Welcome to Belgium
Another bumbakotch weather day means a low turnout means grumpy Chris C means little places to hide in the pack. 15-20 guys were out and set off. The usual
suspects, a few CCR guys, the Stop n shop skeleton crew, a couple of new haveners, and a new guy from Yale. After pleasantries
and a quick debate about next week’s transition to the long loop we were
rolling.
The ride started out with a proper amount of mellow in everyone's tires. On Brooksvale Chris C upped the
pace just after the Gingerbread house. Mike McG and The Gibertoni joined
him. It came back all together after a neutralized corner onto Mountain rd. Quite sketchy. Soon after it was vol-gas once again. With the group widdling
quickly under the pressure, all the Easter prayers in the world couldn’t save them from the
green light waiting at the end of Mountain.
Joe K, Chris, and Mike hit
it again on Moss Farms but not much cooperation from the front meant that an opportunity for the new Yale guy to head off the front. He was allowed 50 meters before The Gibertoni chased, caught, and went to work up front. The two rode
through the Chicane and the corner of Marion together before Chris C
bridged up. Soon after, with little motivation in the "peleton", Mike McG rode up soon after as the leaders rode into the industrial park. Onto the corner for West Johnson, a
stalled car at the stop sign slowed the group, giving Jacinto and a few others the chance to ride thru and pick up the pace as the jockeying for Reinhard
began. Unfamiliar with the route and being on the front, the new Yale guy headed
straight for route 10 as Jacinto, Neumotion, Chris C, Mike McG tried to
make the turn for the show down. That got the some grumblecakes out of the oven. As Chris C would say "Rule #1 - If you don't know the route, stay off the front". Sometimes it's best to keep the sand outta his shorts new guy but more often than not, it's better to try to tear his legs off. Keep up the great work! We hope the Yalie is back soon to try to up the pace.
For the sprint, Joe K was
creeping behind the front runners and hit the afterburners to go clear to the turn
and take the prize. On the backside, the pace was fast down the hill and through the turn on to
Peck. With the group down to just 7 (Jacinto, Neumotion, Chris C, McG, Joe
K, Kurt D, Gibertoni) the ride back on RT 10
was fair-work with everyone pitching in. For the Stop n Shop sprint, Neumotion took it, jumping out from the wheels at the last moment, which got some more grumblecakes. For the finale, a final few solid pulls from Kurt D, Dillon P, and The Gibertoni left the sprint
to be contested by Chris C, Jacinto and Mike McG with the big guy taking it at the end.
Good ride everyone. Next week, perhaps the long loop??? Let's hear your opinion in the comments.
Tuesday the 8th
Screw the SG Ride. Let's go play
basketball!
Post-Battenkill Depression (PBD
Syndrome) was in full effect tonight. It took a full 2 minutes of
riding off route 10 for Chris C to hit the front and accelerate. It
got things going but overall as the ride had to deal with a devilish
northwest wind, the speed was slow for most of the early miles.
Chris C, Hacker and other College ST
riders tired again to lift the pace on South Brooksvale, but it
stayed together as The Gibertoni and Little T worked hard to close
down gaps heading towards Mountain Rd.
No real attacks of any sort on
Mountain Rd. A new guy on an older Litespeed (name?) speed off and
was looking pretty strong at various points of the first half but he
was roped back in as the ride went by Cornwall Ave. Gregg F sped off
the front as route 68/70 loomed, apparently wise to the fact that the
light would be green. Everyone sped up to go thru with him and the
peleton made it safely through.
Hacker, Jacinto, Chris C, Young Suto
and a couple of others kept up the pressure on Moss Farms. The lack
of a red light on 68/70 meant that some of the smaller elk were still
trying to jump over the fence and were in no position to chase hard
initially on Moss Farms. That meant a small group (Hacker, Nuemotion,
Hunter P, Chris C, Mike McG, Special Ed, Jordan Lynn, The Sernyak,
rolled off on the risers. They all looked at each other though and no
one took needed action to keep the bum rush going. Behind, Half of
the CCB Toss-up (Good to see Sasha out tonight) was calmly bringing
the field back into the front.
