Tuesday the 17th

SGR enters 3 weeks of the best kind of chaos

 It was by far the biggest group of the year tonight. It was great to see Steve Grey, Dan Dudzik, Steven Badger, and several other riders who together ensure that it's going to be a great SGR. So long as the weather holds up, these weeks before the CCAP's Renschler Field Series starts up will be crowded and fast for SGR. Despite the big field tonight, the pace got going quite slowly once off route 10. It took several minutes before the pace got going. Aaron B rolled to the front and started pushing the pace along with Keith M. Pretty soon Dan Smith was up there as well and along with Thule Tom's efforts, the normal high pace settled in.

TF got involved early on as well, bringing out Mike Hons and Chris C. There was a brief moment before Mountain Road where it looked like a group of 5 or 6 might get sprung by Dan Smith surging off the front but there was enough attentive riders going hard to keep it all together. Big red was active on the front here, as well as most of the evening, keeping the pace in response to would be attackers. We saw fresh faces from New Haven mixing it up in the front quarter of the pack. Andrew Suzuki and Aiden Xue got up there and were riding aggressively, far from the back of the pack.

On Mountain Rd, Hunter P and TF lit it up on the uphill start, and that started opening up gaps. Noah B stayed on it, which led to a brief gap to him and one other as the rest behind were sorting it out. Rosie charged across the gap, taking Hunter P and the rest of the field. It was all together going into the light and then to Moss farms.

This week on Moss farms the pace was a little less aggressive, and even though the wind was still a huge challenge to overcome there was no big attack to clear the front. It stayed together all the way over route 322 and on to Mount Vernon. TF and Hunter P went hard at the start of Mount Vernon, which woke everyone up. TF stayed on the gas and had a gap Chris C and Mike Hons chasing in front of the peleton. Kevin M sensing the opportunity, jumped across, taking no one else. He was able to get up to TF and those two got to work quickly into the headwind. Behind, Hons and Chris C couldn't close down the gap and started sinking back to the pack. With CW and CCR represented up the road, the chase was a bit slow to get going, but the headwind proved more of a deterrent to the two leaders. They could have used a couple more bodies up there to stay clear. Within a couple kilometers they were back into the pack. Dan S, Noah and Aaron B, and the big dude in blue kept the pace surging and unpredictable. Dillon P rolled off during a calmer moment and was allowed to get a gap that he held for another kilometer and a half. Cedric Baylor jumped across the gap late to him, but those two didn't have much of a chance to work together with the pack bearing down.

Ont to Welch for the turnaround, no one was really no one was pushing the pace through there. The usual guys started attacking up the uphill to the corner but Noah B got a best jump and went through the corner clean. He kept his head down on West Street and was escaping. Behind him a crowd going through the corner needed a little bit of sorted sorting out but once it did, Chris C, Noah B, Hunter P and TF emerged at the front. Noah B was not going to be caught though and he gets the hard-fought points. Behind Aaron B jumped next with Hunter P able to come around his wheel for second.

On the back side it all came back together although there were a few moments where TF, CCB, and Hunter P looked ready to push off the front. There were small gaps in the down the back side of West Street but with traffic near the 84 interchange nothing got rolling. Heading back towards route 322 Hunter P took a flyer to which Dan S responded and went across the gap. But the light was red keeping it all together. Dan S and Kevin M kept it up once through the intersection, but there was enough guys to roll with it.

On to the backside of the course where everyone screamed thru East Johnson with a tailwind. Steve B launched it on the hill up to the corner of Cheshire Street. Even though plenty of others jumped on the hill it was a good enough attack so that it was only he and Kevin M that went clear. They started rolling down Cheshire Street and towards the greenhouse climb with a gap and kept on plugging away. Behind a few riders got into the mix and started chasing, but it broke down. Within half a kilometer it was the two up the road with the pack chasing. Up front the two worked well together and hit the base of the climb with a solid 30-40 second gap that would not be brought back. On the climb, nobody was willing to chase it back. CW was sitting on, and they surged a bit to cover accelerations from surge to respond to a couple moves from Henk P and Chris C. Steve B and Kevin M get the points going across the line at the top of the hill. Behind Dan S wound up and went hard to be the next guy across the line in front of TF.

