Hong's Haymakers Prove the Difference
The final "final" ride of the year. The pack was smaller but the speed was still there. Ryan O and Hunter P rolled out of the parking lot quickly, and the nuetral start down 10 was faster than usual. Traffic getting into the backroads brought everyone together. Hunter P took a couple of pulls at the front, Dillon P, and Grome as well. Getting onto Mountain Rd, Alan B Dan Smith and Hacker were near the front ready to rocket off, but there was no big attacks to get free. Pace was fast and a couple guys were dropped. COming up to the light on 68\70, Dan Smith was rolling off the front but the light was red for all.
Hunter P rolled thru onto Moss Farms, whereas the pack dillegently waited for green at the Notch Store light. Hunter P kept on the gas and held the solo gap until shortly before the turn into the industrial park, where Grome, Chris C and The Sernyak took over up front.
Turning onto West Johnson saw some digs up front but it stayed all together until later towards the light. Alan B and Hongster rolled off the front, leaving it to The Senryak and Hunter P to keep it together in case the light was green. It wasn't. It was red. On the backside, Gibertoni rolled off and took towards the second half of the ride solo. He would be caught on Meriden Rd \ route70. From there guys up front were sitting up to get ready for the climb.
Ryan O and Hunter P got the climb started, and then Hongster took a shot, immedtialy to be matched by Alan B and Hunter P. Then it was Alan who swung a punch. Then Hong. In a skit played out nearly a dozen times this season, Hong + Alan traded blows more than once, Hunter P sat on, the rest who were up to it clawed on the train for dear life, and more than few checked out the back for the evening. Some caught back on at the red light, some did not.
Up front, what was now a breakaway (Hunter P, Alan B, Hongster, Chris C, The Senryak) got green towards the sprint. Alan B ramped up the approach, but Hunter P was quickly able to come over the line next in front the Sernyak. Break and elite chase came back together at the red light. Hongster kept the pressure on after the light, and Grome, Dan Smith, Alan B, and The Sernyak stayed on it to make sure it stayed together.
On the next street, Hong jumped. Then on the next street, Hong jumped again. And the next. And the next, etc etc etc. In a bold move, He jumped on the Coleman Rd downhill leading to Jinny Hill. Alan B went with and the 2 sped off despite the lower power to gravity ratio. Behind them, Hunter P, The Sernyak, Chris C and maybe one other dude was willing to nose out and chase. The two were caught before the climb up Boulder Rd, and it settled down a bit. Hong kept on the gas though and was able to put a little dusklight between him and the chase on the early parts of Tuttle. He opened up that gap on the rise when the chase slowed a bit. Chris C rolled thru at tempo, then Hunter P. Hong had 5-7 seconds going through the intersection, and that was enough to get a head start on the final 2000 meters. He ripped through the downhill section quickly, whereas there was a slight hesitation in the pack due to the dark. By the time everyone got onto the final rollers thru by the farm, Hong was out of sight and had it sealed up. Final points went to Alan B who took off uncontested for the sprint 10 seconds early and held on in front of a semi-charging Sernyak.
Great ride, everyone! Great season of SG.
Don't forget to come out and support Cheshire Cross on November 2nd. Rumor has it that the Hongster will be out bringing his brand of racing to the party.
The Sunday ride has its early adopters... Planning even to ride this week. Expect it to slowly pick up momentum and riders as we get thru the month of October.
Tuesday the 17th
Everyone but the Breakaway is Winding Down for the Year
The blinkies came out in defiance of the dark. One more good week awaits!
Notable attacks tonight:
Hunter P, Alan B, Dan Smith on Mountain Rd. Hunter P on West Johnson after a couple guys made like they were going straight at the 4-way intersection. English Pete and Hacker on East Johnson Rd. Steffen H leading up to the climb, which provided the springboard for the familiar trio of Alan B, Hongster, and Sean Cahill to get up the road in a break. Cahill took the points at the sprint and was able to outfox the teammates for the final sprints as well. Chapeau!
One more ride at 6PM, next week, before the Tuesday SG hibernates for the winter.
The blinkies came out in defiance of the dark. One more good week awaits!
Notable attacks tonight:
Hunter P, Alan B, Dan Smith on Mountain Rd. Hunter P on West Johnson after a couple guys made like they were going straight at the 4-way intersection. English Pete and Hacker on East Johnson Rd. Steffen H leading up to the climb, which provided the springboard for the familiar trio of Alan B, Hongster, and Sean Cahill to get up the road in a break. Cahill took the points at the sprint and was able to outfox the teammates for the final sprints as well. Chapeau!
One more ride at 6PM, next week, before the Tuesday SG hibernates for the winter.
Tuesday the 10th
Hunter P takes all the points as the ride switches to the "Short Loop"...
Sean Cahill came up a bit short for the first sprint point.
As the ride wound its way back into Hamden, it split into 2, and from the first group of ~12, Hunter P outkicked Ben Bruce for the final points as well.
Sean Cahill came up a bit short for the first sprint point.
As the ride wound its way back into Hamden, it split into 2, and from the first group of ~12, Hunter P outkicked Ben Bruce for the final points as well.
Tuesday the 3rd
Summer End Brings out the Medium(?!) Loop
It was another fast, fast ride tonight!
The mid-point sprint is no more... The ride went through a medium loop. Chris C and Steffen H led everyone through the new section.
The sprint up to Hickory Hill was fast. Sean Cahill put in a couple of significant attacks to spread things out. Alan B and Hongster traded jabs from there, without going all in. Chris C and Hunter P had a quick pull at the top. Sean Cahill was the first to jump for the sprint, but Hunter P was able to come around to get the sprint.
From there, the ride stayed fast. Chris C led everyone onto Coleman Rd quickly, and then Hunter P jumped hard as the first hill there started to kick. Then Hongster and Alan attacked the next rise, and only Sean Cahill, Hunter P, The Sernyak, and Brian G went with them. The break of 6 stayed off the front, as the chase behind couldn't quite get organized.
For the finish, Hongster and Alan B traded early attacks, with Sean Cahill forced to cover all of them. Hunter P then attacked, putting Sean in the position to chase one last time with 300 meters to go. Hunter P jumped for the line, with the Sernyak also jumping. The two went to the line, with Hunter P taking it by half a wheel.
Great ride everyone! Next week, the Cheshire team will be hanging out at Mikro after the ride. All are invited to swing by and enjoy a post-ride beer or snack!
It was another fast, fast ride tonight!
The mid-point sprint is no more... The ride went through a medium loop. Chris C and Steffen H led everyone through the new section.
The sprint up to Hickory Hill was fast. Sean Cahill put in a couple of significant attacks to spread things out. Alan B and Hongster traded jabs from there, without going all in. Chris C and Hunter P had a quick pull at the top. Sean Cahill was the first to jump for the sprint, but Hunter P was able to come around to get the sprint.
From there, the ride stayed fast. Chris C led everyone onto Coleman Rd quickly, and then Hunter P jumped hard as the first hill there started to kick. Then Hongster and Alan attacked the next rise, and only Sean Cahill, Hunter P, The Sernyak, and Brian G went with them. The break of 6 stayed off the front, as the chase behind couldn't quite get organized.
For the finish, Hongster and Alan B traded early attacks, with Sean Cahill forced to cover all of them. Hunter P then attacked, putting Sean in the position to chase one last time with 300 meters to go. Hunter P jumped for the line, with the Sernyak also jumping. The two went to the line, with Hunter P taking it by half a wheel.
Great ride everyone! Next week, the Cheshire team will be hanging out at Mikro after the ride. All are invited to swing by and enjoy a post-ride beer or snack!
Tuesday the 27th
Good Lord Alan B Wins A Sprint! (Sort of)
Perfect weather and a big group again for the ride. Filled with drama and intrigue at every corner. Read on!
Fireworks off the front of the ride tonight right away. Hunter P and Steffen Huber launched it off the front within 300 meters of turning off route 10. Those 2 went to work on a gap that was looking good until Alan B and Aaron Black got the front and cut it down quickly. The leaders were back within 1 kilometer. There were some moves off the front after that, but it was nothing too intense. Little T was up front pushing the pace early on!
On Mountain Rd, Hunter P launched it again to sneak thru the light on 68\70. Aaron Black took after him, but the two were held up by the light. Then Alan B surged with Little T, but that didn't get too far. When Aaron Black and Chris C got involved, it looked a little more serious but it was all together going thru the chicane. No moves to speak off for the next couple of kilos. A strong surge from Aaron B, Chris C, Alan B, Brian Girard, Hong, Ben Bruce, The Senryak, and a couple of others as the ride got close to the light on route 322 split off a dangerous group. If that light is green, that group is hard to catch. It was red though :(
There was some posturing early on once everyone got onto Mount Vernon. Aaron B, and Alan B were the guys that were pushing the pace mostly. As the group got back together, the attacking started. There weren't any huge nuclear bombs dropped. Instead, it was a solid back to back of attacks from the strong guys (you know who they are). By the time the ride got to the 25mph hill on Mount Vernon, everyone was suffering. Chris C, Alan B, and then Hunter P led an attack that finally got some day light going. A group of 5 or 6 was off the front for a little while. The pack would not rest though, and it was all together with about 1k to go to the corner for Welch.
Hunter P attacked and everyone was content to let him roll free. There was too much road to the sprint point. Hunter kept that gap up thru the corner onto West St. Brian Wolfe was allowed to jump across the gap, but no one else went with him. Brian caught Hunter before the hill to West St but was sliding back towards the chase group that was now getting a gap thanks to Alan B. Alan, Hong, Ben Bruce and 2 others had jumped off the front and were tracking Hunter P down. They came by with about 300 meters to go to the sprint but no one in the group jumped for it. Hunter P jumped from 10 bikes behind the group and was able to go thru to get the points. Ben Bruce came thru next.
On the downhill, it came all together. Then there were red lights that brought it really all back together. From there, there was little action off the front. Hunter P and Alan B attacked going under the highway but were held up by the red light on 322. College-bound Kyle B, in his last SG ride for a while, punched off the front after the light. Alan B joined him, but there was traffic at the corner for West Johnson Ave. From there, the peleton stayed together all the way to the climb. Well, before the climb, Kyle C had one more go off the front. Then Jeff Scala and The Sernyak attacked and were perhaps looking to sneak an attack up the hill. Brian Wolfe put his head down and closed the gap down just in time for the trio of Alan B, Hong, and Hunter P to hit the front. Alan attacked first, then Hong. There was a decently long line of guys behind holding pace on Hunter P's wheel. No one dared came by Hong or Alan though. Everyone had a clear shot thru the light and towards the sprint. All three ramped up the pace, but Hunter P was able to jump clear to get the sprint. Alan and Little T were next over the line.
From there to the end, it was fast, and there were more hard attacks off the front. Alan B and Hong a couple of times, Aidan C once, Dan Smith hit the hill on Boulder Knoll again quite hard. Chris C was going hard up the hill to Tuttle. Alan and Hong had one last dig going downhill, which had less than a zero percent chance of making it. Then Hunter P attacked over the rollers 750 meters before the end. Alan B took advantage of that and used it to catapult away from the sprinters. Hongster came thru for a last-minute lead out, and Alan B rolled thru with his first sprint of the year! Took him long enough! Little T and the Sernyak there to collect the rest.
Great ride everyone!
Perfect weather and a big group again for the ride. Filled with drama and intrigue at every corner. Read on!
Fireworks off the front of the ride tonight right away. Hunter P and Steffen Huber launched it off the front within 300 meters of turning off route 10. Those 2 went to work on a gap that was looking good until Alan B and Aaron Black got the front and cut it down quickly. The leaders were back within 1 kilometer. There were some moves off the front after that, but it was nothing too intense. Little T was up front pushing the pace early on!
