Tuesday the 4th

What's that quiet sound?

Great ride tonight everyone! 

Steve B gets the big balls award. He got the light on 322 and stuck it out off the front for the whole way of Mount Vernon. The pack behind had to wait at the light forever. Steve managed to stay out front long enough to get the sprint point after Welch. A-A-Ron and Hunter got the rest of the point. 

Keiran almost nabbbed victory at the second sprint, but A-A-Ron tracked him down. 

A-A-Ron managed to get the final sprint as well. 

We hope Chris C gets better quickly!

Tuesday the 27th

Another week of At the start of the ride tonight, guys had a few ants in the pants. The Body Over Bike guys especially. They were quick to dart out of the parking lot but, at the same time, respectful of route 10 etiquette.

Once the ride turned off route 10 it got going a bit more but there were no big attacks. Aaron B led everyone at first with a respectable pace. The body over bikes guys stayed up there, as did Jason Williams, Gibertoni, and Scott Rosy Rosenthal. Jordan was spotted up front quite a bit, setting tempo with his teammate Rusty.  All in all, the pace was calm all the way up to the light on 68/70.

Wild Bill took a dig off the front early on Mountain RD. The pack reeled him in a kilo or two later though. Getting onto Moss Farms, Wild Bill was quick to hit the afterburners along with Gibertoni, Hunter P and Thule Tom. It wasn't enough to get a gap though. Aaron B then attacked, and the timing looked good, but everyone was coming around. When Jordan Lynn jumped as well, everyone got going. Steve B was the last to get across the gap but traffic at the 4-way intersection meant a reset. Everyone was together going up the hill to Marion.

Next to attack was Hunter P, who took a flyer on the way to the light. It was red so nothing doing there. Onto Mount Vernon where Aaron B, Rich Nadeau and Wild Bill got things going initially. The pack stayed together all the way down Mount Vernon. A good bit of posturing, no real attacking. Once the ride turned onto Welch for the turnaround though, Wild Bill took off. Then Steve B jumped up to bridge the gap. Behind, The Sernyak, Rosy, Thule Tom, Joe K, and Chris C were que'd up at the front, ready to pounce on the hill. Then Jordan L struck off the front, and the rest gave chase. Wild Bll was caught on the hill before the corner, and Steve nursed a slim lead onto West St. Joe K moved off the front, and had teammates right behind "blocking." That made it two up the road, as Steve B was able to gain on the rest in the headwind.

With 300 meters to go, Joe K rolled away from a fading Steve B, who was not sure of where the sprint point was. Joe was all-in when Kieran H, Aaron B, and Hunter P jumped for the sprint. Aaron B had a good jump and was able to hold it in front of Hunter P, with Joe K's effort netting him 3rd across the line.

Down the backside, Kieran and Hunter P stayed on it, as did Aaron B. The headwind + everyone behind realizing if they had an inch, they'd take a mile, kept the leaders close, and it was all together going over 84. After that, the pace stated steady. It was good to see Big Red back at the front pushing the pace. Heading onto Atwater, a small group led by Wild Bill was pushing off the front no one was willing to let that go. Hunter P attacked going under the overpass and had a gap heading to the light. At the last second, he got the green light but the chase, which was 75 meters behind, slipped thru a yellow/red turning light, which brought the pack together for the ride back into Cheshire.

Heading up to the light on route 10, Jeff Scala, Joe K, Hunter P, and Evan B made a break for it, but the light was red (sad trombone). Grouppo Compacto for the now weekly slow-down approach into the Greenhouse climb, which also gave everyone a chance to rinse the sand out of their you-know-wheres. Give the Body Over Bike guys credit for at least keeping the pace respectable. The usual suspects were near the front for the start of the climb. One could almost feel the sigh of relief when young Kieran took off off the front. This gave the chance for a few new guys to set the pace up the climb (A rider from Class Cycles, Rich Nadeau, Scala, and Wild Bill) as well as Chris C. They set a good enough pace that Kieran was on his way back as everyone went under the light. Steve B and Turner French once again got involved in the chase. Aaron B jumped first again and had the legs to stay in front of Hunter P as the two passed Kieran with 50 meters to go to the sprint. Once again, the three stayed on the gas, but everyone got the green light at the corner.

