2/26/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca


Hearing that there would be no rain Friday was a bit like hearing the first call to races at Santa Anita. I have been looking forward to getting in a few more miles this month and they have been predicting rain all week but today was pretty clear even if it was a bit cool. I decided I didn’t need leg warmers or arm warmers so I dressed quickly, had breakfast, and walked out of my front door right at 8:30 am.

Once I got to the parking lot it became quickly apparent I wasn’t the only one ready for today’s ride. One after another riders pulled into the parking lot looking eager for a ride. We had 12 riders as we pulled out of the parking lot with Parky and Deacon splitting off to head south as the rest of us headed north. I pulled out onto Lyon and started a casual conversation with Highlander and I could hear conversations going on behind me as we rode along but that seems perfectly normal for a group that gets along as well as we seem to. Huntress and T-3 were close behind me with the rest of the group following for the first few miles as we sort out the kinks and get the legs warmed up.



Slowly but surely we compressed into a tighter group as we got towards the end of Lyon. It wasn’t long before Attack cat passed me and took the lead and the rest of the group started pushing a bit more as the speed picked up a bit and got smoother. I found myself between Attack cat, Brian, (Starbuck) Highlander in front and Huntress, T-3, Beowulf, Duramax, Barracuda and Rocket behind me. Everyone was looking fresh and they all looked ready for the ride towards Nuevo.


Once we turned onto Ramona Boulevard we started to string out into a line as if we were in a Peloton. We were about to start the best part of the run to Nuevo. Once you get to Sanderson and make the quick right follower by the quick left you are on Ramona expressway and have at least 10 miles of flat straight wide shoulders all the way to Lakeview. The ride itself has a bit of a rural feeling to it as we pass some nice looking dairies and some planted fields. We also have a view of some small hills surrounding Lake Paris in front of us and some snow covered mountains on our right. On our right is a section of rock covered hills that separate the Expressway from Florida Avenue. For those of us on this ride we know those hills will have to be crossed or gone around before we can get back over to Winchester. To the new riders it will be a surprise when we finally turn south.

The whole group stayed together at a comfortable 20 to 23 Mph run to the stop light just before Lakeview. It was about here that things would get interesting. The designated A group was told that if they felt energetic they could ride over Juniper flats while the B group circled around on Nuevo and Menifee. Rocket, Barracuda, Starbuck, Attack cat and Beowulf took off towards Juniper flats and after a quick stop at the service station Duramax, Huntress, T-3, Highlander and I went through Nuevo and over to Menifee. Everyone ran strong all the way to Mapes where we made a turn east heading toward Briggs Road where we spotted the A group pulling up to the stop light at Florida. We got the light green and were soon Rocket and the A group melded in with T-3 and the rest of us.


Things seemed to be going smoothly as we rode through the housing track on Briggs before we got to Grand when I got a call from Attack cat that he had a flat and was fixing it. He said he had a new pump and would be joining us at Chris’s. As we turned onto Grand T-3 decided to lead the pull and took us all the way to Leon giving some of us a chance to recover before the 9th street sprint that takes place after the first rise after Leon. I got one of the best jumps off of the rise I have had in a long time and for a very short while even lead the sprint till Rocket and Beowulf ran me down and not long after Barracuda, Starbuck and Huntress passed me. I had to grab Barracuda’s wheel so as not be completely dropped and we made the turn towards Chris’s together.

I called Attack cat from Chris’s and he said he had the tire fixed and was on his way but after having coffee and an energy bar he still hadn’t arrived. The group started to filter out and head home so I joined Duramax, Highlander, Beowulf and Huntress as they headed for the airport and home. I just made the turn on Stowe when I got a call from Attack cat that he was on Grand/9th Street and he needed to use a CO-2 because his pump didn’t seem to be working as expected. I turned around and met him on 9th as we filled his tire and rode home together. I ended up with 45 miles and finished my last water just as we got onto Stetson. As I said to a good friend earlier, it was a good ride on a good day with good friends. What more can a person ask for?