Hacker kept on the gas up to Marion
but would soon be corralled by the lackluster steady speed up front.
CCB kept up front to help things along into the industrial park and
once there, the tailwind was doing most of the work for everyone.
Onto West Johnson, where Jordan
Lynn, Chris C, College St, and a few others were making the ride go
faster. More intersection traffic on Peck meant a disruption of pace.
Once thru, Hacker was the first to jump with an eye on the sprint
point. He rolled off slowly but got up to 50 meters out when Jacinto
broke off the front in pursuit. Behind, Special Ed was ramping it up,
getting the front group of 10 or so to within 20 meters. Once Jacinto
reached Hacker, the 2 traded pulls and got going again before dipping
down on Reinhard. That gave Hacker enough to jump for the sprint.
Behind, no real teamwork up front meant the chase failed momentarily.
Young Suto jumped anyway, and then soon Little T. Both would sit up
pretty quickly as Hacker was away for good. He rolled thru the corner
alone and then down the backside with haste. Behind Hunter P was
rolling thru the corner with The Sernyak on his wheel with a gap to
the rest. Those 2 stayed on the gas down and then up the riser to
join up with Hacker in the left hand corner. Behind the gap to the
consolidated bunch was a solid 8-10 seconds and it went up from
there. No one was in a chasing mood on Peck and the 3 up the road
were in breakaway mode.
That was that. The gap kept going
up and those 3 stayed away for the rest of the ride to take the
season's first long ball prize. No further sprints were contested up
front. Behind, the pace ramped up for the stop n shop sprint, and
some were even unaware that a break was up the way. Must be the
depression. It's a long season everyone!
Shameless Plug Time
Hello fans of the SG Blog.
Now is you chance to show your appreciation of the guys that make the SG ride so much fun. Give your support to SG riders who have decided to throw support back towards the CCAP.
Here are their pages:
Hunter P
Joe K
Monte Burgess
Matt Fiener from DG
Young Suto
Tri Doug
Pescatore
Friday and Saturday donations are matched, making it a great time to help them close in on their goals!
Now is you chance to show your appreciation of the guys that make the SG ride so much fun. Give your support to SG riders who have decided to throw support back towards the CCAP.
Here are their pages:
Hunter P
Joe K
Monte Burgess
Matt Fiener from DG
Young Suto
Tri Doug
Pescatore
Friday and Saturday donations are matched, making it a great time to help them close in on their goals!
Tuesday the 1st
Better late than never!
Big jump in ride turnout tonight as a bunch of old faces came out as well as some new ones.The 2014 season is in full swing! The ride got going a bit slowly today as a couple of guys no doubt were out there taking it easy in anticipation of the most important race in the whole wide universe... Batten$ill. Best wishes to all the SG'ers heading out to NY state this weekend!
Casey-oh-all-right-I-will-win-King got things going and guys like Mike McG, Chris C, and the trio of College St Riders ( Jacinto, Hacker, and The Sernyak ) joined up front and kept the pace crisp. No attacks though... Just solid pace making to get everyone going. On Mountain Rd, Mike McG, Chris C and Hunter P hit the front and drove it hard up the first inclines there, nearly peeling off a gap but guys like Young Suto, Jacinto, Tall Dennis, Hacker and a couple of others kept that surge from making any gaps to the field. Later on towards the end of Mountain Rd, Dave-sweet-tooth-Hoyle took to the front and got a small gap but was shut down by Chris C, the Full Nalini. French Casey, etc. The light was red on Route 68 / 70 anyway.
