Tuesday the 20th

Bring yur lights!

      There was a smaller group out tonight. It was decided without much controversy that it was going to be the original short loop, the O.G., the loop that started it all, for the night.

       Things started out fast, even on Route 10. Tall John and Chris “ I do it with my socks on “ Crowle were up and off the front looking to raise trouble. Jelle Snoop took over once on the back roads and Mike McGillicutty was up there too. The speed stayed high for the opening miles. French Casey was also up there chipping along with Guido. Everyone rolled thru a red light at route 68 as a big colorful blob and the speeds stayed high on Moss Farms as well.

       Tall John was one of the first guys to kick it up a notch on Moss Farms and he was allowed some room to roam. Mid-way thru Moss he was hammering out a 6 or 7 second gap. He would hold onto that right till the corner of Marion Ave. French Casey, Chris C and Antonio D bringing the group up. Heading toward the industrial park a small group rode off the front. Richy Sachs Chris, Jelle, Chris "I mean business, see my socks" Crowle and French Casey. Guido bridged up and the gap up before the corner going into the industrial park. They stayed there a bit as Thomaas B chipped away at the gap. Silent Steve did a big push on the front to bring it all back together then handing it off to Mike McG and Snoop to lead the way into the corner for West Johnson. Hunter P attacked hard getting up the road 100 meters or so before the climbing stopped. Antonio D jumped out of the pack hard and that got everyone to respond. Hunter P was caught at the base of the climbs toward Reinhard and right then a small group pushed off the front. Gregg F, Dillon P, Guido, and French Casey again. Builder Pete also briefly went up the road with them. From there things started to split up as the hill dug its nails into everyone's pedaling tempo. By the time everyone got onto Reinhard, Guido was coming off the front, Mike McG and John Pescatore were leading the way, and Hunter P was coming back up with Little T in tow.

       Little T got the front and jumped for the corner with only Hunter P and Jacinto challenging. Everyone survived the treacherous descent down toward Peck ln. Late on Peck lane, Jordan Lynn, Mike McG and Chris C got a gap and they had mates in the field that wouldnt chase it down. Jacinto got across the gap once onto route 10 and that brought it all back together. From there, Mike McG was working hard at the front along with Todd H and Jelle to keep things moving. Those 3, along with Jordan Lynn lead out the sprint to Stop n Shop where Little T jumped again with no one coming around him. Hunter P once again gave futile chase.

     The ride back to Hamden was dark and fast. Late in the game a break from French Casey, Guido and Dillon P looked like it might have a chance with a kilo to go, but they indeed got overhauled. That left Little T duking out the finish with Antonio D. It was too dark to see what happened with those two.

Tuesday the 13th

If anyone wants to do the majority of reporting for the ride next week, let us know. The Cheshire Cycle crew will be attending Interbike. Email us at info - at - cheshirecycle.com

Long loop or short?

Speak up ( intelligently ) everyone or don't complain when someone else decides. The dark ride home matters little to the Cheshire riders heading back on bike trail. New Haveners? What do you think?