After the sprint Steve Band Kevin M were held up by traffic at route 70 allowing everybody to come back together. As the ride went on the there were no big surprises going through the back roads of Cheshire. Steve B stayed on it at the front of the pack and surged off a couple of times, but never more than a few meters. The finale was another hectic one with 10 to 12 guys ripping through the downhill onto the Tuttle sprint. Noah B timed the uphill-to-flat sprint well and was the first one across the line. Hunter P rolled in next, with The Sernyak right behind him. Fun ride everyone!

Tuesday the 10th

A big break goes clear

A big headwind greeted the ride today and it would play a big role in how the ride turned out. In the parking lot, it was great to see Kyle Crowell out for the first time in a while. However, he was hit with a flat in the first 15 min and had to call it a day early. Besides him, Nuemotion was back out after a hiatus from the ride. Everyone was eager to ride with the great weather at hand. Also, riding hard is needed to be ready for the Governor's Guard Round-Up in Avon on Sunday! While it's technically a MTB race, the Round Up course is perfect for wimpy road-bikers. Cheshire Cycle is getting the sandbags ready to present to our favorite SGRers brave enough to go for it.

Out of the parking lot, Joe K and Gibertoni were eager to push the pace heading north on Route 10. Then, Hunter P possum'ed off the front as soon as the ride turned off route 10. After a couple of corners, he was 150m up the road. Wild Bill saw what was happening and jumped hard to close the gap and did so within half a km or so. That put two up the road working together into the wind.

Shortly after that, the alarm bells started going off in the pack and a chase group made up of Noah B and Steve B from CW, and the Mullaly's, Kevin and Keith. That quartet got up to the leaders and everyone started rolling. Behind in the chase, Big Red was doing his best to keep the pace high and get everyone working together.

Heading to Mountain rd, the gap was coming down a bit, when Keith M missed the corner for Mountain, taking SGR regular Steve B with him (!?). Those two had to turn around and hustle back double speed. Up front, the break broke down as the peleton saw its chance to close the gap. The pace stayed decent as a couple of Cheshire riders used the catch as a chance to push off the front. Joe K and Hons each had surges off the front, and every time CW was there to go with. Keith M and Steve eventually caught back on and they wasted no time to getting back up to the front. Late on Mountain Rd, a gap had started to 3 riders off the front (Noah B, Erin R, Kevin M). Hunter P went across the gap and that sewed it all up as everyone got to the light.

Early on Moss Farms, K&K went right back to the front and pushed hard off the front. Steve B and Noah B were right there with them. Behind, it was a scramble to find the wheels that were going in the right direction. A couple of guys who turned the corner early were dropping back, and a couple of guys seeing the gap were at full throttle. Brian Suto was in the latter category. He started to jump across the gap with Hunter P and Aidan C on his wheel. That trio made the connection, putting 7 up the road.

As the pack rolled down the backside of Moss Farms, Little T and Chris C had created separation and were making their way across the gap. Those two were able to use the chicane and the corners to close it down more and by the uphill corner for Marion, the full group had about 150 meters lead. Steve B, Noah B, Hunter P, Aidan C, Little T, Chris C, K&K. Suto had to drop off the pace.

The break rolled smoothly together. K&K, Steve B, and Hunter P doing a bit extra work. The gap went out on the way toward the route 322 crossing. The break got the light, the peloton had to pause. That was enough to spring the break for good.

By the turnaround point on Welch Rd, the peloton had the break in sight! All the way down Mount Vernon, Big Red was trying to rally and motivate the rest in his own unique way. Wild Bill was taking good pulls along with Henk, Dillon P and Gibertoni. The headwind made it tough though. Up front, the smaller group rotating smoothly was able to chop into the wind a bit more effectively. The break rolled up toe the sprint together, but then Little T broke the stalemate, jumping up for sprint with Steve B on his wheel. Everyone in the break gets points though. T gets a couple more for outkicking the rest. The break came back together and kept working well.

The break got green at every light on the way back into Cheshire, even the one on 322. The peloton got held up by nearly every red light. The gap went from 20-30 seconds to a couple of minutes from the sprint to the crossing on route 10 in Cheshire. Both groups had to wait a while there. After crossing over for the last 30 min of the ride, the break started playing cat n mouse a bit, and behind in the pack, everyone started looking around for the competition instead of up the road.