No one attacked on Moss Farms, although a couple of guys definitely ramped up the pace.Young Suto, Mike McG, Joe K, Dave H, Ben Bruce, foremost among them. That led to a trio of Chris C, Hunter P and Young Suto off the front towards the end of Moss Farms. They worked up a gap of about 50 meters, but with the downhill into the chicane coming up, it wasn't enough to hold it. The field came barreling back up but was in no position to take over the front heading up to Marion. French Casey was able to jump hard though and drilled it off the front. The upfront trio responded but the whole field was pretty much there to hitch the ride up. Once onto Marion, Joe K hit it with Hunter P and those 2 were allowed to roll off the front. They stayed away till the corner for the industrial park as guys behind were sorting themselves out. As everyone turned into the industrial park, the ride finally got going with the tough sections looming. The 2 up front were caught by a chase group of French Casey and Young Suto. They briefly took off with a small gap but that didnt last long. Instead the front switched hands a couple of times. A new guy, let's call him "muffin top" for now, was up there keeping tempo along with Ben Bruce, Joe K and New Guy Rob.
As the ride turned onto West Johnson, Dave H took to the front and peeled off a gap. Going with him was Hunter P and they quickly got a gap as Dave H was going for broke for the sprint, even though this was the first time he was on the short loop. They hit the intersection with Peck ln just as a car was getting there and instead of plowing thru it, slowed to an almost stop, got the driver's ok to pass, and kept going. That gave the rest of the field a chance to come up although was a bit fractured from the chase. French Casey was there, Young Suto, The Sernyak, The Full Nalini, and a couple of others. The next to jump was Chris C, who went all in with an attack well before the corner. The Sernyak moved up into the gap but didnt get too far in the chase. Behind, Hacker, Jacinto, Hunter P, and one or two others were bringing it all back together. Chris C would be caught on the short downhill, setting up Hacker to jump from way out. On his 6 pretty quickly was Hunter P, and those 2 got away from the chasers. Jacinto was next to go but had some ground to make up as Hacker was all in. Hunter P sat on and was able to jump out and past with 150 meters to go. Jacinto was driving up and closing the gap but Hunter P stayed out till the corner by a couple of bike lengths.
On the backside, it took a little while to recollect, and despite French Casey hitting the front again and then some, it was all together for the run up Peck Ln. As everyone neared Route 10, Hoyle was back at it, this time splitting off a small gap with Muffin Top, Christian D, and The Sernyak. That was brought back in the corner though, as everyone up front wisely slowed down for the turn. Dave H kept on the throttle all the way up the hill as riders were shuffling around behind him. Once past that first hill on Route 10, he still kept on it, and was looking dangerously close to riding away to the sprint with whoever could hang on but the light at Maple Ave was red ( for a while ) allowing everyone and their mother to get back to the front.
The Stop n Shop became a 300 meter drag race as everyone slowly got off the light, and then waited to bring up the speed. Launching first was Young Suto, who looked to have a good jump, but had a few guys on his wheel pretty quickly. Mike McG, French Casey, Hacker, Young Suto, Little T, etc. Hacker took the early lead but was overhauled in the last moments by Little T, who is slowly getting back to his old chainring-bending self. Red lights in Cheshire meant no one was getting away.
The trip back to Hamden was quick. Mostly because with 3/4 mile to go, Dave H rolled off again. Response was bit slow as the pace was already respectable at that point. It allowing him to get a real-deal gap of about 60 meters. The front 5 or 6 sorted themselves out, thanks to Mike McG coming up and thru and pulling half the gap back. The rest was taken care of with about 300 meters to go. Timing it correctly was Young Suto, who drilled it and got a gap that only a motor-pacing, out of the saddle Casey King could cover.... So needless to say, the final prize goes to the high-schooler.
Great ride everyone!
Big jump in ride turnout tonight as a bunch of old faces came out as well as some new ones.The 2014 season is in full swing! The ride got going a bit slowly today as a couple of guys no doubt were out there taking it easy in anticipation of the most important race in the whole wide universe... Batten$ill. Best wishes to all the SG'ers heading out to NY state this weekend!
