Tuesday the 10th

We miss the Fantano's

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

Tuesday the 3rd

What the heck! Go on vacation people!

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

Tuesday the 26th

The Rattlesnake Ride.... It'll bitecha!

    The year of injuries continues....Everyone was bummed to hear in the parking lot how Robyn's fall was as bad as it was imagined. Broken C-bone and lots of cuts and bruises. Robyn, if you are reading this, Everyone hopes you feel better real soon and get back out there not much later then that.( Congrats for what it's worth on a good women's race )
    The ride started out real mello this week. There was a stiff headwind coming in from the west \ north which seemed to dampen everyone's spirits. Tall Dennis and VQ Rob got things going along wth Timmy Nice-a-new-bike Ratta. Even so, there were no real attacks all the way to route 68. A new guy from Amity bikes tried to get off the front but that was short-lived. The trip down Mountain Rd was slower than usual. Seemed like everyone saw the front on the way to the light.
    Once onto Moss Farms, it picked up a bit with Ratta and MTB Owen up front picking up the pace. The headwind was making some guys a bit dodgy out there and it was far from smooth pretty much wherever you were in the bunch. Ratta tried to tear a couple of guys off the front leading into the Chicane but a car at the intersection stopped them, allowing Ciocci and Hunter P to sneak thru and start in toward the hill first. They had a bit of gap that OttoVan Gaul ( good to see him stateside ), the Full Nalini and a couple of others closed down. The pace was still high going onto Marion but no one sent out to really put everyone on the rivet. After a brief slow-down Ratta got it going again again leading to an attack from Hunter P which also brought Mike McG off the front, but those 2 couldnt get it going and it was all together heading into the light. A few Zanes guys, Ratta and one of 2 others rode thru the turning light but elected to sit up and wait. From there the pace was decent going down Mount Vernon. Nothing to brag about though. Ratta, MoMoney, Luekens, Nalini, The Sernyak, and others leading the way. On the false flat section Hunter P rode off the front near the top, taking along Gregg F. Those 2 worked up a brief gap that lasted for a couple of kilo's. Bridging up to them was Yahor from CCB, and Neumotion, but by then the peleton was bearing down and it was back all together soon after. No counter attacks though and it was all together leading into the turnaround.
    Luekens broke out of jail on Welch, heading up the road toward West St. Joe K and MTB Owen set out after him and were just about getting up to Luekens' wheel by the base of the hill. Behind a small group was  barely riding off the front of the rest. Traffic at corner forced everyone thru a bottleneck, slowing down everyone but the front 6 or so. Then a near crash between a couple of guys going thru the corner slowed it down even more, letting that gap go up to the front 7 or 8... Who had now caught the leading trio. Mike McG led out Eric M for the prize, fighting past Chris B and Ratta. On the descent it all re-grouped. Chris B made it thru a light near I84 fair and square as the rest of the pack had to wait. Chris B needs only an inch and he had way more then that so he was all in for the night. Once the pack resumed, Eric m, Todd H, and the Mountain Man rode off the front as everyone else went into lazy mode. No one was chasing and the trio were free to track down Chris B. Only till the underpass did Ratta move up to the front and spur a tempo increase but that was brief as the light going back over 322 was red. Ratta stayed on past that, riding off the front heading onto Peck Ln. Nuemotion, MTB Owen and Dillon P bridged up but by then the pack was bearing down. Up the road the 3 chasers were working well together and had Chris C in the sights. It would take a little while but they finally latched on past the hill by Cheshire Park on Route 10. From there the leading 4 were not going to be caught as they now had a decent tailwind to bring them back into Hamden. Eric M took the Stop n Shop sprint and behind more red lights slowed down the peleton. Todd H would get hit with a flat in Cheshire and had to peel off. The remaining 3 rode back into Hamden together. Chris B took the final prize on the Shepard Ave climb over Mountain man as Eric M was content to get to the corner first.

Tuesday the 19th

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday the 12th

Rained out....

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

Details will be rolling in and posted here soon.

Tuesday the 5th

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

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

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

Tuesday the 29th

Kick off summer with the Tuesday Night World Championships

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