On Mountain Rd, Hunter P launched it again to sneak thru the light on 68\70. Aaron Black took after him, but the two were held up by the light. Then Alan B surged with Little T, but that didn't get too far. When Aaron Black and Chris C got involved, it looked a little more serious but it was all together going thru the chicane. No moves to speak off for the next couple of kilos. A strong surge from Aaron B, Chris C, Alan B, Brian Girard, Hong, Ben Bruce, The Senryak, and a couple of others as the ride got close to the light on route 322 split off a dangerous group. If that light is green, that group is hard to catch. It was red though :(
There was some posturing early on once everyone got onto Mount Vernon. Aaron B, and Alan B were the guys that were pushing the pace mostly. As the group got back together, the attacking started. There weren't any huge nuclear bombs dropped. Instead, it was a solid back to back of attacks from the strong guys (you know who they are). By the time the ride got to the 25mph hill on Mount Vernon, everyone was suffering. Chris C, Alan B, and then Hunter P led an attack that finally got some day light going. A group of 5 or 6 was off the front for a little while. The pack would not rest though, and it was all together with about 1k to go to the corner for Welch.
Hunter P attacked and everyone was content to let him roll free. There was too much road to the sprint point. Hunter kept that gap up thru the corner onto West St. Brian Wolfe was allowed to jump across the gap, but no one else went with him. Brian caught Hunter before the hill to West St but was sliding back towards the chase group that was now getting a gap thanks to Alan B. Alan, Hong, Ben Bruce and 2 others had jumped off the front and were tracking Hunter P down. They came by with about 300 meters to go to the sprint but no one in the group jumped for it. Hunter P jumped from 10 bikes behind the group and was able to go thru to get the points. Ben Bruce came thru next.
On the downhill, it came all together. Then there were red lights that brought it really all back together. From there, there was little action off the front. Hunter P and Alan B attacked going under the highway but were held up by the red light on 322. College-bound Kyle B, in his last SG ride for a while, punched off the front after the light. Alan B joined him, but there was traffic at the corner for West Johnson Ave. From there, the peleton stayed together all the way to the climb. Well, before the climb, Kyle C had one more go off the front. Then Jeff Scala and The Sernyak attacked and were perhaps looking to sneak an attack up the hill. Brian Wolfe put his head down and closed the gap down just in time for the trio of Alan B, Hong, and Hunter P to hit the front. Alan attacked first, then Hong. There was a decently long line of guys behind holding pace on Hunter P's wheel. No one dared came by Hong or Alan though. Everyone had a clear shot thru the light and towards the sprint. All three ramped up the pace, but Hunter P was able to jump clear to get the sprint. Alan and Little T were next over the line.
From there to the end, it was fast, and there were more hard attacks off the front. Alan B and Hong a couple of times, Aidan C once, Dan Smith hit the hill on Boulder Knoll again quite hard. Chris C was going hard up the hill to Tuttle. Alan and Hong had one last dig going downhill, which had less than a zero percent chance of making it. Then Hunter P attacked over the rollers 750 meters before the end. Alan B took advantage of that and used it to catapult away from the sprinters. Hongster came thru for a last-minute lead out, and Alan B rolled thru with his first sprint of the year! Took him long enough! Little T and the Sernyak there to collect the rest.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 20th
Big Groups for August Start Today!
No more training race in East Hartford meant that a bunch of new faces were down for the ride tonight. Too many to list! Brian W, Jeff Scala, Rich N, Aidan C, Big Tony, to name a few.
First points, the first sprint, was a straight-up tie between Hunter P and Sean Cahill. They each sprinted for the turnaround sprint and with each doing a solid bike throw, it was too close to call so they both get the points.
The second sprint was a non-battle with Alan B and Hongster taking off at the start of "the climb." Alan B attacked quick, Hong went with him, and when no one immediately filled the gap those two were allowed to roll. They would end up staying off the front for the rest of the ride. Not too much happened behind them. Little T almost took another guy out, Chris C went temporarily colorblind and amnesiac-ic. Hunter P rolled thru a traffic light that was some color.
There was 1 final sprint point up for grabs that went to Steffen H.
Great ride everyone!
No more training race in East Hartford meant that a bunch of new faces were down for the ride tonight. Too many to list! Brian W, Jeff Scala, Rich N, Aidan C, Big Tony, to name a few.
First points, the first sprint, was a straight-up tie between Hunter P and Sean Cahill. They each sprinted for the turnaround sprint and with each doing a solid bike throw, it was too close to call so they both get the points.
The second sprint was a non-battle with Alan B and Hongster taking off at the start of "the climb." Alan B attacked quick, Hong went with him, and when no one immediately filled the gap those two were allowed to roll. They would end up staying off the front for the rest of the ride. Not too much happened behind them. Little T almost took another guy out, Chris C went temporarily colorblind and amnesiac-ic. Hunter P rolled thru a traffic light that was some color.
There was 1 final sprint point up for grabs that went to Steffen H.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 13th
The SG invades Renschler Field!
In honor of the final Renschler Field race, all were encouraged to head up to East Hartford to race there.
The B race had some Sleeping Giants in there. But the vast majoity were out in the A race. There were a bunch of CVC guys, Tom Krol, Julio L, Little T, Dan Smith, Hunter P and Joe K from Cheshire, and a few other notables. Right off the gun, the 'Rent crew was active. Aaron B and Keith Mullaly were quickly into a move up the road. A little reshuffling of the deck gave Hunter P and Aaron B a chance to attack off the front. They got to work on a gap over the course of 2 laps. Then true to form Geno V came charging across the gap with Dan Smith in tow. That made a four off the front with a gap that was going out. Dan Smith dropped off and then it was 3. They made 2/3rds a lap advantage on the field and then Geno hit the other two with an attack that put back Hunter P.
The leaders would eventually lap the field. But the pace ramped up when that happened. A bunch of guys then tried to attack of the front of the pack for a chance at glory. Jeffy Gelt, the Crowels. A few others. The attack/counter attack went on for the last 10 laps but it was eventually Geno and Aaron B busting out of the field to sprint it out for the end. It was a close bike throw that Geno got at the last moment.
In honor of the final Renschler Field race, all were encouraged to head up to East Hartford to race there.
The B race had some Sleeping Giants in there. But the vast majoity were out in the A race. There were a bunch of CVC guys, Tom Krol, Julio L, Little T, Dan Smith, Hunter P and Joe K from Cheshire, and a few other notables. Right off the gun, the 'Rent crew was active. Aaron B and Keith Mullaly were quickly into a move up the road. A little reshuffling of the deck gave Hunter P and Aaron B a chance to attack off the front. They got to work on a gap over the course of 2 laps. Then true to form Geno V came charging across the gap with Dan Smith in tow. That made a four off the front with a gap that was going out. Dan Smith dropped off and then it was 3. They made 2/3rds a lap advantage on the field and then Geno hit the other two with an attack that put back Hunter P.
The leaders would eventually lap the field. But the pace ramped up when that happened. A bunch of guys then tried to attack of the front of the pack for a chance at glory. Jeffy Gelt, the Crowels. A few others. The attack/counter attack went on for the last 10 laps but it was eventually Geno and Aaron B busting out of the field to sprint it out for the end. It was a close bike throw that Geno got at the last moment.
Tuesday the 6th
Never give a gun to a duck
Last night was one of the better nights of the summer for the SG ride. There was no Tuesday night training race at Rentschler Field, so the ride had a big boost of get-up-and-go (Brian Wolfe, Aidan C, Rich Nadeau, Aaron Black, Mike Williams and a couple of others).
As a reminder, the SG ride next week will head north to throw down in the final training race of the summer at the 'rent. Should be a good night of fast racing. No doubt there will still be some out in Hamden but the real action will be at the crit.
Right off route 10 tonight, Dillon P and Tommy K rolled off the front and set to work building up a gap. There was no immediate chase. The pace stayed honest and a kilo later, they were back in the pack. From there Mr Black went to work ramping up the speed. He'd spend several minutes upfront pushing things along. Behind, Chris C, Hacker, Alan B, Mike W, and Rich N kept him on a short leash and pulled through a lot too. Great to see Tall John mixed up in the washing machine upfront as well. The first attack came from Hunter P, who tried to sneak off before the light on route 68/70. MrBlack jumped off the front as well but the light was red, and it was all together heading onto Moss Farms.
Alan B took to the front there and ramped it up early on, with Black behind him. Rich N and Hunter P responded as well, and as that group came to a draw off the front, Ciocci and MJA attacked hard in unison. Those two got a good gap that they were able to hold onto nearly the rest of the way down Moss Farms. Chris C jumped late to bridge and that got the rest of the pack to fill in behind.
The corner into the chicane was fast and with the chase going full-bore, the field got strung out in a hurry. Kyle C hit the rise to Marion hard, and then Hunter P attacked again, getting a gap thru the corner. In a few hundred meters, Alan B, Black, Rich N, Mike W, Henk P, MJA and a couple of others bridged up. That made for a dangerous group up the road that the pack wouldn't ignore. Efforts from the Sernyak, Brian G, Chris C, Brian Wolfe, and Aidan C kept it close. It was all together going past the industrial park. A few more attempts off the front before the light but they were half-hearted.
Onto Mount Vernon, where Black, Alan B, The Sernyak, and a couple of others cue'd up on the front but it stayed together. There was another attack off the front going up the false flat, led by the usual guys, but that didnt get too far. Alan B stayed on the gas and broke loose as the field was coming back together/resetting for the turnaround. He would hang onto a 3-5 second gap turning onto Welch. A couple of hundred meters later it was all together.
Heading thru the corner onto West Street, Black was upfront along with Steve Grey and Chris C. A new guy in an italian jersey as well (Name?). The pace was fast into the sprint, with Chris C doing a final big pull, sending Hunter P off his wheel to take the sprint just ahead of Little T. The fast guys behind tried to keep it rolling on the backside but there were too many thinking the same thing + a red light by I84.
From there, the pace slowed down a bit as the ride rolled back into Cheshire. Black would try again on Atwater st, and then on West Johnson heading into the light on route 10. Both times it was sewed up. Alan B, and MJA responsible for most of the pacing.
Sean Cahill attacked hard early on East Johnson, and he took along MJA. They didn't get too far as the long downhill by the greenhouses makes it hard for just a couple of guys to ride clear. Onto Cheshire Rd where Max A, Dan Smith, Brian W and Girard got involved in a big push off the front that almost went clear, but again, too many guys not willing to be far from the front meant it was altogether for the climb up route 70.
That entire stretch saw Alan B lead it out with Hunter P glued to his wheel. Sean C, MJA, BLack, Chris C, Aidan C, Ciocci, Kyle C and a couple of others shuffled around a bit behind them, but overall it was a very fast pace up the hill. It was enough to split the field. The light was red though which gave the guys wanting to sprint for the orchard sign a chance to jump out front and the fighters who were gapped a chance to latch back on.
Alan B rolled off the red light fast and had a gap. Sean C and Black came through and caught him. Hunter P jumped off the wheel of a "where's the sprint line" Black to take the points. Alan B, of course, tried to roll off the front. He had company, but there were enough guys to fill in the gaps and catch back on before the light.
The rest of the ride was steady. MJA had a couple of digs, Max A, Chris C, Black as well. Black attacked the hill on Boulder Rd, Sean C and Dan Smith were up there too. There was a small gap turning onto Tuttle but during the downhill it came all back. The rest of the ride was steady fast. For the finish, a bunch of guys ripped thru the final corners in position. A brief slow down let Hunter P attack with 500 meters to go. Alan B and Dan Smith went with him. There was some touch of wheels, a hard brake check, some line crossing, nearly an accident. Once things got sorted out, a big push from The Senryak, Steffen H, MJA, Black and a couple of others was needed to bring Alan B back. In the end, it was MJA, Black and then Steffen H taking the final race.
Tuesday the 30th
The Annual Summertime Slowdown Continues
The ride got going slowly today. The heat was making the pedals a bit heavier to get going. There were no attacks during the first several minutes. Joe K was pushing the pace. Kyle C and Max A as well. There was a couple of new riders (both on Specialized's) that were up there pitching in.
Little T pushed the pace a bit once the ride turned on Mountain Rd. Then Chris C and Dan Smith. Next up Alan B pedaled a small gap as the ride got the Mountain Rd mid-way stop sign, and then the first acceleration came from Hunter P right after that. He stayed off the front for a kilometer and a half, but it was together by the light.
