A big break goes clear
A big headwind greeted the ride today and it would play a big role in how the ride turned out. In the parking lot, it was great to see Kyle Crowell out for the first time in a while. However, he was hit with a flat in the first 15 min and had to call it a day early. Besides him, Nuemotion was back out after a hiatus from the ride. Everyone was eager to ride with the great weather at hand. Also, riding hard is needed to be ready for the Governor's Guard Round-Up in Avon on Sunday! While it's technically a MTB race, the Round Up course is perfect for wimpy road-bikers. Cheshire Cycle is getting the sandbags ready to present to our favorite SGRers brave enough to go for it.
Out of the parking lot, Joe K and Gibertoni were eager to push the pace heading north on Route 10. Then, Hunter P possum'ed off the front as soon as the ride turned off route 10. After a couple of corners, he was 150m up the road. Wild Bill saw what was happening and jumped hard to close the gap and did so within half a km or so. That put two up the road working together into the wind.
Shortly after that, the alarm bells started going off in the pack and a chase group made up of Noah B and Steve B from CW, and the Mullaly's, Kevin and Keith. That quartet got up to the leaders and everyone started rolling. Behind in the chase, Big Red was doing his best to keep the pace high and get everyone working together.
Heading to Mountain rd, the gap was coming down a bit, when Keith M missed the corner for Mountain, taking SGR regular Steve B with him (!?). Those two had to turn around and hustle back double speed. Up front, the break broke down as the peleton saw its chance to close the gap. The pace stayed decent as a couple of Cheshire riders used the catch as a chance to push off the front. Joe K and Hons each had surges off the front, and every time CW was there to go with. Keith M and Steve eventually caught back on and they wasted no time to getting back up to the front. Late on Mountain Rd, a gap had started to 3 riders off the front (Noah B, Erin R, Kevin M). Hunter P went across the gap and that sewed it all up as everyone got to the light.
Early on Moss Farms, K&K went right back to the front and pushed hard off the front. Steve B and Noah B were right there with them. Behind, it was a scramble to find the wheels that were going in the right direction. A couple of guys who turned the corner early were dropping back, and a couple of guys seeing the gap were at full throttle. Brian Suto was in the latter category. He started to jump across the gap with Hunter P and Aidan C on his wheel. That trio made the connection, putting 7 up the road.
As the pack rolled down the backside of Moss Farms, Little T and Chris C had created separation and were making their way across the gap. Those two were able to use the chicane and the corners to close it down more and by the uphill corner for Marion, the full group had about 150 meters lead. Steve B, Noah B, Hunter P, Aidan C, Little T, Chris C, K&K. Suto had to drop off the pace.
The break rolled smoothly together. K&K, Steve B, and Hunter P doing a bit extra work. The gap went out on the way toward the route 322 crossing. The break got the light, the peloton had to pause. That was enough to spring the break for good.
By the turnaround point on Welch Rd, the peloton had the break in sight! All the way down Mount Vernon, Big Red was trying to rally and motivate the rest in his own unique way. Wild Bill was taking good pulls along with Henk, Dillon P and Gibertoni. The headwind made it tough though. Up front, the smaller group rotating smoothly was able to chop into the wind a bit more effectively. The break rolled up toe the sprint together, but then Little T broke the stalemate, jumping up for sprint with Steve B on his wheel. Everyone in the break gets points though. T gets a couple more for outkicking the rest. The break came back together and kept working well.
The break got green at every light on the way back into Cheshire, even the one on 322. The peloton got held up by nearly every red light. The gap went from 20-30 seconds to a couple of minutes from the sprint to the crossing on route 10 in Cheshire. Both groups had to wait a while there. After crossing over for the last 30 min of the ride, the break started playing cat n mouse a bit, and behind in the pack, everyone started looking around for the competition instead of up the road.
