Tuesday the 23rd

Big day for the ride. Big crowd. Big efforts. Big Wimps.

     The ride was fast from the gun, which was good. It spread everyone out and cut down the front group to 30 or so, down from the nearly 60 that started. The winner of the midpoint sprint was looking to come from a group of 4 attackers, Special Ed, The Crowells and Steve Grey. Behind the field caught up a bit and then Hunter P rolled off the front with no one but Sean Cahill in tow. Sean charged and thru the front to get past Steve Grey.

    The ride was as you would expect heading back into Hamden. A couple of attacks here and there but nothing of consequence. The Stop n Sprint was all Little T*. He was back at it for the Sit n Sprint but he had company in the form of The Full Nalini, Gibertoni, Jimmy C, and 2 or 3 cars that got in the way. They pretty much negated the sprint.

*shortcut the ride due to a flat.

Tuesday the 9th

Thank My Blessed Bearings... Made It Through Another Week!

Interesting ride tonight to say the least. There was a very big group out. Close to 70 riders. It started out normal enough. And a bit faster than normal. As Yalies, Hacker, Sernyak and Big Red were up front and driving the pace early on. Also up there was Alan B and Expo Ryan. Heading up South Brooksvale, doing into the uphill right turn bend, Dan Smith went down suddenly and took a couple riders with him. Kyle C was unharmed but Cheshire rider Andy Lawson was hurt (C-bone) and could not continue.
     There was a small group up the road that heard the commotion and slowed but up the road further was Alan B. He was in the middle of a hard solo attack and didn't know of the crash. Rules of the road says that he gets to continue with hisself for the duration of the ride so apparently all the spoils go to him tonight.
     A few long minutes past until everyone got going again and then on Mountain Rd there was an aggressive driver trying to pass everyone but just then there was also an on-coming car. The passing driver had a chance to dive to the left into a cul de sac but was going too fast, lost control mid-corner, and rammed the curb. Quite a scene. Someone's yard is messed up and there is a compact SUV out there with it's steering rack and front suspension bashed to bits. Thanks to the driver for choosing to go left instead of right. Next time travel the speed limit and you'll be all set behind the peleton.
    For the sprint points, Mike McG took the turnaround. It was a very close one between Little T and Brian Girard at the Stop n Sprint, and Big Red rolled away for the final sit n sprint. But again, technically, there was a break up the road.

Ride safe everyone...

Tuesday the 2nd

Extra Riders = Extra Crashes

Twas shaping up to be a great night. The absence of the Training Series up in East Hartford meant that some additional (make that, several) riders came on down to rumble. The average speed was reflective of that for sure.
    Right from the get-go, Ben Bruce and The Sernyak took off and were allowed to get up the road. Then Hunter P, Big Red, and Noah Levine bridged up, making for a solid group. As the breakaway was turning onto North Brooksvale, The Sernyak pulled out of his pedal and went down, pushing Noah off the road in the process. That brought that move to an abru[t end amd the whole ride slowed down for a bit to make sure all were ok, but The Sernyak called it a night.
    Keith Mullalalaly was next to go, taking off hard going downhill toward Mountain rd. He carried a smsall gap up the first hill there but would be tracked down slowly by Big Red, the Crowells, and a couple more strong riders up front. From there Mountain Rd, was fast but there no surprises. Toward the end, Hunter P took, taking Stephen G and Big Red but the light was red at route 68\70.
    On Moss Farms there was no real attacks. A couple of close calls. One from The Peacock but it was all together into the chicane, and past the industrial park. On the risers there, Hunter P took off with The Peacock, Young Crowell, Optimistic Max and a couple of others. That resulted in a gap but the light at 322 was red.
    Noah Levine was back at it off the front as the ride got onto Mount Vernon and he was joined by Nuemotion, Ben Bruce and Corbo. That led to the longest breakaway of the night but it was back together as everyone hit the false flat. Joe K was the next one to go and when he goes, usually no one is beast enough to go with him. He stayed off the front for a little while, despite a strong effort from Keith Mulalalaly to get up there. Soon after, it was all together again and there were no other attacks until the corner for Welch Rd. Gibertoni and a couple of others looked to start something but everyone was eager to start the run for the corner in quick fashion.
    There were a bunch of guys ready to jump into the corner but the best attack came from The Peacock, who rolled off a gap early on West St and was able to hold on for the points. Nuemotion sprinted hard to close it down but it was a little too late.
     The ride was standard stuff after that. The evening came to an abrupt end at the Stop n Sprint point, where Nuemotion came out of his pedal as he started the sprint. He went down like a sack of summer squash. Ben “Broken” Bruce, who was also sprinting for it, rolled over on top of him and when down like a man-sized tinker toy sculpture. Everyone seemed ok, save for the bloodied elbows and road rash.
     Group rolled off toward Hamden after a pause and that was that.  

