This ride must be famous, new guys all over the place... in the rain no less
The assured rain that was soon to hit didnt stop about 35 guys from rolling out tonight. There was all kinds of famous-ness in the parking lot. The fastest guy from Battenkill, a winner there ( one of 35 top-steppers from that race ), a rider who may or may not have been a former national champion on the track..... and VQ Rob!
Right out of the blocks, Guido was looking to get in a good workout and hit the front started rolling away. Antonio D, Mountain Man and Hunter P jumped on and the ride got going. Peter Reed from Breakaway bikes was up there and would end up help to animate the whole ride. It was good to see Joshy G out as well hammering early on. The newbies made it thru the crap roads ok and the ride steamrolled toward Mountain Rd. Guido continued to work the front, a couple of times pulling a gap with other riders. MaHoney and VQ Rob mainly.
Mike McG moved up on Mountain road, chipping in when Joshy G came off the front. Thanks to the quick pace, guys were getting popped early on. The ride tore down Mountain Rd with a hnadful of guys doing the work. Chris C, Aidan, Little T, MaHoney, PeteReed, Hunter P, Jacinto, Guido, etc.
There was no surprises moving thru Moss Farms rd, everyone played nice the pace was decent. Chris C jumped off the front after the chicane, taking a gap into the corner for Marion. He would be joined by Aidan, PeteReed, and another new rider. Those 3 went through Chris C and had a gap as the ride approached the industrial park. That was a little too dangerous looking and the front of the peleton put in out couple of extra watts in order to keep the gap close. As the ride turned into the industrial park the rain started steady. The gap was still a fast moving 50 meters or so. Chris C again hit the front and took back most of that, stretching the pack out and nearly causing a split in the process. Mike McG and Hunter P finished it off the break. Mike continued, riding thru the trio, taking along Aidan and then Hunter P. Aidan surged as the ride went up West Johnson and Hutner P followed. Those 2 appeared determined to fight for a gap, so again, the front of the ride went in to damage control mode. Joshy G, PeteReed, Guido, Mike McG and a couple of others were in charge of keeping tabs on the front. Aidan and Hunter P would get caught 100 meters or so from the corner to Reinhart. The chase efforts good enough to spring a new break simply by attrition. Mike McG, Little T and PeteReed held a short lead heading to the crest of the road before the sprint hill. Joshy G put in a huge effort to get across the gap as best he could before hte sprint happened. Once on the hill, Mike was surely working for Little T to make sure the home field advantage kept the win from going to the new guy, and sure enough, Little T danced off the front to roll thru the corner alone.
Joshy G was intent on keeping any gap the sprint created and rolled off the front with Little T and PeteReed as the ride came up to Peck Ln. That trio killed the throttle though when Little T slid back to the group and everyone hit the false flat on Peck lane together. Near the top of that rise, Aidan ( New Haven's biggest pain monger since Craig Luekens ) hit the front running, getting things going and putting more bodies in hurt. He peeled off a gap as the ride went over the old train tracks and Guido jumped up after him. Then Mike McG went up, which started pulling more guys up to speed, but still Aidan was alone up there. Guido and Mike eventually did make it across as the ride was back onto route 10. The chase on route 10 for the 2nd week in a row put the peleton into the blender. This time a chase group pulled clear on the hill by Cheshire Park as PeteReed, Chris C and Hunter P sped off the front. Guido lost contact with Aidan and Mike on the hill but joined up in the chase, making it 4 guys chasing Beauty and the Beast up the road. The chase grew as JoshyG again bridged a hard gap, taking along Little T and one other (?).
As the chasers came up on the center of Cheshire, Aidan and Mike rolled past Stop n Shop alone, proving they don't need a sprint point to show their dominance. Red lights slowed them and allowed the chase group to catch. Damage was done though as the rest of the field was long behind, out of sight nearly. The lead group of 8 or so never had a chance to get going strong again. Red lights and traffic gave the Peleton a chance to catch up and as the ride was leaving Cheshire, it was all back together again. Perhaps someone can fill in the blanks for the rest of the ride, as the Cheshire Cycle guys rode back to the shop at this point.
All in all, a great ride despite the rain. Thanks to the new guys for making it interesting. Hope to see everyone back next week.
33 comments:
That is a great ride you guys have going; thanks for having me along. It took an extra-long hot shower to thaw...here's to more, and dryer, rides!
Worth a mention that Josh(I think) blew his rear derailleur cable at one point and just asked, 'wanna keep it going?' Impressed.
