3/29/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

It seemed like I had only been sleeping a few minutes when I noticed it was getting light outside. I had gone to bed a bit early to try and get plenty of rest for the ride today and I must have gone to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I looked outside and it was just getting light and the sky was clear except for just a few wisps of the lightest clouds. I was thinking that today would be a pretty easy ride because it was relatively flat and not that many miles. By the time I was ready to leave the house it was starting to warn up and I only put on leg and arm warmers out of habit more than need.

Once I pulled into the parking lot at Burger King I could see there would be no need for arm or leg warmers and once again I got there first. Duramax pulled up within a few minutes and we watched as the rest of the group assembled. By 9am we had nine riders ready to hit the road and they all looked fresher than me.


Sometimes I can’t help it my imagination just seems to get the best of me and today was one of those days. I looked at all of the bright colors and nice looking machines and thought of a flight of Bi-planes from World War One. Wart was back with us again after being gone for quite a while flying his Red Specialized. Sam rejoined us after a rather long absence on his trusty Cannondale and he had a new rider, Darin, on his fast fighter Lightspeed with him. Highlander on a Trek was flanked by his flight team with Sidewinder on a totally restored classic Mayata and Taxman on his Red and Black Jamis. Duramax motored along on his pristine Giant and Hit man was on a swept wing Specialized Tarmac. Just like a squadron of planes we took on a sortie that would end up on the east side of town. The first leg was heading across town towards Domenigoni.

We had the throttles set and cruised due south on Sanderson as a group and much like pilots with early radios had a few friendly conversations asking about how our weekends went and renewing friendships with returning friends. As we banked left onto Domenigoni Wart developed engine problems after the light and fell back while the rest of the squadron continued on towards State Street. We slowed a bit at the marina entrance but soon were back up to speed and banked North onto State Street. At that point wart was back on the tail end of the group so we picked up the speed a bit as we closed on our first strafing run, mini-sprint, about ¼ mile before Chambers. Hitman, Sidewinder and I attacked the rise together with Sidewinder taking the lead as we turned onto Chambers. We settled into cruise mode again as we flew passed the golf course and finally onto Stetson and heading into the sun. We made an exploratory cruise through the neighborhoods bordering Crest drive and finally over to Lake and a run up to Stetson again.

Hitman, Sidewinder, and Darin increased throttle all the way to Fairview and then banked South again to and through the housing tract at Citrus View. We circled till we had regrouped and headed back North on Fairview where Highlander was waiting after a wardrobe change on Stetson. Hitman pulled us most of the way to the little overpass just before Mayberry where Sidewinder started the second strafing run only to fall prey to a dive from above and behind as I opened the throttle and swooped by.

Once on Florida Hitman took off and Sidewinder and Darin went with him. I grouped up with Highlander and Taxman Sam and Duramax flew drag and Wart turned back to Carl’s for refueling. We came up on a Casey Jones before we got to Cranston station where we landed and checked out charts.



The flight back down Florida was pretty fast and we split up at Fairview with some going North and some continuing West till we landed back at Carl’s. After coffee and other refreshments the group that was left took off for the flight home. Sidewinder, Highlander, Taxman, Darin, Duramax and I cruised east on Lincoln till Duramax dipped a wing and headed home. The rest of our flight made in back to Burger King feeling pretty good after a successful mission. Well at least we all seemed to have had a good time and looked like we still have a few miles left in us after a quick 33.5 mile loop.

3/26/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

When I looked at the weather report last night I noticed they reported a chance of rain so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got up this morning. What I saw when I looked out this morning was a few clouds and a lot of blue sky. It might be a bit cool but it sure wasn’t going to rain.

For a change I got to the parking lot first and waited to see how many would show up for another relatively easy Friday ride. It wasn’t long before Duramax pulled up followed shortly by Rocket. I watched as Sidewinder stopped at the light on Florida only to notice that he was dressed ready to ride with a new jersey and bibs. Cossack and Hitman arrived next with Beowulf and Huntress close behind. I could see this was shaping up to be a good ride. Just as we started to pull out of the parking lot heading toward Lyon T-3 rolled up and we had our group for the day.


