The ride has gone off in blizzards with better turnout....
Just a few brave souls out today. Chris Mahoney, Builder Pete, John "i dont race" Gregory, Dillon P, Hunter P, Guido, and a surprise visit from everyone's favorite coach, Aidan C with Ronny "Sprints" LaRose and Peter P in tow.
The ride was good till Ron flatted. Everyone waited and then the ride got good again with Aidan doing steady strong man tempo, Hunter P attacking, Ronny Sprints countering and Peter P chasing. Everyone turned at the industrial park in honor of Rondo. Then Ronny flatted again and then again in minutes and everyone went their separate ways, sad and solemn to think of what could have been.....
Rain sucks, but on the plus side Builder Pete's shorts were producing only a little special sauce this week.
Tuesday the 14th
We only have time for a quick report now... Our man Fabian Cancellara looks like he's gonna out sprint everyone going up the false flat finish in the tour today!
The Usual total numbers out tonight but the short ride had low attendance. 17-25 guys. The long ride was up at about 45-55 guys. Awesome.
Chris C had a solo early gap for the early streets off rt 10 as everyone was cautious about the worsening road conditions on Mount Sanford. It was all together then until the Mountain rd little grinder hill where Joe K just pedaled away from the front and stayed out to Cornwall. Impressive. A lot of the bubble boys and mike McG pulled him back.
It was fast all the way to the turn around in Southington where Little t made the right at the light 1st just edging out Joe K.
The pace back to into Cheshire was respectable. Little T made the S&S sprint 1st just passing Chris C. Little T kept going after the hill ended and made it thru a light by the town hall and started on the solo effort. The rest of the field got caught up at 3 lights in Cheshire and interviews with Little T at the end proved that he made the rt 10 break red light free, no stops. So hats off to T for the hat trick tonight.
In the group finish behind little t was a cervelo guy in a skin suit, guido, then dillon
The Usual total numbers out tonight but the short ride had low attendance. 17-25 guys. The long ride was up at about 45-55 guys. Awesome.
Chris C had a solo early gap for the early streets off rt 10 as everyone was cautious about the worsening road conditions on Mount Sanford. It was all together then until the Mountain rd little grinder hill where Joe K just pedaled away from the front and stayed out to Cornwall. Impressive. A lot of the bubble boys and mike McG pulled him back.
It was fast all the way to the turn around in Southington where Little t made the right at the light 1st just edging out Joe K.
The pace back to into Cheshire was respectable. Little T made the S&S sprint 1st just passing Chris C. Little T kept going after the hill ended and made it thru a light by the town hall and started on the solo effort. The rest of the field got caught up at 3 lights in Cheshire and interviews with Little T at the end proved that he made the rt 10 break red light free, no stops. So hats off to T for the hat trick tonight.
In the group finish behind little t was a cervelo guy in a skin suit, guido, then dillon
Tuesday the 7th
The continuing Seattle-ization of the Northeast continues with more rain tonight.
The rain was looking like it would hold out. It did not. The pouring started at 5:20 and pretty much lasted till 7 pm. Even so there was probably 30 guys out tonight.
Right off route 10, in an effort to stay warm, a couple of guys started to push the tempo up. Hunter P, Tall John, Thomaas B, Dillon P, Gregg F from CCR as well. It strung things out a bit and the chase was on. Moving thru the cobbles on Brooksvale, the guys up front drilled it, taking advantage of the fact that all the holes looked the same with water filling them. Tall John let up as the front blew thru the intersection with brakes that didn’t work. This left Dillon P, Hunter P, and Gregg F off the front heading up Mount Sanford. The 3 went to work and were given a bit of room at first. The gap went quickly up to about 10 seconds before the chase back started. The leading trio rolled long and was working well together. Behind them, the peleton was ramping up under the supervision of Mike McG, Peter P, Little T, Rondo and others. The break hit mountain rd with a shrinking gap and clung to it, making it up the initial riser before getting caught on the other side. The pace continued to be respectable as Mike McG, Rondo and Little T kept on the gas. As the field hit the second set of risers, Joe K found some breathing room and broke the leash. There was some chasing and attacking behind and when it all was settled, Joe was still off the front, but joined by team mate Chris B. They held onto a 20 yard gap as everyone rolled up to the light on Route 68 and stopped.
The Cheshire Cycle show continued once on Moss Farms, with Hunter P and Chris B setting early tempo. Maison C, Kyle F, Gregg F and Chris F-bomb Mahoney was up there. After some shuffling, posturing, and surging, a group of 6 or 7 ended up with a gap but it was not significant as the strong guys were just keeping tempo 10 bikes behind. All the same, 5 CCR guys lead the ride thru the chicane and toward the hill. Once on the hill Little T attacked hard and quickly had a gap with Peter P and Hunter P chasing. The 3 briefly joined forces after the corner but it was all coming back together within a minute or two.
There was some confusion heading into the industrial park area, with guys going straight and guys turning. All in all, despite the fact that many just assumed everyone was all aboard the short bus this week, no one was in danger of being taken out. Most of the riders did turn however, leaving only about 12-15 guys to go straight on. Mike McG, the CCR guys less Ken and Maison, Ben from New Haven, Tall John, John Gregory, Little T, Dave H, the 2 Petes, and others.
