Tuesday the 17th

It's St Patty's Day... Cyclists clear the way for the drunk drivers!

     There was about 15 riders and a huge beeyotch of a headwind leaving the parking lot today. A couple of nearly got pushed over at the corner of route 10. It was slow head north as guys were being pushed hither and thither. Once off route 10, J Weaver Chris C and Hunter P rolled off the front. Hunter P led a group of 6 or 7 quickly off the front as gaps inevitably formed and could not be closed. Burgie nearly took out Chris C but that may have been part of the Cheshire Cycle plan... Gibertoni then took over up front along and pushed the pace up to Mountain Rd. Hunter P and Gibertoni nursed a small gap heading onto Mountain rd, but Chris C and Mike McG were riding hard to cover it. Once it was all back together, the group, also containing The Full Nalini, J Weaver, and Jordan L all worked together. The light was green at Route 68/70, erasing any chance that the stragglers would be able to get back on.
     Onto Moss Farms, where Gibertoni jumped off the front halfway down and carried that gap thru the chicane and barely onto the climb up to Marion. From there the group again went back to working together as it rolled toward the industrial park. A Cheshire PD SUV drove up to the group with lights going, telling everyone to pull over. Everyone slowed to stop once thru the corner to the industrial park. "I don't mean to harass you, but we received multiple 911 calls. People are reporting you are riding on the wrong side of the road." As is the case with such encounters, more than a few words said by the "offending" cyclists is often wasted energy. The officer dismissed us with his opinion that it was "not the right (windy) conditions to be riding". He did make sure to say that if more calls were received, "action would need to be taken". If you were on the fence about riding with a full time video camera going, now is the time to make that purchase.
    The officer (or one of his very busy partners) would go on to pull over the B-group and give the same recommendations about not using deep aero rims during 35 mph gusting winds.
    Meanwhile up front, the lead group of 7 slowed got back up to speed in single file manner. Chris C pulled hard up the hills to Reinhard, and then Mike McG chipped in as well. It gave Gibertoni a great launch pad to jump for the sprint corner. J Weaver jumped as well, but Gibertoni got the early jump needed, and the tailwind bonus, and stayed out front. On the backside, He kept on the throttle along with Hunter P and the 2 rolled off the front as the group behind delayed chasing in earnest until everyone was back together. Aided by the tailwind, Hunter P and Gibertoni stayed away the rest of the ride back into Hamden. Jeff Weaver would put in a solid effort to try to get across. Then Mike McG and Chris C wound it up in the tailwind and got back a bunch of the gap but they came up about 15 seconds short of the 2 up front.
    Good ride everyone! "Eventful" it was. It will be interesting to see how the larger groups are treated out on the roads.

Tuesday the 10th

A Slow and Weak Start to 2015...

The rainy weather and the early start kept most away from week one. Only Dillon P, Gregg F, Hunter P and Rob Dux showed up and rolled out at 5:30. Some good efforts were enjoyed by all and the group got a sneak peak preview ride of the new rough spots out there. Pavement and winter just do not mix!

Next week will be a different story fo sho!

