12/04/09
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

There was a crisp snap in the air as the sun came up over Hemet this morning. Looking at the faces of the riders as they pulled into the meeting place it looked like each and every one had a bit more determination on their faces than most mornings. A route was chosen and we decided to ride south and then east to end at the Ranger Station on Florida and come back to Carl’s to meet up with Parky and Deacon. As we traveled off of Kirby and headed through the houses towards Sanderson we looked as much like a team of cyclist as we have ever looked. But team or not this was a day that each individual set their own pace and their own challenges within that team.

I talked briefly with Raptor before we got to Sanderson knowing that he had already had a good part of his morning ride in before we even got started. Raptor has been riding a lot longer than many of us and still has more endurance than a lot of us have.



As I took pictures of the group I realized that I not only have given them nick names but have categorized then in my mind. Rocket and Cossack remind me of classic cyclists. They have long femurs and smooth spins. They seem comfortable in a sprint or a hill climb but are more than willing to hang back with the pack and take their turn in a pull.


Hit Man is a power rider. He accelerates as well as anyone and seems to like hills better than most. Highlander is one of our more modest riders. He is a much better rider than he lets on and I believe he has a lot more experience than he has ever told me about.



Huntress is determined and one of our most improved riders. She seems to absorb riding lessons and gets better with every week. Like her name suggests she is always there pushing you. Power surge doesn’t ride with us as much as he did during the summer because work gets in the way but he is a very tactical rider. Every time he rides with us he shows me a new trick or technique that helps me at some point in the future.

I realized that I think of these people as more than simply a group I ride with. I think of them as friends that I enjoy spending time with.

As we turned towards the entrance to the Marina we lined up for the ride up the Marina hill. I started out pretty well and was planning on attacking the first half of the hill at least till after I got over the steepest part. But just before we got to the first turn big left turn I looked down and saw my heart rate was climbing passed 171 BPM. I decided to drop a gear and attempt to hold a spin to the top and watched as Hit Man pulled away. Rocket streamed passed me gaining on Hit Man and shortly after that Cossack rode by giving chase as the previous two stretched the distance between me and them. As the hill flattened a bit I managed to get my heart rate back down into the 150s and grabbed two higher gears. Like her namesake I could see Huntress coming up behind me. I did manage to hold her off till after I made the turn at the top but I was worried that she was going to run me down.

Once back down the hill we regrouped and headed back towards Domenigoni and State Street. Power Surge had to leave us there because he said he had something he needed to do. I suspect Huntress may have scared him off but I have no proof. We turned onto State Street and headed for the McSweeney housing tract and came back to State Street. Rocket took off down State and I hooked onto his back wheel like a trailer. I let him pull me most of the way till just before the little rise and then took my turn pulling till we caught up to Raptor who had taken a different route.

After Rocket and I turned onto Buena Vista we noticed that the group has shrunk again. Huntress and Hit Man were the only ones behind meaning that Highlander and Cossack had other things to do or maybe Huntress had managed to knock off two more male riders? We held together pretty well until we got back to Florida and Fairview and made the right turn towards the Ranger station. Hit Man said he might have to leave early but as Rocket pulled up next to me he said the last he saw of him was when he was riding next to Huntress. When Rocket and I stopped at the ranger station we waited and only Huntress followed us into the parking lot. We started the ride with seven male riders and one female. By the time we got back to Carl’s it was down to two males and Huntress.

At the coffee shop Rocket left us and we had a nice visit with Parky and Deacon. I made sure to let them know I would be riding home in the same direction as Huntress just in case something happened. But I made it home safely and was able to write this report. So maybe the other men are safe as well? I will know next week when we get together again.