By the greenhouse climb, the peleton was just 10 or so riders. Big Red was still yelling at himself and others. Dillon P, Gibertoni, Henk, and Wild Bill were still pushing the pace. Up front, Aidan C attacked the group at the base of the Greenhouse climb but was held up by a car exiting a driveway. Then Steve B and Keith M went. No one got dropped though. Hunter P took the sprint at the orchard just ahead of Little T.
The ride back into Hamden was fast for everyone. Little T took the final sprint as everyone either mistimed the jump for the new finish line or was still going for the old line.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 10th
Tuesday the 3rd
Good weather returned and so did the crowds for the sleeping giant ride this week. A bunch of new faces out there today. Highlighted among them was Matt Armstrong down from Fairfield county up from Fairfield county. Matt, is the lead protagonist of the Wednesday Night Worlds Ride, which leaves from Greenwich High School during the season. Check that ride out if you can. It's a fast one, just slightly slower than SGR. ;-)
In addition to Matt, we had a few other riders from down in the Greenwich area, some Mogodanononongon riders. It was great to see young Alejandro Huber back out for his second full go with the ride. It was also great to see Aaron Black back out for the first time this season.
Kicking off the ride on route 10 was Hunter P. Who surged away but it was all grouped together for the turn off of route 10. After that. Keith Mullally was on the front a lot. Never quite attacking, instead pulling away with good old, solid pacemaking. There were plenty of fresh legs to respond, and it kept the pace high for the first 10 to 15 minutes of the ride.
It was all together heading on to mountain Road, and there were no attacks on the early. Chris C punched it off the front and was allowed to roll. Behind him, a chase formed with a small gap off from the rest. In the chase was Keith M, TF, Hunter P, and a couple of others. It came together by the intersection midway down Mountain Rd. From there it stayed together with everyone pulling nicely and politely. Steffen H rolled off the front with about a kilometer to go to the intersection and that was followed up by Hunter P. He was chased down by the usual suspects and it all came back together at the red light on route 68/70. On Moss farms it was more of the same with Chris C, Keith M, and a couple of others setting the early pace that kept it fast. Damien R. rolled up to the front and hit it hard, but nobody allowed any gaps. Plus the attacks weren't all that strong. The pace was good enough to let a small but strong group get a tiny gap going into the chicane but nobody drilled it enough up to Marion Avenue to keep it going.
The pace on Mount Vernon was decent but nothing crazy. The usual cat n mouse started before the turnaround. A couple of guys tried to sneak away but it was cuing up behind. Little T got a solid jump and hit the corner with a 5-second gap. He held it all the way to the line. Behind, Chris C traded pulls with Hunter P and Dan Smith. Hunter P jumped to come across next, staying out in front of TF who rolled in 3rd.
On the backside, Dan Smith kept the pace going with TF and this eventually led to Chris C, Hunter P and Dan Smith off the front fighting for a gap up to the top of West St. They had a gap going down but got hung up by traffic near Atwater street. Once through that, Dan Smith attacked again and was allowed to roll off the front. He stayed on it just enough to carry a gap to the intersection of 322. Behind, a newer rider (big guy in blue) powered the front and was bringing the gap back. Dan got the light though, which allowed him to get away for good.
However, reports began circulating that Dan was pulling off the ride early, so we would not get credit for the winning breakaway. The ride got back going again, and the usual pace unfolded for the last third of the ride. Damien R tried to get away on East Johnson again. The pace was lazy after that heading up to the Greenhouse climb. TF rolled off the front with Rosey. Those two were allowed to go. Rosey dropped off the pace halfway up the climb, and TF was able to stay out in front. Big Red set the pace in chase, and then Little T rolled thru the sprint line.
The pace got mellower in the pack after that. Only just ahead of the final sprint did it go back up again. Cedric B and Dillon P both had well-timed moves late on Tuttle to sneak one in, but there was enough pedaling at the base of the hill to bring it all back together. Going for the new sprint line was just Hunter P and Litle T. Both mistimed the jump to the speed limit sign on the right just past the River Road intersection on the right. T had the momentum and rolled in. A few guys still sprinted for the old line and hopefully everyone will be on the same page for next week.