As we rode up Lyon towards Ramona we were moving at a pace that told me we were going to have a rather quick average for a Friday. My suspicions were confirmed once we were on Ramona expressway heading towards Nuevo. Boewulf and Sidewinder pulled ahead of the rest of us and stretched out a lead till we all passed Warren. Not long after that we started to regroup when once again Sidewinder started to pull away until Rocket, Cossack, Beowulf, Hitman and I formed a pace-line and started to reel him in. once we caught him and were cruising along again Hitman informed me the Huntress was coming up from behind trying to close the gap all by herself. I knew this would be a hard pull into the wind so we backed down to let her into the draft. As soon as we saw the stop light where we would be turning left Hitman and I picked the pace back up to catch up with the lead group who were waiting on the frontage road. We stopped at the gas station so Sidewinder could wash the chain grease off of his hands and regrouped once again.

Once back on the road we started another pace line with Rocket setting the pace all the way to Nuevo road. I fully admit I was holding on for all I was worth at times but also there were times I felt strong enough to take the lead. Once we made the turn onto Nuevo and then Ramona Ave and finally onto Central we regrouped. Thank goodness Central is downhill so my legs got a bit of a rest. As we headed towards Menifee road and made the turn south I thought just about everyone in the group looked more rested than me and to be honest I wondered if they started another pace-line if I could even hang on.

I managed to get up enough energy to crest the rise at San Jacinto road and was leading as we passed the stop sign. It wasn’t long before Rocket pulled out around me followed by Sidewinder, Hitman, Beowulf and Cossack. It was all I could do to get onto Cossack’s back wheel and the next pace-line seemed brutal. I knew Rocket would hammer the hill by the nursery and I thought I had used up every ounce of energy to hold on to that point. But things didn’t get any easier from there as we continued on passed Mapes heading towards Florida. The problem was we were running into a head wind and that was sapping our energy. The advantage was I happened to be at the back of the pack and my energy wasn’t quite as zapped as Rocket’s and just as another gust of wind hit the leaders head on I pulled around for a pass. I could see Rocket was tapped so I was about to pull back over to let him draft me when Sidewinder pulled passed me with no intention of stopping. Not willing to let him got away I held onto his back wheel till we got to Florida where we pulled over to wait for the rest of the group. Sidewinder was so focused that he rode on without us but soon returned to see why we had stopped.

Once regrouped we continued on all the way down Menifee till we turned onto Simpson and got slightly split up by the light at Linderburger. Cossack, Rocket, Hitman and Sidewinder pulled out in front of us and Beowulf pulled me along till I got my second wind and we all turned onto Leon heading for 9th.


There was a mini sprint with Rocket, Cossack, Beowulf and Sidewinder that didn’t get started till we were well down the road because there was some construction going on. But we all made it to Chris’s together and had some coffee and watched in wonder as Sidewinder refueled on a BLT. Once we were all ready to go it was a quick jump up to Domenigoni and the run back towards Sanderson. Rocket, Cossack and Sidewinder decided to make another run and the rest of us watched as they pulled away while we held to about 18 mph. Still by the time I got home we had an average of over 17 MPH for 38 miles. It may have been a bit quick for an easy Friday ride but it was a good ride none the less.

3/24/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca


I wasn’t feeling 100 percent when I got up this morning. I didn’t sleep all that well and was suffering with a bit of a headache but after a few Aspirin and a shower things seemed to be getting better. The day was starting to look pretty good and I didn’t want to miss a chance to ride with my friends so I put on my cycling clothes and had a cup of coffee while waiting to ride over to the Burger King.

When I arrived at the parking lot Parky and Duramax were waiting and to my surprise so was Wart. I hadn’t seen Wart for months and it was good to have him back with us after all this time. By the time we were ready to leave we had 13 riders plus the C group with 3.



We turned onto Acacia and then onto Kirby and it felt good to see so many coming out for a ride on what we call the little Pyrenees. I could almost feel myself drawing energy from the group as we turned off of Kirby on the short cut to Johnston. Rocket and Quicksticks were rolling along smoothly but you could see they were just a bit restrained and knowing the Toolman and Jeff were with us made me feel the run down Domenigoni might be quite a ride.


When we turned onto Domenigoni the pace line formed and pretty much as I expected the speed started to increase. Much as I expected Rocket, Jeff, Toolman, Ivan, Mark, Bounty Hunter, Nathan and Jessie formed the first group and I latched onto the back like I had a tractor beam. The pace only slowed slightly as we came to the light at Warren. As soon as we were moving again things started to get even more interesting as once again the pace was increased well beyond the normal B group cruising speed. As we got close the river overpass the pack was pulled by one after the other till it was my turn to put up or fall off so I managed to hold about 24 for about a minute and a half before I gave up the lead to Highlander and then Bounty Hunter. After taking their turn I lost track of them as we got close to Winchester Road. Quicksticks pulled off at the intersection and Shadow joined us as we once again took off at a pretty rapid pace.