Onto Moss Farms where it stayed together mostly. A big surge upfront at the end of Moss Farms from Chris C, Alan B, Brian Girard and a couple of others strung it out, but everyone survived the initial attack. Hunter P attacked hard up the hill to Marion. Then it was Hong and Alan B bridging the gap. The response from the rest of the strong riders brought the leaders back soon enough but it was enough to pop a few riders as the ride passed the industrial park. Brian Girard, Dan Smith, Chris C and Little T kept it going but it was all together at the light on 322. The light was green, which put a few more guys in trouble as Hong, Hunter P, Ben Bruce, and Alan B stayed on the gas past the light.
Again, the response from the pack was wise and direct, keeping the break within distance, and then all together as everyone turned onto Mount Vernon. A couple of guys tried to sneak off the front early on. Kyle C, Dan Smith, who were soon joined by Alan B and then Steffen Huber. Behind, the pace stayed good enough to keep it close, then big efforts from Max A, Girard, Chris C, and Hong brought it back together. Hunter P attacked on the false flat section. The response to that was quick, and as he was being caught, Alan B countered, taking along Hong and the Sernyak. Those three got to work and held the gap all the way to the turnaround. The Sernyak helped the break stay away on Welch, and then he dropped back. Behind, the chase was disorganized at first, but then Tommy Krol whipped everyone into shape and got the train rolling.
Alan B and Hong would not be caught though. Little T, Ben Bruce, Hunter P, Chris C, Kyle C, and a couple others kept the pace steady but it wasn't enough to bring them back. Alan B took the sprint and then the two dove down the backside. Behind, the chase got going, and the leaders were coming back as the ride passed the I84 interchange. The break caught a green light and the chase, just a few meters behind, wisely sat up and stopped. That was it for the night, as the break rolled away and out of sight for the night.
Upfront, Hong took the Hickory Hill Sprint, and the leaders did not contest the final sprint. Behind, between red lights and avoiding going down behind Little "takes em out" T, the peleton didn't make up any ground and finished well back.
Great ride everyone! So long as the weather is good, there will be big crowd out next week!
The ride got going slowly today. The heat was making the pedals a bit heavier to get going. There were no attacks during the first several minutes. Joe K was pushing the pace. Kyle C and Max A as well. There was a couple of new riders (both on Specialized's) that were up there pitching in.
Little T pushed the pace a bit once the ride turned on Mountain Rd. Then Chris C and Dan Smith. Next up Alan B pedaled a small gap as the ride got the Mountain Rd mid-way stop sign, and then the first acceleration came from Hunter P right after that. He stayed off the front for a kilometer and a half, but it was together by the light.
Onto Moss Farms where it stayed together mostly. A big surge upfront at the end of Moss Farms from Chris C, Alan B, Brian Girard and a couple of others strung it out, but everyone survived the initial attack. Hunter P attacked hard up the hill to Marion. Then it was Hong and Alan B bridging the gap. The response from the rest of the strong riders brought the leaders back soon enough but it was enough to pop a few riders as the ride passed the industrial park. Brian Girard, Dan Smith, Chris C and Little T kept it going but it was all together at the light on 322. The light was green, which put a few more guys in trouble as Hong, Hunter P, Ben Bruce, and Alan B stayed on the gas past the light.
Again, the response from the pack was wise and direct, keeping the break within distance, and then all together as everyone turned onto Mount Vernon. A couple of guys tried to sneak off the front early on. Kyle C, Dan Smith, who were soon joined by Alan B and then Steffen Huber. Behind, the pace stayed good enough to keep it close, then big efforts from Max A, Girard, Chris C, and Hong brought it back together. Hunter P attacked on the false flat section. The response to that was quick, and as he was being caught, Alan B countered, taking along Hong and the Sernyak. Those three got to work and held the gap all the way to the turnaround. The Sernyak helped the break stay away on Welch, and then he dropped back. Behind, the chase was disorganized at first, but then Tommy Krol whipped everyone into shape and got the train rolling.
Alan B and Hong would not be caught though. Little T, Ben Bruce, Hunter P, Chris C, Kyle C, and a couple others kept the pace steady but it wasn't enough to bring them back. Alan B took the sprint and then the two dove down the backside. Behind, the chase got going, and the leaders were coming back as the ride passed the I84 interchange. The break caught a green light and the chase, just a few meters behind, wisely sat up and stopped. That was it for the night, as the break rolled away and out of sight for the night.
Upfront, Hong took the Hickory Hill Sprint, and the leaders did not contest the final sprint. Behind, between red lights and avoiding going down behind Little "takes em out" T, the peleton didn't make up any ground and finished well back.
Great ride everyone! So long as the weather is good, there will be big crowd out next week!
Tuesday the 23rd
The Warm Up for El Fuego Plainville..... ¡Ándale!
New(er) faces: Ryan O was out tonight, which was great to see. Nate U all the way from G-bury was out for the 2nd week in a row.
Missing: Alan B, Joe K, Henk P.
The ride was slow to take off today. Chris C was one of the guys pushing the pace earlier on. Little T was up there as well. The Lujambio... Julio and Julen were near or on the front working early on too. Once onto Mountain Rd, Chris C and Hunter P lifted the pace, but no attacks meant it stayed together. Hunter P attacked with a couple of hundred meters to the light, but that was red, and everyone waited before continuung.
On Moss Farms, Julen and Julio quickly went off the front with The Sernyak. Ben Bruce, Hacker, Little T, Ryan O and a couple of others kept it close at first, then brought it back when the break couldn't keep the pace going. Chris C then attacked hard, gapping the rest heading to the corner and chicane. He was slowly reeled back in before the righthand uphill turn onto Marion. Kyle C countered, and took along Dillon P. Those two were allowed to roll, but they split from each other a little ways up the road and Kyle C didn't keep up the gap on his own. From there onto Mount Vernon, the pace was steady, but it was uneventful off the front. There was steady paceline going with about 8-10 guys involved.
Up and over the flase flat section, still together was the pack. No one attacked leading into or on Welch at the turnaround. There were a couple of guys that were making their way into position but everyone stayed together. The pace was not that crazy, making the stalemate off the front all the more a head-scratcher.
Chris C took his usual place near the front for the charge up through the corner. Once again, Gerard O'shea was there as well. A long line of sprinters set up for the charge to the line. Little T jumped from 4 or 5 bikes back and was able to hold it over Kyle C and Ben Bruce. On the backside, Hunter P hit the front hard along with Ben Bruce and Chris C but a red light by the highway kept it all together. From there, on the next uphill Hong took off, taking along Sean Cahill and Nate U. Then Brian G joined in. That group got a small gap, but it was downhill, making it all but impossible to stretch out the lead. It was all-together heading onto Atwater. Hong attacked once more going under the highway but it was shortlived.
All the way up to and over Route 10 the ride was together. Cahill took a dig on the early uphill of East Johnson but then on the downhill it was all back together. It stayed like that all the way to "the climb". Little T was the first to push the pace, and as everyone was getting into rhythm, he rolled off a gap for a couple hundred meters. Then Hong bolted off the front, taking along Cahill, Hunter P, Chris C, and the rest clawing on to stay there. Then Brian G rolled off the front briefly, but Hong kept on the offensive, steamrolling up and over the main part of the climb. Chris C rolled off the front briefly, but again, the pace from behind fast steady. Going under the light, Kyle C went thru the front and accelerated. Hunter P jumped on his wheel and then soon attacked. It was a big jump, and a long way to the sprint, but he rolled thru past the sign for the orchard store first, several bike lengths in front of Ciocci and then the rest of the field.
The pack regrouped at the red light. Then Hong attacked on the next uphill, taking along Gregg F. Those two never got it together and two streets later, it was all together as Brian G, Hacker, Hunter P and Chris C ramped the pace up again. The next attack was from Cahill, after the Boulder Rd climb. He attacked hard into the of Tuttle Ave and held a gap until midway up the climb there. Then Brian G rolled off the front but by the intersection, it was all back together again. Hong attacked one more time with Cahill, and those two were joined by 3 or 4 more. Heading downhill, everyone behind got going though, and it was all together for a fast run into to the sprint. A parked car on the road was a quick road swerve for the pack and there was plenty of time for 8-10 guys to jockey into position. Little T got this one as well, outkicking Hacker, Ben Bruce, Kyle C, Dillon P and others by 6 or 7 bike lengths. Be careful there everyone! It's only a matter of time until someone goes down there. Don't be that guy!
New(er) faces: Ryan O was out tonight, which was great to see. Nate U all the way from G-bury was out for the 2nd week in a row.
Missing: Alan B, Joe K, Henk P.
The ride was slow to take off today. Chris C was one of the guys pushing the pace earlier on. Little T was up there as well. The Lujambio... Julio and Julen were near or on the front working early on too. Once onto Mountain Rd, Chris C and Hunter P lifted the pace, but no attacks meant it stayed together. Hunter P attacked with a couple of hundred meters to the light, but that was red, and everyone waited before continuung.
On Moss Farms, Julen and Julio quickly went off the front with The Sernyak. Ben Bruce, Hacker, Little T, Ryan O and a couple of others kept it close at first, then brought it back when the break couldn't keep the pace going. Chris C then attacked hard, gapping the rest heading to the corner and chicane. He was slowly reeled back in before the righthand uphill turn onto Marion. Kyle C countered, and took along Dillon P. Those two were allowed to roll, but they split from each other a little ways up the road and Kyle C didn't keep up the gap on his own. From there onto Mount Vernon, the pace was steady, but it was uneventful off the front. There was steady paceline going with about 8-10 guys involved.
Up and over the flase flat section, still together was the pack. No one attacked leading into or on Welch at the turnaround. There were a couple of guys that were making their way into position but everyone stayed together. The pace was not that crazy, making the stalemate off the front all the more a head-scratcher.
Chris C took his usual place near the front for the charge up through the corner. Once again, Gerard O'shea was there as well. A long line of sprinters set up for the charge to the line. Little T jumped from 4 or 5 bikes back and was able to hold it over Kyle C and Ben Bruce. On the backside, Hunter P hit the front hard along with Ben Bruce and Chris C but a red light by the highway kept it all together. From there, on the next uphill Hong took off, taking along Sean Cahill and Nate U. Then Brian G joined in. That group got a small gap, but it was downhill, making it all but impossible to stretch out the lead. It was all-together heading onto Atwater. Hong attacked once more going under the highway but it was shortlived.
All the way up to and over Route 10 the ride was together. Cahill took a dig on the early uphill of East Johnson but then on the downhill it was all back together. It stayed like that all the way to "the climb". Little T was the first to push the pace, and as everyone was getting into rhythm, he rolled off a gap for a couple hundred meters. Then Hong bolted off the front, taking along Cahill, Hunter P, Chris C, and the rest clawing on to stay there. Then Brian G rolled off the front briefly, but Hong kept on the offensive, steamrolling up and over the main part of the climb. Chris C rolled off the front briefly, but again, the pace from behind fast steady. Going under the light, Kyle C went thru the front and accelerated. Hunter P jumped on his wheel and then soon attacked. It was a big jump, and a long way to the sprint, but he rolled thru past the sign for the orchard store first, several bike lengths in front of Ciocci and then the rest of the field.
The pack regrouped at the red light. Then Hong attacked on the next uphill, taking along Gregg F. Those two never got it together and two streets later, it was all together as Brian G, Hacker, Hunter P and Chris C ramped the pace up again. The next attack was from Cahill, after the Boulder Rd climb. He attacked hard into the of Tuttle Ave and held a gap until midway up the climb there. Then Brian G rolled off the front but by the intersection, it was all back together again. Hong attacked one more time with Cahill, and those two were joined by 3 or 4 more. Heading downhill, everyone behind got going though, and it was all together for a fast run into to the sprint. A parked car on the road was a quick road swerve for the pack and there was plenty of time for 8-10 guys to jockey into position. Little T got this one as well, outkicking Hacker, Ben Bruce, Kyle C, Dillon P and others by 6 or 7 bike lengths. Be careful there everyone! It's only a matter of time until someone goes down there. Don't be that guy!
Tuesday the 16th
The freshman girl version of the SG ride.
Alan must like riding by himself.
Kyle's legs are hella hairy.
Sean Cahill likes to roll up late and take credit.