Once on Mount Vernon Rd, after a kilometer of chasing Tall John to reel him in, the pace remained solid despite the low numbers. Everyone was taking turns at the front. Halfway down Mount Vernon, on the long false flat before a gentle right bend, Hunter P attacked at the top with Chris B in tow. The calculated move worked, and the 2 took a gap right away as the rest were re-sorting themselves after the 20mph surge up hill. The other CCR guys, in classic cat 3 fashion, were also doing their best to disrupt any chasing. So with the rain finally stopping for the night, the ride went into tempo mode and the gap to the break shot up. Chris B and Hunter P were working well together and hit the Welch Road with a gap of around 40 seconds.
Moving onto West St for the leaders, Hunter P rolled thru the corner with Chris B, and tried to minimize any losses as the group behind had ramped it up as soon as it hit Welch. Mike McG along with Tall Johnny riding hard now, along with Little T and one other (John Gregory?). This caused a split as the CCR guys were able to hold it together at the front no more. The catch finally happened right before the I84 interchange. Chris B tried to surge one last time before getting caught and may have trumped everyone if he had been a second earlier to make it thru a light, but everyone had the stop at this and the next light and so the ride was all together again.
The ride back into Cheshire was normal and fast considering the small group. Mike McG and Tall John, doing much to spur it along. Coming into the Stop n Shop sector, Tall John rode it the way it should be with 750 meters to the hill, going hard and taking along a couple of guys, Dillon P gave chase to keep it together until he realized Little T was camped at his six for the ride up. That led to Little T hitting the wind with 300 meters to go with Hunter P right at his side. The 2 took off at almost the same moment, side by side. Little T got the gap quickly on Hunter and took it with room to spare.
Heading back into Hamden was routine, Little T had a brief gap coming up to McDonalds. (an attack?) He may have just been concerned about his antique lamps needing repair. Any electricians out there? Going thru the light for Cook Hill Rd, Hunter P attacked one last time, getting a gap of about 70 yards before settling in. Dave H tried to bridge but was reeled in 30 seconds later. Hunter P stayed out there for a couple of minutes, but was carpet rolled up with about 2 k to go.
For the finale, Mike McG, a little under the weather to boot, pulled off first and let Chris B and Little T go at it. A gap was allowed to open and that was all the 2 needed to pull off the front. Chris B towed for the next 500 meters and Little T had no problems coming around comfortably for the end.
The rain was looking like it would hold out. It did not. The pouring started at 5:20 and pretty much lasted till 7 pm. Even so there was probably 30 guys out tonight.
Right off route 10, in an effort to stay warm, a couple of guys started to push the tempo up. Hunter P, Tall John, Thomaas B, Dillon P, Gregg F from CCR as well. It strung things out a bit and the chase was on. Moving thru the cobbles on Brooksvale, the guys up front drilled it, taking advantage of the fact that all the holes looked the same with water filling them. Tall John let up as the front blew thru the intersection with brakes that didn’t work. This left Dillon P, Hunter P, and Gregg F off the front heading up Mount Sanford. The 3 went to work and were given a bit of room at first. The gap went quickly up to about 10 seconds before the chase back started. The leading trio rolled long and was working well together. Behind them, the peleton was ramping up under the supervision of Mike McG, Peter P, Little T, Rondo and others. The break hit mountain rd with a shrinking gap and clung to it, making it up the initial riser before getting caught on the other side. The pace continued to be respectable as Mike McG, Rondo and Little T kept on the gas. As the field hit the second set of risers, Joe K found some breathing room and broke the leash. There was some chasing and attacking behind and when it all was settled, Joe was still off the front, but joined by team mate Chris B. They held onto a 20 yard gap as everyone rolled up to the light on Route 68 and stopped.
The Cheshire Cycle show continued once on Moss Farms, with Hunter P and Chris B setting early tempo. Maison C, Kyle F, Gregg F and Chris F-bomb Mahoney was up there. After some shuffling, posturing, and surging, a group of 6 or 7 ended up with a gap but it was not significant as the strong guys were just keeping tempo 10 bikes behind. All the same, 5 CCR guys lead the ride thru the chicane and toward the hill. Once on the hill Little T attacked hard and quickly had a gap with Peter P and Hunter P chasing. The 3 briefly joined forces after the corner but it was all coming back together within a minute or two.
There was some confusion heading into the industrial park area, with guys going straight and guys turning. All in all, despite the fact that many just assumed everyone was all aboard the short bus this week, no one was in danger of being taken out. Most of the riders did turn however, leaving only about 12-15 guys to go straight on. Mike McG, the CCR guys less Ken and Maison, Ben from New Haven, Tall John, John Gregory, Little T, Dave H, the 2 Petes, and others.
Once on Mount Vernon Rd, after a kilometer of chasing Tall John to reel him in, the pace remained solid despite the low numbers. Everyone was taking turns at the front. Halfway down Mount Vernon, on the long false flat before a gentle right bend, Hunter P attacked at the top with Chris B in tow. The calculated move worked, and the 2 took a gap right away as the rest were re-sorting themselves after the 20mph surge up hill. The other CCR guys, in classic cat 3 fashion, were also doing their best to disrupt any chasing. So with the rain finally stopping for the night, the ride went into tempo mode and the gap to the break shot up. Chris B and Hunter P were working well together and hit the Welch Road with a gap of around 40 seconds.
Moving onto West St for the leaders, Hunter P rolled thru the corner with Chris B, and tried to minimize any losses as the group behind had ramped it up as soon as it hit Welch. Mike McG along with Tall Johnny riding hard now, along with Little T and one other (John Gregory?). This caused a split as the CCR guys were able to hold it together at the front no more. The catch finally happened right before the I84 interchange. Chris B tried to surge one last time before getting caught and may have trumped everyone if he had been a second earlier to make it thru a light, but everyone had the stop at this and the next light and so the ride was all together again.
