Tuesday the 20th

The Breakaway Wins Again

Another hard fought battle up front leads to an elite ending for the ride. Turner French started it on Mountain Rd. Hunter P and then Hacker responded and up the ante, leading to a break of 10 guys off the front. That group cleared the light at the end of mountain and that was all she wrote.  

Dan Smith, Tom Krol, Little T, Brothers Black, Stefano P, Sean Maher, Hacker, Hunter P and Turner French.

The chase behind was ummm, disorganized. Some guys took the shortcut, some peeled off early, others got dropped. Without the usual horsepower up front, there was no more steam in the engine. 

Up front, after a bunch of attacks, regrouping, and sitting up. Turner French gave up trying to break the group up. Dan Smith and Tom Krol were allowed to roll off the front before the turnaround. They caught a couple of lights and had the gap, and took mucho points to the bank.

 Behind, it was the aggressors vs the guys just glad to be there vs the old-timers. Big old stalemat! 

Turner French pushed off the front using traffic at the I84 interchange as a disguise and got to work covering the gap on his own. He would eventually catch the two leaders near the end, making it 3 to collect the final points on the night.

Tuesday the 13th

 A Proper Suffer-Fest as a One-Man Swatt Team Shows Up

Another big crowd out tonight for what ended up being a barn burner of a ride. 

We saw the triumphant return of Matt Z and Max Accaputo. Also the very first SGR appearance of the legendary Peter Morgan. Pete would feature much at the front of the ride tonight. He was stoking the fire early on Mountain RD, on Moss Farms and a little bit past the halfway mark as well.

Today's MVP goes to Andrew Suzuki. He showed up ready to drill it and the ride was especially fast for it.

The ride got going normally but as soon as it got going, the duo of Turner French and Suzuki kept it crisp up front. Matt Z and Peter Morgan added something something here and there and the pace was fast enough to start to break things apart even before the pack got to Mountain Rd.

Once on Mountain though, the hot pace really started to eat up the peloton. a select group of 8-10, the strongest of the group, rolled off the front. Suzuki, Hunter P, and Turner French traded pulls and broke the group free. It ended up being a record-breaking pace up Mountain Rd.

The light at Mountain was red or else there was no way the pack was going to catch up. Onto Moss Farms it calmed down a bit, but still with Suzuki and Turner French up there. Dan Smith pushed off the front once. Sean Hurley as well. Nothing too exciting though until the ride got close to the chicane. The pace started to hot up again, leading to Turner, Hunter, Andrew, and Sean Hurley ripping through the corner before the Chicane. Behind the pack was strung out. A rider visiting SGR for the first or second time from the Avon area hit his pedal in the corner and went down. 

That stopped the majority of the riders. Most of which were almost about to lose contact with the front anywhere. The riders up front traded jabs going onto Marion, leading to a strong pace. heading past the industrial park. By the time the leading group of 7-9 riders (Tom Krol, Noah Black, Joe Rod, Sen Hurley, Sean Maher, Suzuki, Hunter P, Turner French, Matt Z, Peter Morgan and a couple others) got to the light on 322, it seemed as though they had a gap to the rest, when in fact several (Dillon P, Little T, Dan Smith and others) had stopped to assist the new guy.

That group duked it out in the sprints. Noah Black got the turnaround sprint in front of Turner French. Hunter P took the greenhouse sprint in front of Turner French and Sean Maher. 

Heading into the finale, Sean Hurley attacked going down Tuttle and got a good gap into last few hundred meters but would be caught up as Suzuki pushed the final pace. Hunter P came around all and got in front of Turner and Suzuki.

Awesome ride. Everyone in the front group owes Andrew Suzuki a coffee! Stop by any time A.S.!

Tuesday the 6th

 Sneak Attack from the Rain, and a Dubious Light

A rainy forecast kept most riders away, but 12 to 14 of the faithful showed up and were rewarded with dry roads at the start. The early miles were uneventful until Gentle Paul pushed off the front on the backroads of Cheshire. Turner French threw in a few digs but was mostly quiet this week.

Crossing into Southington, there were a few efforts to stretch things out, but nothing stuck. On the turnaround sprint, Hunter P opened it up on Welch Drive but had drivetrain issues right as Turner French and Little T launched. Dan Smith was also in the mix to the line. Little T took the sprint with Noah Black close behind.

The group came back together until Dan Smith gave it another go on Atwater. He didn’t get the light, but on the other side, he kept pushing and was gifted a gap. Hunter P bridged up to him on West Johnson, and the two got to the light just as is was going yellow, giving the duo a clean getaway.

Turner French was already in pusuit and he was dragging along Sean Hurley and the new guy Italian Stallion Stefeno P. Those three slid underneath the red while the rest of the pack stopped.

That sealed it, the breakaway of five stayed away: Dan Smith, Hunter P, Turner French, and kudos to the new guys who have been riding strong. 