All true statements for tonight's ride. It was great to see that Hongster was back out. Hopefully, he's a regular on the ride for the rest of the season. He tried attacking a few time today but he's so dang tiny he got pushed back into the pack each time.
The early aggressor was Henk P. Henk is moving soon and he obviously wants to go out with a bang. He took off early on, was allowed a gap, and rolled that all the way to the light on route 68. The light held him up and from there it was all gruppo compacto. From there, Hacker tried to attack a few time leading up to the turnaround sprint.
Chris C was frustrated with everyone riding defensively but that's the only way you can ride around super awesome Alan B. Alan would score first place in the first and second sprints tonight. Cahill Got second those times.
That tiny Asian did some stuff that didn't work cuz he's too damn tiny
That gaunt-looking white guy in the same kit as Chris went off for the whole first 1/2 until the 68 light held him up
Then the finishing sprint was actually neutralized, not due to safety reasons but, because a white BMW SUV pulled out of the horse farm right in front of the peloton and proceeded to go 26mph no matter how much we yelled: "GO!" And we couldn't round her due to oncoming traffic! So we all rolled across the finish at 25 mph like "what the hell"...
Tuesday the 9th
Someone grab the fire extinguisher, the barn is burning.
Solid ride tonight! There were a few new faces which made for a slightly different flavored ride. Kudos to Chris Hong (aka, the Hongster) for getting up there and pushing the pace in a couple of key spots.
The ride's early protagonist was Hunter P, who jumped off the front early on South Brooksvale and kept on going when no one from the peleton responded. He built up a gap that of 30 seconds at its peak and managed to stay off the front all the way to the light on route 68\70. The light was red and the pack was bearing down. All together onto Moss Farms!
No attacks from there but the pace was solid all the way to crossing 322. Once onto Moss Farms, MJ A and the Hongster rolled to the front and put in a couple of efforts. Alan B rolled off the front and he too was allowed a little room at first. He held a gap until the false flat section. Everyone stayed together from there to the corner of Welch.
Hacker had an early dig there, but a few others jumped and responded. The real action started when Chris C took everyone up the hill and thru the corner with determination. Then Gerard O'shea took at the front and put in a good pull. The light at the base of the sprint was red as the pack approached, but it turned green in enough time to wind up the sprint without too much of a disruption. Hunter P jumped first but his chain jumped, taking him and Hacker, who was on his wheel, out of the sprint. Little T was able to scoop it up easily. On the backside, Alan B, the Senryak and Hunter P kept on it and it looked like they may have rolled away but green lights past the highway kept it all together.
The Hongster hit the front and put in a dig, but The Sernyak, Alan B and Hunter responded. Hong was back at it on Atwater but couldn't coax anyone out off the front to make a serious go of it. From there, all the way to the run into the second sprint point, it was calm and steady as everyone was preparing for a hard section up the climb there.
Just as soon as the climb kicked, Hong was off the front a bit. Alan B responded with Hunter P on his wheel. Then The Sernyak took over in chasing the front down. The speed was high enough to give guys 4-6 wheels back a good draft, leading to it all being strong out but together heading up the hill. Chris C waited for a slight slow down and then attacked. He worked up gap for a bit, but was being chased down when he had to pause slightly for the red light at the top of the hill. He stayed up near the front though, and was nearly taken out when Alan B attacked from second wheel. Hunter P was the only one that responded to this final surge and was able to come around Alan with room to spare for the sprint. Chris C hung on tight to roll thru next.
From there, the ride recollected a bit and the pace went back to reasonable for most of the ride back. Kyle C would have a dig a little later. Then Brian Girard on one of the final uphill sections. For the finale, The Sernyak hit the front hard and rolled off with a small gap, but MJ A, Hunter P and a couple of others kept that in check. It came down to a bunch gallop for the line, with LIttle T taking it over Dillon P. Just behind them, there was a near-crash when Steffen H's front wheel made contact with Hackers derail.
For every close call, especially during the final sprint (the most dangerous by far) there will be a neutralized week to balance it off. So no points, no sprint at the end of the ride for next week.
Solid ride tonight! There were a few new faces which made for a slightly different flavored ride. Kudos to Chris Hong (aka, the Hongster) for getting up there and pushing the pace in a couple of key spots.
The ride's early protagonist was Hunter P, who jumped off the front early on South Brooksvale and kept on going when no one from the peleton responded. He built up a gap that of 30 seconds at its peak and managed to stay off the front all the way to the light on route 68\70. The light was red and the pack was bearing down. All together onto Moss Farms!
No attacks from there but the pace was solid all the way to crossing 322. Once onto Moss Farms, MJ A and the Hongster rolled to the front and put in a couple of efforts. Alan B rolled off the front and he too was allowed a little room at first. He held a gap until the false flat section. Everyone stayed together from there to the corner of Welch.
Hacker had an early dig there, but a few others jumped and responded. The real action started when Chris C took everyone up the hill and thru the corner with determination. Then Gerard O'shea took at the front and put in a good pull. The light at the base of the sprint was red as the pack approached, but it turned green in enough time to wind up the sprint without too much of a disruption. Hunter P jumped first but his chain jumped, taking him and Hacker, who was on his wheel, out of the sprint. Little T was able to scoop it up easily. On the backside, Alan B, the Senryak and Hunter P kept on it and it looked like they may have rolled away but green lights past the highway kept it all together.
The Hongster hit the front and put in a dig, but The Sernyak, Alan B and Hunter responded. Hong was back at it on Atwater but couldn't coax anyone out off the front to make a serious go of it. From there, all the way to the run into the second sprint point, it was calm and steady as everyone was preparing for a hard section up the climb there.
Just as soon as the climb kicked, Hong was off the front a bit. Alan B responded with Hunter P on his wheel. Then The Sernyak took over in chasing the front down. The speed was high enough to give guys 4-6 wheels back a good draft, leading to it all being strong out but together heading up the hill. Chris C waited for a slight slow down and then attacked. He worked up gap for a bit, but was being chased down when he had to pause slightly for the red light at the top of the hill. He stayed up near the front though, and was nearly taken out when Alan B attacked from second wheel. Hunter P was the only one that responded to this final surge and was able to come around Alan with room to spare for the sprint. Chris C hung on tight to roll thru next.
From there, the ride recollected a bit and the pace went back to reasonable for most of the ride back. Kyle C would have a dig a little later. Then Brian Girard on one of the final uphill sections. For the finale, The Sernyak hit the front hard and rolled off with a small gap, but MJ A, Hunter P and a couple of others kept that in check. It came down to a bunch gallop for the line, with LIttle T taking it over Dillon P. Just behind them, there was a near-crash when Steffen H's front wheel made contact with Hackers derail.
For every close call, especially during the final sprint (the most dangerous by far) there will be a neutralized week to balance it off. So no points, no sprint at the end of the ride for next week.
Tuesday the 2nd
The Street Fight Continues...
Welcome to the short-week version of the SG ride, complete with a slightly smaller group, and plenty of tired legs. The pace was slow to start out and slowly ramped up as the ride got towards the center of Cheshire. It was all together onto Moss Farms, where the first significant efforts of the night came from Hacker, Alan B and Julen L from NYTT. A small group was splitting off the front on the early rises of Moss Farms, but it didn't go far before the rest of the field snapped to attention and closed the gap. From there, Gregg F jumped briefly off the front, but no one went with, and it ended up being short-lived.
On the way towards route 322 things started to heat up, with the usual guys patrolling the front and pushing the pace. Gregg F again jumped off the front briefly by the industrial park. Then Alan B took off as the ride got the highway overpass, and then Hunter P and Sean Cahill jumped hard to close the gap. That shook out to be the 3 upfront and off the front, but they eased up a bit or couldn't get on the same page, leading the pack closing down a bit before the light, which was green. Everyone shot thru it, chase included.
Alan B kept on the gas on the other side, and he took a 15 second lead onto Mount Vernon Rd. He clung to that for 2 k or so, before finally getting caught after the false flat. Brian Girard, Dan Smith, Julen and Julio L, Ciocci, and a couple of others all involved in keeping up the pursuit.
As the ride got to the corner for Welch, Alan B pushed off again, this time taking just Sean Cahill with him. Those two were allowed to roll off the front, as everyone assumed it was a bit too far from the uphill and the sprint to be chasing 100%. By the time the two made the corner for Welch, they had a solid 10-12 seconds. From the pack, Hacker jumped hard to attempt the bridge but eased up after realizing he had Hunter P, The Full Nalini, THe Sernyak, and a couple of others right there on his wheel.
Soon after, it was very apparent that Alan B and Sean Cahill were not going to be caught, and Alan B took the sprint there, and those 2 kept on the attack to try to stay off the front. They nearly pulled away for good, but Hunter P and Hacker put huge efforts to close the gap before the downhill on West Street. That led to a split in the field as a group of 6 or 7 charged away on the downhill. There was traffic by I84 which allowed the chase to catch back on.
From there, the pace was steady, with no one going for it for the front. Alan B tried to sneak off in case the light on route 10 was green, but it was red. As the ride turned right after the short hill on East Johnson, a quartet of Hacker, Alan B, The Sernyak, and Sean Cahill hit it hard and had a chance to roll away. Brian Girard got stuck in the middle, trying to bridge, and then Hunter P attacked hard to close the gap. Enough guys were on his wheel to bring it all back together.
On the climb up to the Hickory Hill sprint, Alan B attacked a couple of times. It was enough to go free. Again he had Sean Cahill on the wheel, and the chase was not there. Brian Girard would come up and set a good pace at the front, but it was not enough to close the gap. Those 2 would roll thru the sprint again, and they kept on it hard to the next intersection. Behind them, a chase briefly formed but it was too little too late. Alan B and Sean Cahill stayed away, ending the ride with maximum points on the night.
Behind, the chase back was subdued, excpet for a brave (and successful) move off the front from Dan Smith. He jumped away from the group on the hill before Tuttle and stayed out in front the entire way back.
Chapeau to that!
Welcome to the short-week version of the SG ride, complete with a slightly smaller group, and plenty of tired legs. The pace was slow to start out and slowly ramped up as the ride got towards the center of Cheshire. It was all together onto Moss Farms, where the first significant efforts of the night came from Hacker, Alan B and Julen L from NYTT. A small group was splitting off the front on the early rises of Moss Farms, but it didn't go far before the rest of the field snapped to attention and closed the gap. From there, Gregg F jumped briefly off the front, but no one went with, and it ended up being short-lived.
On the way towards route 322 things started to heat up, with the usual guys patrolling the front and pushing the pace. Gregg F again jumped off the front briefly by the industrial park. Then Alan B took off as the ride got the highway overpass, and then Hunter P and Sean Cahill jumped hard to close the gap. That shook out to be the 3 upfront and off the front, but they eased up a bit or couldn't get on the same page, leading the pack closing down a bit before the light, which was green. Everyone shot thru it, chase included.
Alan B kept on the gas on the other side, and he took a 15 second lead onto Mount Vernon Rd. He clung to that for 2 k or so, before finally getting caught after the false flat. Brian Girard, Dan Smith, Julen and Julio L, Ciocci, and a couple of others all involved in keeping up the pursuit.
As the ride got to the corner for Welch, Alan B pushed off again, this time taking just Sean Cahill with him. Those two were allowed to roll off the front, as everyone assumed it was a bit too far from the uphill and the sprint to be chasing 100%. By the time the two made the corner for Welch, they had a solid 10-12 seconds. From the pack, Hacker jumped hard to attempt the bridge but eased up after realizing he had Hunter P, The Full Nalini, THe Sernyak, and a couple of others right there on his wheel.
Soon after, it was very apparent that Alan B and Sean Cahill were not going to be caught, and Alan B took the sprint there, and those 2 kept on the attack to try to stay off the front. They nearly pulled away for good, but Hunter P and Hacker put huge efforts to close the gap before the downhill on West Street. That led to a split in the field as a group of 6 or 7 charged away on the downhill. There was traffic by I84 which allowed the chase to catch back on.
