Tuesday the 8th

The ride finally starts to heat up just in time for the long loop to end
    The parking lot started out on the empty side but by 6:01 there was a decent sized group out for the ride. It started rather ignominiously, with the usual players out front setting a good pace for the early part. There was no real action besides the occasional Cheshire Cycle rider rolling off the front with a small group, and another playing “defense” behind. Everyone hit the light for route 68\70 together. From there, onto Moss Farms, Hacker, Nuemotion, Alan B, and a couple of others tried briefly to get off the front but it all stayed together.

    After the riser up to Marion, Big Red and Chris C jumped off the front and started with a pretty good gap. Mike McG slammed that shut a little while after as the ride went by the corner for the industrial park (see you next week). Mike McG’s hard pull brought all back together again until the 322 crossing.
    On the other side, Dave H and Big Red started rolling off the front and those two were soon joined by French Casey. Those 3 quickly built up a gap on Mount Vernon as the pack behind slowly started to come alive as it dodged and weaved in the crap road section. By the time the long false flat came up, the leading trio was holding it’s gap solidly. Behind, Henk, Nuemotion, Hacker, Chris C, Mike McG, Tall John, Special Ed, and a couple of others would chip in and keep the pace high, but not enough to seriously dent the gap.
    The leading trio hit the corner for Welch with a solid 20 seconds and it soon was evident that no one was going to be catching them before the sprint point. Still, Alan B ripped off the front right before the corner for West St, taking Ben Bruce, Chris C, Mike McG, Hacker, and a couple of others with him. It was enough to split the chase into 2 groups heading into the sprint point. Up ahead, Dave H and Big Red had left French Casey and were content to roll thru the sprint without contesting it. They kept up the gap on the backside, as the 2 chase groups recombined eventually. The leaders would have rolled on even further, but a red light corralled them and made it gruppo compacto.
     The trip back into Cheshire was standard stuff, Dave H was back at it up front, pushing on a couple of times and driving the speed up. Turning onto route 10, Alan B jumped off the front and lit it up going up the small hill there. Chris C and Kyle C responded, along with Big Red, and soon it was a group of 3 chasing down and eventually catching Alan in time to regroup for the Stop N Sprint. Behind, Hacker and Nuemotion tried briefly to start a rally, but the gap was too much.
     For further proof that everyone is getting soft, the breakaway once again rolled thru the sprint point without anyone contesting it. Everyone was soon after corralled again by another red light. From there, until the last kilometers, the pace stayed pretty high. Mike McG did a good job of sheparding everyone into some great pacing as the meters clicked down. For the finale, French Casey, dragged the field up to a select group of 5 or 6, led by Chris C and Mike McG. French Casey kept on the gas, giving a good leadout to Hunter P and the Full Nalini. All 3 went for the final prize on the night and it was Hunter P rolling thru first.

Great ride everyone! A few of you have been asking about Noah. He is out of his sling, should be fine without surgery, and is healing up pretty good. He just wants to get back out on his bike!


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Tuesday the 1st

Daylight wanes but the ride is strong as ever.

Another big turnout for the ride tonight. Yale is back in session so the SG ride had a couple of new faces out tonight. As always, it was motley crew that didn’t spare the get up and go while out there riding. Foremost among the new guys was the rider in the Spy Optics kit/POC helmet. On numerous occasions he lit it up and muscled his way off the front. Most notably was going towards the riser on Mount Vernon Rd. Then again he took off with Dave Hoyle at the turnaround. Few were able to respond reliably. Big Red was most often there, taking advantage and then chipping in to keep the gaps up. All of the efforts were short lived, as he was no doubt riding blind without directions. Good on him all the same. The TWC needs more of that!
     Among the regulars, the aforementioned Big Red was active up front tonight. Nuemotion and The Sernyak rounding it out for the New Haveners. Noticeably absent from the action was Hacker. While he was present up front plenty… No real digs from the professor tonight. Chris C was his usual self. Mike McG as well. Mike was among those pushing the pace early on.
    The Cheshire squad was well represented this evening, with Alan B attacking early along with Hunter P. Alan would go on to have a couple of big pushes off the front…. He attacked early on Mount Vernon, helped chased down Spy Optics and CCAP at the turnaround, and then drilled it off the front heading past Cheshire Park. More good riding from Hunter P thru out the evening. He pushed the pace after the riser to Marion, and chased down Spy Optics and Big Red when they jumped off the front on Atwater St. Joe K and Gibertoni we up there as well, with joe K chasing down and helping bring back a couple of the strong pushes from CCAP and the new faces. Gibertoni was active early on Mountain Rd, riding off the front and holding a gap for 700 meters or so. He also nearly snuck off the front as he Gibraltar’d down West Street, building up a solid gap. Chris C would led the rest back and all the pack would eventually catch up with Henk P, who had wisely snuck off front soon after the sprint point. Henk got a green light, and did not look back, taking the longest break of the night award.
    The sprint points were solid contests tonight as well. After Dave Hoyle was passed shortly after the corner for West St, Joe K got up front and put his head down. Ben Bruce was behind with Hunter P sitting third wheel. Hunter let a gap open up and it was all Joe K and Ben needed. Despite pulling nearly all the way, Joe opened up a wicked sprint and went down to the line with Ben Bruce. Joe gets on bravery points. Ben Bruce would have his way with the Stop n Sprint point as he was in a great position to open it up after a fast run in. The other sprinters behind either got caught up, or waited a second too long to jump. Ben took the prize ahead of Spy Optics comfortably.
     Hank P again tried to get a gap heading back thru Cheshire and had a solid run off the front. But once the pack got organized and out on the open roads, it was all back together soon after. For the finale, a big group of 5 or 6 (Mike McG, The Full Nalini, John Pescatore, Nuemotion, and a couple of other dudes) were there and ready to go. The Gibertoni gets last laugh though as he pinned the throttle long enough to get to the corner first.
    Great ride everyone!