Casey-oh-all-right-I-will-win-King got things going and guys like Mike McG, Chris C, and the trio of College St Riders ( Jacinto, Hacker, and The Sernyak ) joined up front and kept the pace crisp. No attacks though... Just solid pace making to get everyone going. On Mountain Rd, Mike McG, Chris C and Hunter P hit the front and drove it hard up the first inclines there, nearly peeling off a gap but guys like Young Suto, Jacinto, Tall Dennis, Hacker and a couple of others kept that surge from making any gaps to the field. Later on towards the end of Mountain Rd, Dave-sweet-tooth-Hoyle took to the front and got a small gap but was shut down by Chris C, the Full Nalini. French Casey, etc. The light was red on Route 68 / 70 anyway.
No one attacked on Moss Farms, although a couple of guys definitely ramped up the pace.Young Suto, Mike McG, Joe K, Dave H, Ben Bruce, foremost among them. That led to a trio of Chris C, Hunter P and Young Suto off the front towards the end of Moss Farms. They worked up a gap of about 50 meters, but with the downhill into the chicane coming up, it wasn't enough to hold it. The field came barreling back up but was in no position to take over the front heading up to Marion. French Casey was able to jump hard though and drilled it off the front. The upfront trio responded but the whole field was pretty much there to hitch the ride up. Once onto Marion, Joe K hit it with Hunter P and those 2 were allowed to roll off the front. They stayed away till the corner for the industrial park as guys behind were sorting themselves out. As everyone turned into the industrial park, the ride finally got going with the tough sections looming. The 2 up front were caught by a chase group of French Casey and Young Suto. They briefly took off with a small gap but that didnt last long. Instead the front switched hands a couple of times. A new guy, let's call him "muffin top" for now, was up there keeping tempo along with Ben Bruce, Joe K and New Guy Rob.
As the ride turned onto West Johnson, Dave H took to the front and peeled off a gap. Going with him was Hunter P and they quickly got a gap as Dave H was going for broke for the sprint, even though this was the first time he was on the short loop. They hit the intersection with Peck ln just as a car was getting there and instead of plowing thru it, slowed to an almost stop, got the driver's ok to pass, and kept going. That gave the rest of the field a chance to come up although was a bit fractured from the chase. French Casey was there, Young Suto, The Sernyak, The Full Nalini, and a couple of others. The next to jump was Chris C, who went all in with an attack well before the corner. The Sernyak moved up into the gap but didnt get too far in the chase. Behind, Hacker, Jacinto, Hunter P, and one or two others were bringing it all back together. Chris C would be caught on the short downhill, setting up Hacker to jump from way out. On his 6 pretty quickly was Hunter P, and those 2 got away from the chasers. Jacinto was next to go but had some ground to make up as Hacker was all in. Hunter P sat on and was able to jump out and past with 150 meters to go. Jacinto was driving up and closing the gap but Hunter P stayed out till the corner by a couple of bike lengths.
On the backside, it took a little while to recollect, and despite French Casey hitting the front again and then some, it was all together for the run up Peck Ln. As everyone neared Route 10, Hoyle was back at it, this time splitting off a small gap with Muffin Top, Christian D, and The Sernyak. That was brought back in the corner though, as everyone up front wisely slowed down for the turn. Dave H kept on the throttle all the way up the hill as riders were shuffling around behind him. Once past that first hill on Route 10, he still kept on it, and was looking dangerously close to riding away to the sprint with whoever could hang on but the light at Maple Ave was red ( for a while ) allowing everyone and their mother to get back to the front.
The Stop n Shop became a 300 meter drag race as everyone slowly got off the light, and then waited to bring up the speed. Launching first was Young Suto, who looked to have a good jump, but had a few guys on his wheel pretty quickly. Mike McG, French Casey, Hacker, Young Suto, Little T, etc. Hacker took the early lead but was overhauled in the last moments by Little T, who is slowly getting back to his old chainring-bending self. Red lights in Cheshire meant no one was getting away.
The trip back to Hamden was quick. Mostly because with 3/4 mile to go, Dave H rolled off again. Response was bit slow as the pace was already respectable at that point. It allowing him to get a real-deal gap of about 60 meters. The front 5 or 6 sorted themselves out, thanks to Mike McG coming up and thru and pulling half the gap back. The rest was taken care of with about 300 meters to go. Timing it correctly was Young Suto, who drilled it and got a gap that only a motor-pacing, out of the saddle Casey King could cover.... So needless to say, the final prize goes to the high-schooler.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 25th
Where is everybody!?