From there, the pace was steady, with no one going for it for the front. Alan B tried to sneak off in case the light on route 10 was green, but it was red. As the ride turned right after the short hill on East Johnson, a quartet of Hacker, Alan B, The Sernyak, and Sean Cahill hit it hard and had a chance to roll away. Brian Girard got stuck in the middle, trying to bridge, and then Hunter P attacked hard to close the gap. Enough guys were on his wheel to bring it all back together.
On the climb up to the Hickory Hill sprint, Alan B attacked a couple of times. It was enough to go free. Again he had Sean Cahill on the wheel, and the chase was not there. Brian Girard would come up and set a good pace at the front, but it was not enough to close the gap. Those 2 would roll thru the sprint again, and they kept on it hard to the next intersection. Behind them, a chase briefly formed but it was too little too late. Alan B and Sean Cahill stayed away, ending the ride with maximum points on the night.
Behind, the chase back was subdued, excpet for a brave (and successful) move off the front from Dan Smith. He jumped away from the group on the hill before Tuttle and stayed out in front the entire way back.
Chapeau to that!
Tuesday the 25th
Want to be the next SG Hall Monitor?
Something of a weird night at the throwdown. The passing rain of the day gave way to a smaller-than-usual crowd. The pace through the first part of the ride was calm, with only a few efforts off the front. Dan Smith and Chris C among them. As the ride got the first light of the night, on route 68\70, the pace had picked up a bit. In a stunning "do as I say, not as I do" move, Chris C and Little T ducked thru the yellow light with the whole pack 20 feet behind. Hunter P came from the pack, passed 2 or 3 riders who were jamming on the brakes, and went thru the red light. There was a police officer at the intersection and promptly pulled over the 3 just past the next light there as the rest of the packed watched with one foot unclipped. The officer was only interested in discussing road rules with Hunter P, giving Chris C and Little T a chance to high tail (low tail?) it outta there. (Solidarity baby!)
The pack rolled by a moment after and everyone slowly got back to the ride. There was the usual excuse-making, feigning-regret, sarcastic-ribbing, along with a couple of "should we wait?" opinions opined. Back at the scene of the crime, the officer let Hunter P go with a verbal suggestion to obey the rules of the road.
The pack stayed together up front, with the usuals working the front, The Sernyak, Dan Smith, Little T, etc. Hacker had a couple of good punches off the front, up the chicane and then getting onto Mount Vernon. He put in a good effort before the turnaround and along with a few green lights was able to ride off solo-style to collect the sprint point there.
As the ride got back towards the Cheshire town line, the paced slowed a bit. The pack had brief slowdowns at the two lights by the I84 interchange after West St. Just at this moment, Hunter P was getting back on and going thru the group. He slipped through the intersections there quickly and worked up a gap that he held to the light on 322. The light there was red, but Hunter P rolled through when there were no cars coming in either direction, much to the confusion of the rest of the pack, who were all expecting a police officer to jump out of the trees to pull him over again. Hunter held this gap to the Hickory Hill sprint point.
From there, the chase stayed all together, just out of sight from Hacker's position up front. For the final sprint, Tom K jumped off the front with 750 meters to go, but The Sernyak led the charge to close the gap mostly, with Little T able to jump out and get across the line in second with relative ease.
So, does anyone else want to lead by example???
Something of a weird night at the throwdown. The passing rain of the day gave way to a smaller-than-usual crowd. The pace through the first part of the ride was calm, with only a few efforts off the front. Dan Smith and Chris C among them. As the ride got the first light of the night, on route 68\70, the pace had picked up a bit. In a stunning "do as I say, not as I do" move, Chris C and Little T ducked thru the yellow light with the whole pack 20 feet behind. Hunter P came from the pack, passed 2 or 3 riders who were jamming on the brakes, and went thru the red light. There was a police officer at the intersection and promptly pulled over the 3 just past the next light there as the rest of the packed watched with one foot unclipped. The officer was only interested in discussing road rules with Hunter P, giving Chris C and Little T a chance to high tail (low tail?) it outta there. (Solidarity baby!)
The pack rolled by a moment after and everyone slowly got back to the ride. There was the usual excuse-making, feigning-regret, sarcastic-ribbing, along with a couple of "should we wait?" opinions opined. Back at the scene of the crime, the officer let Hunter P go with a verbal suggestion to obey the rules of the road.
The pack stayed together up front, with the usuals working the front, The Sernyak, Dan Smith, Little T, etc. Hacker had a couple of good punches off the front, up the chicane and then getting onto Mount Vernon. He put in a good effort before the turnaround and along with a few green lights was able to ride off solo-style to collect the sprint point there.
As the ride got back towards the Cheshire town line, the paced slowed a bit. The pack had brief slowdowns at the two lights by the I84 interchange after West St. Just at this moment, Hunter P was getting back on and going thru the group. He slipped through the intersections there quickly and worked up a gap that he held to the light on 322. The light there was red, but Hunter P rolled through when there were no cars coming in either direction, much to the confusion of the rest of the pack, who were all expecting a police officer to jump out of the trees to pull him over again. Hunter held this gap to the Hickory Hill sprint point.
From there, the chase stayed all together, just out of sight from Hacker's position up front. For the final sprint, Tom K jumped off the front with 750 meters to go, but The Sernyak led the charge to close the gap mostly, with Little T able to jump out and get across the line in second with relative ease.
So, does anyone else want to lead by example???
Tuesday the 11th
Windy Day = A Strange Ride
There was a big crowd out for tonight's ride. One of the largest this season. There was a gusty wind trying to make up its mind which way it was coming from, but overall it was headwind out, tailwind back.
Dan Smith was the first guy to attack after a slow start. He got out there and dangled a bit but when Alan B and Hacker pushed the pace up front, it came back together. Dan would attack shortly after getting onto South Brooksavle and got a bit more of a gap. Then Hunter P attacked hard, taking Ben Bruce and Alan B with him. That dangled a bit but then a corner reshuffled the deck, leading to Hunter P, Alan B, Dan Smith, off the front getting onto Mountain Road. Behind, the pack was little tied up with cars turning, which allowed the gap to go up a bit. Ben Bruce and The Sernyak were in the gap and eventually made their way to the trio. The larger break stayed away for the length of Mountain Rd and would have been gone, but the light was red, and the pack made it thru the green.
On Moss Farms, Alan stayed on it, along with Dan Smith, but that was short lived as the pack got up to speed. Then Hacker attacked which strung things out going into the chicane, but the big wind was keeping the front subdued, and everyone behind in the game.
The pace was slowed running by the industrial park. HEadwind cut straight into the speed. Alan B tired, Hunter P tried, Brian Girard tried. All didn't get very far. The light was red going over 322 which would usually have served as a "reset" but this week it was right back to full gas on the other side.
Alan B, The Sernyak, Rich Nadeau, Chris Britts and a couple of others were pushing the pace early on, even before the ride got to Mount Vernon. Dan Smith held a small gap going onto Mount Vernon, but it was soon back together. The headwind kept everyone together for the most part, although Ben Bruce, Alan B, and Ciocci would have a go trying to get off the front.
Next big attack would come from Hunter P after the false flat section. He built up a 150-meter gap but didn't last too long before the group clawed it back. Hunter P and Ben Bruce would have one more go as the ride got the corner for Welch Rd, but that too was never far off the front as most of the others reacted as soon as it happened. That led to a steady, slightly slower pace down Welch. This gave Hacker a chance to attack hard, and he build up a solid gap by the corner. Back in the pack, heading up the hill to the corner, Little T jumped hard and very nearly took no one with him. 3 or 4 guys were in a place to respond (Chris C, Rich N, Chris Brits, Max A, Hunter P) but going thru the corner Little T kept motoring and was soon separated off the front. He would catch Hacker and then go by to easily take the sprint point. Brian Girard was next over the line, getting past the remnants of the chase and Ben Bruce.
On the backside, with the Tailwind, Chris C sped off the front along with Hunter P. The pace was flat out and a few guys didn't have the gearing or the leg speed to comfortably stay in position. Even a redlight near I84 couldn't reset the ride enough for most involved. Heading up the hill to the intersection for Jude Ln, Hunter P drilled it with Chris C and Alan B on his wheel the light there turned yellow for the 3 leaders, 3 or 4 four made the choice to go under the red, leaving the vast majority of the pack to decide to hold up. It was a tight call, with the responsibility to stop not with the first 2 guys under the light, as there was a gap and they couldn't brake fast enough as the light turned yellow.
After the pack got going (with some grumbling), they would soon find that the leading group (Alan B, Little T, Rich N, Chris C, Hunter P, Dan Smith, Chris Brits, Sean Cahill, and maybe one or 2 others) was not going to be caught.
Up front, Alan B took the Hickory Hill sprint, after attacking early on the hill. Only Sean Cahill responded to that attack as Alan had a teammate in the pack. Cahill dropped off the chase and Hunter p went over the line next. Alan B stayed on it and rode away for the second week in a row. The chase kept him within distance for the most part, but in the end it was Little T going across the final line after Alan B.
There was a big crowd out for tonight's ride. One of the largest this season. There was a gusty wind trying to make up its mind which way it was coming from, but overall it was headwind out, tailwind back.
Dan Smith was the first guy to attack after a slow start. He got out there and dangled a bit but when Alan B and Hacker pushed the pace up front, it came back together. Dan would attack shortly after getting onto South Brooksavle and got a bit more of a gap. Then Hunter P attacked hard, taking Ben Bruce and Alan B with him. That dangled a bit but then a corner reshuffled the deck, leading to Hunter P, Alan B, Dan Smith, off the front getting onto Mountain Road. Behind, the pack was little tied up with cars turning, which allowed the gap to go up a bit. Ben Bruce and The Sernyak were in the gap and eventually made their way to the trio. The larger break stayed away for the length of Mountain Rd and would have been gone, but the light was red, and the pack made it thru the green.
On Moss Farms, Alan stayed on it, along with Dan Smith, but that was short lived as the pack got up to speed. Then Hacker attacked which strung things out going into the chicane, but the big wind was keeping the front subdued, and everyone behind in the game.
The pace was slowed running by the industrial park. HEadwind cut straight into the speed. Alan B tired, Hunter P tried, Brian Girard tried. All didn't get very far. The light was red going over 322 which would usually have served as a "reset" but this week it was right back to full gas on the other side.
Alan B, The Sernyak, Rich Nadeau, Chris Britts and a couple of others were pushing the pace early on, even before the ride got to Mount Vernon. Dan Smith held a small gap going onto Mount Vernon, but it was soon back together. The headwind kept everyone together for the most part, although Ben Bruce, Alan B, and Ciocci would have a go trying to get off the front.
Next big attack would come from Hunter P after the false flat section. He built up a 150-meter gap but didn't last too long before the group clawed it back. Hunter P and Ben Bruce would have one more go as the ride got the corner for Welch Rd, but that too was never far off the front as most of the others reacted as soon as it happened. That led to a steady, slightly slower pace down Welch. This gave Hacker a chance to attack hard, and he build up a solid gap by the corner. Back in the pack, heading up the hill to the corner, Little T jumped hard and very nearly took no one with him. 3 or 4 guys were in a place to respond (Chris C, Rich N, Chris Brits, Max A, Hunter P) but going thru the corner Little T kept motoring and was soon separated off the front. He would catch Hacker and then go by to easily take the sprint point. Brian Girard was next over the line, getting past the remnants of the chase and Ben Bruce.
On the backside, with the Tailwind, Chris C sped off the front along with Hunter P. The pace was flat out and a few guys didn't have the gearing or the leg speed to comfortably stay in position. Even a redlight near I84 couldn't reset the ride enough for most involved. Heading up the hill to the intersection for Jude Ln, Hunter P drilled it with Chris C and Alan B on his wheel the light there turned yellow for the 3 leaders, 3 or 4 four made the choice to go under the red, leaving the vast majority of the pack to decide to hold up. It was a tight call, with the responsibility to stop not with the first 2 guys under the light, as there was a gap and they couldn't brake fast enough as the light turned yellow.
After the pack got going (with some grumbling), they would soon find that the leading group (Alan B, Little T, Rich N, Chris C, Hunter P, Dan Smith, Chris Brits, Sean Cahill, and maybe one or 2 others) was not going to be caught.