Tuesday the 7th

Same Ride, less bikes

     The field had dwindled for the final installment of the Tuesday night ride. There were only about 20 riders out to do this crazy ride one more time for the year. On cue, Jordan L and Rory D jumped up once turning off route 10. This time Joe K and Chris C went along for the ride. A couple of seconds later, Ben Bruce jumped as well, along with Dillon P, Rusty, and a couple of others. When Hacker, Special Ed and Hutner P made their way up to speed, it brought everything back together again, front group included.
       The speed stayed high down Mountain Rd with plenty of guys to move the front along. The peleton got the light on route 68/70, leading to some guys feeling the hurt later on Moss Farms. Hacker tried to get off the front but a couple of guys covered that gap and the rest filled in the rest. As the ride sped through the industrial park, a gap opened up to a small group led by Chris C and Joe K. Also up there was the Mike Frisk, Dillon P and Rob Dux. Joe K had it pegged to the corner of West Johnson, leaving the rest to hustle across the gaps. The break was all done on the opening hills of W Johnson, leading to a slow down as everyone was re-charging for the turnaround sprint.
       For the push toward Reinhard, Hacker took advantage of the slower pace by jumping hard a couple hundred meters before the corner. Ben Bruce, The Full Nalini, and a couple of others gave chase at first but started to fade off the Professor’s pace as the initial climbing of Reinhard dug in. Hacker pressed on all the same. Behind, the rest of the dwindling field was there, giving Little T a good jump off the front. Ben Bruce and Hunter P followed. The headwind there seemed to be especially stiff, standing up the guys chasing hacker and Little T as he rolled up from behind. Ben Bruce kept on the throttle and then it was just Hunter P out of the saddle. Hunter P came around Hacker at the very last moment before the corner but for all intense purposes, Hacker had made it their alone.
       On the backside no one pushed the pace, leaving a chance for everyone (that was left) to come back together. Between a couple of dropped riders and others peeling off, the ride was sputtering out in true end of the year fashion. Rob Dux and Mike Frisk put in a solid push up Peck Lane and onto Route 10. Hacker got involved which upped the pace for a solid kilo or 2. By the time the ride got to the stop n shop run-in, it was down to about 13 guys. Traffic and red lights disrupted the sprint but Hacker and Little T went toe to toe all the same. Hacker looked to get a good jump on it but was snookered again at the very end. Little T rolled up to the red light first but it wasn’t a true gallop.
        For the trip back into Hamden, Dillon P snuck off the front before the lights and 5:30 traffic and got enough green lights to make it back alone. The pack was forced to slow for a couple of red lights but more so to go single file to get by stacked up cars. As the core group of riders rolled into Hamden, Little T took off with the Full Nalini. Those 2 rolled off and despite Nalini’s best efforts, T stayed away. 

That’s it folks!

It was another great year for the SG ride, thank you everyone who made it the most challenging group ride in CT!

Be sure to clear your calendar for CHESHIRE CROSS on Nov 15th. If you think bumping elbows with Chris C on Tuesdays is fun, just wait till you get him away from the public, in the woods, with a couple of beers! Here are some photos from last year... Special "Hill People" status is awarded to any SG Ride regulars who come out to put on a show for the racers. See you there!

Tuesday the 30th

 21 guys for the weekly cyclocross training ride, aka the SG Ride

Despite the road construction re-route right at the start, everyone was in a great mood for the 2^nd to last ride of the year... As soon as the ride turned off the bike path, it was game on, with Jordan L jumping out first, followed by Rory D and Hunter P. Pretty soon they were joined by BurgieBaby, who took a risk or 2 getting thru the corners in order to get up the leading trio. Rory D dropped back as the lead group tore through the soon-to-be-the-crappy road section. The remaining 3 kept on it as behind, the field had a couple of slow corners thanks to those pesky cars.
                The leading trio of BurgieBaby, Jordan L and Hunter P kept on the pressure, kept extending the lead all the way to the light on 68/70. The lead group made good time down Mountain RD and was given the bonus green light. The pack was just getting up to speed, thanks to solid pulls on Mountain Rd from Mike McG and Rob Dux. 2 steps backwards though when the peleton got up to the light as it was turning red. The pack hustled soon thru all the same and onto Moss Farms, not content to just sit back and watch the ride go away. Hacker jumped out from the front and was had visual contact with the lead group just as they turned onto Marion, but he had to return to the pack and rfill the afterburners.
                The leaders stayed off the front all the way to the turnaround sprint, where Hunter P took it with no challenge. As the trio bombed down the backside, Hacker was going off the front 2.0, taking a flyer up the hill along with Ben Bruce. Those 2 kept the pressure up on the descent. Up front, Jordan L turned homeward at the Peck Ln intersection, but that was just in time for Hacker to make the connection to Hunter P and BurgieBaby. It stayed the 3 up front and off the pack all the way back onto Route 10 and up to the stop n sprint. The pack stayed close and was in striking distance as the leaders came up to the Stop n Sprint. Little T patiently bided time till the last moment, jumping hard from the now-closing-fast-chase. He was able to cruise-missile past all 3 to take the sprint there.
                As the remaining riders in the front were fracturing under the pressure of the sprint hill. Hacker kept up the pressure going thru Cheshire and that led to a small group getting off the front as the ride barreled toward the high school. A turning light there let some riders slip thru the red light, while others straight blowed it. When all was said and done, a group of 5 was successfully off the front, charging into Hamden. Hacker, Little T, Hunter P, The Full Nalini and Dillon P worked the gap and stayed off the front the entire way back. For the finale, The full Nalini gave Little T a run for it, but it was to no avail.