The ride back into Hamden was uneventful. Thule Tom and Hunter P attacked once, then the Sernyak. Then Aaron B, Esteban S, Rich N, Scala, and Rosy. Then Hunter P rolled off the front and hit the downhill with a 100-meter gap. That was eaten up as the road flattened out, setting up a the positioning showdown between Body Over Bike, CW, the Sernyak, Wild Bill, and a couple of other riders thrown in for good measure (Vitaly, Esteban, Thule Tom, Alex D). Aaron B jumped with Rich N on his wheel. Hunter P came around Dillon P late, but neither could get around Aaron, who made it three for three on the night.

Tuesday the 20th

The Long Loop! 

More new faces out on the ride today and more guys were willing to dip their toes into the deep end. It helped that a big wind from the south pushed all the strong guys into submission on the way home. The ride was going the full long loop today, and it was evident that a few riders were worries about how the legs would fair with the increased effort. 

Early prognosticators were once again Wild Bill, Nic V, and the Body Over Bike team. Hacker, Nuemotion, and Little T were up there as well for good measure in the first 10 miles. There was another woman out to do the ride with Patsy and Lisa Lochner, which is tip top in our book. 

The pace was solid, with no real attacks in early parts. Steve B took a flyer on Mountain Rd but didn't get too far. Aaron B lifted the pace in a couple of spots. Hacker was looking like he was ready to rumble as well. Hunter P took a flyer into the light on 68/70 along with Wild Bill, but it was red. 

Moss Farms was more of the same. Little T took a dig going up to Marion and he had a crew willing to do the same. That led to a small breakaway before getting to the industrial park. Little T, Chris C, Hunter P, Aaron B, Gibertoni, The rider on the orange C-Dale, and Mike Williams from BOB. That group kept it ticking along but by the I84 bridge it was all back together again. 

There were no attacks on Mount Vernon worth telling mom about. The pace was steady but no one was willing to overextend themselves with the new turnaround looming. It also didn't help that Nic V got a flat on Mount Vernon. With Curly, Johnny Meyerle, and Costa Rica John all stopping to assist, the rest of the pack immediately had no over-anxious youngsters to worry about. 

Into Welch, Steve B attacked again, taking along Hacker this time. Those two build a decent gap but as the corner came up, it fell apart. Hacker stayed on it but as the headwind smacked the front of the group,  everyone went into slo-mo mode. Vitaly Kantorovich, and Chris C pulled up front as the group came past Hacker. Then Aaron B got to the front and punched it with several hundred meters to go. He rolled off in front Kantorovich without much response and was able to stick it all the way to the sprint. Behind, Steve B battled it out with Nuemotion for the table scrapes. 

On the backside, Kantorovich and Hunter P tried to sneak off into the headwind near the 84 interchange, but a red light brought it all back together. From there, back into Cheshire, it was steady-eddy with nothing too exciting up front. Gibertoni got a good gap heading down Atwater, but the headwind was too tough to overcome. 

Fast forward to the greenhouse climb, the headwind made for a super-slow approach to the climb. The early part of the climb was Cat5 like. Vitaly was setting the pace. Scala as well. Rosy made an appearance near the top. Going thru the light, Turner French moved past Chris C to take a dig, but Aaron B and Hunter P were queuing up behind. Aaron launched it hard with 300 meters to go was able to stay in front of Hunter at the line by a wheel or two. After that, the rest of the pack hit a reset for the ride back into Hamden. 

The rider on the Orange C-Dale (Name???) had an attack up Coleman. Then Alex D' Souza attacked up Boulder. Then Steve B attacked going into the downhill on Tuttle, which finally riled his CW teammates up, as well as everyone else who wanted to be up front for the final kilometer. 

It was a fast run into the end, with Kevin Mullaly and Erin Rand challenging Sernyak and the usual sprinters for position. The final was all Little T and Aaron B though, and Little T was able to edge it out to get the points.

Good ride everyone. Next week will be another good one!