Up front, Alan B took the Hickory Hill sprint, after attacking early on the hill. Only Sean Cahill responded to that attack as Alan had a teammate in the pack. Cahill dropped off the chase and Hunter p went over the line next. Alan B stayed on it and rode away for the second week in a row. The chase kept him within distance for the most part, but in the end it was Little T going across the final line after Alan B.
Tuesday the 4th
Dad Watts Attack!
Points recap:
Ciocci gets the midpoint sprint, just ahead of Ben Bruce (both Dads).
Alan B (Not a dad, thank goodness) slipped away in the traffic around I84 and got a couple of lights in his favor and would not be caught.
Points recap:
Ciocci gets the midpoint sprint, just ahead of Ben Bruce (both Dads).
Alan B (Not a dad, thank goodness) slipped away in the traffic around I84 and got a couple of lights in his favor and would not be caught.
Tuesday the 21st
An angel, the underdog, and two mobsters
It was an impressive sized group tonight for the ride. Great weather brought them out in droves. Even so, the ride got off to a real slow start. Maybe the strong guys were waiting to see who would make the first move. All the usual characters were out. Joe K, Hacker, The Sernyak, MJA, plus a good crew of Capital Velo guys. There was a new guy on a C-dale with a MTBish helmet who was riding strong early on as well. For the most part, it was Cheshire and Yalies driving the pace early on. Alan B, Steffen H, Dillon P, Joe K, Alan B, The Sernyak and Henk P. Give em Kudos.
There were no real attacks until Moss Farms, where Alan B took off briefly with Hacker but that was going nowhere. MJA made a couple of strong pulls up front but absent attacks, it just kept the pace high for all. It stayed together pretty much the entire way to Mount Vernon.
Once there, Alan B and Joe K jumped off the front and built up a gap as the chase was slow to get going. They had Cheshire teammates doing some soft pulls up front, which allowed the gap to stay all the way until after the false flat section. The break was also assisted by some blocking and stopped cars. Once they were caught, Alan B went right back on the offensive and attacked again. That was short lived as Hacker and MJA made their way up front, and along with efforts from Chris C and The Sernyak, it was all back together again for Welch.
There, the pace slowed down again. Giving a few guys the chance to push the pace as the ride got towards West St. Steffen H, Dan Smith, Henk P, MJA all up front. Little T came up front on the hill, but it was Chris C taking everyone thru and leading out the early part of the drag to the sprint. Alan B jumped early in front of Little T and Hunter P, and no one chased. He was able to stay on it long enough to get the sprint, with Hunter P coming over next in front of Brian G.
Dillon P pushed off the front along with Steffen H on the backside, but red lights kept it together. Then Alan B suffered a flat. With a tailwind now, the pace stay high, but the ride had to stop for some traffic at the I84 off ramp. Chris C attacked after that, and was allowed a gap. The pace ramped up behinid and then with 200 meters to the hill going back under I84, Hunter P jumped across the gap and caught Chris C by the top of the hill. Those two kept on the gas and maintained a gap all the way to the light.
Then, in a rare perfectly timed crossing off route 322, the 2 leaders shot through a green light just in time for it trap-door red on the pack, which was bearing down and just 5-6 seconds behind. That was all Chris C and Hunter P would need for the rest of the ride. So the two biggest d-bags of the SG got away. They probably traded perfectly paced pulls all the way back to SG, complete with please's and thank you's.
Good ride everyone!
It was an impressive sized group tonight for the ride. Great weather brought them out in droves. Even so, the ride got off to a real slow start. Maybe the strong guys were waiting to see who would make the first move. All the usual characters were out. Joe K, Hacker, The Sernyak, MJA, plus a good crew of Capital Velo guys. There was a new guy on a C-dale with a MTBish helmet who was riding strong early on as well. For the most part, it was Cheshire and Yalies driving the pace early on. Alan B, Steffen H, Dillon P, Joe K, Alan B, The Sernyak and Henk P. Give em Kudos.
There were no real attacks until Moss Farms, where Alan B took off briefly with Hacker but that was going nowhere. MJA made a couple of strong pulls up front but absent attacks, it just kept the pace high for all. It stayed together pretty much the entire way to Mount Vernon.
Once there, Alan B and Joe K jumped off the front and built up a gap as the chase was slow to get going. They had Cheshire teammates doing some soft pulls up front, which allowed the gap to stay all the way until after the false flat section. The break was also assisted by some blocking and stopped cars. Once they were caught, Alan B went right back on the offensive and attacked again. That was short lived as Hacker and MJA made their way up front, and along with efforts from Chris C and The Sernyak, it was all back together again for Welch.
There, the pace slowed down again. Giving a few guys the chance to push the pace as the ride got towards West St. Steffen H, Dan Smith, Henk P, MJA all up front. Little T came up front on the hill, but it was Chris C taking everyone thru and leading out the early part of the drag to the sprint. Alan B jumped early in front of Little T and Hunter P, and no one chased. He was able to stay on it long enough to get the sprint, with Hunter P coming over next in front of Brian G.
Dillon P pushed off the front along with Steffen H on the backside, but red lights kept it together. Then Alan B suffered a flat. With a tailwind now, the pace stay high, but the ride had to stop for some traffic at the I84 off ramp. Chris C attacked after that, and was allowed a gap. The pace ramped up behinid and then with 200 meters to the hill going back under I84, Hunter P jumped across the gap and caught Chris C by the top of the hill. Those two kept on the gas and maintained a gap all the way to the light.
Then, in a rare perfectly timed crossing off route 322, the 2 leaders shot through a green light just in time for it trap-door red on the pack, which was bearing down and just 5-6 seconds behind. That was all Chris C and Hunter P would need for the rest of the ride. So the two biggest d-bags of the SG got away. They probably traded perfectly paced pulls all the way back to SG, complete with please's and thank you's.
Good ride everyone!
Tuesday the 14th
Seattle's best group ride!
The light rain forecasted for the evening meant that the number of riders out was reduced. About 20 left the parking lot of Cheshire Cycle, and a couple of others joined in on the way. The ride started slowly. Chris C and Dan Smith were the first ones to strike out off the front, and Steffen H, Dillon P and a couple of others joined in soon after. It was all together heading onto North Brooksvale when a small group of Chris C, The Sernyak, Jason Williams, Dan Smith, Gibertoni and a couple of others pushed off the front. Alan B and Hunter P jumped across the gap, and it was all together getting onto Mountain Road.
There were no attacks on Mountain Rd. Steffen H surged at the halfway point, but there were riders there immediately to chase. Much of the same for the early parts of Moss Farms. Chris C and Kyle C jumped early but were not allowed any leeway. Chris C jumped again heading into the Chicane, Kyle C and Alan B was there too, but it was neutralized heading onto Marion Ave. Steffen H once again pushed off the front, but he'd last only a short while off the front.
Once on Mount Vernon, there was a small group off the front trying to get a gap (Alan B, Danny Dudzik, Kyle C, Mike Williams and one more). They stayed off the front for a couple of kilometers, but strong pulls from Chris C and Tom Krol brought it all back together. Then Hunter P and Alan B attacked off the front and kept a gap going up over the false flat section, but there was plenty of guys willing to put in good pulls to keep the gap to a minimum. It was all together heading into the turnaround.
On Welch, Dan Smith was at the front keeping the pace high, and then Kyle C moved up front, then John Vanstraaten, but it ended up being Chris C taking the slimmed-down pack onto West St. He'd trade pulls with Kyle C a couple of times as Hunter P, and Alan B sat in for the sprint. Alan jumped first, and then Hunter P. Hunter was on the way to getting it, when his chain jumped, allowing Kyle C to cruise past for the points.
On the backside, Alan B kept up the pressure, but a red light brought it all back together, minus 2-4 guys dropped on Welch. From there, no real attacks were had heading back into Cheshire. Hunter P jumped off the front after going by the I84 offramp but that was chased down by Chris C. Then Alan B looked to be rolling with Dan Smith, Steffen H, and Johnny V but that didn't go too far either. The pack stayed together all the way to the climb of Meriden Ave. Steffen H attacked early in the "climb" and was allowed to roll. He built up a 70-meter gap before it started winding up in the back. Mike Williams was left to set the early pace until Alan B attacked hard. Hunter P and the Crowells went with him, and it soon was down to just four chasing and then passing Steffen up front. Kyle jumped next, going under the green light, with a gap. That was chased back by Hunter P. Then Chris C punched, again Hunter P responded and then jumped for the line. Alan B gave chase but wasn't able to come around. He did try to sneak off the front from there, but the light at route 68 was red, allowing the group (now only about 8 or 9 riders) to catch back on.
Once thru the light, Alan pushed off all the same, and the complacency of the pack allowed him to build up a small gap. He bombed the next couple of corners and downhill, forcing the gap up. As everyone got close to the end, the chase was slowed by 2 cars pulling out in front. Alan B stayed out in front to take the final sprint, leaving the pack sprint to be contested by Gibertoni, Kyle C, Johnny V and Mike Williams.
The light rain forecasted for the evening meant that the number of riders out was reduced. About 20 left the parking lot of Cheshire Cycle, and a couple of others joined in on the way. The ride started slowly. Chris C and Dan Smith were the first ones to strike out off the front, and Steffen H, Dillon P and a couple of others joined in soon after. It was all together heading onto North Brooksvale when a small group of Chris C, The Sernyak, Jason Williams, Dan Smith, Gibertoni and a couple of others pushed off the front. Alan B and Hunter P jumped across the gap, and it was all together getting onto Mountain Road.
There were no attacks on Mountain Rd. Steffen H surged at the halfway point, but there were riders there immediately to chase. Much of the same for the early parts of Moss Farms. Chris C and Kyle C jumped early but were not allowed any leeway. Chris C jumped again heading into the Chicane, Kyle C and Alan B was there too, but it was neutralized heading onto Marion Ave. Steffen H once again pushed off the front, but he'd last only a short while off the front.
Once on Mount Vernon, there was a small group off the front trying to get a gap (Alan B, Danny Dudzik, Kyle C, Mike Williams and one more). They stayed off the front for a couple of kilometers, but strong pulls from Chris C and Tom Krol brought it all back together. Then Hunter P and Alan B attacked off the front and kept a gap going up over the false flat section, but there was plenty of guys willing to put in good pulls to keep the gap to a minimum. It was all together heading into the turnaround.
On Welch, Dan Smith was at the front keeping the pace high, and then Kyle C moved up front, then John Vanstraaten, but it ended up being Chris C taking the slimmed-down pack onto West St. He'd trade pulls with Kyle C a couple of times as Hunter P, and Alan B sat in for the sprint. Alan jumped first, and then Hunter P. Hunter was on the way to getting it, when his chain jumped, allowing Kyle C to cruise past for the points.
On the backside, Alan B kept up the pressure, but a red light brought it all back together, minus 2-4 guys dropped on Welch. From there, no real attacks were had heading back into Cheshire. Hunter P jumped off the front after going by the I84 offramp but that was chased down by Chris C. Then Alan B looked to be rolling with Dan Smith, Steffen H, and Johnny V but that didn't go too far either. The pack stayed together all the way to the climb of Meriden Ave. Steffen H attacked early in the "climb" and was allowed to roll. He built up a 70-meter gap before it started winding up in the back. Mike Williams was left to set the early pace until Alan B attacked hard. Hunter P and the Crowells went with him, and it soon was down to just four chasing and then passing Steffen up front. Kyle jumped next, going under the green light, with a gap. That was chased back by Hunter P. Then Chris C punched, again Hunter P responded and then jumped for the line. Alan B gave chase but wasn't able to come around. He did try to sneak off the front from there, but the light at route 68 was red, allowing the group (now only about 8 or 9 riders) to catch back on.
Once thru the light, Alan pushed off all the same, and the complacency of the pack allowed him to build up a small gap. He bombed the next couple of corners and downhill, forcing the gap up. As everyone got close to the end, the chase was slowed by 2 cars pulling out in front. Alan B stayed out in front to take the final sprint, leaving the pack sprint to be contested by Gibertoni, Kyle C, Johnny V and Mike Williams.
Tuesday the 7th
Winners:
MJA (MJ Alio) wins for just being generally awesome and fast all night long!