By the greenhouse climb, the peleton was just 10 or so riders. Big Red was still yelling at himself and others. Dillon P, Gibertoni, Henk, and Wild Bill were still pushing the pace. Up front, Aidan C attacked the group at the base of the Greenhouse climb but was held up by a car exiting a driveway. Then Steve B and Keith M went. No one got dropped though. Hunter P took the sprint at the orchard just ahead of Little T.

The ride back into Hamden was fast for everyone. Little T took the final sprint as everyone either mistimed the jump for the new finish line or was still going for the old line.

Great ride everyone!

Tuesday the 3rd

 
Good weather returned and so did the crowds for the sleeping giant ride this week. A bunch of new faces out there today. Highlighted among them was Matt Armstrong down from Fairfield county up from Fairfield county. Matt, is the lead protagonist of the Wednesday Night Worlds Ride, which leaves from Greenwich High School during the season. Check that ride out if you can. It's a fast one, just slightly slower than SGR. ;-)

In addition to Matt, we had a few other riders from down in the Greenwich area, some Mogodanononongon riders. It was great to see young Alejandro Huber back out for his second full go with the ride. It was also great to see Aaron Black back out for the first time this season.

Kicking off the ride on route 10 was Hunter P. Who surged away but it was all grouped together for the turn off of route 10. After that. Keith Mullally was on the front a lot. Never quite attacking, instead pulling away with good old, solid pacemaking. There were plenty of fresh legs to respond, and it kept the pace high for the first 10 to 15 minutes of the ride.

It was all together heading on to mountain Road, and there were no attacks on the early. Chris C punched it off the front and was allowed to roll. Behind him, a chase formed with a small gap off from the rest. In the chase was Keith M, TF, Hunter P, and a couple of others. It came together by the intersection midway down Mountain Rd. From there it stayed together with everyone pulling nicely and politely. Steffen H rolled off the front with about a kilometer to go to the intersection and that was followed up by Hunter P. He was chased down by the usual suspects and it all came back together at the red light on route 68/70. On Moss farms it was more of the same with Chris C, Keith M, and a couple of others setting the early pace that kept it fast. Damien R. rolled up to the front and hit it hard, but nobody allowed any gaps. Plus the attacks weren't all that strong. The pace was good enough to let a small but strong group get a tiny gap going into the chicane but nobody drilled it enough up to Marion Avenue to keep it going.

The pace on Mount Vernon was decent but nothing crazy. The usual cat n mouse started before the turnaround. A couple of guys tried to sneak away but it was cuing up behind. Little T got a solid jump and hit the corner with a 5-second gap. He held it all the way to the line. Behind, Chris C traded pulls with Hunter P and Dan Smith. Hunter P jumped to come across next, staying out in front of TF who rolled in 3rd.

On the backside, Dan Smith kept the pace going with TF and this eventually led to Chris C, Hunter P and Dan Smith off the front fighting for a gap up to the top of West St. They had a gap going down but got hung up by traffic near Atwater street. Once through that, Dan Smith attacked again and was allowed to roll off the front. He stayed on it just enough to carry a gap to the intersection of 322. Behind, a newer rider (big guy in blue) powered the front and was bringing the gap back. Dan got the light though, which allowed him to get away for good.

However, reports began circulating that Dan was pulling off the ride early, so we would not get credit for the winning breakaway. The ride got back going again, and the usual pace unfolded for the last third of the ride. Damien R tried to get away on East Johnson again. The pace was lazy after that heading up to the Greenhouse climb. TF rolled off the front with Rosey. Those two were allowed to go. Rosey dropped off the pace halfway up the climb, and TF was able to stay out in front. Big Red set the pace in chase, and then Little T rolled thru the sprint line.

The pace got mellower in the pack after that. Only just ahead of the final sprint did it go back up again. Cedric B and Dillon P both had well-timed moves late on Tuttle to sneak one in, but there was enough pedaling at the base of the hill to bring it all back together. Going for the new sprint line was just Hunter P and Litle T. Both mistimed the jump to the speed limit sign on the right just past the River Road intersection on the right. T had the momentum and rolled in. A few guys still sprinted for the old line and hopefully everyone will be on the same page for next week.

Tuesday the 26th

 Rained out!

Dan Smith, Chris Crowell and Turner French were the only ones out on the ride. 