The ride back into Cheshire was normal and fast considering the small group. Mike McG and Tall John, doing much to spur it along. Coming into the Stop n Shop sector, Tall John rode it the way it should be with 750 meters to the hill, going hard and taking along a couple of guys, Dillon P gave chase to keep it together until he realized Little T was camped at his six for the ride up. That led to Little T hitting the wind with 300 meters to go with Hunter P right at his side. The 2 took off at almost the same moment, side by side. Little T got the gap quickly on Hunter and took it with room to spare.
Heading back into Hamden was routine, Little T had a brief gap coming up to McDonalds. (an attack?) He may have just been concerned about his antique lamps needing repair. Any electricians out there? Going thru the light for Cook Hill Rd, Hunter P attacked one last time, getting a gap of about 70 yards before settling in. Dave H tried to bridge but was reeled in 30 seconds later. Hunter P stayed out there for a couple of minutes, but was carpet rolled up with about 2 k to go.
For the finale, Mike McG, a little under the weather to boot, pulled off first and let Chris B and Little T go at it. A gap was allowed to open and that was all the 2 needed to pull off the front. Chris B towed for the next 500 meters and Little T had no problems coming around comfortably for the end.
Tuesday the 30th
The 2 group nonsense continues as the ride gets all fast and new-look.
The B group headed out 5 minutes early and the group was larger this week probably cause of the threat of rain. It ended up being about 30-35 riders in each group. Again, most of the strong guys went second, including the return of Empire Matt, Guido, and Chris Jones. Couple those with the CCR crew, the Bubble boys, Target Training’s Ed Angeli, Time Trial Pete, and Todd H’s Coppertopped hair, and the A group was blazin. The B group had French Casey, Rondo, and Eric M…. Good to see Casey back in action.
Off of route 10, it was John Gregory and Dave Hartmann setting early tempo. Then Mike McG, also with a new “dew”, and CJones took over and set tempo heading onto Brooksvale ave. The pace heading up to Mountain road was solid.
Turning onto mountain and up the risers, Empire Matt, on a TT bike, had jumped up to the front along with Craig L. Jones and Mike McG joined them quickly and there was a brief split as the foursome hammered it up the hill a mile or two faster than normal. The front of the group behind wasn’t having any of that and quickly closed the gap… Peter P, Thomaas B and Little T sewing up the gaps.
The rest of the way down Mountain rd was quick, with a group of 8 or 9 heading up the efforts at the front. Tall John, Crazy Chris, Julio L, Todd H and Maison from CCR were up there with the others doing work.
Onto Moss Farms where again, in a scene that would be played out a bunch of times tonight, Empire Matt surged off the front and Jones tracked him down. Crazy Chris, Mike McG were also up there with Luekens. That kept the pace high as the field flew thru the chicane, led by Thomaas B. Up the hill past that, Empire Matt hit it. Hard. Really hard. Others were scrambling for a piece of the wheel. Jones, Little T, Mike McG. Hunter P, Peter P. All were flying in pursuit. Matt kept up the gap up thru the corner and beyond, with Peter P, Hunter P, Jones and Mike coming up to form some type of group, but it was pretty much all together. The A group came within 5 seconds of so of the B group, just as it turned into the industrial park.
Once thru the lights and onto Mount Vernon Rd, it was Mike McG and New Haven’s version of the “3 Amigos”; Luekens, Empire and Jones setting tempo. There were others up there too of course. Notably, Tall John, Ed A, Julio, Maison, Little T, etc. With the tailwind, the pace was crisp, not falling below 28 mph. A couple of times, it seemed there was a group getting off the front…… Whenever Empire Matt would look for aero-bar-breathing-room off the front or when there was a slight pitch in the road and a gap would open up. But all in all, it stayed together and the pace was fast. Peter P got hit with a flat and dropped out as the crazy pace over the rough spots took its toll.
Turning onto Welch Rd, there was a pause in the speed, then it looked briefly like Luekens was going to have a go off the front. Mike McG was up there too and so was Jones. Chris B was also moving up and looking for daylight off the front, but the pace was just too fast. Little T jumped from 4 bikes back at the base of the hill and rounded everyone well before the corner. Coming thru after was more Stage 1 guys, Crazy Chris and Julio L, along with Hunter P. Little T kept up the attack and was up the road as the trio, Crazy Chris, Julio, and Hunter P was closing the gap. Julio killed it and caught T and then kept on going past. Then Hunter P took a turn as things were shuffling around behind. Mike McG and the New Haven crew were all right there and then had a good go off the front. Luekens, Jones, Empire, McG, Crazy Chris, and 1 or 2 others might have seen the game winning break if it weren’t for a red light by the highway. Things got rolling along again lazy like, but by the decsent down West Street, Empire Matt was fully stretching the limits of his 56 tooth chainring, pulling the ride out single file down the hill. After that, things calmed down all the way back to Route 10 in Cheshire.
There were plenty of guys rotating thru on the way up to the Stop n Shop sprint. Little T jumped from a ways back, taking Hunter P and Maison along for the sprint. Julio L was also there looking to sneak away. Neither could come around and Alessio got it by a healthy margin.
For the ride back to Hamden, red lights kept it slow. Although noteworthy was Tall John getting thru a light on his own. That was all he needed to attempt the long ride back by himself into the wind. After clearing Cheshire, the field ramped it up again with Empire Matt getting a few last good pulls in. Jones, Luekens, Thomaas B, and Guido were up there as well with others.