Tuesday the 30th

      Long Loop goes out with a bang 

    The cancellation of the last East Hartford Crit meant that four of the CCNS guys rolled on up in the van ready to dispense their weekly allotment of pain. Add in a couple of Bikers Edge guys, a couple of Benidorm guys and the ride had a fast crowd. The SG usuals were ready to oblige. Right off the start, Mike McG was patrolling the front. Perry the new guys was also up there along with Hunter P and the Otto-inator. Everyone followed Perry Thru the crap road section and it got pretty quick. Then one street later it was Hacker taking advantage of te next corner, attacking and getting a small gap. Koski, Rattatatat, one of the CCNS guys and Hunter P were right on that and it didn’t get very far. Then Joshy G hit the front along with Rattatatat. Ratta and one of the CCNS guys (?) kept up the pace all the way to Mountain rd and were able to ride up a little gap for the corner. Back in the peleton once onto Mountain there was some brief sitting in by teammates. That left the chase work to Mike McG and MoMoney and a couple of others. The 2 were brought back on the risers. Some car traffic slowed things down before the next set of risers, with Chris C being the next to go into the deep end of the pool. From there it was single file all the way to the light. The first quarter of the ride was in the books and it was faster then usual.
         Right away on Moss Farms, Otto and Hacker lit it up and rode got a gap. A chase group quickly formed ( Ratta, Mike McG, Little T ) and were making ground on the 2 up front. Then the Teany NY rider went into no man’s land. The group up the road all came together within 750 meters and with some CCR guys choosing not to chase Ratta down, the peleton was briefly on cruise control. Just as Sasha from CCB rode up and onto the front, getting everyone’s attention, the motivation went out of the front group. Maybe too many cooks in the kitchen, and it seemed no one was going to carry them along. That gave the field a change to bring it back and it was all together by the chicane. Ratta, CCB and Mike McG charged up the hill to Marion, getting a gap past the corner. Aiden, Chris C and hunter p would come across the gap shortly after, making it another dangerous group up the road. The field behind wasn't ready to roll over dead yet. Todd H, Eric M, A.Zane, Otto, Tall Dennis and a couple of others headed up the chase efforts and it was back to together by the industrial park. Joe K hit the front and Ratta was still up there. CXCchris and A.Zane also hit it giving that four a gap that they kept to the light on 322.

       Hacker, Otto and A.Zane were pushing it to Mount Vernon after the light and tore off a respectable gap initially. Joshy g was spearheading the efforts in the pack. Chris C drilled it, followed by Hunter P and that was enough to get a chase group clear. Aiden and BigBadBenWolfe rolled thru another CCNSer, Mike McG, and CXCChris. The peleton was in high alert chase mode but there was still enough horsepower up the road to stay clear. Soon the 3 leaders would get swallowed up, making it a cozy 10 up front. The group would rumble along for another couple of minutes and despite some good turns of speed from Mike and Ben, it would get brought back. Perry and Joshy G doing a lot of work to pace the rest up. The speed came down a bit after the catch, leading to an eventful ride up the false flat section.         Things sped up again after the false flat, with CCNS, Mike McG, CCB and Otto drilling it. It was fast enough to create a gap halfway thru the field. When the pace slowed dramatically the entire back end of the ride swapped with the front and a new group of riders set pace for the road remaining to the corner.

        A couple of CCNSers and Otto led the way onto Welch. Jordan Lynn then hit the front and set a solid tempo for nearly the rest of the way, in the process, gobbling up Otto and an attack from Hacker. Mike McG jumped from the base of the hill and went hard all the way to the corner. Hunter p and Joe K were the only ones to respond. After Mike was done, Hunter P hit the front and the trio was clear. Joe K took over as Hunter P fell back. Joe had a decent amount of road to cover but threw in a sprint anyway. Mike was able to sneak past him by half a bike length for the sprint. Joshy G was the only one to try and bridge the gap and he nearly monstered across it in time. The red light district slowed everyone down back to bunch.

        Aiden was off the front again after going over the highway, which led to a record speed down the rest of West St and onto Atwater St. Ratta rode off the front once the group reached Canal St. Hunter P would also make a jump for the 322 crossing but it came back together there at the light. The ride stayed fast after the light and onto Peck lane. Hacker was up there, Chris C was up there, CCB as well as Dillon P. As soon as the ride hit Route 1 again, Aiden, Wolfe and Hutner P jumped off the front, getting a gap up the road by Cheshire Park. Those 3 would stay on the gas for a while, making it hard for the rest of the field to catch up. Hacker, Perry ,Julio L and Joshy G were up there going hard as well. Thanks to the hard pace and little gaps that opened up, Little T got a head start on the stop n sprint with Jacinto. Jacinto would do most of the leading out on this one, letting T come around at with room to spare. Hunter P and Ratta were trying to flying across the gap but had no chance in making it up once Little T got going. Once the stop n shop plaza lights were done with, Aiden and Wolfe jumped on it again, taking along Hunter P, Hacker, and a couple of others. The peleton had to wait at a light that the front group got thru and that was all that was needed to spring em free for the rest of the ride. Little T, Joshy G, Aidan, Hunter P, Wolfe, Hacker, Otto, and Jacinto. That group worked well and stayed away. In the end, Little T escaped very early on, but got swallowed up before the finale, letting Hacker and Jacinto duke out the final bit.