Hacker with the solo dig to get the turnaround sprint!
Ben Bruce wins the Bishops Orchard sprint uncontested after the Stop n Shop crew peels off.
Ben claws back Hacker's 1k flyer at the finish with Dillon P's help!
Losers:
Bearings and contact surfaces
MJA (MJ Alio) wins for just being generally awesome and fast all night long!
Hacker with the solo dig to get the turnaround sprint!
Ben Bruce wins the Bishops Orchard sprint uncontested after the Stop n Shop crew peels off.
Ben claws back Hacker's 1k flyer at the finish with Dillon P's help!
Losers:
Bearings and contact surfaces
Tuesday the 30th
A Trend is Developing...
There were less guys out for today's ride than last week. Maybe the cloudy and cold weather was keeping a few away. Once the ride going though it was rip'roarin as usual. Straight away, Kyle C kicked it off and jumped up the road, quickly getting a 20-second gap. Then, Dillon P jumped to go across and then Henk P went along as well. Behind, the pack was slowly getting going, and the Cheshire guys at the front were not chasing it down. The trio stayed out there for 2 miles but as the ride got towards Mountain RD, it was all back together again, Alan B was up front along with Billy T(hompson). Turning onto Mountain, there were a couple of early accelerations, posturing mostly. Hacker was there, as well as Hunter P, who jumped next but then was passed by Alan B, who put in a real dig. Alan stayed off the front for most of the way down Mountain RD but eventually was caught from the strong pace-making up front by the Crowells, The Sernyak Billy T, Max A, and a couple of others. Hunter P then countered, but the light was red up front, green for the pack, which brought it all back together.
The green light encouraged Chris C, Hacker, Alan, Sernyak and Ben Bruce to stay on the gas for the early parts of Moss Farms. For a bit, it looked like the group was going to ride off but the pressure from behind, combined with a slight slowing down in the break, allowed it all to come back together. The pace and pressure stayed there though as Alan B, Hunter P, and Hacker kept it fast. Towards the end of Moss Farms, Kyle C was allowed to roll off the front, and then Alan B would jump with Hacker. The front of the pack stayed cautious though. Chris C put in a big pull heading into the 4-way intersection, which reduced the gap a lot. It was all mopped up on the rise to Marion Ave by Hunter P, who dragged a few guys across, but ended up off the front with Kyle C and Alan B. That trio kept a gap going all the way across the overpass for I84 but the Sernyak and Steve Grey were not letting it escape for good.
After the light on 322, Alan B and Hunter P stayed on the gas and then pushed off the front thru the corner for Mount Vernon. Behind, the pack was slowed a bit in the corner, and generally was taking it's time to get up to speed. The two up front went to work holding onto a gap that fluctuated from 20-30 seconds. Never totally out of reach. Heading thru the false-flat section of Mount Vernon, Steve Grey put in a couple of big monkey-strength pulls, and brought the gap back to spitting distance with 500 meters to the corner for Welch. Billy T attempted to jump across the gap but it only served to sew it all back up.
On Welch, Hacker, Chris C, Kyle C, and Ryan O were all up front, looking to get things started. Ryan eventually pushed off the front and took a 10-sec gap into the run-in for the corner and sprint. Behind, Steve Grey was setting a good pace along with Sernyak and a couple of others. Ryan was collected shortly after the corner, with Steve Grey, Sernyak, and Chris C setting the lead out up. For the sprint, there was a little reshuffling up front but the speed was enough not to let chasers get up into the mix. Kyle C jumped first and looked to be on his way, then Alan B. Hunter P jumped out next with Little T on his wheel. Both came around Kyle, and it was super close at the line, with Little T just edging it over Hunter P by a tire width.
On the backside, there was some posturing by Hacker, Kyle C, Ben Bruce and a couple of others, but it was not enough to break free, plus there was a red light by I84. From there, the ride stayed consistent, but no one attacked until the short rise on West Johnson, leading up to route 10. Kyle C jumped there and perfectly snagged the green light there. The pack waited.
Onto East Johnson, the chase got going. After the corner for Meriden Rd, Chris C, Alan B, Steve Grey and 1 other tried to escape, but Steffen H and Ben Bruce brought it all back together. Kyle C was still out of sight. Then, as the climb up route 70 loomed, Alan B went off the front with Steve Grey. Hunter P responded late but joined the two as the climb started. Alan B put in a significant effort on the front, which was enough to create separation from the peleton and bring Kyle C into shooting distance. The other two chipped in a bit but it was mostly Alan B, working for teammate Hunter P. Kyle was caught shortly after the light, and HUnter P was able to come around to get the sprint point with Alan B in second
The leader riders kept going, with Kyle slightly off the back, and the peleton quickly bearing down. Only Hunter P, Steve Grey, and Alan B rolled through the light by the left-hand turn, and that gap was enough to seal the deal. The trio stayed away from the rest of the ride, and Hunter P took the final sprint with Alan B behind.
Great ride everyone!
There were less guys out for today's ride than last week. Maybe the cloudy and cold weather was keeping a few away. Once the ride going though it was rip'roarin as usual. Straight away, Kyle C kicked it off and jumped up the road, quickly getting a 20-second gap. Then, Dillon P jumped to go across and then Henk P went along as well. Behind, the pack was slowly getting going, and the Cheshire guys at the front were not chasing it down. The trio stayed out there for 2 miles but as the ride got towards Mountain RD, it was all back together again, Alan B was up front along with Billy T(hompson). Turning onto Mountain, there were a couple of early accelerations, posturing mostly. Hacker was there, as well as Hunter P, who jumped next but then was passed by Alan B, who put in a real dig. Alan stayed off the front for most of the way down Mountain RD but eventually was caught from the strong pace-making up front by the Crowells, The Sernyak Billy T, Max A, and a couple of others. Hunter P then countered, but the light was red up front, green for the pack, which brought it all back together.
The green light encouraged Chris C, Hacker, Alan, Sernyak and Ben Bruce to stay on the gas for the early parts of Moss Farms. For a bit, it looked like the group was going to ride off but the pressure from behind, combined with a slight slowing down in the break, allowed it all to come back together. The pace and pressure stayed there though as Alan B, Hunter P, and Hacker kept it fast. Towards the end of Moss Farms, Kyle C was allowed to roll off the front, and then Alan B would jump with Hacker. The front of the pack stayed cautious though. Chris C put in a big pull heading into the 4-way intersection, which reduced the gap a lot. It was all mopped up on the rise to Marion Ave by Hunter P, who dragged a few guys across, but ended up off the front with Kyle C and Alan B. That trio kept a gap going all the way across the overpass for I84 but the Sernyak and Steve Grey were not letting it escape for good.
After the light on 322, Alan B and Hunter P stayed on the gas and then pushed off the front thru the corner for Mount Vernon. Behind, the pack was slowed a bit in the corner, and generally was taking it's time to get up to speed. The two up front went to work holding onto a gap that fluctuated from 20-30 seconds. Never totally out of reach. Heading thru the false-flat section of Mount Vernon, Steve Grey put in a couple of big monkey-strength pulls, and brought the gap back to spitting distance with 500 meters to the corner for Welch. Billy T attempted to jump across the gap but it only served to sew it all back up.
On Welch, Hacker, Chris C, Kyle C, and Ryan O were all up front, looking to get things started. Ryan eventually pushed off the front and took a 10-sec gap into the run-in for the corner and sprint. Behind, Steve Grey was setting a good pace along with Sernyak and a couple of others. Ryan was collected shortly after the corner, with Steve Grey, Sernyak, and Chris C setting the lead out up. For the sprint, there was a little reshuffling up front but the speed was enough not to let chasers get up into the mix. Kyle C jumped first and looked to be on his way, then Alan B. Hunter P jumped out next with Little T on his wheel. Both came around Kyle, and it was super close at the line, with Little T just edging it over Hunter P by a tire width.
On the backside, there was some posturing by Hacker, Kyle C, Ben Bruce and a couple of others, but it was not enough to break free, plus there was a red light by I84. From there, the ride stayed consistent, but no one attacked until the short rise on West Johnson, leading up to route 10. Kyle C jumped there and perfectly snagged the green light there. The pack waited.
Onto East Johnson, the chase got going. After the corner for Meriden Rd, Chris C, Alan B, Steve Grey and 1 other tried to escape, but Steffen H and Ben Bruce brought it all back together. Kyle C was still out of sight. Then, as the climb up route 70 loomed, Alan B went off the front with Steve Grey. Hunter P responded late but joined the two as the climb started. Alan B put in a significant effort on the front, which was enough to create separation from the peleton and bring Kyle C into shooting distance. The other two chipped in a bit but it was mostly Alan B, working for teammate Hunter P. Kyle was caught shortly after the light, and HUnter P was able to come around to get the sprint point with Alan B in second
The leader riders kept going, with Kyle slightly off the back, and the peleton quickly bearing down. Only Hunter P, Steve Grey, and Alan B rolled through the light by the left-hand turn, and that gap was enough to seal the deal. The trio stayed away from the rest of the ride, and Hunter P took the final sprint with Alan B behind.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 23rd
Winners:
Hunter P at the mid-point solo
Little T at the finish sprint
Losers:
Traffic-law abiding cyclists
Hunter P at the mid-point solo
Little T at the finish sprint
Losers:
Traffic-law abiding cyclists
Tuesday the 16th
Winners:
This was Kyle C's night! He took the midpoint AND the final sprint.
Losers:
Everyone wins when Kyle C wins!
This was Kyle C's night! He took the midpoint AND the final sprint.
Losers:
Everyone wins when Kyle C wins!
Tuesday the 2nd
Dave Hoyle
The loss of Dave will be felt for a long time. Many have come forward with a desire to help his wife Nicole and the youth of the CCAP that Dave cared so much for. The best way that we can rally for Dave is to have a share in the upcoming Breakaway Benefit on May 11th.
Your support of that ride, whether by riding or by donating, will mean that the CCAP can continue in its mission to give kids the chance to ride, race, and become better people through cycling.
This is what Dave would have wanted.
Here are the fundraising pages set up by Sleeping Giant regulars. This list will be periodically updated.
Kyle C
Aidan C
Hunter P
Ed Desplaines
The loss of Dave will be felt for a long time. Many have come forward with a desire to help his wife Nicole and the youth of the CCAP that Dave cared so much for. The best way that we can rally for Dave is to have a share in the upcoming Breakaway Benefit on May 11th.
Your support of that ride, whether by riding or by donating, will mean that the CCAP can continue in its mission to give kids the chance to ride, race, and become better people through cycling.
This is what Dave would have wanted.
Here are the fundraising pages set up by Sleeping Giant regulars. This list will be periodically updated.
Kyle C
Aidan C
Hunter P
Ed Desplaines
Tuesday the 26th
Alan B Cracks the Pinata Open
Week 3 of the SG was a notch faster than previously. There were a few more riders out this week, and plenty of guys were making their first appearance on the Tuesday night throwdown for the year. It was great to see Dave Hoyle, Nuemotion, Aidan C, Mike Frisk, Rob Dux, Dana Ravenberg, along with a few others out for the first time in 2019.
Very soon after the start, it was Hunter P jumping off the front. He was allowed to float out in front for 2k or so, but by the time the ride got to Mountain Rd, it was all together again. The ride stayed together from there all the way onto Moss Farms.
Hacker and Alan B looked to be ready to go off the front on Moss Farms, but it stayed together as there was plenty of guys to fill in the gap. Alan B would go once again after the corner for Marion, but that was short lived, and it was all together heading into the Industrial Park.
Hunter P was the first to attack there, and he took along the familiar trio of Alan B, Kyle C and Chris C. The pack was not letting that go and it was quickly shut down well before the light at route 10. Dave Hoyle and Nuemotion among those doing the work. Alan B, sure enough, stayed on the gas after the light, along with German Steffen Huber and Kyle C, but it was not enough to break free from the rested pack.
