Tuesday the 14th

Favorable Meteorological Conditions!

    The ride finally was given some acceptable weather. Even still, there was only about 25-30 riders out for it. It was GREAT to see Julio L’s son out for the ride, as well as regular Kyle Crowell. The ride started out nice and controlled in honor of the young ones, even as the group made its way onto the backroads. Hunter P was the first to roll off the front and he was allowed to go up the road. A couple of corners later, Gibertoni and The Full Nalini from the pack were starting to drive the pace. It would all come back together with plenty of time to spare for the corner onto Mountain Rd.
    The pace stayed steady for a while, with the usual crew leading the ride. Great to see the Sernyak up there and riding strong. No real action off the front all the way onto Moss Farms. Gibertoni stayed near the front. Tall John and Chris C as well. French Casey would appear up the front a couple of times but there was no real attacks. Heading into the corner for the chicane, Julian Azerat, visiting from the Beantown area, was pushing the pace along with the Full Nalini and Michael Grome-a-nom-nom. Everyone was alert to make sure the new guy didn’t blow thru a corner, which is always nice to see.
    No real attacks up the hill onto Marion, a couple of strong surges but nothing that was meant (hopefully) to create separation. Once into the industrial park, Gibertoni and Chris C picked up the slack but again, the pace was just high enough to discourage attacking. More of the same onto W Johnson ave. Going thru the intersection of Peck Lane, Casey did his best impression of Jim Carrey on a bike, flying in front traffic to make sure they got the stop signal. The car probably would lose in that match up anyway.
   Heading on Reinhard, Chris C took the front along with Azerat and Hunter P. Hunter started the sprint effort, with Gibertoni, The Sernyak and Ben Bruce on his wheel. The leadout was all Gibertoni needed to come around and the sprint with much fuss from the others. On the backside, the riders behind were quick to fill in the gaps and the lead group of 4 didn’t press the issue, so it was all back together pretty quickly.
   The pace calmed down quite a bit on Peck Ln. giving Hunter P a chance to attack with 500 meters to the corner for route 10. Azerat rolled across the gap in time for the turn and those 2 throttled it up the hill by Cheshire Park. Soon after it was all back together as Grom-a-nomnom along with others were working hard to get across the gap. For the run into the Stop N Sprint, it was mostly Cheshire Cycle Black and blue, with Chris C in there for good measure. Ben Bruce lead things out AND was looking to power away with it. Behind Gibertoni, Chris C and Hunter P all hit the jets at the same time, with Hunter P threading the needle to get up and past Ben Bruce with a few bike lengths to spare. Best sprint of the year so far!
    The race to the top was enough to spring a good gap for the 4 riders. They stayed on the gas, making it through all but one light in Cheshire, which was only a minor delay. Behind the pack would get stopped at one light. For the 4 up front, that was all that was needed and Chris C, Ben Bruce, Gibertoni, and Hunter P worked hard to keep the speed high all the way to the finish. For the finale, some sat up, leaving Gibertoni to collect his second price of the night.

Good ride everyone!
(psst, it’s ok to attack)

Tuesday the 31st

Christian Duncan takes the Hardman award of the week.
Everyone else wussed out on the ride with the cold rain in the air.

Tuesday the 24th

The SG Ride.... It won't be cancelled for "weather"

    Small(ish) crowds out for the ride tonight. The cold may have kept folks away. 19 or 20 riders rolled out of the parking lot. A couple of guys charged right down route 10 but after turning off route 10, it was all together. Dillon P took off first, with Chris C and Rob Dux soon to join. Everyone else was quick to respond and the pace got going. The ride stayed together for a hot minute or 2, then Chris C jumped off the front. Hunter P went along as well and those 2 maglev railed the 750 meters or so. Mike McG jumped across the gap later on but a slow corner on North Brooksvale brought everyone back together for the most part. Gibertoni hit the front and kept the pressure on, as well as Chris C. Behind the damage was being done as riders were not too quick to cover gaps. One more fast surge up front from Gibertoni as the ride came up on Mountain rd, was enough to split the group for good.
    Once on Mountain rd, Joe K rolled off the front as the next 7 or 8 guys trickled thru the corner. Hunter P jumped up to bridge the gap to the flying Joe K and those 2 had a gap that they would hold all the way to the light on route 68/70. A chase group of 7 or so formed quickly behind them and Chris C, The Full Nalini, Rusty and Mike McG rolled hard enough to bring the gap down to 50 meters or so by the light.
    Once the group was all back together, the pace calmed down. Behind, what was left of the peleton made it thru the light and has a visual on the lead group, but was not going to make any progress on catching it.
     On the way to the industrial park, the lead group picked up Jordan L. Gibertoni took a flyer along with Burgiebaby, but it ended up being Chris C who led all up the riser to Marion. From there the pace stayed high and there was nary a law enforcement agent in sight. Once onto West Johnson, Jordan L took a bit of a flyer, but Chris C and Joe K kept the group in check. Chris C would actually do most of the work up to Reinhard. Joe K was there, The Full Nalini as well. Gibertoni would jump first and right on his tail was Mike McG. Mike pulled up as his leg was giving him problems. Hunter P covered the gap and chased down Gibertoni in time for the corner. Everyone came back together on the backside.
     On Peck Ln, riders from the peleton group who shortcut-ted were being caught by the lead group here and there. No one seemed to mind though as the same strong guys who pushed the break did most of the work up front for the return trip. For the run in to Stop n Shop, Rob Dux slipped off the front a couple of lights before the sprint hill. He gave it everything but without a sprint kick, the group behind slowly brought him back. Chris C was the only one to jump out and he caught Rob with a few bike lengths to spare.
    Heading thru the lights of Cheshire, Burgiebaby slipped away off the front and caught one or 2 more lights. He would be wrangled back by a recharged group halfway back into Hamden. For the finale, Mike McG put in a solid leadout, leaving Gibertoni and the Full Nalini to duke it out. Full Nalini gets this one by slipping around just at the end.
     It will be warmer next week... Guaranteed!!!