      Back in the peleton, as the peleton barreled thru the Cook Hill rd intersection, there was a some weird braking, some overreaction to it, and a touch of wheels. Down went CXChris (?), Knee High Tri Guy Scott, Gregg F and one or 2 others. Everyone was pretty much ok. Maybe someone will fill in some details regarding the crash.

Other then that, it was a good ride. Fast Fast Fast thanks to the new faces. A good way to perhaps end out the long loop. There is sure to be some discussion as to whether or not do one more week or switch to the short loop. Check back here on Tuesday to find out.

Tuesday the 23rd

The SG ride.... Earthquake edition.

      Perfect day for a bike ride. Quickly after getting off Route 10, Tall John took off in TT mode. Soon after Hunter P jumped up to bridge. That got everyone's attention and by the crap road section the field was pulling the 2 back, led by Chris C, Eric M, VQ Rob and a couple of others. Tall John managed to stay off the front and no one cared to bring the lone rider completely back into the fold. He would hold that slim 30 yard gap till the initial risers on Mountain Rd. VQ Rob, hunter P and Yelle Snoop brought him back. VQ Rob and Snoop would stay off the front a few seconds longer but for the rest of the way down mountain road it was all together. Save for the very end of course, where Mike McG was pulling away off the front. Dillon P put in a good pull to bring him back with Tall John and VQ Rob right there. The light on route 68 was green for an extra long time, giving Tall John just enough time to sneak thru. VQ and Dillon P followed suit and the 3 got thru far and square. The rest of the peleton was technically right there, less then 2 seconds back, but everyone else had to sit and stop.

     The 3 sneaks went right to work building up a gap. When the rest got going onto Moss Farms, they were out of sight. Jacinto, French Casey, and took off right away, dragging Eric M, Hunter P and then the whole field along with them. Chris C had a dig later on down the road, with Hunter P following it but not advancing it with the boss-man up the road. Snoop led everyone into the chicane with Eric M setting initial tempo up the hill to Marion. Chris C took another flyer, this time taking Richy Sachs Chris and Hunter P with him. From there it was all together heading to the route 322 crossing.

     The leading trio had to wait for the light there. They got thru as the peleton approached it turning back to red. So everyone ended up having to wait for the light there. All three in the break were working so there was a small chance it could go the whole way. Back in the field the reaction from the field after the light was swift. Jacinto, CXChris, DeepRimsDennis, and The Mike Sernyak were drilling it. The attacks flamed out as traffic and the rest of the riders behind erased any advantages. Chris C and CxChris kept up the pace after the turn onto Mount Vernon Rd, chased by Hunter P and Joe K. Things got slow for a bit, but then ramped up in anticipation of false flat section. Up ahead, the rise in the road had done Dillon P in, and he would slowly drift back into the pack after the uphill section. VQ Rob and Tall John kept on working together, and they hung onto their gap for another solid couple of miles. They would get caught just as everyone was turning onto Welch road.

     Mike McG jumped early on followed by Hunter P. Yahor from CCB, Little T and CxChris then sped off the front with little response from anyone else. BikeShopBob went after them but got stuck in the middle. CCB and Little T were working out the escape, leaving CXChris behind. Little T would jump up from a ways out, before the corner, but was able to stay way out in front all the way up to the sprint. The hill was again working its magic on everyone, with groups forming and gaps opening up. But it all came back together after red lights. Tall John would again try to ride off the front shortly after, but never got too far.

     Heading back into Cheshire was uneventful. Hunter P attacked on the hill going underneath the highway shortly on Canal St. No one went along and he was caught just before the light going back over 322. On Peck Ln, Mike McQ had a dig after Chris C tried to sneak off the front. Mike's effort drew out some strong guys ( CCB, Hunter P, New guy on a Scott, Chris C, Eric M, Todd H, New Yale Guy, etc. ) and kept the pace fast up to Route 10.

     Route 10 started out confusing as a few guys went thru a red light, making all the rest stop. Mike McG was unhappy with the lack of team work and logic shown and went off the front with a stomach full of pissed-off. Yelle Snoop was along for the ride and for a bit it looked like the 2 could ride off with the Stop n Sprint prize. Behind, the new Yale guy, Tall John and BikeShopBob were bringing it back quickly, with Little T right there. The catch was made just Little T was jumping for the sprint. Hunter P and Jacinto jumped as well but came up way short.