The ride back to S&S for me, MTN Man and Mike was long and cold. The hot shower felt good. Welcome to the ride Pete. You're a strong rider. Just a note for all the newbies, in 3 to 4 weeks, we start doing the "long loop" otherwise known as the "Sunday Loop" which takes us out to Southington.
Who the hell was the guy on the cyclocross bike? What the fuck! I was killing myself a couple times and this guy rode past me like I had my brakes on and I think he was using 28MM tires.
Chris C.
that would be Bob from College street.
Is PeteReed living in the area now?
Yea that guy on the CX bike was tearing it up
They were 32's, for the record.
If you guys don't already know CTSR and Nutmeg are no longer USAC events.
O no ben how are you going to turn pro! :o
Yea seriously. Who cares anymore about USA cycling sanctioning.
It's for peoples information, for one. And two, it's important. If it's non-USAC then I can race the pro field and so can anyone else. What is the point of upgrading then? Why pay dues and have to place if you can just do whatever you want? Besides, I loved CTSR. It was really the only race of its kind around here. But if you place, other than bragging rights, which I know goes far here, it doesn't mean a thing.
Also, each year we keep losing local races. And by supporting races outside of USAC, like Quabbin, we are encouraging the deterioration of local racing. Do you really believe that there is "better insurance" at Quabbin other than what USAC can provide or is the promoter just making more money? Or the fact that the Nutmeg crit can no longer be the State Championship but is just a group ride you have to pay for is pretty sad.
Valid points. But in truth, what races have been lost because of local "deterioration", and not because of the economy and costs of promotion?
Whats the status on the sunday ride this time of year? Any one game now that bethel is over?
Mahoney
Yeah, there's the Arc crit at Ninagrit on Sunday.
FWIW regarding Non USAC sanctioned Races and insurance...
1) The insurance Purchased For Quabbin and the other races mentioned is less expensive than USAC provided insurance.
2) If you have your own Medical Insurance with a low deductible you may not care...But the USAC Insurance has a $5K deductible before it kicks in...The insurance at Quabbin has a $100 deductible.
3) USAC's insurance does little to protect the promoter from liability. The insurance purchased at Quabbin does...this is a big deal for promoters.
4) USAC has been asked to allow promoters to provide their own insurance and then they would seek permitting and sanctioning with USAC, USAC has declined this offer.
These are FACTS and the data is available for anyone to see on line.
It is opinion, but I also think it is pretty clear, based on the cost per entry, that USAC insurance is a significant revenue generator for USAC that they want to protect. It is not in place to primarily benefit its membership.
There are other promoters who are looking in to taking this same self insured route.
Which is better for the sport & the riders? Probably something in between what USAC wants and going totally unsanctioned...if that becomes possible.
FYI
Very interesting...
I smell a CyclistsAreNotRockstars.com expose coming
It's in the works...
That picture of Aidan is spot on.
Thanks for a great ride, while it lasted. I got dropped < halfway. I don't have the lungs, you're out of my league.
I was that guy on the titanium CX bike. Yes, they are 32mm tires. I guess I should take the fenders off, at least. That said, Cancellara's secret motorbike wouldn't have helped me keep up with the peloton for the entire ride.
-Zack
Mahoney, I see you beat Guido in that TT.
Guido wasnt even near top form, and he still put a hurtin on me.
http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2011/04/09-Yale-lux-et-Velocitas.asp
mahoney
One thing that I don't think people take into account. A lot of people have a hard time with the USAC and their fees... not knowing where the money goes. But the very large majority of the revenue generated from USAC fees go towards the Junior and U23 National teams. They are sending local CT racers like Paul Lynch and Ben Wolfe to race in Europe to develop them into world class riders. The USAC is trying to promote American cycling on the world stage... and its efforts can be seen locally.
Very True
Congratulations to Kyle F on his 2 upgrade.
He's probably doping too!
Clearly I'm not doping, so I've gotta ask: What's with all the doping comments?
No dumb ass, I meant Kyle.
No shit you're not doping, you not even trying !
Ben is such a sensitive guy. He should run for office.
I knew you didn't mean me numb nuts.
Congrats Young Foley!
I plan on riding this evening in the rain. Anyone going to join me?
Chris C.
I will be out there.
Hey Anonymous (lawlz)--
I'm "in the area" for another 10 days (short term research stay) and then in Mass (so racing in New England) for the month of May.
Glad to catch the ride again--it was a good makeup for a completely tanked AM workout. Note to self: food poisoning a suboptimal way to make race weight.
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