Tuesday the 23rd

French Casey is getting faster!? 
He nearly steals the show along with Jordan L. The 2 take off fast, shed Dillon P and one other en route to a long break up to the light on Route 68/70
Few, if any, attacks made with only a couple of weeks to go...
The pack stayed together for the most part, with the usual guys content to set decent tempo up front.
Little T pads his season lead.
Easily taking the 2 sprint points. Aren't you glad you waited for him to fix the flat?
Hacker comes up a bit short in the finale.
2 riders (?) lept away in the final moments to take it.

It's getn dark out there! 5:30 next week? Or keep it to six and make sure everyone rides that much faster?

Tuesday the 16th

Guido gets a proper send off  & no animals were hurt...

     The cool weather and cloudy skies didn't stop a good number of riders from coming on out for the short loop tonight. As it should be, Guido was charging hard out of the gate. The usual riders were up there as well with him... Jordan L, The Sernyak, Hunter P, Mike McG etc. Ben Bruce and The Burg shot off after a nearly corner to get a gap. When Jordan L rolled up to bridge, it would serve as a signal to all others to get up get going.
     The pace stayed like that all the way onto Mountain Rd. Fast, with a good number of strong riders pushing the pace with the rest of the field just able to stay in constant contact. Chris C and Hunter P rolled off the front, taking a Special Ed, Jordan L and a couple of others but there was no follow-thru when the gap was formed and the peleton was able to power back once again. Midway down Mountain, The Gibertoni and Dillon P were out to put on a crucial cyclocross "racing" clinic for everyone... The Gibertoni, not out on the bike tonight, stood near his home, ready with a beer handup. Dillon accepted the challenge, took the pint... And downed it all before stopping for Builder Pete's well-timed flat tire shortly after.... Nice job boys... We expect your training to continue and your "fitness" to get better all the way up to Cheshire Cross '15 on November 15th.Next week's lesson... The dog barrier dismount!
       Onto Moss Farms for the rest of the pack, where Tall John, The Sernyak, Rory D, Rusty, The new rider on the Cervelo, and a couple of others all had a part in keeping the pace high. No one broke out off the front this week though and instead, it just was a constant crisp pace all the way in thru the Chicane. Little T hit the hill running and came thru the corner with a gap but there was plenty of guys balancing that edge of being able to attack and setting a good pace for everyone else. One guy who walked confidently over that edge was Guido, who rolled thru the front well before the corner for the industrial park. Jordan L and a couple of others were wise to the potential and attempted to go with, but the rest of the field responded for the most part.
      Chris C, Hunter P, the new guy, Guido, and one or 2 others got things going once thru the corner and it stayed fast onto West Johnson.... Again, no one really taking any digs off the front. Later on, as everyone rolled thru the 4-way intersection, Hacker surged off the front, taking along The Sernyak, Todd H, and A. Burg. That trio looked to have a head of steam at the corner but the rest of the field used the next 200 meters to claw back most of the gap. That left Little T in a great place to jump from early on. The only rider to go with was Ben Bruce, who stayed respectively close but not enough to make it a true race to the corner. Hunter P and Chris C led the rest of the field up close behind and those 2 rolled the dice on the backside along with Special Ed. No go though as the downhill was enough to let the rest of the feild chase back on by the corner for Peck Ln.
      The rest of the ride into the center of Cheshire was the usual stuff.... No shenanigans up front and no real attacks to take note of. The leadout train into the Stop n Sprint was in back in business, with a few guys up there setting great tempo. The Full Nalini was the first to go after Hacker, who had a small jump on the rest thanks to position in the pack. They were passed by Hunter P, who was giving Little T a good wheel to follow. T was able to slide around with room to spare on his way to #2 on the night.
     Feel free to leave your comments and impressions on the rest of the ride in the now completely anonymous throw-back-to-2010 comments section! Otherwise, Bon Voyage to Guido Wollman... He'll be back in the winter ya'll. We already can picture you sissy's complaining about going to fast on the Sunday ride...