     The ride back into Hamden was boring. It slowed down too much in a couple of spots and in the end, a foursome comprised of Mike McG, Eric M, Little T and Jacinto were left to fight out the end. Up the hill went Hunter P and Joe K ( doing the whole ride tonight as part of his century effort ). Joe jumped too early on the hill giving Hunter the chance to scoop up the prize there. Also there for the leg breaking finish was one of the Bikers Edge guys, Rick on a C Dale, and the ice cream craving Mountain Man.

Tuesday the 16th

Generational gaps? Traffic light adherence? Don't need em.

      The started a little slow this week as Guido had radio'd ahead to let us know he got a flat a mile from the parking lot. Everyone was cool with waiting and that led to a leisurely pace once it got going. Dillon P and Antonio from CCR led everyone thru the initial back road sections and it started to get going once onto MOuntain road. Sorry to see the new rider ( Justin Neuman ) get hit with a flat on North Brooksvale. That section is a widow maker.
     Yahor from CCB and Guido got things going on the second step up on Mountain Rd. Special Ed and Jordan Lynn, the SG ride's newest Cat 3, followed that up and then Chris C and Hunter P had a dig. Hacker VQ Rob and Mike McG were up there as well and the rest of mountain rd was quick with that core group rotating thru. 
      Hacker looked antsy as the light on Route 68 turned green and sure nuff, he, a CVC rider ( Mike Sernyak ) and Hunter P took off right away. The trio worked up a small gap as Larry M and Jelle Snoop were bridging up. The CVC rider dropped back, making it 4 going into the chicane. All four would work up front and Larry had his work cut out for him as he was on his CX bike. Meanwhile the peleton held back at 10 seconds or so. Jordan Lynn and Chris C led the field up and onto Marion and before everyone hit the industrial park, it was back together again. Chris C would attack again going over I84, this time taking Hunter P along. Jordan again responded and caught the 2, in the process bringing everyone up.
      The light on 322 was green, giving Hacker and Jacinto a chance to attack right away. Those 2 held that gap for a solid chunk of road, getting caught shortly after the turn onto Mount Vernon. Mike McG, VQ Rob, and Hacker were putting in solid work to bring it back. Then it was CCB and guido who attacked right after the catch. Jordan jumped on that one as well and the trio had a gap that never got far, but was still a real gap. That break would get caught on the false flat section. Hacker jumped strong from way back in the field as Mike McG was pulling everyone along. Hacker didnt make it out of the peleton's tractor beam and settled back in as Mike would eventually ride off the front by a few meters as no one took advantage of the bone crunching section. From there the rest of the trip down Mount Vernon was uneventful. French Casey took a flyer before the corner of Welch to try and goad some action into things but no one took the bait.
       Onto Welch, Special Ed, Guido, Hacker, Jacinto, Hacker and Jordan Lynn got an early gap and Jacinto buried himself to extend the gap. Guido took over but Snoop, Tri Doug and Hutner P were close and led the peleton back before the hill. A stopped car at the corner made it tough for the peleton to get thru, so only the first 5 or so ( Jordan, Specail Ed, Hunter P, Hacker and Jelle ) made it onto West St with any speed, and even then it wasnt very fast. Special Ed took control of the pacing for the rest of the way to the sprint. Hunter P jumped out and took it over a chasing Mike McG, who was closing in after freeing himself from the mess of the pack. After that a small group of 10 or so had a weird gap of about 40 meters but a red light brought it all back. Going back over I84, were red lights usually slow things down, green lights and a determined Special Ed ( ? ) drilled it on the riser there, putting lots of guys into the hurt. There was a gap to about 15 riders up front but as the road started downhill again, it came back together.
      From there it was quick up to the 322 crossing, with Gregg F, Jordan, BikeShopBob, Tri Doug and Chris C doing a lot of the work. Back onto Route 10 where Hacker led led everyone up the hill by Cheshire Park, followed by strong pulls from Guido, Todd H and Yahor. No real gaps though as the field was attentive. Coming off a green light, Hacker attacked hard. Larry M, Jelle, CXChris, Mike McG, Jacinto and Tri Doug where the only ones to respond. There was enough of a delay in the response so that the lead group would be the only ones with a chance at the sprint. Snoop and Jacinto went toe to toe for the Stop n Sprint, with Jacinto getting to the line first. The 2 kept up the pace as the peleton behind was slowed by 3 red lights in row. Yelle and Jacinto would be out of sight soon and they ended up riding away with it as the rest of the bunch begrudgingly, obeyed the red lights ( sort of ).
     For the final kilos, for the front of the peleton at least, props to Spencer from Yale, BikeShopBob, Dillon P, Tri Doug, French Casey, Hacker, Bikers Edge Owen, and Mike mcG as the ones setting the last good turns of speed. Up the hill Tri Doug took it over Dillon P and one other rider ( ? )