In other news, the majority want to move the final sprint line back to avoid the crappy pavement. Next week, the sprint line will be this speed limit sign that is just past River Rd.

Another Lively, and Friendly Ride!

There was a smaller than usual crowd out tonight. The cold and the wind no doubt kept a few away. Right from the gun the pace was high though. Hunter P zipped off the front as soon as the ride turned off route 10. He was joined by Steve B and pretty much everyone responded in kind.

There were plenty of warm bodies to keep rotating thru the front to keep the pace high (Jordan Lynn, Chris C, Ben Bruce, Kevin M). Turner French was next to go, and rolled off the front after the corner of South Brooksvale. He stayed on the gas and was allowed to roll. By the corner of Mountain Rd, he had 50 meters but the field was working it's way back. On the first risers up the hill, Hunter P jumped and made the bridge. That made two off the front. The response from the back on the climb was delayed which added to the gap.

A few riders didn't want to miss the bus though, and attacked off the front of the chase as the uphill section was ending. Kevin M, Wild Bill, Dan Smith, and Rich N. The timing was slipshod so everyone had to work hard with gaps in place as TF and HP continued rolling away. Pretty much just as soon as it all came together up front, Dan Smith attacked the break, taking only TF and Hunter P with him. The rest of the break sat back dismayed and frustrated. Once DS and TF saw they weren't going to riding away alone, the gas went out of that effort as well, so everyone (pack included) hit the light on 68/70 together.

Onto Moss Farms where there were a few guys (Jordan Lynn, Chris C, Hacker, etc) that were responsible for most of the pace-making. Hacker looked like he was going to attack a couple of times, but the pack stayed together all the way through to the industrial park. Hunter P rolled off the front before 322 and the light was green, but the CW-led chase was right there.

CW stayed on the front for the first part of Mount Vernon. There were a few others always present up there to keep em company. The full-length roll down Mount Vernon was uneventful. The usual gaps formed after the false-flat section, but no one attacked. The pace picked up a bit on Welch. A surge at the front put Hacker, Erin Rand, and Ben Bruce in the frontseat and they rolled off the front and hit the corner for West St with a few seconds gap. Dan S jumped across the gap, taking Steve B, TK and a   couple of others with him. There was some hesitation from the chase, but once it got going, Dan S was going past Hacker and Ben Bruce. TF and Steve made up and over as well, and that was the order through the sprint point.

On the backside, a couple of guys (Chris C, Hunter P, Steve B) stayed on the gas but the pack made it's way back and wasn't too far behind as the downhill ended. Hunter P had a douche-bag wide gap and rolled thru a just-turned red light, whereas the rest stopped a second later.

Grumblecakes ensued, but everyone was eager to get the chase going once the traffic cleared. HP held the gap all the way to the light going back over 322. CW did the lion's share of the chasing to bring him back. Next up was Dillon P who rolled off the front in search of the light on route 10 but that was red thru and thru.

Damien R was next to attack on East Johnson. He rolled thru the corner for Cheshire St with a narrow gap. Once again it was Dan Smith chasing back. The hill+corner gave a few guys the chance to roll off the front (Hacker, Dan Smith, Big Red, Kevin M, Wild Bill) but there was enough of a response to make sure it didnt get very far.

Onto the Greenhouse climb, where Chris C jumped off the front after the first riser and was allowed to roll away uncontested. He kept a healthy gap going up nearly the entire climb, as the pack went up the slowest it has in weeks. The strong cross-winds were not helping. Once near the top, the gap started to come down, and then Chris C was held up by the red light. On the back side, Hunter P got the pace back up and then Steve B jumped early for the sprint. It was fast enough to catch a few by surprise but Hacker and Hunter P latched on quickly. Hacker was the first to open up the sprint proper, but Hunter P was able to come around and get the points. Ben Bruce was there in second and then TF.

Dan Smith tried to keep it going after the light and the corners, but it was all together soon after. The pace was for real after that. No one attacked, but the pace was high for the sections that mattered. The rise up Tuttle was fast, everyone ripped down the backside, and there was a healthy amount of jockeying for position in final kilometer.

For the finale, TF jumped off the front early, risking a yellow-line violation. He stalled out as Wild Bill and Big Red were winding it up. Ben Bruce got the late, best jump though and stayed out in front to get it in front of Wild Bill. Third place was ??? It was too close to call. If it was you, leave it in the comments.