Tuesday the 9th

Shortcut thru the local packy with a detour thru the pizza place...

           Pretty big group out for the ride tonight... Everyone must be getting in final training preparations for the last big race of the year. Rory D was lickin his chops out of the parking lot, drifing away from the rest on route 10. Once the ride got onto the back roads, in a replay from last week, Jordan L and Hunter P took off, this time with The Sernyak and Rusty joining as well. The group was allowed to quickly sprint up a gap but corners slowed the attack. The pace was kept high by Jordan L and Chris C came up as well. One more corner later found Hacker moving on thru the front and soon the pace was high from all. No gaps were allowed all the way toward Mountain Rd, despite some strong pulls up front by Chris C, Nuemotion, Jordan L and a couple of others. Hunter P surged alone up the road on the second set of risers but that was short lived. Gregg F countered that move but that was also a short effort as the field barreled on toward the light.... Which went green at the last moment, letting all thru nice and smooth, though the next light was red. Once onto Moss Farms, Pescatore took off and was joined soon by a few guys.... Jordan L, Chris C, Nuemotion, A CF Racing rider, and one or 2 others. That led to a pretty solid pace all the way down Moss Farms. Toward the end, The Gibertoni and Mike McG moved off the front on brute force but by the chicane, it was strung out single file and fast. That led to a fast trip up to Marion and soon after the corner, a small group was split off the front, led by Chris C, Ben Bruce, Hunter P, Neumotion and a couple of others. Despite the group having plenty of ponies the pressure from behind was too much and everyone was all together for the run toward the light.

            That light went from green to red at the last moment, giving the chance for the front 8 to squeak through but leaving the rest of the peleton having to stomp on the brakes. The law-breakers waited up in proper style and soon after it was all together heading toward Mount Vernon. Little T was off the front and drilling it with Gregg F, Ben Bruce, The Sernyak, Hunter P and a few others chasing hard. Soon after it was all together as everyone seemed to be want to the one that led the rest on the shortcut of the night.

           The time on Mount Vernon was brief, and the speed stayed high on Prospect St as there was plenty of riders to chase down Hunter P as he tried to sneak off. As everyone got back onto West St the ace stayed high, continuing with the theme of the night.

           The speed was ramping up and the front 10 were flying toward the overpass on Atwater when a little Muffy dog ran out in front of all with a lease on. Pretty much everyone braked hard and swerved safely. There may have been contact from by a rider though.... And by contact it we mean a square t-boning of the canine. The dog was pissed and complaining as most riders stopped to see what could be done. A handful of riders rolled on slowly. The dog ended up appearing to be fine. So everyone rolled on. The 2 groups were back together on Peck ln. and the ride got going back to full speed with some cheerleading from a local patrol car who thought the cohesiveness of the pack was lacking a little legality.

            Back onto Route 10, after Christian D snuck off during a lull and stayed out in front long enough to be there when the front runners were winding up to lead out the sprint.... Mike McG setting the speed down. A traffic light with a car turning out right at the base of the hill brought the full-flight leadout to a stop.

             A few guys started up, rolling hard up the hill to make a little something out of the sprint. Little T got it with little fuss. For the rest of the ride, the speed..... Wait..... Where was Guido?