Tuesday the 9th

SG ride in the rain is like being spit on a million times over

It poured on top of the pouring tonight. What started the day as a 40% chance of rain turned into a 6-7pm window of no rain and actually ended up being a deluge for the entire time. There was about 18-20 riders or so in the parking lot ready to go. Chris C got it going on Route 10 and the pace stayed decent thru the back roads. Everyone made in the crap road section on Brooksvale despite it being like a Sarajevo mine field with all the water covering up the holes. Jel!e Snoop tried to sneak away before mountain Rd and hunter p tried to sneak away on the hills starting out on Mountain but both were brought back. Snoop Doggy Dog would be at it all night, applying pressure on all the right spots. Joe K and Snoop tried to get away on Moss Farms initailly but that was brought back by Mike McG and Hacker. Hacker, Chris C and Mike McG had a gap heading into the chicane.It looked like a move that might stick but traffic in front of them slowed it all down just in time for Dillon P to stomp out the hill up to Marion ave. As the ride passed the industrial park, Mike McG hit the front and rode off alone, soon to be joined by Hunter P. The 2 were allowed to ride for a bit and eneded up working the gap to the light on 322. The light was green and the leaders went thru. Behind the whole peleton also was able to sneak thru because Jelle and Guido and Jacinto were bridging up and in no mans land, effectively making the peleton 2oo meters long.
      After everyone calmed down a bit, moving onto Mount Vernon, Luekens rode off the front alone and needed to be chased back by MoMoney, Jel!e, Arlene Zane, Eric M and a couple of others. From there it was quick and most everyone got involved up front. Mike McG was again tempo'ing off the front on the false flat section. Chris C and Hunter P were there as well and the trio got a gap that they held on to for a couple of minutes. After that the pace went back to normal, Guido would come up and set a good example, in the process stretching things out single file among the 15 riders that were left.
      Once onto Welch, a couple of guys looked a little twitchy up front. Arlane Zane, Snoop, Joe K, Eric M, And Hacker not too far behind. MIke McG settled everyone down with a good pull and Hunter P was the first to go right on the hill before the corner. Arlnd Zane followed suit and the 2 had a small gap that was brought back quickly by Mike McG, Jacinto, Hacker and a couple others. The lead group swelled to about 7 or 8 soon after as Chris C, Eric M, Guido, Joe K and one or 2 others joined up. Hacker was the first to jump for the sprint proper but was still a ways out. Mike McG and Eric M where the only ones to answer and then respond with a duke-a-roo that went down to the line and it was awfully close at the mailbox ( Eric? ).
      Everyone recollected after that but soon after it was Hacker and Snoop getting off the front and winding up a goooooood gap that they would hold all the way to the light to back over 322. It was red which brought everyone back or else the two def would have had a chance to go for the full monty. There wasnt much more to report for the rest of the ride. As everyone charged up to the Stop n Sprint, a small pond awaited, taking up the whole of the lane. Despite some swerving and some very quick decelerations in the 6 inches of water everyone made it thru. In the mayhem, the very front of the ride, 3 of 4 guys, were the only ones able to fight for the sprint. Jacinto took advantage of the confusion and attacked hard enough to go alone up the hill with everyone else 20 meters behind. From there a few guys disbanded, headed back to the Stop n Shop parking lot or back to Cheshire Cycle, so perhaps once everyone is done repacking the bearings on their bikes someone can fill in the last parts of the ride.