Tuesday the 17th

It's St Patty's Day... Cyclists clear the way for the drunk drivers!

     There was about 15 riders and a huge beeyotch of a headwind leaving the parking lot today. A couple of nearly got pushed over at the corner of route 10. It was slow head north as guys were being pushed hither and thither. Once off route 10, J Weaver Chris C and Hunter P rolled off the front. Hunter P led a group of 6 or 7 quickly off the front as gaps inevitably formed and could not be closed. Burgie nearly took out Chris C but that may have been part of the Cheshire Cycle plan... Gibertoni then took over up front along and pushed the pace up to Mountain Rd. Hunter P and Gibertoni nursed a small gap heading onto Mountain rd, but Chris C and Mike McG were riding hard to cover it. Once it was all back together, the group, also containing The Full Nalini, J Weaver, and Jordan L all worked together. The light was green at Route 68/70, erasing any chance that the stragglers would be able to get back on.
     Onto Moss Farms, where Gibertoni jumped off the front halfway down and carried that gap thru the chicane and barely onto the climb up to Marion. From there the group again went back to working together as it rolled toward the industrial park. A Cheshire PD SUV drove up to the group with lights going, telling everyone to pull over. Everyone slowed to stop once thru the corner to the industrial park. "I don't mean to harass you, but we received multiple 911 calls. People are reporting you are riding on the wrong side of the road." As is the case with such encounters, more than a few words said by the "offending" cyclists is often wasted energy. The officer dismissed us with his opinion that it was "not the right (windy) conditions to be riding". He did make sure to say that if more calls were received, "action would need to be taken". If you were on the fence about riding with a full time video camera going, now is the time to make that purchase.
    The officer (or one of his very busy partners) would go on to pull over the B-group and give the same recommendations about not using deep aero rims during 35 mph gusting winds.
    Meanwhile up front, the lead group of 7 slowed got back up to speed in single file manner. Chris C pulled hard up the hills to Reinhard, and then Mike McG chipped in as well. It gave Gibertoni a great launch pad to jump for the sprint corner. J Weaver jumped as well, but Gibertoni got the early jump needed, and the tailwind bonus, and stayed out front. On the backside, He kept on the throttle along with Hunter P and the 2 rolled off the front as the group behind delayed chasing in earnest until everyone was back together. Aided by the tailwind, Hunter P and Gibertoni stayed away the rest of the ride back into Hamden. Jeff Weaver would put in a solid effort to try to get across. Then Mike McG and Chris C wound it up in the tailwind and got back a bunch of the gap but they came up about 15 seconds short of the 2 up front.
    Good ride everyone! "Eventful" it was. It will be interesting to see how the larger groups are treated out on the roads.

Tuesday the 10th

A Slow and Weak Start to 2015...

The rainy weather and the early start kept most away from week one. Only Dillon P, Gregg F, Hunter P and Rob Dux showed up and rolled out at 5:30. Some good efforts were enjoyed by all and the group got a sneak peak preview ride of the new rough spots out there. Pavement and winter just do not mix!

Next week will be a different story fo sho!

