill Chris B nabs a prize for the night, going up and over Mountain Man.
Hopefully the ride is back at it's full YEE-HAW strength next week.
Tuesday the 3rd
Safety check required?
It was one of those weird kind of rides
tonight. The weather held out it and it was as nice as it been for any week
so far this year. There was a decent size crowd out for the ride. Good to see
Alec C back on the back after taking a few weeks to heal up after
being "curbed" by a car. The usual suspects got things going once off
route 10. Mike McG took a good pull to stretch things out thru the
crap road section and that led to Owen F and Hunter P getting a gap
that didnt last too long. Chris C stepping up in the role of
bridge-ehh-chase-ehh-just-go-hard. From there things stayed quick up to
Mountain Rd. A late surge on the initial risers there spit a group
off the front. Mike McG, Hutner P, Paul Casey, a Bikers Edge rider
and one other. Despite some good speed from the group it was brought
back soon after. From there it was fast with the tailwind heading to
the light. Late on Mountain, Dillon P kept the pace
high at the very front for a little longer than what's usual for the
ride, giving Hunter P a chance to jump off in a good spot
to perhaps get the light. Along for the ride was Tall John and
Special Ed. Sure enough the light showed green for longer than usual,
probably thanks to the 2 cars that were there tripping the sensor.
Hunter P, Tall John, Special Ed made it thru clean and in the gap to
the peleton was Little T, Chris C, and Rory D. Those 3 squeezed thru
the light and the rest of the peleton stopped and waved bye bye to the
group of 6.
The leaders jumped right into
breakaway mode, although even early on, a couple of the riders were
skipping pulls. The pace up to 322 in the lead group was solid, if
not slightly unimpressive. Behind in the field, the strong guys left in
the group who were feeling left out got straight to to the task of
upping the pace to try to mount a chase. Nuemotion, Guido, The CCB
Toss-up, Jacinto and Mike McG foremost among them. The break was in sight as the peleton stopped for the red light on 322 but it was still going to take some strong riding to bring it back.
Nothing much to report on either side
of the ride for the next few miles. In the peleton, a couple of noteworthy turns up or off the front were had by Joe K, Nathan C, Yalie Adam and Ciocci. In the break, Special Ed, his own best client,
apparently reached the prescribed riding for the day and decided to
peel off halfway down Mount Vernon. That left the lion's share of the
work to Little T, Chris C and Hunter P. No deal was struck
approaching the turnaround, no breakaway truce made, so the speed
went down as guys were eyeing each other or trying to collect
themselves for the fireworks. The break was still out of sight on
Mount Vernon, but once on Welch, the peleton could see the riders up
ahead, which definitely put some more motivation in the pedals.
For the sprint, Chris C, Hunter P and
Little T took turns with Hunter P ending up in front for the last
section. He tried the ol surprise jump from a little too far away,
off the front, and it was enough to get a quick gap on Little T with
a solid 175-250 meters to go. T clawed back but a late surge kept
Hunter P in front by half a bike. Behind, Mike McG has rocketed off
the front and was alone for a while, quickly making up the gap. Joe K
and Chris B tried to team up on the chase and that got the rest of
the field going. The leaders slowed to led the rest of the break come
back but instead of the 2 guys, it was the whole field bearing down
and so gruppo compacto once again and the elusive long bomb breakaway
stays out of reach for another week.
The ride back from there was
uninteresting and slow-ish in the headwind. Chris C stayed up there
and Guido rescued the pace at a couple of points heading back to 322.
There was no full stop at the changing light there which made for
some abrupt breaking, shouting and wheel molesting. Couple of guys
went down but it was more like a mountain bike dab with a little game
of twister thrown in. That slowed things down and it took a little
while to get going again.... Long enough to not have anything to say
about the ride till the Stop n Shop Sprint. Guido, Paul Casey and
Mike McG were up there driving it along. Jacinto snuck up at the last
moment and jumped hard, taking along Mike McG. Mike put in a good
sprint but Jacinto get this one for the second week in a row.
The only interesting part of the ride
back from there was the unscheduled pit stop the group made for
Cheshire's tallest police officer. He kindly reminded the group that
2 abreast is the law and that anyone who rides a full Proteam kit
with matching bike needs to have the legs ( and twitter followers )
to back that up. Seriously though, he makes a good point. Let's take
this moment to thank whatever residents of Cheshire ,Southington, (
and their Police forces ) that put up with our crap every Tuesday
night. You all are the best. We are just a bunch of sissy bike rides... And some of us can't even do that very well. Let's all try to ride more civil-like while in the center of
town.
Back to the ride where it again took a
while to get going. The finale was Little T up against Guido, who was a little late to
the party. The Full Nalini, Thomaas B, Ciocci (?), Rusty, and Paul Casey were
up there in the mix but Little T gets this over the hard charging German. He gets rewarded for this
by promptly being taken out by the flying squirrel by the bike trail crossing. No real harm
done. Though it was a weird way to end up a weird night. Up the hill
Mountain Man and Tall Dennis started things out, Chris B took over,
and then Hunter P sprinted all else to the top.
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