For the finale, Little T looked to jump at the right moment with a bunch of guys kicking his heels, but a rider in Bethel Cycles jersey was able to come around him at the last moment. Seemed little matter though, as Tall John was able to hold off all with his ninja red light skills and rode in first, fair and square all alone.
Good fast ride… Can we get some details of what went down in the B group?
The B group headed out 5 minutes early and the group was larger this week probably cause of the threat of rain. It ended up being about 30-35 riders in each group. Again, most of the strong guys went second, including the return of Empire Matt, Guido, and Chris Jones. Couple those with the CCR crew, the Bubble boys, Target Training’s Ed Angeli, Time Trial Pete, and Todd H’s Coppertopped hair, and the A group was blazin. The B group had French Casey, Rondo, and Eric M…. Good to see Casey back in action.
Off of route 10, it was John Gregory and Dave Hartmann setting early tempo. Then Mike McG, also with a new “dew”, and CJones took over and set tempo heading onto Brooksvale ave. The pace heading up to Mountain road was solid.
Turning onto mountain and up the risers, Empire Matt, on a TT bike, had jumped up to the front along with Craig L. Jones and Mike McG joined them quickly and there was a brief split as the foursome hammered it up the hill a mile or two faster than normal. The front of the group behind wasn’t having any of that and quickly closed the gap… Peter P, Thomaas B and Little T sewing up the gaps.
The rest of the way down Mountain rd was quick, with a group of 8 or 9 heading up the efforts at the front. Tall John, Crazy Chris, Julio L, Todd H and Maison from CCR were up there with the others doing work.
Onto Moss Farms where again, in a scene that would be played out a bunch of times tonight, Empire Matt surged off the front and Jones tracked him down. Crazy Chris, Mike McG were also up there with Luekens. That kept the pace high as the field flew thru the chicane, led by Thomaas B. Up the hill past that, Empire Matt hit it. Hard. Really hard. Others were scrambling for a piece of the wheel. Jones, Little T, Mike McG. Hunter P, Peter P. All were flying in pursuit. Matt kept up the gap up thru the corner and beyond, with Peter P, Hunter P, Jones and Mike coming up to form some type of group, but it was pretty much all together. The A group came within 5 seconds of so of the B group, just as it turned into the industrial park.
Once thru the lights and onto Mount Vernon Rd, it was Mike McG and New Haven’s version of the “3 Amigos”; Luekens, Empire and Jones setting tempo. There were others up there too of course. Notably, Tall John, Ed A, Julio, Maison, Little T, etc. With the tailwind, the pace was crisp, not falling below 28 mph. A couple of times, it seemed there was a group getting off the front…… Whenever Empire Matt would look for aero-bar-breathing-room off the front or when there was a slight pitch in the road and a gap would open up. But all in all, it stayed together and the pace was fast. Peter P got hit with a flat and dropped out as the crazy pace over the rough spots took its toll.
Turning onto Welch Rd, there was a pause in the speed, then it looked briefly like Luekens was going to have a go off the front. Mike McG was up there too and so was Jones. Chris B was also moving up and looking for daylight off the front, but the pace was just too fast. Little T jumped from 4 bikes back at the base of the hill and rounded everyone well before the corner. Coming thru after was more Stage 1 guys, Crazy Chris and Julio L, along with Hunter P. Little T kept up the attack and was up the road as the trio, Crazy Chris, Julio, and Hunter P was closing the gap. Julio killed it and caught T and then kept on going past. Then Hunter P took a turn as things were shuffling around behind. Mike McG and the New Haven crew were all right there and then had a good go off the front. Luekens, Jones, Empire, McG, Crazy Chris, and 1 or 2 others might have seen the game winning break if it weren’t for a red light by the highway. Things got rolling along again lazy like, but by the decsent down West Street, Empire Matt was fully stretching the limits of his 56 tooth chainring, pulling the ride out single file down the hill. After that, things calmed down all the way back to Route 10 in Cheshire.
There were plenty of guys rotating thru on the way up to the Stop n Shop sprint. Little T jumped from a ways back, taking Hunter P and Maison along for the sprint. Julio L was also there looking to sneak away. Neither could come around and Alessio got it by a healthy margin.
For the ride back to Hamden, red lights kept it slow. Although noteworthy was Tall John getting thru a light on his own. That was all he needed to attempt the long ride back by himself into the wind. After clearing Cheshire, the field ramped it up again with Empire Matt getting a few last good pulls in. Jones, Luekens, Thomaas B, and Guido were up there as well with others.
For the finale, Little T looked to jump at the right moment with a bunch of guys kicking his heels, but a rider in Bethel Cycles jersey was able to come around him at the last moment. Seemed little matter though, as Tall John was able to hold off all with his ninja red light skills and rode in first, fair and square all alone.
Good fast ride… Can we get some details of what went down in the B group?
Tuesday the 23rd
The Sleeping Giant Ride is a School bus... Which one were you on?
After much backroom bargaining and name calling, The Sleeping Giant Ride was officially split into 2 groups today… the “B” (for boring) group to do the ride as normal, and the “A”(for ass#oles) group that would do the winter loop, adding about 11 miles or so. As half the ride rolled out under the Flag of Rondo, The other half waited for a couple of minutes to depart for the longer loop. And as the tradition of one group, with solidarity, was broken, wherever they were on this night, Luigi Delbouno muttered the F word more than Paulie Walnuts did on the 3rd season of The Soprano’s and John Elengo became for the first time, Angry JohnnE.