Tuesday the 7th

Same Ride, less bikes

     The field had dwindled for the final installment of the Tuesday night ride. There were only about 20 riders out to do this crazy ride one more time for the year. On cue, Jordan L and Rory D jumped up once turning off route 10. This time Joe K and Chris C went along for the ride. A couple of seconds later, Ben Bruce jumped as well, along with Dillon P, Rusty, and a couple of others. When Hacker, Special Ed and Hutner P made their way up to speed, it brought everything back together again, front group included.
       The speed stayed high down Mountain Rd with plenty of guys to move the front along. The peleton got the light on route 68/70, leading to some guys feeling the hurt later on Moss Farms. Hacker tried to get off the front but a couple of guys covered that gap and the rest filled in the rest. As the ride sped through the industrial park, a gap opened up to a small group led by Chris C and Joe K. Also up there was the Mike Frisk, Dillon P and Rob Dux. Joe K had it pegged to the corner of West Johnson, leaving the rest to hustle across the gaps. The break was all done on the opening hills of W Johnson, leading to a slow down as everyone was re-charging for the turnaround sprint.
       For the push toward Reinhard, Hacker took advantage of the slower pace by jumping hard a couple hundred meters before the corner. Ben Bruce, The Full Nalini, and a couple of others gave chase at first but started to fade off the Professor’s pace as the initial climbing of Reinhard dug in. Hacker pressed on all the same. Behind, the rest of the dwindling field was there, giving Little T a good jump off the front. Ben Bruce and Hunter P followed. The headwind there seemed to be especially stiff, standing up the guys chasing hacker and Little T as he rolled up from behind. Ben Bruce kept on the throttle and then it was just Hunter P out of the saddle. Hunter P came around Hacker at the very last moment before the corner but for all intense purposes, Hacker had made it their alone.
       On the backside no one pushed the pace, leaving a chance for everyone (that was left) to come back together. Between a couple of dropped riders and others peeling off, the ride was sputtering out in true end of the year fashion. Rob Dux and Mike Frisk put in a solid push up Peck Lane and onto Route 10. Hacker got involved which upped the pace for a solid kilo or 2. By the time the ride got to the stop n shop run-in, it was down to about 13 guys. Traffic and red lights disrupted the sprint but Hacker and Little T went toe to toe all the same. Hacker looked to get a good jump on it but was snookered again at the very end. Little T rolled up to the red light first but it wasn’t a true gallop.
        For the trip back into Hamden, Dillon P snuck off the front before the lights and 5:30 traffic and got enough green lights to make it back alone. The pack was forced to slow for a couple of red lights but more so to go single file to get by stacked up cars. As the core group of riders rolled into Hamden, Little T took off with the Full Nalini. Those 2 rolled off and despite Nalini’s best efforts, T stayed away. 

That’s it folks!

It was another great year for the SG ride, thank you everyone who made it the most challenging group ride in CT!

Be sure to clear your calendar for CHESHIRE CROSS on Nov 15th. If you think bumping elbows with Chris C on Tuesdays is fun, just wait till you get him away from the public, in the woods, with a couple of beers! Here are some photos from last year... Special "Hill People" status is awarded to any SG Ride regulars who come out to put on a show for the racers. See you there!

Tuesday the 30th

 21 guys for the weekly cyclocross training ride, aka the SG Ride

Despite the road construction re-route right at the start, everyone was in a great mood for the 2^nd to last ride of the year... As soon as the ride turned off the bike path, it was game on, with Jordan L jumping out first, followed by Rory D and Hunter P. Pretty soon they were joined by BurgieBaby, who took a risk or 2 getting thru the corners in order to get up the leading trio. Rory D dropped back as the lead group tore through the soon-to-be-the-crappy road section. The remaining 3 kept on it as behind, the field had a couple of slow corners thanks to those pesky cars.
                The leading trio of BurgieBaby, Jordan L and Hunter P kept on the pressure, kept extending the lead all the way to the light on 68/70. The lead group made good time down Mountain RD and was given the bonus green light. The pack was just getting up to speed, thanks to solid pulls on Mountain Rd from Mike McG and Rob Dux. 2 steps backwards though when the peleton got up to the light as it was turning red. The pack hustled soon thru all the same and onto Moss Farms, not content to just sit back and watch the ride go away. Hacker jumped out from the front and was had visual contact with the lead group just as they turned onto Marion, but he had to return to the pack and rfill the afterburners.
                The leaders stayed off the front all the way to the turnaround sprint, where Hunter P took it with no challenge. As the trio bombed down the backside, Hacker was going off the front 2.0, taking a flyer up the hill along with Ben Bruce. Those 2 kept the pressure up on the descent. Up front, Jordan L turned homeward at the Peck Ln intersection, but that was just in time for Hacker to make the connection to Hunter P and BurgieBaby. It stayed the 3 up front and off the pack all the way back onto Route 10 and up to the stop n sprint. The pack stayed close and was in striking distance as the leaders came up to the Stop n Sprint. Little T patiently bided time till the last moment, jumping hard from the now-closing-fast-chase. He was able to cruise-missile past all 3 to take the sprint there.
                As the remaining riders in the front were fracturing under the pressure of the sprint hill. Hacker kept up the pressure going thru Cheshire and that led to a small group getting off the front as the ride barreled toward the high school. A turning light there let some riders slip thru the red light, while others straight blowed it. When all was said and done, a group of 5 was successfully off the front, charging into Hamden. Hacker, Little T, Hunter P, The Full Nalini and Dillon P worked the gap and stayed off the front the entire way back. For the finale, The full Nalini gave Little T a run for it, but it was to no avail.