It was here that I will continue with my space craft description we started losing riders like ice falling off of a rocket. I found myself behind Rocket, Jeff, Toolman, Shadow, Jesse and I had no idea who might be behind me because it was all I could do to hold on to the line. As we got to the bottom of the saddle I was closer to the group and to my surprise Jessie pulled over to let me not that I had a lot left to go by with. Ahead of me it was Jeff, Rocket and Toolman and I wasn’t closing on either of them when suddenly Toolman slowed down. I could tell he would easily make it to the top before me and I wasn’t foolish enough to believe he was cooked and that if I did close he wouldn’t simply put the hammer down and drop me. Rocket and Toolman pulled over as I got to the top and Shadow rolled by riding after Jeff. It only took a few minutes till everyone regrouped and headed off towards Sun City.

We lost Mark at Linderburger and Tollman, Jeff and Shadow turned back at the freeway while Nathan, Jesse, and Rocket waited for us just passed the freeway. The whole group made it to Goetz together and this time Rocket, Hitman, Jesse and Nathan took off and crested t hill in front of the rest of us.

The ride back to Macall was smooth and we all got to the bottom of Macall together. Once over the hill it was a pace line all the way to Simpson and then left on Leon before traditional sprint on 9th. Hitman was way out in front before we even got there and even flat out I couldn’t close to overtake him. Rocket caught me as we came to the rise before the Pentecostal Church and he pushed and dragged me all the way to Winchester.


We stopped at Chris’s and I got a picture of Traveler because this would be his last day riding with us before he headed back to Canada. We had coffee and talked for a while before it was time for us all to head back by the airport and home. During this whole ride T-3 had held her own on Domenigoni and over the little Pyrenees. She was still with us as we rode towards Hemet and she was still smiling. 43 miles at close to 17 MPH average and over hills and she was still smiling. I worry about the day she runs me down like the character in the Terminator movie. Still is good to have her with us.

3/22/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca
Memorial Ride

As I left the house today I was as close to being numb or lukewarm as I have been since I started riding. Physically I was doing fine but emotionally I was down. I had received news this weekend the Deacon had passed away. Deacon’s real name was Forrest Petty and he was one of the first people I met when I started riding with the group. He encouraged me because he was still cycling at 82 at the time and I figured if he could get up and ride I could as well. He was always at Burger King waiting when I pulled into the parking lot. The only thing I could think of to do was to set up a ride in his honor. I announced my intention and discovered many in the group felt just like I did. So today would be a ride following the route he most often took to Chris’s and Carl’s. I was very pleased to see the number of people that turned out to join in a ride for Forrest


Pictured at Burger King from Left to right with Richard in front starting with the first standing row is Gerry, Bob F. Jim, Rich, Rick, Art and Jose. Left to right in the back row are Wayne, Ivan, Curt, Bob B. and Ben.

Greg O arrived after we took the picture and Greg G arrived right after him.

I had Jim lead us out to Domenigoni and told the other riders that if they felt like stretching their legs we would meet them at Chris’s. They stayed with us all the way to Domenigoni and then we split into two groups.

Some of us followed Jim all the way down to Lindenburger and then turned north towards Simpson and then east towards Winchester. When we got to Chris’s the rest of the group was waiting for us and we took a moment to reflect on what a blessing Forrest had been to our group.
Some of us were on a limited time schedule so we split up once again and had Jim lead Rich, Ben, Gerry and I back towards Hemet.

When we got back to Stetson we found Greg G, Greg O, Richard and Rick waiting for us. We then continued on towards Carl’s on the other side of town to make our second to last stop in respect to Forrest.

We lost Greg G as we passed his street heading for Ramona Road and the rest of us continued on to Carl’s for a time of reflection and coffee. Some of us left Carl’s and stopped on last time on Lincoln and Meridian to say good- bye at the turn where Forrest most often left us heading for home. Forrest will be missed but he will always be an inspiration to those of us who had the privilege of riding with him.

3/20/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca
Special report

What could be nicer than an easy ride on Saturday morning and to have coffee or tea sitting outside in the warm sun? Nothing comes to my mind so that is exactly what a few of us planned to do on the Monthly Coffee Shop ride.