It was a night for the hard-cores today. The usual Stop n Shop loiterers plus a couple of New Haveners, a handful of Cheshire guys, a couple of others (great to see Henk from CVC out there tonight) and you have a group of about 20-25 ready to head out into the cold and dark....
Right from the gun, French Casey looked ready to continue his tradition of tempo ratcheting. He was pushing the pace even before the ride left route 10. Soon into the backroads, Chris C jumped hard, drawing out Hunter P. That soon became just Hunter P as Chris dropped back. It was grouppo compacto soon after. Chris C would strike out a little while longer, taking along Special Ed, but that too was brought back, mostly due to Joe K riding strong tempo up front.
Onto Mountain Rd, where there was a brief separation to a group 5 or 6 ( Chris C, Mike McG, Joe K, Jacinto, new guy Rob and one more???). That group got a gap of maybe 40 meters but it was never an out of control situation for the Peleton. Onto Moss Farms where Hunter P jumped hard straight from the start, taking along Special Ed. Those 2 got up a quick and substantial gap before anyone tried to do anything about it. Christian D jumped off the front of the Peleton, taking one rider but they were only able to halve the gap as everyone came up to the Chicane. By the uphill to Marion, it was just Hunter P up front as Special Ed had rejoined the charging pack. Soon after the corner for Marion, it was all together once again.
Going into the industrial park, French Casey rolled off the front once again, but everyone was content to ride a solid pace and slowly bring him back, which indeed happened by the corner of West Johnson. On the risers there, no one really attacked. Instead the pace continued to be pretty solid. Even so, maybe 6 or 7 guys had lost contact with the group at that point as the pace overall was good and there weren't too many bodies to hide behind.
Heading past the 4-way intersection with Peck ln, Hunter P rolled off the front and was allowed to get a gap. He got 50 meters or so but was on his way backwards by the corner. At the top of the climbing, before the brief plunge, it was all together again, although the front 5 or riders were commanding the pace and setting up a decent run into the sprint. Chris C, French "climbing" Casey, Jacinto, Mike McG, Joe K, New Guy Rob, and Little T. Chris C would start off the sprinting proper, but was quickly passed by Jacinto and Joe K. Those 2 would stay close for the long drag race but Jacinto was able to cruise away in the final meters.
On the backside it was bit fractured which led to French Casey, New Guy Rob, and Hunter P a chance to ride off heading onto Peck Ln. That trio worked hard to get a gap and they stuck it out till the top of the false flat there. Behind, Chris C led the group up the hill, and then sped off the front, taking along Mike McG. That eventually led to a group of 5 off the front for the remainder of the way to route 10. The corner was slow, allowing the field to catch back on for the trip back into Hamden.
The speed heading into Cheshire was good, 3 or 4 guys doing a bunch of work to keep the speed high, Mike McG, Calfee rider, and Chris C primarily. For the sprint, Hunter P followed Mike McG wheel out of the bunch and was able to cruise up the hill in front a still recuperating-from-surgery Little T.
Heading back into Hamden was the usual game. For the finale, French Casey took aim in the final meters but had Joe K on his six. In a battle of aero-frames, Joe's nice new Scott Foil (2013 models available for a song at Cheshire Cycle!) won this round, as Joe was able to slide around in the final moments.
Great ride everyone! Everyone else is missing out on some great midweek World Championship action!
It was a night for the hard-cores today. The usual Stop n Shop loiterers plus a couple of New Haveners, a handful of Cheshire guys, a couple of others (great to see Henk from CVC out there tonight) and you have a group of about 20-25 ready to head out into the cold and dark....
Right from the gun, French Casey looked ready to continue his tradition of tempo ratcheting. He was pushing the pace even before the ride left route 10. Soon into the backroads, Chris C jumped hard, drawing out Hunter P. That soon became just Hunter P as Chris dropped back. It was grouppo compacto soon after. Chris C would strike out a little while longer, taking along Special Ed, but that too was brought back, mostly due to Joe K riding strong tempo up front.