Tuesday the 29th

Oh Hi Headwind 

The crowds were back in force for this week’s SGR, drawn out by solid weather and the usual antics of the pack. A strong headwind out of the south had everyone guessing how the night would unfold. A few new faces joined the fray... Dan Forgione and Chris Sima... Along with welcome returns from Aaron Black, Jon Fecik and Amity Matt!

The action started early. A small group toyed with a move right around Route 10, but everything came back together before the left hand turn. Once the tailwind hit, the pace ratcheted up quickly. Turner French, Chris C, Sean Maher, and Young Savino the 19th were ever present on the front. Hons got frisky with a couple of early digs, testing the legs to see who would potentially roll it.

Heading toward Mountain Road, Turner French and Sean kept the throttle open right up until Little T hit a rock and double flatted. Tom Krol barely escaped going down. The crash split the group as the road tilted upward, and a front selection of about ten forged ahead, mostly unaware. A couple of surges later and the gap was around 10 seconds. But a red light at the top of the hill reset it for everyone.

Once onto Moss Farms, the pace turned a bit more surgical. Turner French, Sean, Hunter P, Chris C, and Hacker were drilling it. Riders chasing from the earlier split started showing signs of fatigue. Those that weren't as good in the pack or who are not as comfy at race speed weren't benefiting from the tailwind as much, and it was starting to show.

Through the chicane, Turner French, Young Savino, and Hunter P kept the pace high, but nobody punched it hard enough to cause separation. It was fast, but controlled. The group hit Mount Vernon with urgency but no fireworks, just sustained speed. It felt like a top 5 fastest night heading north. But that changed as soon as the turnaround on Welch.

Heading to the corner to go south, Hacker attacked at the base of the climb, taking Turner Frnech and Hunter P with him. The trio gained a few meters, rounding the corner into the headwind. But cooperation up front was brief, maybe nonexistent, as everyone tried to navigate the season’s first encounter with that cratered stretch of pavement.

Savino and Hacker opened the sprint early, but Hunter P jumped and took it. On the backside, everything regrouped, and with the stiff headwind, it seemed everyone was willing to choose peace over violence through the highway zone.

Atwater saw a few late digs... Joe Rod upped the tempo under the highway, then Hunter P and Dan Smith hit it heading to the light on 322. The light was red so all together once again. From there, nothing of note heading up to and across Route 10.

On East Johnson. Amity Matt, Young Savino, Sean Maher, Chris C, and Jon Fecik opened a gap. Hacker bridged across on the downhill and helped bring it all back just in time for the uphill to Cheshire Street.

Into the Greenhouse Climb, Sean Maher and Young Savino did the lion’s share of the work, keeping the pace sharp. Turner took his place at the base of the climb, setting a steady tempo. Chris C then drove the pace into the final meters, giving Young Savino and Hunter P a launchpad for the sprint. Hunter P took this one as well, with Tom Krol and Hacker rolling through next.

From there, the ride settled down heading back into Hamden. The only notable action came from Joe Rod, who pushed off solo up Talmadge and onto Wallingford Road, only to miss the turn for Coleman and have to double back.

The group rolled a steady tempo from that point on. Turner French, Hunter P, and Amity Matt stayed glued to the front, keeping it honest on the rollers. For the final segment, no real attacks landed until the downhill on Tuttle. Young Savino led it out hard but didn’t fully launch.Steffen H also had a big dig off the front, trying to time success like he did a couple of weeks ago. No dice this week though as it was mostly together heading into sprint, where Hunter P took it with Turner French putting a partial effort in to keep it close at the line. 

Tuesday the 22nd

Quick Recap Post Cuz Steve B Needs Reading Material!

Steve B was was involved in a accident late last week and will be off the bike for a bit. Get better soon Steve! The ride isn't the same without you.

Slow start to the ride this week. Without Sean Maher, Turner French, Hacker, and Steve B, the 20 or so riders had less reason to get up and go. Dillon P had an early dig off the front. Then Mike Hons had one as well. Besides that, early pace-making was from Tom Krol, Sean Hurley, Chris C and Dan Smith. An old dump truck in front of the pack early on slowed things down so it was a lazy start to the ride.

It got going a bit once onto Moss Farms. A few new guys got involved up front, which was great to see. Dan Carbon, Greg Rod, Stefano P, and not-so-new Brian Suto were all chipping in at the front, pushing things along as they should be.

There was no real action until well after the chicane, when Hunter P attacked going over the highway. He got caught by the red light on 322 and so it was all together at first going onto Mount Vernon.

Chris C rolled off the front and was allowed to go. Then Mike Hons took off. Chris C stayed off until halfway down Prospect and the cut thru for the medium loop. The pace behind was decent but increasing as everyone could sense the tailwind.