Tuesday the 13th

 

More Mellow More Smiles

Another large group for today's ride. A couple of big guns were not in attendance so the ride overall was a bit calmer. However, it was great to see some new (and new old) faces out on the ride. 

Steve May, Rich Nadeau, Steve Grey-Gray?, Jeff Scala, joined a few new faces from Fairfield County. Also good to see was Hacker, who, like the creators of South Park, has been trying to get canceled for like 3 years now. Either that or he's been waiting responsibly to get his vaccine to get back to Tuesday night action. 

He was one of the guys attacking Mountain Rd. Steve B and Dan Smith from CW were up there as well. Aaron B was rolling off the front before that, but he took a corner a bit early and had to chase back on. "Early and eager" is his MO these days (Congratulations Aaron and Goldie!)

An attack by Steve B briefly saw the light of day halfway down Mountain Rd, but it was all together getting up to the light on route 68\70. Hacker was back up at the front, along with Aaron B on Moss Farms, but it stayed together all the way toward the light on route 322. Nic V, Hunter P, Steve May, Scala, and Bill Thompson had a bit of a dig after the corner for Marion, but that was short-lived. 

There were no attacks on Mount Vernon. Chris C, like the good and always positive leader he is, raced everyone to be at the front for the corner of Prospect. The pace headed eastward was steady if a bit unimpressive. Scala, Nadeau, Costa Rica John, and Chris C dictated the pace. Next week should be the first week of the full long loop, but you'll have to wait for confirmation on Tuesday for that. 

Onto West St and then Atwater. Hunter P surged going under the highway but there were plenty of guys to go with him. Then to West Johnson, where there was more "I don't know where we're going" shenanigans from the Body Over Bike boys. The light crossing route 10 was red, so it wasn't too big a deal.

The next attack came from Evan B, heading up to the corner of East Johnson / Cheshire St. He rode off a gap that lasted close to the base of the greenhouse climb. Then, Scala, Nic V, and Dan Smith rode charged hard off the front. That trio was allowed a small run off the front. Then Aaron B jumped hard. Just Costa Rica John and Hunter P went with him. Behind Black, they got a gap that no one was going to quickly bring back. Aaron attacked again and gapped the others, leaving John to set the pace. The chase was coming up, and Chris C was able to latch on. Black was fading by the top of the climb and the light. This set up Hunter P for an easy sprint, followed by Costa Rica John and a Body over Bike rider (?). 

It was altogether heading back into Hamden. Along the way, Nic V attacked, Steve B had another go, Body Over Bike as well, but nothing stuck until Aaron B attacked hard up the Coleman climb. Initially it was just Costa Rica John, Chris C, and Nic V that responded, but soon the entire pack was back on the gas. Up the climb on Tuttle with Aaron B holding his 50-meter gap, Chris C had a coronary on the front when no one would come through, nearly crashing Nic V and a couple of others. That slowed the chase a bit. 

Once it got going again, Aaron was diving down the Tuttle descent. Steve B and Erin Rand from CW hit the front hard and brought back some of the gap. Then Mike Williams and S.May rolled thru. On the short risers near the 1K to go mark it was all together. A group of 5 or 6 (CW, Sernyak, Hunter P, Scala, Nic V,) jostled near the front for position heading to the sprint. That was enough to spring a short gap to the rest of the pack. Behind Dillon P timed his finish line run to perfection, coming thru the pack, across the gap, and even thru the front pack without ever leaving his saddle. He cruised across the line at 700w with a few bike lengths to spare. 

Tuesday the 6th

The 2021 Season Plot Thickens Up

We had what is sure to be one of the biggest crowds out for the ride tonight. Everyone was amped up to ride hard, despite a complete flipping of the wind from last week. Instead of a killer tailwind from the south pushing the group up route 10, tonight we had a big headwind. This gave a couple of opportunistic riders the chance to pedal hard tempo off the front while others dealt with the headwind. Wild Bill, young Rowyn Burgess, Dillon P, Billy Thompson, and Noah B. Then, Hunter P joined them shortly after the corner off route 10. 