The second group ( A group ) was made up mostly of the Stop n Shop crew (bubble heads and Mike McG), the CCR crew, 3 Yalies and other notables. So most of the ponies were going long and hard tonight. Hopefully we will get some details about what went down in the first group ( B ) and anything to report will be added to the recap.
Right off route 10, Mike McG and Eric M filled the familiar roles of early tempo setters. Also up there doing some surprising early work was Little T, who was coming to grips with the fact that there’d be no Reinhart Sprint for him tonight. The first one to have a go off the front was VQ Rob, who would be jumping off the front all night long. His first go was brief, and heading in thru the cobbles it was all together. He would next give it another go heading into Mountain Rd, but that was swallowed up for a field led by Tall John and Chris C. Some traffic on the corner for Mountain rd slowed things down a bit, but once thru Joe K would jump off the front with Hunter P in tow. The 2 tore it up the hill and were joined by Crazy Chris and it was officially a break. The 3 went to work together and held a gap for a decent length run, getting caught after the 2nd set of risers after the intersection for Higgans rd. Eric M, Mike McG, Julio L and others were chasing pretty hard to catch the trio.
The rest of the way down Mountain was quick as the lean and mean group shared the work load well and many guys were dipping their wicks into the wind.
The B group was just moving thru the light, no doubt caught by a red, as the A group Peleton was coming up to the intersection. The groups would stay separate as the second group waited out the red light and got rolling along without urgency once thru it. The pace down Moss Farms was good, nothing huge, VQ Rob was again rolling off the front for brief spurts along with a 1st time rider in red atop a sliver bike with yellow Time shoes. Heading into the Chicane, it was all together as Hunter P led the field thru. Yalie Adam and Craig L led everyone up the hill initially, and then Little T busted out some sprint and jumped off the front with Joe K in tow. The 2 ripped thru the corner with Hunter P closing the gap quickly. This made a trio again off the front with a small but respectable gap. The 3 would go to work but would be caught right before the turn into the industrial park. Everyone of course barreled thru and headed to Southington for the extended loop. Once onto Mount Vernon Rd, Mike McG resumed pace making along with VQ Rob, Eric M, and others. The pace was going good and there were a couple of solid but brief attacks. The first coming from Chris C, lasting a quarter mile and then Joe K pushed off coming up to the turn by Briarwood but was soon pushed back by the headwind. Again, work was being spread out well with more than 15 guys rotating thru nicely.
As the field turned right onto Welch to go by the golf course The rider in Red had a go off the front but was eclipsed by Mike McG’s sudden attack coming up to the hill. Craig L and the Yalies were up there to patch up holes in the front as the P’ton hit the base of the climb to West St. Little T, who actually found a way to beat everybody in B Group up the Reinhard sprint, nipping Greg Ciocci to the corner, was back with the A Group and seeing the hill to West St as a good substitute for sprint points, jumped hard after Mike McG. Little t came around Mike with a little room to spare and came thru the corner first. Mike kept up the attack as the hill keeps up past the corner. Hunter P was up there in the mix and went with Mike. The two had a gap when Crazy Chris jumped across and then it was 3 for a little bit. Back behind, Little T had stayed up front along with Chris C and a reshuffling up front, it was Chris and Mike leading the way. As expected, there were guys all over the road during this section as it may be the toughest Sleeping Giant stretch, Winter or summer loop. It all came together as the ride had to slow for a light late on West Street. Once on Canal St., the rider in Red attacked once more, this time taking Hunter P with him. The 2 kept the gap up to the light on 322, which as, usual, was red.
The pack took a couple of moments to recover, and then went up Peck Ln a bit faster than usual. There was a small split toward the end of the uphill section, before it turns to Sandbank Rd, made up mostly of the Stage 1 guys. That turned into a leading trio moving onto Route 10 of Crazy Chris, VQ Rob, and Hunter P. That was short lived and heading into the center of Cheshire it was all together.
There was still plenty of get up and go left in the legs for the stop n shop sprint. And heading into it there were a bunch of guys up at the front and ready to go. Julio L, Little T, Rich on C dale, Craig L, Joe K and the Yalies etc… Mike McG was the first to jump, from quite a ways back and had a gap before Little T, Rich and Julio L responded. Little T had the best shot to come around Mike, and there was some traffic to make it interesting, but Mike held off the Alessio charge to the top with Rich being a close 3rd.
The ride into Hamden was faster then usual. The group, not having lost anyone really, enjoyed the tailwind all the way back. Hunter P and VQ Rob had a brief go at the front, but that was crushed by Little T and Mike McG. The speed stayed at 30mph or higher the whole way back, except for a couple of red lights. Heading into the final kilo, there was again a solid group of guys ready to dive it home. The Stage one guys ( Chris C, Dave H, rider on a colnago, Tall John ) gave the front a final shove before letting Little T go out early and burn out, Then it was Mike McG pulling off, leaving Hunter P and Crazy Chris duke it out with Hunter P getting the final kick to the end.
Dillon P was 5th!
No one went up the Shepard Ave hill.
All in all it was a good ride. The A group ended up riding back thru Hamden about 20-25 min later than the B group probably… Maybe even less.
And as there was some premature talk of doing the winter loop again next week, perhaps the New Haven crowd will keep the timing in mind, as there was still more than 35+ min left of daylight to ride home.