Tuesday the 25th

We're all wishing the best for Steve Suto and young Noah Levine.
They went down in a crash tonight (along with Peter Frenzilli) and both could not ride on... They had to be picked up. Pete was scraped up but could ride home.

Tuesday the 18th

It’s good to be back….

The ride was back to more normal this week as the weather was good and a few regulars were back from vacation. A strong tailwind got everyone moving pretty quickly early on. Tho one was in a rush to attack or try to create separation in the field. Chris C, Mike McG, Ciocci, The Full Nalini (Great to see him back), Special Ed, Joe K, Ben Banana-Peel Bruce, Gibertoni and a couple of others were primarily responsible for keeping the pace high thru the early miles. Everyone stayed together all the way to the light on route 68\70.

     Hank P, Nuemotion, hunter P and one or 2 more got the pace going on Moss Farms but again, nothing more than solid pace up front. It was enough to thin the pack by several riders. Gibertoni, Chris C and Ben Bruce had everyone single file going into the Chicane but the urgency withered a bit on the rise up to and after the corner for Marion. More solid efforts from the guys you would expect, keeping the speed high toward the light on 322.
      Once everyone got onto Mount Vernon, the race to the “ball-crusher” section sort of got going. Hank P, Tall John, Chris C, Joe K, Tall Dennis and more, all seemed to want to be in position to pick the smoothest line thru the road. It made for quick run thru the sector and there was no incidents. Everyone stayed together for the most part for the next several hundred meters.
      Just before the corner for Welch, Hunter P jumped and attacked, creating a gap on his own. The rest of the pack was content to let that go and ride the more typical run in to the sprint point. Hunter P rolled up a 100 meter gap towards the middle of Welch and hit the corner with good gap. Behind, Henk P jumped out and off the front with Ben Bruce on his wheel. Several others, the usual suspects, were quick to follow. Henk drove the pace and covered most of the gap, with BB coming up and getting to Hunter P halfway to the sprint point. Ben paused for a moment and kept on the gas and was allowed to roll into the headwind. Behind Ciocci was coming up, along with a couple of others, but it was too little, too late, as Ben Bruce took easily. On the backside, it all came back together again despite the pack getting more than the usual amount of green lights on the way back into Cheshire.
      No real action off the front once over 322. Gibertoni rolled off the front towards the top of the riser on Peck Lane, taking Chris C, The Sernyak, Tall John, Nuemotion and 2 or 3 others with him. There was enough of a quick response to that so the gap was not too much to cover as the road went down over the old railroad tracks. From there it was all together heading up to and onto route 10.
      Coming up to the Stop n Sprint, a red light slowed the pack down but gave a couple of guys the chance to blow the red light up front. Names shall not be named in the matter. It was all for naught though as Henk P, Chris C and Hunter P jumped off the green light quickly and were the rabbits for everyone else. The run into the sprint was quick, with Chris C leaving it off for the sprinters at the base of the hill. Little T, Nuemotion and Mike McG jumped for it, with Little T taking it.
      On the way back into Hamden, more than a couple of back-o-the-pack dwellers came up and chipped in on the pace making, also making it a little dicier a finale than usual. Once all the chaff was separated, a small group of 4 or 5 (Little T, Gibertoni, The Full Nalini, Dan Smith and one other) rolled off. Giberonti lead the others out and was blowing gauges to stay in front. It was a very close call, with Little T pulling ahead just a few meters too late, past the imaginary, ever moving finish line.