Onto Mountain Rd, where there was a brief separation to a group 5 or 6 ( Chris C, Mike McG, Joe K, Jacinto, new guy Rob and one more???). That group got a gap of maybe 40 meters but it was never an out of control situation for the Peleton. Onto Moss Farms where Hunter P jumped hard straight from the start, taking along Special Ed. Those 2 got up a quick and substantial gap before anyone tried to do anything about it. Christian D jumped off the front of the Peleton, taking one rider but they were only able to halve the gap as everyone came up to the Chicane. By the uphill to Marion, it was just Hunter P up front as Special Ed had rejoined the charging pack. Soon after the corner for Marion, it was all together once again.
Going into the industrial park, French Casey rolled off the front once again, but everyone was content to ride a solid pace and slowly bring him back, which indeed happened by the corner of West Johnson. On the risers there, no one really attacked. Instead the pace continued to be pretty solid. Even so, maybe 6 or 7 guys had lost contact with the group at that point as the pace overall was good and there weren't too many bodies to hide behind.
Heading past the 4-way intersection with Peck ln, Hunter P rolled off the front and was allowed to get a gap. He got 50 meters or so but was on his way backwards by the corner. At the top of the climbing, before the brief plunge, it was all together again, although the front 5 or riders were commanding the pace and setting up a decent run into the sprint. Chris C, French "climbing" Casey, Jacinto, Mike McG, Joe K, New Guy Rob, and Little T. Chris C would start off the sprinting proper, but was quickly passed by Jacinto and Joe K. Those 2 would stay close for the long drag race but Jacinto was able to cruise away in the final meters.
On the backside it was bit fractured which led to French Casey, New Guy Rob, and Hunter P a chance to ride off heading onto Peck Ln. That trio worked hard to get a gap and they stuck it out till the top of the false flat there. Behind, Chris C led the group up the hill, and then sped off the front, taking along Mike McG. That eventually led to a group of 5 off the front for the remainder of the way to route 10. The corner was slow, allowing the field to catch back on for the trip back into Hamden.
The speed heading into Cheshire was good, 3 or 4 guys doing a bunch of work to keep the speed high, Mike McG, Calfee rider, and Chris C primarily. For the sprint, Hunter P followed Mike McG wheel out of the bunch and was able to cruise up the hill in front a still recuperating-from-surgery Little T.
Heading back into Hamden was the usual game. For the finale, French Casey took aim in the final meters but had Joe K on his six. In a battle of aero-frames, Joe's nice new Scott Foil (2013 models available for a song at Cheshire Cycle!) won this round, as Joe was able to slide around in the final moments.
Great ride everyone! Everyone else is missing out on some great midweek World Championship action!
Tuesday the 18th
Enthusiasm for the SG ride as low as the temps...
Another small group out for the 5:30 departure time as everyone wonders where the heck is Spring. Two guys who weren't slowing down for the slower riders were Chris C and Mike McG. They led the charge right off route 10 and nearly split the field shortly into the ride. Head's up riding from New Guy Rob and Hunter kept the ride together and it was all together going over the crap road section. The pace stayed high thanks to those 2, along with occasional digs from Tall John (who needs only one cog to make you feel slow). Surges, and strong pulls on mountain road put the field in duress, but no one was throwing the heavy hammer attack into it, allowing things to stay together. Jordan Lynn joined up at the light for Route 68/70, adding to some force up front fro the way down Moss Farms, but again, most everyone was able to hang.
Chris C sped off the front as the ride came up and made a right onto Marion. Mike McG, Jacinto, Hunter P, and Little T (good to see him out there) all joined and that made for a small group with a gap heading into the industrial park, but the peleton behind kept on the pressure and re-joined by the corner of West Johnson.