Tuesday the 26th

The SG Ride Redeems Itself (sorta)

The usual crowd was out tonight. The ride started off s l o w. Noah rode off the front and built up a good gap that no one was in a rush to bring back. Chris C and Kyle took off after a while and formed a group that hit Mountain Rd with a bit of a gap but it was soon brought back after that. From there the pace stayed higher. Great to see Dana R and Eddie C back in the ride after recovering from falls. Oh and Steve Gray was riding, no doubt being rained out from his usual Monday tea party.
    On Moss Farms MFrisk and Alan B took off but never really got much of a gap. Then Joe K took a turn up front. The pace slowed heading towards Marion and it was all together again. It stayed together all the way thru Mount Vernon and the pace went down again. Noah took advantage again and rolled off the front before the false flat but that was brought back.
     Chris C then took off, then Alan B. Ciocci, Gray, and a couple of others were up there as well. Then Rob Dux rolled off the front in an unassuming manner but went to work in a major way. Gibertoni and Alan B got caught in the middle and though it best to wait for Welch with the group. Still Rob Dux carried on, building a gap that got up to about 150 meters at one point. Brian Girard took off mid-way thru Welch and was up and thru the lead before the corner. Behind the usuals were cuing up for the uphill sprint. A group of 7 or 8 brought back Girard and from there, Little T jumped out and grabbed the sprint.
     As the ride got back into Cheshire, a small group (Ben Bruce, Chris C, Henk and 2 others) rolled off the front by charging onto Peck Ln. The chase behind was slow at first and by the time it got going, the damage had been done. The group took a gap onto and thru Sandbank Rd.
     Apparently the "Stop at Route 10 Rule" has been abolished (good riddance) as Chris C took his group thru it at speed in order to hold the gap they build up. Ironic timing then as the 2nd rider behind the breakaway nearly slid out into traffic as he was trying to hold speed/close the gap. Be careful flying thru that intersection everyone!      The group got a couple of seconds due to the near fall, and then a couple more from a red light slowdown. That was enough to create the gap it would need to go thru the Stop n Sprint, although the group rolled thru without sprinting for it. Nuemotion and a couple more bridged the gap in the center of Cheshire. Then a little later on, as the chase was getting going, it was halted by one last red light. That sealed the deal for the break and it rolled off for the night.

Good ride everyone!

Tuesday the 12th

The SG Ride... Nearly As Much Fun As Pokemon Go

Another winner of a ride tonight! Great to see the legendary Chris B out as well. We miss that dude! A big box of Cracker Jacks to Big Red, who was either constantly attacking or sitting on the front driving the pace all ride long. He also nabbed the final Sit n Sprint. Early action was mostly Cheshire and Stage 1. Alan B nearly slipped away on Mountain Road. Then lit it up on Marion after the chicane. Too fast for everyone else though and his solo effort flamed out fast. He also was up front and active thru-out the night.