Up the hill to the corner for Cheshire St, Chris C was pushing the pace and rode a gap clear. He was soon joined by Alan B and German Steffen. They would go to work off the front hard. It took solid riding from Aidan C, Sean Cahill, and Ben Bruce to close the gap down. The chase led to a somewhat dulled pace on the early part of Meriden rd/route 70, but soon enough, Alan B busted out attacking. He got a small gap as Hunter P played defense. Only Aidan C and Big Red chased early on, and that was enough to let the gap go up to the leader. Alan rolled thru the sprint point well clear of the pack, and he continued on, getting the light at route 68 smoothly. Behind, Hunter P rolled thru the sprint next with Brian Girard close back.
Once everyone got going after the light, Alan B was basically out of sight and not to be caught for the rest of the night. There were a couple of strong attacks from Hunter P and Ben Bruce, and then Mike Frisk and Rob Dux, but no chase formed. For the finish, behind Alan B, Ben Bruce rolled clear to pick up 2nd place points on the night.
Nice work everyone! Let's keep it going!
Week 3 of the SG was a notch faster than previously. There were a few more riders out this week, and plenty of guys were making their first appearance on the Tuesday night throwdown for the year. It was great to see Dave Hoyle, Nuemotion, Aidan C, Mike Frisk, Rob Dux, Dana Ravenberg, along with a few others out for the first time in 2019.
Very soon after the start, it was Hunter P jumping off the front. He was allowed to float out in front for 2k or so, but by the time the ride got to Mountain Rd, it was all together again. The ride stayed together from there all the way onto Moss Farms.
Hacker and Alan B looked to be ready to go off the front on Moss Farms, but it stayed together as there was plenty of guys to fill in the gap. Alan B would go once again after the corner for Marion, but that was short lived, and it was all together heading into the Industrial Park.
Hunter P was the first to attack there, and he took along the familiar trio of Alan B, Kyle C and Chris C. The pack was not letting that go and it was quickly shut down well before the light at route 10. Dave Hoyle and Nuemotion among those doing the work. Alan B, sure enough, stayed on the gas after the light, along with German Steffen Huber and Kyle C, but it was not enough to break free from the rested pack.
Up the hill to the corner for Cheshire St, Chris C was pushing the pace and rode a gap clear. He was soon joined by Alan B and German Steffen. They would go to work off the front hard. It took solid riding from Aidan C, Sean Cahill, and Ben Bruce to close the gap down. The chase led to a somewhat dulled pace on the early part of Meriden rd/route 70, but soon enough, Alan B busted out attacking. He got a small gap as Hunter P played defense. Only Aidan C and Big Red chased early on, and that was enough to let the gap go up to the leader. Alan rolled thru the sprint point well clear of the pack, and he continued on, getting the light at route 68 smoothly. Behind, Hunter P rolled thru the sprint next with Brian Girard close back.
Once everyone got going after the light, Alan B was basically out of sight and not to be caught for the rest of the night. There were a couple of strong attacks from Hunter P and Ben Bruce, and then Mike Frisk and Rob Dux, but no chase formed. For the finish, behind Alan B, Ben Bruce rolled clear to pick up 2nd place points on the night.
Nice work everyone! Let's keep it going!
Tuesday the 19th
Beers, Bikes, Battlestar Galactica
It was great to see a slightly-bigger-than-last-week crowd out tonight. Even so, the ride got off to a slightly slower start. Alan B pushed off the front on Mount Sanford, and then in the next corner, Kyle C and Hunter P jumped up and joined. The trio was allowed to roll, and the gap quickly went up. Eventually, the chase formed, with Cheshire guys setting a decent pace, Little T, Rob Dux, Rusty, and a couple of others chipping in. The pack was bearing down on the break as it had to pause to get the green light on route 68/70. The chasing pack made it thru the light, and it was all together once again there.
Alan B and Kyle C would have another go or 2 on Moss Farms. Joe K also put in an attack. Coming up to and past the chicane, it was all together, with Dan Smith closing down a gap to a small group that had a gap after a strong pull from Chris C up to the hill to Marion. Alan B kept on it after the corner. Kyle C gave chase but couldn't close the gap down before the turn into the industrial park. It was together through there, with a couple of others getting involved up front (Rob Dux, Ben Bruce, The Sernyak, Big Red, and a new rider on a System Six (?).
Alan B and Kyle punched it again after the corner onto West Johnson, Dan Smith and Chris C also put in a dig up front. Then Hunter P attacked to the intersection, but the light was red. Once through, the pace stayed high down East Johnson. Chris C attacked up to the corner for Cheshire St but it didn't last long and the charge onto Route 70/Meriden road was all together. Once onto the "climb", the usual suspects kept the pace up front, with Big Red putting in a move or 2 to gain position. Alan B attacked with 200 meters to the light and only Hunter P responded at first. Kyle and Chris C jumped next and pulled the shrinking pack up as everyone half-assed it through the light. Alan B stayed on it with a last-ditch effort at the sprint, but Little T was there waiting to jump and he took it easily, with Alan B and then Kyle behind.
Into the back roads where it stayed together... mostly. Alan, Chris C, Hunter P, all had go's, but no one was able to stay out for more than 1 min or 2. The pace was high going up to the high point on Tuttle, which kept it honest for the guys eyeing up the final 500 meters. Alan led it out with an attack, to which 8-10 riders jumped onto. Hunter P snuck off with about 200 meters to go but came up short as Little T charged by to collect the second sprint on the night, with Ben Bruce in tow.
It was great to see a slightly-bigger-than-last-week crowd out tonight. Even so, the ride got off to a slightly slower start. Alan B pushed off the front on Mount Sanford, and then in the next corner, Kyle C and Hunter P jumped up and joined. The trio was allowed to roll, and the gap quickly went up. Eventually, the chase formed, with Cheshire guys setting a decent pace, Little T, Rob Dux, Rusty, and a couple of others chipping in. The pack was bearing down on the break as it had to pause to get the green light on route 68/70. The chasing pack made it thru the light, and it was all together once again there.
Alan B and Kyle C would have another go or 2 on Moss Farms. Joe K also put in an attack. Coming up to and past the chicane, it was all together, with Dan Smith closing down a gap to a small group that had a gap after a strong pull from Chris C up to the hill to Marion. Alan B kept on it after the corner. Kyle C gave chase but couldn't close the gap down before the turn into the industrial park. It was together through there, with a couple of others getting involved up front (Rob Dux, Ben Bruce, The Sernyak, Big Red, and a new rider on a System Six (?).
Alan B and Kyle punched it again after the corner onto West Johnson, Dan Smith and Chris C also put in a dig up front. Then Hunter P attacked to the intersection, but the light was red. Once through, the pace stayed high down East Johnson. Chris C attacked up to the corner for Cheshire St but it didn't last long and the charge onto Route 70/Meriden road was all together. Once onto the "climb", the usual suspects kept the pace up front, with Big Red putting in a move or 2 to gain position. Alan B attacked with 200 meters to the light and only Hunter P responded at first. Kyle and Chris C jumped next and pulled the shrinking pack up as everyone half-assed it through the light. Alan B stayed on it with a last-ditch effort at the sprint, but Little T was there waiting to jump and he took it easily, with Alan B and then Kyle behind.
Into the back roads where it stayed together... mostly. Alan, Chris C, Hunter P, all had go's, but no one was able to stay out for more than 1 min or 2. The pace was high going up to the high point on Tuttle, which kept it honest for the guys eyeing up the final 500 meters. Alan led it out with an attack, to which 8-10 riders jumped onto. Hunter P snuck off with about 200 meters to go but came up short as Little T charged by to collect the second sprint on the night, with Ben Bruce in tow.
Tuesday the 12th
Welcome to 2019 kid
The ride kicked off with a tough group of 18 riders. It's not a Tuesday on bikes in Hamden if Big Red isn't chasing the group from a couple of minutes back. Sure as snuff, Grome was late. The group waited about 125 seconds before saying screw it let's go. Mike has an excuse now, he's a freakin PHD and those guys are late because due to their intelligence.
Back to the ride, it was a steady start into a headwind. Once off route 10, the group slowly got going with Alan B, Chris C, Kyle C, Mountain Man Returns, and Nate U all taking turns up front. Everyone stayed together except when Hunter P was dicking around with opening up gaps to teammates. Heading to Mountain Rd, Tom K, Mountain Man and Brian G had to close down a gap to a group of Crowells and CCR's.
First attack was from Hunter P, who jumped off the front with 500 meters to go to the corner for route 68/70. Nate U gave chase but it was all for nothing because the light was red.
On to Moss Farms, where Alan B and Hoyle were doing most of the pace setting. Everyone rolled thru the chicane together, and up the hill to Marion, Kyle C took off with Alan B in tow. Then Hunter P jumped, and those three stayed on it past the corner. Chris C jumped hard then, bridging the gap but leaving the shrinking pack behind.
The group of 4 turned into the industrial park with 50-60 meters. Kyle C was going hard off the front, with the CCR'ers working together to keep the gap alive. The chase was down to just a few meters by the corner, thanks to Tom K, Nate U, Mountain Man, Dan Smith and a couple of others.
Up front, Hunter P attacked on the rise up West Johnson, with the others responding. The gap went back up again. Then Alan B attacked heading up to the light. It was red, which allowed everyone to re-group for East Johnson.
Alan B took off again soon after, but this time, teammates Nate U and Hunter P gave chase, keeping the gap to a minimum. Then Kyle C drilled it going downhill on E Johnson. Hunter P went as well and then attacked on the uphill to the 4-way intersection. Alan B was the only one to respond, making it two up the road on Cheshire St. The gap initially went up, then started to come back down as the ride got closer to Route70/Meriden Rd. The Crowells and Hoyle were working together with the chase. Alan B and Hunter worked to keep the gap to the sprint, with Alan leading it out and Hunter P scooping up first points of the season.
The chase had brought the leaders back within a stone's throw, but they snuck thru the light at route 68/70 whereas the six or so riders that remained in the chase got caught at the light. That was all that was needed to seal the breakaway for the night.
Great ride everyone!
The ride kicked off with a tough group of 18 riders. It's not a Tuesday on bikes in Hamden if Big Red isn't chasing the group from a couple of minutes back. Sure as snuff, Grome was late. The group waited about 125 seconds before saying screw it let's go. Mike has an excuse now, he's a freakin PHD and those guys are late because due to their intelligence.
Back to the ride, it was a steady start into a headwind. Once off route 10, the group slowly got going with Alan B, Chris C, Kyle C, Mountain Man Returns, and Nate U all taking turns up front. Everyone stayed together except when Hunter P was dicking around with opening up gaps to teammates. Heading to Mountain Rd, Tom K, Mountain Man and Brian G had to close down a gap to a group of Crowells and CCR's.
First attack was from Hunter P, who jumped off the front with 500 meters to go to the corner for route 68/70. Nate U gave chase but it was all for nothing because the light was red.
On to Moss Farms, where Alan B and Hoyle were doing most of the pace setting. Everyone rolled thru the chicane together, and up the hill to Marion, Kyle C took off with Alan B in tow. Then Hunter P jumped, and those three stayed on it past the corner. Chris C jumped hard then, bridging the gap but leaving the shrinking pack behind.
The group of 4 turned into the industrial park with 50-60 meters. Kyle C was going hard off the front, with the CCR'ers working together to keep the gap alive. The chase was down to just a few meters by the corner, thanks to Tom K, Nate U, Mountain Man, Dan Smith and a couple of others.
Up front, Hunter P attacked on the rise up West Johnson, with the others responding. The gap went back up again. Then Alan B attacked heading up to the light. It was red, which allowed everyone to re-group for East Johnson.
Alan B took off again soon after, but this time, teammates Nate U and Hunter P gave chase, keeping the gap to a minimum. Then Kyle C drilled it going downhill on E Johnson. Hunter P went as well and then attacked on the uphill to the 4-way intersection. Alan B was the only one to respond, making it two up the road on Cheshire St. The gap initially went up, then started to come back down as the ride got closer to Route70/Meriden Rd. The Crowells and Hoyle were working together with the chase. Alan B and Hunter worked to keep the gap to the sprint, with Alan leading it out and Hunter P scooping up first points of the season.
The chase had brought the leaders back within a stone's throw, but they snuck thru the light at route 68/70 whereas the six or so riders that remained in the chase got caught at the light. That was all that was needed to seal the breakaway for the night.
Great ride everyone!
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