After much backroom bargaining and name calling, The Sleeping Giant Ride was officially split into 2 groups today… the “B” (for boring) group to do the ride as normal, and the “A”(for ass#oles) group that would do the winter loop, adding about 11 miles or so. As half the ride rolled out under the Flag of Rondo, The other half waited for a couple of minutes to depart for the longer loop. And as the tradition of one group, with solidarity, was broken, wherever they were on this night, Luigi Delbouno muttered the F word more than Paulie Walnuts did on the 3rd season of The Soprano’s and John Elengo became for the first time, Angry JohnnE.
The second group ( A group ) was made up mostly of the Stop n Shop crew (bubble heads and Mike McG), the CCR crew, 3 Yalies and other notables. So most of the ponies were going long and hard tonight. Hopefully we will get some details about what went down in the first group ( B ) and anything to report will be added to the recap.
Right off route 10, Mike McG and Eric M filled the familiar roles of early tempo setters. Also up there doing some surprising early work was Little T, who was coming to grips with the fact that there’d be no Reinhart Sprint for him tonight. The first one to have a go off the front was VQ Rob, who would be jumping off the front all night long. His first go was brief, and heading in thru the cobbles it was all together. He would next give it another go heading into Mountain Rd, but that was swallowed up for a field led by Tall John and Chris C. Some traffic on the corner for Mountain rd slowed things down a bit, but once thru Joe K would jump off the front with Hunter P in tow. The 2 tore it up the hill and were joined by Crazy Chris and it was officially a break. The 3 went to work together and held a gap for a decent length run, getting caught after the 2nd set of risers after the intersection for Higgans rd. Eric M, Mike McG, Julio L and others were chasing pretty hard to catch the trio.
The rest of the way down Mountain was quick as the lean and mean group shared the work load well and many guys were dipping their wicks into the wind.
The B group was just moving thru the light, no doubt caught by a red, as the A group Peleton was coming up to the intersection. The groups would stay separate as the second group waited out the red light and got rolling along without urgency once thru it. The pace down Moss Farms was good, nothing huge, VQ Rob was again rolling off the front for brief spurts along with a 1st time rider in red atop a sliver bike with yellow Time shoes. Heading into the Chicane, it was all together as Hunter P led the field thru. Yalie Adam and Craig L led everyone up the hill initially, and then Little T busted out some sprint and jumped off the front with Joe K in tow. The 2 ripped thru the corner with Hunter P closing the gap quickly. This made a trio again off the front with a small but respectable gap. The 3 would go to work but would be caught right before the turn into the industrial park. Everyone of course barreled thru and headed to Southington for the extended loop. Once onto Mount Vernon Rd, Mike McG resumed pace making along with VQ Rob, Eric M, and others. The pace was going good and there were a couple of solid but brief attacks. The first coming from Chris C, lasting a quarter mile and then Joe K pushed off coming up to the turn by Briarwood but was soon pushed back by the headwind. Again, work was being spread out well with more than 15 guys rotating thru nicely.
As the field turned right onto Welch to go by the golf course The rider in Red had a go off the front but was eclipsed by Mike McG’s sudden attack coming up to the hill. Craig L and the Yalies were up there to patch up holes in the front as the P’ton hit the base of the climb to West St. Little T, who actually found a way to beat everybody in B Group up the Reinhard sprint, nipping Greg Ciocci to the corner, was back with the A Group and seeing the hill to West St as a good substitute for sprint points, jumped hard after Mike McG. Little t came around Mike with a little room to spare and came thru the corner first. Mike kept up the attack as the hill keeps up past the corner. Hunter P was up there in the mix and went with Mike. The two had a gap when Crazy Chris jumped across and then it was 3 for a little bit. Back behind, Little T had stayed up front along with Chris C and a reshuffling up front, it was Chris and Mike leading the way. As expected, there were guys all over the road during this section as it may be the toughest Sleeping Giant stretch, Winter or summer loop. It all came together as the ride had to slow for a light late on West Street. Once on Canal St., the rider in Red attacked once more, this time taking Hunter P with him. The 2 kept the gap up to the light on 322, which as, usual, was red.
The pack took a couple of moments to recover, and then went up Peck Ln a bit faster than usual. There was a small split toward the end of the uphill section, before it turns to Sandbank Rd, made up mostly of the Stage 1 guys. That turned into a leading trio moving onto Route 10 of Crazy Chris, VQ Rob, and Hunter P. That was short lived and heading into the center of Cheshire it was all together.
There was still plenty of get up and go left in the legs for the stop n shop sprint. And heading into it there were a bunch of guys up at the front and ready to go. Julio L, Little T, Rich on C dale, Craig L, Joe K and the Yalies etc… Mike McG was the first to jump, from quite a ways back and had a gap before Little T, Rich and Julio L responded. Little T had the best shot to come around Mike, and there was some traffic to make it interesting, but Mike held off the Alessio charge to the top with Rich being a close 3rd.
The ride into Hamden was faster then usual. The group, not having lost anyone really, enjoyed the tailwind all the way back. Hunter P and VQ Rob had a brief go at the front, but that was crushed by Little T and Mike McG. The speed stayed at 30mph or higher the whole way back, except for a couple of red lights. Heading into the final kilo, there was again a solid group of guys ready to dive it home. The Stage one guys ( Chris C, Dave H, rider on a colnago, Tall John ) gave the front a final shove before letting Little T go out early and burn out, Then it was Mike McG pulling off, leaving Hunter P and Crazy Chris duke it out with Hunter P getting the final kick to the end.