The only only rider from from the main pack that got on his giddy up across the gap was Dan Smith. That resulted in a group of seven riders off the front. The junior was the first to drop back. The group went to work creating a gap while the chase slowly got going behind. Up front Dan Smith and Hunter P were doing the majority of the work, with Billy T, Wild Bill, and the rest chipping in where they could. Dillon P took the back door exit soon after. Back in the chase Curly Huesman got to the front and started driving it along with Nic V and Chris C.

 

The breakaway slowly pulled away, but then on Mountain Rd the leaders broke up on the rollers. That allowed the chase to gain a little bit of ground as the front group took some time to recollect. The breakaway put in one last effort before the light on route 68\70, but that was red which meant it was all back together for the time it took for the light to turn red. Once across the light and on to Moss Farms, things reset and others took the front to set the pace. As the pack near the route 322 crossover, there were a couple of surges off the front, but no one put in a big attack to create a gap.

 

Once through the light on 322, the next big attack came from P who jumped on the hill before Mount Vernon. Once again Wild Bill responded as well, but this time the pack was more attentive and didn't let them get any more than 50 to 60 meters up the road before responding hard. Curly was there, LIttle T, Chris C, Nic V, and a few others locked it down pretty quick. Even still there were gaps opening up as everyone was still dealing with the headwind. The ride turned right onto Prospect St this week and the unfamiliar road kept the attacks to a minimum. Instead Steve B, Evan B and Erin R from the CW team, as well as Curly and Hunter p were up there pushing the pace.

The pack stayed together for while, and got a rare green light going back over 322. The next attack came on West Johnson avenue as Hunter P jumped hard in an effort to get the light on route 10. No dice there, as the light was red and everyone waited for a moment or two. On East Johnson Ave, there were a couple that surged up the first hill but it was all together heading down past the greenhouses and up to the intersection for Cheshire st.

On the short kicker up to the corner there, Curly and Hunter P punched it and had a short small gap going through the corner. Wild Bill once again jumped into the group, making three up the road. The peloton watched, and the three off the front made the rest pay for it.

The trio worked together for a short time, but then Wild Bill dropped off. So two leaders made their way onto the long hill up to the sprint. Then Curly accelerated, leaving Hunter P dropped to get collected by the chase, which was being led by Nic V. Curly was able to not only hold off the chase, but added a bit to his advantage by the time the sprint point came up. From there he was able to get into the back roads of Hamden with a commanding lead and would not be caught. That's the way the ride ended up - Curly getting all the points for himself off the front. With  his impressive haul tonight, he's already ahead of his 2020 point total.

Solid ride all round! Let's keep the aggro level up. 

 

Tuesday the 30th

Pressure Upfront Goes Up a Notch

    The weather was better this week, which means that even more riders were out for the ride today.  There were three women out today on the ride as well, which was cool to see. Kudos to Patsy, Lochner, and Lisa Stanley for coming out to roll with the SGR. They had a bit of a challenge this week, as there was a huge tailwind. The whole pack roared up route 10, which can be a bit intimidating for new riders. Even so, they reported afterward that they had a great time, and they are looking forward to coming back. They will be riding a modified loop that will keep from going all the way north but will reconnect with the rest of the ride on the return back into Hamden. Hopefully, more women will come out as well!
Once the ride was into Cheshire, the pace picked up a bit. There was an incident where a new rider upfront was unsure of which way to go at Mount Sanford, which led to crossing wheels with Sernyack. Mike was relatively ok, and the ride got rolling after a 1 min pause. Then, down the road, Wild Bill S was on the front as the corner for Mountain Road came up. He went straight and didn't realize it for a handful of seconds. He tried to give chase after turning around but came up a bit short by the end of Mountain Rd.
    Upfront, the pack made it through the light without stopping. From there, Aaron B, Hunter P, and Chris C punched it off the front, and only a handful of riders that were attentive at the front made it into the group. Dan Smith, Little T, Nic V, and one or two others were clutching the back of the attack. The move def had the legs, and it took a hard chase from the back to draw it close by the chicane. Shortly after turning onto Marion, the rotation in the break broke down as a couple of riders skipped pulls. That let the peleton chase back, so it was all together going into the Industrial Park.
    Dan Smith accelerated from the front, and he was allowed to roll off the front. Kieran H and Hunter P kept the pace high after the corner onto West Johnson, and soon the ride was all back together again.
After crossing route 10, it stayed together. As the ride made its way to the Greenhouse Climb, Dillon P rolled off the front, and everyone was content to him go as well. As everyone hit the base of the "climb," Dillon P was only a few meters off the front.
     Up the hill, the usual suspects hit the front. Keiran H took a bit of a dig, but the strong headwind kept the eager beavers sitting tight in the draft. Then Aaron B rolled to the front and pulled everyone up the climb. Hunter P took a late pull, then Chris C brought everyone up to the sprint. Little T jumped first, but Curly Huesman was sitting in the entire time waiting. He was able to come around Little T by the end, and he kept on the gas as well.
     Curly rolled off alone towards the light and was able to get thru unimpeded. That was the springboard he needed to make a run at finishing the ride solo. Behind, the chase got going, organized and fast. There were a couple of new riders up front chipping in. When the ride hit the climb up Tuttle, Curly was about 20 seconds ahead. Chris C and Hunter P pulled hard up to the intersection, then a couple of the CW guys hit the front and closed down the gap even more.
     Curly was caught with about 1 mile to go. From there, the sprinters came up and drove the pace. Little T jumped first but had Aaron B, Hunter P, Dan Smith, The Sernyak, and Curly right there. T held on for the sprint, with it being super tight between the rest of the "top 5."

