12/16/09
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

Looking out of my front window at the blue sky brought a smile to my face. It was cool but not too cold and little or no wind. Today looked like just the kind of day to get in a good bicycle ride. I may have been a bit stiff and sore from Monday’s ride but still I was feeling pretty good and was looking forward to riding with a group of people I enjoyed being with.

When I got to the meeting place the early birds, Deacon, Parky and Duramax, were already there. We made small talk for a few minutes till Hit Man, Cossack, and Highlander arrived. A few minutes later Raptor and Red Rabbit joined us and I received a call saying Huntress was running late but she would be there. Tool Man was waiting for Shadow and some others to take what they called a ‘Snow Ride” and the rest of us were planning on a simple ride west away from the mountains.

Red Rabbit left the parking lot a few minutes before the rest of us but he was riding a 29er and once we turned onto Domenigoni we hauled him in rather quickly. I surrendered the pull to Cossack and we fell into a pace line and stayed together pretty well all the way passed Warren Road. We were doing a pretty steady 22 MPH till Hit Man took the lead and we ended up running along closer to 24 MPH till we caught the light at Winchester.

After Hit Man gave up the lead Huntress then Highlander and DuraMax pulled us along at 21 or 22 till I got the lead back a bit before Leon. We were approaching the small hill on Domenigoni and I hit the hill at about 19 when the group broke up and people started rolling past me like I had a flat tire. Huntress was the first to attack the hill with Bounty Hunter and Hit Man splitting me like water around a rock. My first impulse was to just give up and continue up the hill but I managed to recover and get to the top with the pack

Once over the hill we all got back in like to chase Cossack back through Sun City but he was going to leave us there because he had things to attend to and he pulled off as we got to Murrieta. Having left a bit late Hit Man had us moving along at a pretty good pace as we rode towards La Landra and a quick rest stop at the park. I spent the time talking to Highlander and Duramax as we settled into another pace line.
A brief relief stop at the park and we were on our way to Macall and the last climb of the day. We spread out a bit going up Macall but everyone reached the top within a few seconds of each other and we were off down the back side and headed through the housing track in short order.

Once we turned towards Chris’s the road smoothed out and we picked up the pace again. At first we bunched up a bit as I got some pictures and Huntress got some of me but at last Highlander started us out on the new smooth pavement and Hit man took over and pulled us back to Leon.
After Leon Road Highlander took the lead by quite a bit and Hit Man pulled us quite a ways till we got back even with him. I ended up pulling in front after riding next to Hit Man and we got the “car back” call. I had a pretty good jump on the pack but as I looked in my mirror I could see Duramax coming on like a freight train. It reminded me of a line By Doc Holiday in the Movie Tombstone, “Oh I am not quite as sick as I let on I was.” And he pulled in front of me and smiled. Still I have to hope for his continued recovery from the flu. Even if it means watching him overhaul me when I think I have a chance at a break away.

I may only have had 37.8 miles on the clock when I got home but my average speed was just about 17 MPH and I felt pretty good. In fact looking at my last picture I see there are sun rays falling off of my helmet, not how cool is that?