Dillon P was 5th!
No one went up the Shepard Ave hill.
All in all it was a good ride. The A group ended up riding back thru Hamden about 20-25 min later than the B group probably… Maybe even less.
And as there was some premature talk of doing the winter loop again next week, perhaps the New Haven crowd will keep the timing in mind, as there was still more than 35+ min left of daylight to ride home.
Tuesday the 16th
Everyone seemed to have something to prove tonight as the ride had plenty of punch.
Right off of Route 10, after enjoying the tail wind from the parking lot, the group of about 55-60 was speeding right along. Mike McG was upfront, Rick on a C-dale, and Time Trial Pete Johnson was setting early tempo. Mike McG stepped on it running though Brooksvale Ave. and Hunter P along with Eric M were there to follow it up. Going up Mountain Rd, Mike continued to drive the front along with VQ Rob, Julio L and Tall John. Pistol packing Peter Kenney was up there as well. The pace down the ret of Mountain Rd was good with little break from the soliid tempo. Chris C and Rondo were working well together along with a new (?) Stage One guy on a Colnago.
Onto Moss Farms where Rondo and Hunter P jumped up the road early on along with VQ Rob, but that was shut down pretty quickly as EriC M and Mike McG were also rolling along fast at the front of the main pack. Tall John rode off the front going into the chicane and had a small headstart on the hill up to Marion Ave. The pace kinda dropped here as no one really took the opportunity to attack. Maison from CCR was off the front, semi attacking up the hill. Adam from yale was up there taking the main field thru the corner when Hunter P came off the front and surged past Maison. Hunter P stayed off the front alone for a minute or two, almost making it to the industrial park, but was caught by a strung out pack led by Mike McG, tall John, VQ Rob, Joe K, Julio L and others.
Into the industrial park where the pace remained high, with no one making any separation off the front. Chris B was inching his way up to the front in a move that has hidden from no one. He was first thru the corner for west Johnson but there were plenty of guys to mark his pace and he stayed at the front of the field. VQ Rob was up there again setting pace as everyone barreled thru the intersection of Peck Lane. Rondo may have gotten a flat somewhere at this point (?) The strong guys were setting up for the sprint with Alessio up there, Eric M, Maison, Hunter P, etc. Chris B impressively attacked again before the corner, taking Hunter P along with him for the early snooker shot at the sprint. The 2 stayed together with Chris charging the way up to the hill. They had a slim lead of 40-50 yards. Chris did a good job gathering himself for a sprint and jumping away from Hunter just as the guys in the pack were winding up. Greg Ciocci gave it a good go, jumping early and getting the jump on the rest. Mike McG and Little T were the next to go and nose to nose, swept thru the guys up the road, Ciocci, Hunter and Chris. The 2went pretty much down to the wire with Little T pulling thru the corner at the last moment. Alessio kept up the pace on the backside, but so did most of the riders behind and it was back to fast heading into Peck Lane. Nothing too unusual for the run in to Route 10 and into Cheshire. Chris Mahoney, Thomas B, Tall John and Julio and others were up there setting tempo. There was new faces out tonight, good to see some new guys out enjoying the ride.
The run in to Stop n Shop was quick, with a slowing at the end as everyone watched Little T come up to second wheel and then pouncing. Hunter P gave chase, Maison had an impressive jump and was in position to pass for a bit. Mike McG jumped as well and despite a rear tire losing air, was the only one to take it the long way to the line with Little T. Again Alessio was able to edge it out, but just barely.
Nothing else to report for the ride back into Hamden. Stage 1 was doing a lot of the pace making. Dave H was up there along with Crazy Chris, Julio L and Tall John. Coming into the final kilometer, Little T saw the front of the field a little eary and decided to run with it. He got a gap and looked for a moment to be on the way to the hat trick, but close behind there was an usually large group, maybe 10 guys just ramping up the speed and ready to turn on the afterburners. Dillon P, Eric M, VQ Rob, Ciocci, yalie Adam, etc. In the end Little T was passed by Vq Rob and Julio L who shared the honors of bringing the ride to an end.
Up the hill, Chris B wasn’t tired yet, he jumped up and past Gregg F and Chris Mahoney.
Right off of Route 10, after enjoying the tail wind from the parking lot, the group of about 55-60 was speeding right along. Mike McG was upfront, Rick on a C-dale, and Time Trial Pete Johnson was setting early tempo. Mike McG stepped on it running though Brooksvale Ave. and Hunter P along with Eric M were there to follow it up. Going up Mountain Rd, Mike continued to drive the front along with VQ Rob, Julio L and Tall John. Pistol packing Peter Kenney was up there as well. The pace down the ret of Mountain Rd was good with little break from the soliid tempo. Chris C and Rondo were working well together along with a new (?) Stage One guy on a Colnago.
Onto Moss Farms where Rondo and Hunter P jumped up the road early on along with VQ Rob, but that was shut down pretty quickly as EriC M and Mike McG were also rolling along fast at the front of the main pack. Tall John rode off the front going into the chicane and had a small headstart on the hill up to Marion Ave. The pace kinda dropped here as no one really took the opportunity to attack. Maison from CCR was off the front, semi attacking up the hill. Adam from yale was up there taking the main field thru the corner when Hunter P came off the front and surged past Maison. Hunter P stayed off the front alone for a minute or two, almost making it to the industrial park, but was caught by a strung out pack led by Mike McG, tall John, VQ Rob, Joe K, Julio L and others.