Besides the incidents, it was a good ride. The next few weeks, before racing starts at Rentschler Field starts, should be great!

Tuesday the 23rd, 2021

SGR officially got a proper start tonight. Great weather meant a big crew was out—25 or 30 riders at the start. The pace was reasonable, rolling into the back roads of Cheshire.

Aaron B was one of the first ones to strike out off the front. He accelerated a few times early on and had Dan Smith and Nic V from the CCAP along for company. Also jabbing off the front was William "Wild Bill" Strebel. He would go on the attack a bunch of times during the ride. On Mount Sanford road, Lucas "Curly" Huseman jumped off the front and that set off alarm bells behind. Eventually, a trio of curly, Dan Smith, and Aaron B got off the front on mountain road. For a moment it looked like the three would be able to stay away, or at least build a gap heading into the traffic light, but there was enough horsepower behind to bring it back.

Chris C put in a big dig, and the Hongster covered a big gap to bring it all together. Onto Moss Farms where again Lucas was active off the front. A couple of half-hearted attempts to break away going into the chicane but everyone was together heading up to Marion. Curly hit the front and drove a split in the front of the pack leading to a small gap of about five or six riders..

Before the industrial park, Kieran Haug jumped off the front, followed by Little T. Into the industrial park It was all together though. Some strong pulls from Nick V, Curly, and the CW guys kept the pace high but no attacks. Turning on to West Johnson, Hongster looked like he was ready to go, along with Chris C and Curly. Keiran also was up there taking advantage of the uphill, but nothing stuck.

Over Route 10 Wild Bill S attacked up the first rise and had a gap going down to the greenhouses. He was brought back by corner though. Chris C and Keiran were back at the front then, but no one delivered the big push to spring a gap. Everyone was waiting for the hill it seemed.

Up the hill on Route 70/Meriden road and Hongster and Keiran were the first to go at it. Curly held them in check, with Hunter P and Dan Smith behind. A group of 5 went clear but then sat up a bit. Curly took that as his cue and he attacked hard. Only Hunter P went with him. Those two got a gap but the light was red and slowed the front of the ride down, giving everyone a chance to catch up.

It wasn't a complete stop, though, and the front riders were through and ripping to the sprint after a brief pause. Chris C put in the last leadout, then Hunter P jumped around and got the sprint ahead of Keiran H and Dan Smith.

The reduced group, now just 10 or so, stayed together for the most part back into Hamden. Kieran attacked a couple of times. Each time, Hongster and Lucas were left to defend, all to the benefit of the rest of the pack. He did manage a good gap in a last ditch flyer, but was brought back with a little less than 1k to go. That set the stage for a monstrous sprint between Aaron B, Little T, and Curly. That was the finishing order on the night.