As the ride headed up the small risers there, everyone stayed together but it was clear guys were getting ready to jump. As the ride got thru the 4-way intersection, Chris C, Jacinto and Jordan L were up front and pushing the pace. New Guy Rob and the rider on the old LeMond were also up there at attention. As the leading group of Chris C, Jacinto, Jordan L, Mike McG, and Hunter P turned onto Reinhard, it was clear that it was down to just those 5 for the sprint. Chris C was the first to jump at pretty much the earliest point possible. Hunter P was next to go and was able to clear the rest and come around Chris C with space to spare. On the backside, that group of sprinters had a big gap and was able to softpedal to Peck ln and still have a gap going up the false flat there.
Chris C and Mike McG stayed up front for the ride back onto Route 10 and southward. The peleton came together slightly heading into the Stop n Sprint point. Little T stayed seated and was able to ride off the front early on. Jacinto responded but both were held up by a red light at the top of the hill.
From there, the ride back into Hamden was pretty standard stuff. No surprises, no attacks, no incidents. LIttle T got a good slingshot at the final moment to come around the 2 or 3 guys that put up a fight (The Gibertoni, LeMond Rider, Steve Suto etc)
Good ride everyone.... Great ride to those few that pushed the pace for the night.
6PM projected ride time next week everyone.... Guaranteed better weather!
Another small group out for the 5:30 departure time as everyone wonders where the heck is Spring. Two guys who weren't slowing down for the slower riders were Chris C and Mike McG. They led the charge right off route 10 and nearly split the field shortly into the ride. Head's up riding from New Guy Rob and Hunter kept the ride together and it was all together going over the crap road section. The pace stayed high thanks to those 2, along with occasional digs from Tall John (who needs only one cog to make you feel slow). Surges, and strong pulls on mountain road put the field in duress, but no one was throwing the heavy hammer attack into it, allowing things to stay together. Jordan Lynn joined up at the light for Route 68/70, adding to some force up front fro the way down Moss Farms, but again, most everyone was able to hang.
Chris C sped off the front as the ride came up and made a right onto Marion. Mike McG, Jacinto, Hunter P, and Little T (good to see him out there) all joined and that made for a small group with a gap heading into the industrial park, but the peleton behind kept on the pressure and re-joined by the corner of West Johnson.
As the ride headed up the small risers there, everyone stayed together but it was clear guys were getting ready to jump. As the ride got thru the 4-way intersection, Chris C, Jacinto and Jordan L were up front and pushing the pace. New Guy Rob and the rider on the old LeMond were also up there at attention. As the leading group of Chris C, Jacinto, Jordan L, Mike McG, and Hunter P turned onto Reinhard, it was clear that it was down to just those 5 for the sprint. Chris C was the first to jump at pretty much the earliest point possible. Hunter P was next to go and was able to clear the rest and come around Chris C with space to spare. On the backside, that group of sprinters had a big gap and was able to softpedal to Peck ln and still have a gap going up the false flat there.
Chris C and Mike McG stayed up front for the ride back onto Route 10 and southward. The peleton came together slightly heading into the Stop n Sprint point. Little T stayed seated and was able to ride off the front early on. Jacinto responded but both were held up by a red light at the top of the hill.
From there, the ride back into Hamden was pretty standard stuff. No surprises, no attacks, no incidents. LIttle T got a good slingshot at the final moment to come around the 2 or 3 guys that put up a fight (The Gibertoni, LeMond Rider, Steve Suto etc)
Good ride everyone.... Great ride to those few that pushed the pace for the night.
6PM projected ride time next week everyone.... Guaranteed better weather!
Tuesday the 11th
Welcome to the Sleeping Giant Ride... 2014!
The Winter That Never Dies let down its guard a bit tonight and allowed for a great first ride of the season. The early departure time meant that the number of guys out tonight was on the light side. Maybe 15 rolled out and headed north to see what awaited them.