(There is a new poll up. It was suggested that the end of Tuttle is getting chewed up again and sprinting there is getting sketcty due to potholes, pavement ruts, and cracks. The top of the final riser seems a safer spot to sprint to. Leave your poll response if you'd like)

Tuesday the 12th

Getting More Comfy with the Deep End of the Pool

The aggro-style riding continued tonight, which made for another awesome ride. Besides the team vs team antics, more solo riders were willing to roll the dice and push the pace. Pretty much right off the bat, there was activity off the front. Aidan C and Billy Thompson were early instigators and broke away on South Brooksvale. Their group eventually grew to about 8 or so, including Wild Bill Strebel, Joe K, Ben Bruce, Chris C, and a couple of others. The group hit Mountain Road with about 10 seconds, and a bit of traffic in the corner for the main pack let the gap go out a few meters more.

Brian Suto and Turner French got the pace going again soon on Mountain Rd. As it became apparent that Cheshire was not chipping in since Ben Bruce and Joe K were in the break, the CW crew lit it up in the chase. Dan Smith had a big pull, then Steve B had a massive dig. Erin Rand was rotating thru as well. By the time TF attacked the front halfway down Mountain, the main pack behind was reeling. CW kept on it, with Hunter P latched on as baggage to cover each attack. The light on route 68 was red-turning-green so it all came back together there. But it was just barely that the main pack avoided getting "dropped" by the break and chase #1.

The pace calmed down on Moss Farms. Jordan Lynn and Chris C were still pushing the pace but there were no big attacks. Steve B drilled it hard well before the chicane, and he took a gap up the riser to Marion but rolled back soon after. Onto Marion, the pace stayed high and there were a couple of moments where it looked like the pack was going to detonate. Hunter P, Little T, and Damien R surged and took their opportunities, but nothing stuck. As the ride neared 322, Joe K and Jordan Lynn rolled off the front uncontested. They timed it well and rolled thru the light with about 50 meters lead. The pack stopped at the red light to discuss the chances the two up the road had at staying away.

Once resumed, the ride was controlled largely by CW. The pace was solid, and there were a couple of moments when it looked like a chase group would form. Damien R, Hunter P , Wild Bill, CVC Esteban, and a couple of others were present upfront as Steve B, Dan Smith and TF brought back the gap.

Jordan L and Joe K appeared halfway down Prospect St, and it was all together turning onto West St. Dillon P countered with an acceleration to get a gap going, but there was red light turning onto Atwater. Next up was Hunter P, who jumped hard on the climb going under the highway. He held a gap going back to the 322 crossing. Behind, the chase was ligit, led by CW, Chris C, Wild Bill and a couple of others.

It was all together getting thru the light and heading towards the route 10 crossing. There were no other attacks until the uphill on East Johnson. TF, who was stuck in a single gear due to a dead Di2 battery, was either full gas or sitting back for the rest of the night. He attacked up the climb along with Damien R and Hunter P, but no one was going to let out that leash. Big Red then rolled to the front and kept the pace high heading to the greenhouse climb. Dan Smith and Steve B also ramped up the pace a few notches, but it wasn't enough to get a gap.

On the climb, the pace slowed down for the first section. Then TF went full gas mode, and only Hunter P went with him. Those two quickly got a 100-150m gap that held for the whole way up the climb. Once it leveled off, Steve B jumped from the pack to bridge the gap. He nearly past all to make it to the line. He had to settle for 2nd behind Hunter P, who rolled through alone when TF came off the gas 250m prior.

Into the backroads of East Cheshire, where Aidan C and Wild Bill did damage off the front. They split off a small group, but were tracked down after a couple of corners by Dan Smith and Hunter P. Aidan C kept on it though and the pace stayed solid thru the rollers before Boulder Rd. No further attacks until into the final kilometer, where Steve B had one more attack off the front going up the final kicker by the farm. Ben Bruce went with him but the two didn't have the legs to stay off the front. Little T rolled thru in the nick of time to take it ahead of Steve.

Another fantastic ride everyone! The weather looks crummy for the next ride, but the hour-by-hour forecast has been improving.