The ride got the green light on route 322 but for some reason it was decided we would slow down and let the suckers who were getting dropped, catch back on after they were caught by the light. Apparently the SG Ride is now “No-Drop”. Big Red and Dillon P powered off the front once riding resumed but construction vehicles and stacked traffic right at the false flat slowed them and the whole peleton down. After that Alan B attacked again, Big Red and Expo Ryan as well. Nuemotion led a group off the front along the way but it was all back together for the turn on Welch.

Rob Dux crushed it on Welch, taking along Alan B and Hunter P. That effort ended a little too late though, giving Chris C and Dave Hartman a chance to attack on the hill. The headwind stood everyone up though, giving everyone a chance to catch back on. The front 4 stayed on the gas, leading to a sprint between Ben Bruce, Nuemotion and Alan B. Ben took it. He would go on to take the Stop n Sprint point as well.

Big bummer though was the emergency vehicles that stopped the ride on West St. A firetruck and a couple of ambulances, sad to say, heading to 3 riders who were T-Boned as they short cut thru Jude Lane. Kenley Gonzalez and "Builder Pete" Franzilli took the brunt of a oncoming car turning left into their path. Both had to head to hospital. Kenley with some neck pain and Pete with a bashed nose and lip. Funeral donations for their bikes can be made via their local bike shops. Christian D was the third, escaping the game of pavement wrestling for the most part, but staying on scene to make sure they made it out there safe. We hope the wounds are not serious guys!

Back at the pack, the ride was standard stuff. No surprises except for the usual dicky-ness around cars stopped for lights. The peleton had a Moron Test imposed on it as it cruised thru the fastest descent of the ride on West St.... The closer you tried to look like Froome coming down the Col de Peyresourde the higher you scored on the Moron Test. Congrats to our winners.

Tuesday the 28th

Tide Comes In, Tide Goes Out….              

    It was a lighter week in the grand picture. Maybe the cloudy skies, maybe the vacations thinning the ranks a bit, maybe everyone was on an easy week... There were efforts here there for sure but overall, it was a step or 2 off from recent weeks. Right off the bat, the Crowells got it going relatively fast with Alan B and Big Red also getting into the fray. That lasted a few hundred meters. Once it was all back together again, the pace remained respectable. Big Reg attacked a fewe times, new guy Expo Ryan also was keeping it real up at the front. Tall John and Chris Petron were riding up front for Stage One. Overall, the slightly lower pace let a good number of guys get involved up front.
     Kyle C detoured off at route 68, no doubt to save the legs for Junior National Championships in Kentucky later this week. Give em Hell Kyle!!! If you bring back a Stars N Stripes jersey, Nuemotion, The Sernyak and Hacker have agreed to foot the bill to for Yale tuition.
     On Moss Farms, it was steady pace. Same for of the chicane and onto Marion. Big Red would get in a couple of good digs off the front but never had company with him. The field got the light on 322, which led to a steady pace on Mount Vernon. Stage One stayed active at the front, along with Jimmy C, Expo Ryan, Ciocci, and a couple of others, but the hard attacks were few and far between.
     Up the false flat, Alan B led a strong attack, taking along Expo Ryan. The peleton chased the hardest to bring that move back but did so after a couple hundred meters. Heading into the turnaround, Dillon P drove it hard to the base of the hill with Alan B and Big Red in tow. Those 2 took off and despite a solid charge from behind from Chris C, Mike McG, and Little T, they were able to stay away to get to the sprint first. Alan B gets this one over Big Red, who continued to to charge hard on the backside but was soon corralled near the highway.
     The ride continued as normal from there, all the way back into Cheshire. The Stop n Sprint point was all Little T, who snuck in the back door as Alan B was wrapping up a solid pull at the front. T took off and was for the most part uncontested to the top of the hill.
     Not too many surprises heading back into Hamden. A trio of police cars brought the ride to a halt, and a couple of red lights slowed it up some more. For the finale, it was Little T again, taking it over The Full Nalini, Ciocci, and a couple of others.