The Tired Legs Edition of SGR
Big crowds are out as the season is in full swing, and then CCAP's Tuesday night Criterium in East Hartford series has yet to start. One bummerspot was Dan Feldman getting hit with a flat and having to peel off just a few moments into the ride. The early pace was steady and fast. Matt Zaleski was out of the blocks and riding hard. Same goes for Alex De'Souza and Esteban S. Noah B was the first to try to get off the front, and once again, it fell on everyone but CW to do the chasing. The pack was up to speed and up to the challenge, though. It was a little crowded up at the front for the corner of Mountain Rd. Cristian V was upfront and consistently ramping up the speed at the front and brought things back together. Traffic at the corner Mountain slowed it all down and reset the pace.
Over the rollers on Mountain Rd, Joe K and Chris C pushed off the front and got a gap. They went to work and held for a while. Behind, the pace was high, and the chase/counter was sorting itself out. Again it was Cristian V doing a good share of the work to bring it back.
On Moss Farms, Noah B attacked off the front, setting off a chain reaction of surges, attacks, and counters. Turner F got involved, and Hunter P was pushing through to try to see if a gap could stick. Going thru the chicane, there were plenty of guys up front ready to punch it. Little T hit it going up to Marion, followed by Brent DB, hunter P, Jeff Scala, and Evan W. Ben Grameje from New Haven was up there as well and for a short time there was a group with a gap flying toward the industrial park. The peloton got it's act together, again behind a good push from Cristian V, to get it all back together soon after. Little T stayed on the gas though, and had Brent DB along for company. Those two nursed a small gap going over the highway. Then Hunter P jumped hard and quickly joined them just in time for the light and 322 crossing, which was green - turning yellow. Behind the back was chasing hard at about 50 meters, and even though everyone could see the timing of the light, and knew it would be bright red, cruised under it. When there is a strong break up the road, good decisions (and the noisy mouths) get muted.
With it all together, the pace reset, and there were no big attacks heading down Mount Vernon. A couple of newer guys saw action near the front as the ride climbed the false flat section on Mount Vernon. TC Chioffi, Billy T, Steve May, Matty Z, VladZ, and Monte Frank were among those pushing the pace before the turnaround.
Noah B hit the front for Welch Rd. He had Ben G up there for a while. They chase and response was quick. Hunter P pushed across the gap and wheels filled in the gaps. Joe K attacked on the hill and took a gap thru the corner. Traffic at the intersection brought the speed way down for the first 5 chasers, and that split the group a bit as the front rocketed off after the corner. Joe was brought back, and that left the sprint to come down to Hunter P, Noah B, and Little T. T came off Hunter P's wheel was able to get it cleanly in front of Hunter P and Brent DB.
It all came back together on the backside and there were no opportunities for attacks taken heading back into Cheshire. Once over 322 again, Cristian V was back at the front ramping up the pace. Again, no attacking. That's the way it would go all the way to the Greenhouse climb. Turner F, VladZ and Body Over Bike were amassing at the front leading into the climb. Right at the base, Evan W launched it. No one responded immediately and he got a gap. Turner F came to the front and rolled it most of the way. Hunter P was watching out for Evan W's gap and refused to come through, leaving a space for VladZ to take a pull. Turner was back at the front before the light, as Evan W's gap came down quickly on the flatter section. He hung tough thro and made it to a couple hundred meters, and the start of the sprint. Hunter P was able to come around and get it in front of Noah B and Little T.
One thru the light. Turner F looked like he was going to keep attacking but instead dragged it out single file for a fast run through Talmadge and Coleman Rd. The pace stayed high, and there were no attacks. A couple of guys, Evan W, Dan Dudzik, Steve May, and Chris C pushed the pace up Boulder, but not enough to keep a gap.
On the fast run down Tuttle, everyone had a chance to reset, and there were no flat tires this week in the last 500 meters. TC Chioffi was in great position and attacked/sprinted off the front, but was going for the top of the rise after the farm. Too early. Behind, Little T launched it among a lot of guys who were in position and ready on the hill. Once the traffic sorted itself out, it was Hunter P and Brent DB who emerged chasing, but still off the pace, and that was the order of finish to the speed limit sign that is on the far side of the left-hand turn onto River Rd. It's WELL past the top of the rise there, which requires a LONG sprint All this makes for a HARD sprint to time correctly.
Great ride everyone!
Tuesday the 9th
Tuesday the 2nd
Spring Season was Short at SGR
The rain held off or stopped in time for the ride, depending on what part of the state you were coming from. It ended up being a normal-size crew out for the ride tonight. As soon as the ride started properly, Steve B put his head down and got to work. Once he had a gap, he put it into the next gear and sped away. Within a couple of streets, he had three for 300 to 400 m.
Behind him, his CW teammates did nothing to close the gap down. With everybody else seemingly content to settle in for the evening, the gap went up even more by the time the ride hit Mountain Road. Steve was well out of sight, and he would stay away for the rest of the evening. Kudos on scoring the first solo breakaway of the year. Behind him, it took until the intersection of Mountain Road to really get things going. Hacker tried to get a chase going along with Rusty and Sean Maher.
Later on Moss Farms, Turner F rolled off the front along with Hunter P. They held a gap until the route 322 crossing. They got the green and the pack just nabbed the red light, bringing it all back together. The ride down Mount Vernon was uneventful. Brian O, fresh off winning Battenkill the weekend prior, made a couple of attacks along with Steffen H and a couple of others.
Hacker led a group, including Steffen H, off the front in search of the sprint point, but Brian O was in there and was able to get across the line first to pick up a few points behind the solo breakaway of Steve B.
The ride regrouped on the backside despite a couple of guys trying to get in a position to get a chase group split off the front. Hunter P tried that as the ride came to the route 10 crossing. He attacked hard on West Johnson and got a gap with Evan W and VladZ. Those 3 made it under the light, and the chase had to stop for red, but then snuck thru when the coast was clear after 20 seconds or so. Up front, the three were working together. Behind, once the downhill on East Johnson was done, CW came to the front and chased hard. Turner and Aaron B took long hard pulls and brought the trio back to within sight by the Greenhouse climb. The chase was hard enough to split the peloton, with 5-8 guys not even starting the greenhouse climb with the pack. The break was absorbed with a hundred meters to the light, and from there, Little T was able to get to the line first from the pack.
The finale into Hamden was fast but steady. A few guys were up front looking for redemption with the final sprint, but Chris C hit a hold on Tuttle in the final km and flatted. That took a couple of guys off the pace, leaving the Black brothers, Little T and Hunter P in place for the sprint. Aaron and Noah B led it off early, and Little T was able to come around safely, with Hunter P hanging on to third on the day. It was all behind the solo breakaway though.