Tuesday the 5th

 SGR stays Habenero Hot for Week 3

It was good to see a few new faces out there on the ride tonight for the "Middle Goat Loop". Jed K and Xander Beck came down to represent the CCAP. Aidan C was out. Hacker was back along with Wild Bill. Steffen has his son Alejandro out for his first time at SGR. All the right ingredients for a great ride!

The pace was a bit slow to get going. Early moves from Damien R from CCR, Thule Tom, and Dan Smith set things in motion. Hunter P got involved, and a couple of early moves had brief gaps, but it was always brought back from good pace-setting from Rich D, Little T, Chris C, Wild Bill, and a couple of others.

Heading onto North Brooksvale, Hunter P rolled up to an attacking Dan Smith, who had Ben Bruce up there. Then Turner French (TF) joined the group, making it four up the road. They rotated through and had 30 meters or so heading towards Mountain Rd. Behind, the chase was getting organized and it was all back together as the ride rolled up the first risers on Mountain. Wild Bill stayed up there, along with Aidan C to set the pace. The rest of the ride down Mountain was quiet. Dillon P made a move for the light, to which TF responded, to which Hunter P responded.

Moss Farms is where Steffen H took off. He dangled a bit out there, and then a couple of guys (Hacker, Erin Rand) made a few accelerations to connect. Steffen H stayed hard on the gas thru the rolling terrain and rolled clear as the ride was coming up to the chicane. Rich N, Chris C, and a couple of others jumped hard but gaps were forming. A bit of traffic thru the intersection allowed it all to come back together for the most part but there were a bunch in the pack that were gasping for air.

Little T used the opportunity to jump hard on the hill to Marion, taking along Hunter P. Then Rich N and Chris C joined the group. The pace behind was for realz, so the move didn't go far. Chris C stayed on the gas after it came back together, but nothing got away as the ride made it to 322.

Past that, Hunter P attacked hard on the first uphill after the light. TF joined up. Those two took a 50-meter gap onto Mount Vernon. Then Hacker charged across the gap. The rest of the pack was briefly subdued by Cheshire and CW riders not chasing, allowing the trio to get a sizeable gap that went up most of the way down Mount Vernon. As everyone turned the corner onto Prospect St, the chase was on though. Wild Bill, Dan Dudzik, Aidan C, Scott Rosenthal, Chris C, Rich N were all chipping in. There was some hesitation in the break as the corner to West Street came up and it was all back together soon after.

Onto Atwater, Gibertoni and Damien R pushed off the front. Then Thule Tom and Rich N created a bit of separation. That led to a group of 3 or 4 with a bit of gap as the 322 crossing back up. Dan Smith put in a big dig on the front to bring it all back before the light, which was green. The momentum allowed Ben Bruce and TF to attack off the front and carry a gap onto West Johnson. Hunter P bridged, but the light on route 10 was red.

Past that, Damien R hit it hard early on East Johnson and got a gap. He held it all the way up the hill to the stop sign and right turn. TF jumped across soon after the corner along with Rich N. No immediate chase allowed that trio to roll clear. Big Red got the group going soon after, and other riders not on the bige teams chipped in to hold the break at 100-150 meters as it hit the Greenhouse climb.

Upfront, Damien R tried working with TF to set a decent pace up the climb. TF was, however, biding his time. Rich N was mostly sitting on, waiting for what seemed like the inevitable attack. Behind, Wild Bill hit the front of the pack and towed everyone the entire way up the climb, reducing the gap to the break to just 60 meters or so. TF rolled away from the other two soon after the trio had to pause briefly for the light. As the chase made its way past the intersection, Little T jumped hard, taking along Dan Smith and Ben Bruce. That trio sailed by TF in that order with about 50 meters to the line, and Little T went over first with little fuss from the others.

Dan Smith stayed on the gas after clearing the intersection at route 70. Chris C and Hunter P joined him, but it was short-lived. Everyone stayed together until the climb up Boulder, where Dan Smith attacked with Chris C. They took a small gap onto the first sector of Tuttle and kept it going from there. TF and Hunter P jumped on the climb but then sat up, which brought a big drawdown from everyone. The chase got going again on the backside of Tuttle, but it was too late to bring back the two up the road. Rich N collects minor points for being willing to sprint it out in the dark in front of the peleton.

Once again it was great ride!