Gruppo compacto for the heading onto Atwater St. No surprises. Hunter P attacked hard a few hundred meters from the 322 crossing, but this time, Little T and Dan Smith were close behind. The light was green for all, and only a small pause was needed to get thru the intersection. No one took advantage on the other side though and it was all togther going thru the next intersection..... Lame....

Brian Suto punched it hard on West Johnson, and Hunter P and Little T went with. That was a breakaway but again it was stimed by a red light.  

After the light, Suto would stay off the front by accelerating down East Johnson, but it was all together for the turn onto Cheshire St. The pace into the climb was steady. Greg Rod pushed off the front at the beginning of the Greenhouse climb. There was not too much of a response. Chris C, Sean Hurley, and Henk lifted the pace a bit behind. GRod would never have more than 75 meters and it was coming back as everyone made it to the light. Chris C kept the pace up going thru and past the light, but it wasn't crazy-fast. This lead to Hunter P jumping a bit early for the sprint. Little T was right on his wheel and nearly came around by the line, but Hunter P got it.

Little T kept it rolling and got the light at route 68 but would soon after sit up and let everyone come back a few hundred meters later. From there the run into Hamden was normal with no attacks. Steady pace up front from all the same guys that had been working all ride long.

For the finale, Brian Suto slow-rolled a group of 3 or 4 with a few hundred meters to go, but they didn't get enough of a gap to thwart Little T, who jumped the sprint proper with Stefano P on his wheel. T got the finale with Suto hanging on for second, Stefano close behind. Good ride everyone.

Next week >>> the long loop!

Tuesday the 15th

Breakaway Filed, Legs Taxed

Another SGR, another windy war of attrition. With a relentless cross / headwind, the transition to Spring has been rocky. Great to see Jeff Pappy-naw out there. A certified New England cycling legand.... Few riders have spent more time off the front, off the back, and occasionally off course.

Chris C and Turner French turned the screws into the wind heading up route 10. Once off Route 10, Turner did what French does, rolled casually off the front like it was a big dare. The pack let him go. Tom Krol, not one to let a free ride go un-redeemed, bridged across just as the gap was getting good.

The peloton took their sweet time organizing a chase. Credit to Steve B, Steffen Huber, Sean Hurley, a bit of Hacker for finally punching the clock.

As the two escapees pushed on, the group encountered the real villain of the day: an overly cautious car that crept up Mountain Road like it was trying to avoid spooking deer. However Steve B and Sean Mayer., got around before it became obnoxious, and the rest of the pack got stuck in slow mo for a few hundred meters.

Tom Krol realized he has more fun enduring the pack's mental problems and let Turner French go. He gets bonus points for trying, which is more than can be said for a few riders enjoying the draft a little too much these days.....

Tom Krol joined the Steve B and Mayer, but instead of boosting the bridge, it ended up stalling the effort. Meanwhile, the main group, now led by Hunter P, Steffen H, allegiance-challenged Chris C and a couple of others were reeling it back in and a red light on route 68 sealed the deal.

As soon as the light turned green, Steve B dropped the hammer and successfully tempted Hunter P along for the ride, Chris C, and Sean Mayer also jumped, and those four quickly had a gap just a few hundred meters into what would become the decisive break. With a stiff head crosswind punishing the pack behind, the four were determiningly rolling away, fueled by double pulls from Steve B and Hunter P.

The break caught Turner on the second 322 crossing, forming a group of five that stayed tight through the final segments. Turner rolled away on the Greenhouse climb and grabbed the extra point there. In the finale, Steve B took the sprint.

Tuesday the 8th

Winter’s Surprise Encore

Winter made a surprise comeback this Tuesday at SGR, with temps hovering around 30–32°F and a stiff wind whipping in from the west. It felt more like a January Sunday ride than Tuesday in April. As a result, only about 12 to 14 brave souls showed up, bundled and questioning their life choices.

The group was a bit too eager to get moving and rolled out a minute or two early, which left a couple riders chasing and unfortunately missing the group. Always a bummer when that happens.

The wind, mostly from the west but swirling just enough to make you question your sanity, made the entire ride feel like an uphill grind, except for the two short Easterly stretches where the tailwind felt like nature apologizing.

Back to the start, Turner French and Sean Mayer took charge pretty soon after the group turned off Route 10, setting a brisk pace that foreshadowed the pain to come. With about 500 meters to go before Mountain Road, Turner launched it. Only Chris C. and Hunter P. jumped with him and those 3 creating a 20-meter gap onto Mountain Road while the rest of the group scrambled in scattered chase mode.

Up front, on the first hill on Mountain, it quickly narrowed down to just Turner and Hunter. They kept the pressure high all the way down Mountain Road. The group behind came together and had a sort-of screw it moment, letting the two up front roll away for the night. 

Little T scooped up the sprints from the "peleton."

Tough day out there. One to write off and maybe laugh. The good news is that Spring-like temps are forecasted for next week. Let's pretend this one never happened.