Right from the get-go, Chris C and Mike McG made it clear that the ride would be crisp. They kept the pace up thru the first few miles off route 10 along with help from Joe K, and Hunter P. The first real dig came after the comer onto North Brooksvlae, where Mike McG and Chris C started getting a gap open. A new guy in a Berlin Bike jersey (Rob) and the Gibertoni sewed it up as the small group headed toward Mountain Rd. There were a couple of early surges on Mountain Rd that ended up splitting a small group off the front. Mike McG, Joe K, Jacinto, Hunter P, Chris C and Rob. They charged on as the rest of the peleton, only about 8 or 9 riders, couldnt find the ponies to bridge the gap. The light on route 68/70 was red or else the lead group would have going going gone.
The back-together-peleton cruised down Moss Farms without much fanfare. Ditto for up the hill onto Marion and into the industrial park. Turning onto West Johnson, Chris C jumped and was allowed to go free. As soon as the climbing ended, Joe K and Mike McG went to closing it down. Chris Sailed thru the four-way intersection while the group had to pause. That allowed the gap to go up a bit but soon after, Joe K was beating down the door to catch the front. He brought the gap to a handful of meters and Mike McG and Jacinto were easily able to take the rest and by the corner for Reinhard, those 2 were going up and past to by themselves. Mike McG let Jacinto roll thru the sprint point first as Chris C and Hunter P slowly were creeping back up to them by the time the corner came up.
The 4 kept the pressure up and the already sizable gap to the rest went even further out. Heading down Peck ln, it was clear that the leaders would stay out and the chase behind was ont going to happen. From there, the group would pick up a couple of short-cutting riders and motor down route 10. For the Stop n Shop sprint, Chris C jumped off the front and was not chased. The group sailed back into Hamden with no further sprinting. The peleton behind also rolled in uneventfully, as it was shrunken quite a bit by riders peeling off in Cheshire (Joe K, Gregg F. etc).
It's good to back out there. Nice ride everyone! Let's hope the weather cooperates next week in the same fashion.
The Winter That Never Dies let down its guard a bit tonight and allowed for a great first ride of the season. The early departure time meant that the number of guys out tonight was on the light side. Maybe 15 rolled out and headed north to see what awaited them.
Right from the get-go, Chris C and Mike McG made it clear that the ride would be crisp. They kept the pace up thru the first few miles off route 10 along with help from Joe K, and Hunter P. The first real dig came after the comer onto North Brooksvlae, where Mike McG and Chris C started getting a gap open. A new guy in a Berlin Bike jersey (Rob) and the Gibertoni sewed it up as the small group headed toward Mountain Rd. There were a couple of early surges on Mountain Rd that ended up splitting a small group off the front. Mike McG, Joe K, Jacinto, Hunter P, Chris C and Rob. They charged on as the rest of the peleton, only about 8 or 9 riders, couldnt find the ponies to bridge the gap. The light on route 68/70 was red or else the lead group would have going going gone.
The back-together-peleton cruised down Moss Farms without much fanfare. Ditto for up the hill onto Marion and into the industrial park. Turning onto West Johnson, Chris C jumped and was allowed to go free. As soon as the climbing ended, Joe K and Mike McG went to closing it down. Chris Sailed thru the four-way intersection while the group had to pause. That allowed the gap to go up a bit but soon after, Joe K was beating down the door to catch the front. He brought the gap to a handful of meters and Mike McG and Jacinto were easily able to take the rest and by the corner for Reinhard, those 2 were going up and past to by themselves. Mike McG let Jacinto roll thru the sprint point first as Chris C and Hunter P slowly were creeping back up to them by the time the corner came up.
The 4 kept the pressure up and the already sizable gap to the rest went even further out. Heading down Peck ln, it was clear that the leaders would stay out and the chase behind was ont going to happen. From there, the group would pick up a couple of short-cutting riders and motor down route 10. For the Stop n Shop sprint, Chris C jumped off the front and was not chased. The group sailed back into Hamden with no further sprinting. The peleton behind also rolled in uneventfully, as it was shrunken quite a bit by riders peeling off in Cheshire (Joe K, Gregg F. etc).
It's good to back out there. Nice ride everyone! Let's hope the weather cooperates next week in the same fashion.
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