Into the industrial park where the pace remained high, with no one making any separation off the front. Chris B was inching his way up to the front in a move that has hidden from no one. He was first thru the corner for west Johnson but there were plenty of guys to mark his pace and he stayed at the front of the field. VQ Rob was up there again setting pace as everyone barreled thru the intersection of Peck Lane. Rondo may have gotten a flat somewhere at this point (?) The strong guys were setting up for the sprint with Alessio up there, Eric M, Maison, Hunter P, etc. Chris B impressively attacked again before the corner, taking Hunter P along with him for the early snooker shot at the sprint. The 2 stayed together with Chris charging the way up to the hill. They had a slim lead of 40-50 yards. Chris did a good job gathering himself for a sprint and jumping away from Hunter just as the guys in the pack were winding up. Greg Ciocci gave it a good go, jumping early and getting the jump on the rest. Mike McG and Little T were the next to go and nose to nose, swept thru the guys up the road, Ciocci, Hunter and Chris. The 2went pretty much down to the wire with Little T pulling thru the corner at the last moment. Alessio kept up the pace on the backside, but so did most of the riders behind and it was back to fast heading into Peck Lane. Nothing too unusual for the run in to Route 10 and into Cheshire. Chris Mahoney, Thomas B, Tall John and Julio and others were up there setting tempo. There was new faces out tonight, good to see some new guys out enjoying the ride.
The run in to Stop n Shop was quick, with a slowing at the end as everyone watched Little T come up to second wheel and then pouncing. Hunter P gave chase, Maison had an impressive jump and was in position to pass for a bit. Mike McG jumped as well and despite a rear tire losing air, was the only one to take it the long way to the line with Little T. Again Alessio was able to edge it out, but just barely.
Nothing else to report for the ride back into Hamden. Stage 1 was doing a lot of the pace making. Dave H was up there along with Crazy Chris, Julio L and Tall John. Coming into the final kilometer, Little T saw the front of the field a little eary and decided to run with it. He got a gap and looked for a moment to be on the way to the hat trick, but close behind there was an usually large group, maybe 10 guys just ramping up the speed and ready to turn on the afterburners. Dillon P, Eric M, VQ Rob, Ciocci, yalie Adam, etc. In the end Little T was passed by Vq Rob and Julio L who shared the honors of bringing the ride to an end.
Up the hill, Chris B wasn’t tired yet, he jumped up and past Gregg F and Chris Mahoney.
Tuesday the 9th
Report coming?
It was a good ride. Lots of guys out despite the rainy weather. Right off the bat... Literally right from the the parking lot, Chris Butler from Cheshire Cycle, Eric M, Tri Guy with knee highs and another rider in a Medics kit (?) attacked and left the bunch.
Even tho this type of sucker punching may be deemed inappropriate, it should be noted the group was not seen till late on Peck lane.
Hopefully we will get some details posted about what it was like in the main bunch during the ride soon.
> from Chris C <
The ride was relaxed up until the first rise turning onto Mountain Road when Greg Cocci attacked and I went with him. From that point to the light the ride was fast paced. It eased up a bit down Moss Farms road and through the intersection. Once into the Industrial Park the pace picked up again and after we went through the stop sign and turned right onto West Johnson, Mike went to the front and pulled all the way past the Kawasaki dealership. Single file, with no one able to pass. Very impressive! The pace stayed high down the hill and up the Peck Lane hill where we caught the break. There was only a few guys left at this point due to Mikes pull. Me, Mike, Eric M., Pete P., Tri Scott, Chris B., Rondo, Eddy A. and maybe one or two others. We kept pushing the pace all the way down RT-10. It is not far from an exaggeration to say we never went much below 30mph for the last 2 miles of the ride. I could barely hold on. Ron kept "f-ing" with me in the rotation which didn't help much. Great ride last night. One of the hardest in a long time. Definitely sore today.... (Chris C )
Feel free to post whatever details ( strong pulls, sloppy pace-lining, team taunting, flirting etc... ) you remember from the ride in the comments section.
It was a good ride. Lots of guys out despite the rainy weather. Right off the bat... Literally right from the the parking lot, Chris Butler from Cheshire Cycle, Eric M, Tri Guy with knee highs and another rider in a Medics kit (?) attacked and left the bunch.
Even tho this type of sucker punching may be deemed inappropriate, it should be noted the group was not seen till late on Peck lane.
Hopefully we will get some details posted about what it was like in the main bunch during the ride soon.
> from Chris C <
The ride was relaxed up until the first rise turning onto Mountain Road when Greg Cocci attacked and I went with him. From that point to the light the ride was fast paced. It eased up a bit down Moss Farms road and through the intersection. Once into the Industrial Park the pace picked up again and after we went through the stop sign and turned right onto West Johnson, Mike went to the front and pulled all the way past the Kawasaki dealership. Single file, with no one able to pass. Very impressive! The pace stayed high down the hill and up the Peck Lane hill where we caught the break. There was only a few guys left at this point due to Mikes pull. Me, Mike, Eric M., Pete P., Tri Scott, Chris B., Rondo, Eddy A. and maybe one or two others. We kept pushing the pace all the way down RT-10. It is not far from an exaggeration to say we never went much below 30mph for the last 2 miles of the ride. I could barely hold on. Ron kept "f-ing" with me in the rotation which didn't help much. Great ride last night. One of the hardest in a long time. Definitely sore today.... (Chris C )
Feel free to post whatever details ( strong pulls, sloppy pace-lining, team taunting, flirting etc... ) you remember from the ride in the comments section.
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