People started showing up about 7:45 am and by 8:00 we had a small group of about 10 riders. Once we got started Richard and his navigator fell in behind me as we rode north on Lyon. He safely navigated the left on Devonshire and another right turn onto Kirby. It seems like the navigator knew what he was doing.


We had an easy ride down Kirby and slowly made our way to Esplanade where we turned east. Brian and I were in front making sure everyone stayed on course and that no one was left behind or needed help with any problems we might run into. Thank goodness we were flat free all the way to Hewitt. It was good to know that Dylan and Andrew were riding in back to make sure no one missed a turn. We also had Alex and Joe riding in the middle of the group.

We made it safely down Hewitt and turned onto Park to ride a loop passed Zebras and farm animals. Yes I said Zebras. Once we turned off of park and onto Devonshire it was all downhill to Santa Fe then latham and finally to the old Hemet Train Station. We were joined by some of the racers as we had coffee and conversation. It almost reminded me of a scene in Italy looking at everyone sitting out on the patio having a relaxing good time.
It was a great day and one that was perfect for families and kids.

3/19/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

Several year ago there was a movie Groundhog Day. The basic concept was that the main character was trapped in a loop that made him relive the same day over and over. In the movie this was a bad thing even if it was done in humor. When I looked out at the sky while drinking my coffee this morning it looked pretty much as it did Wednesday, perfect and that wasn’t a bad thing. Even if I had planned a easy ride for Friday I couldn’t have asked for better weather.

Once everyone was assembled and a head count was taken we told the C group that we would meet them at Carl’s on the east end of town and eleven of us started off down Gilmore towards Acacia on a ride I had named Flat Friday 38 because it was supposed to describe and easy ride with no noticeable hills of about 38 miles. The only caveat I would add to the easy ride idea was that sometimes these flat rides can be a bit faster than some would like but if people didn’t want to ride a fast pace they could stay back with the B group. The only problem I could see with my plan was that the whole group looked like they were ready to run with the A group and I was still tired from riding Thursday. Still we were riding a relaxed pace as we turned off of Kirby onto Cypress I looked to Rocket to lead the A group and I would stay with the B group if and when we started to split up.



Today we were joined by two strong female riders with T-3 who has been improving every week and Aldona who was visiting us from Back east, Massachusetts I believe, on her beautiful Trek TT bike. I was constantly looking over my shoulder to see if they were gaining on me. This was the second time Aldona had joined us and we always enjoy having her visit when she is in the area. It was nice it was such a beautiful day for her to be out here because I know it is hard to get much riding in when winter hits in her home area. T-3 has been training between group rides to get both stronger and to improve her riding technique. Whenever I looked to see where these two riders were I almost always found them right in the middle of the pack.

We turned onto Stetson heading west after the airport and the pace started to pick up. But no sooner had we passed Warren Road when Quicksticks got a flat. We decided to wait for him at the corner of Stetson and California. Highlander took the time to explain to another new rider named Jake, now called Sidewinder, who we considered the A group riders. Sidewinder wanted to know because he had every intention of chasing the A group if and when they split off. With his energy and natural ability he should have no problem becoming a pledge for the A group anytime he wants. Once the group was all together we took off again and turned on Stowe where Rocket and Beowulf stretched his their legs and pulled away from us until Hit man passed hoping to make a stop at Chris’s before trying to catch us after we returned from Domenigoni and Leon. But just as we made the U turn at Leon Quicksticks had a second flat. Fortunately Aldona had a tube with a 60MM stem that would work with his wheels. The whole group stopped to watch Quicksticks fix his tire and kibitz as best we could. Highlander took the time to instruct Sidewinder on drafting.


Hit man had caught us when we stopped for the flat and seemed to be a bit antsy so he took Attack cat and T-3 and headed down Domenigoni while the rest of us waited for Quicksticks. Once everything was back together we started back east on Domenigoni with Rocket leading the way at what seemed like an ever increasing pace all the way to Winchester Road. By the time we got to Winchester only Beowulf and I were hanging on. Everyone caught us at the light and we took off all together again. Soon Beowulf pulled in front and set a pretty fast pace all the way to just before we got to the overpass at Patton just before Warren. I pulled out of the draft and made a run for t over pass but Rocket must have fired his retrorockets and the caught me before I could crest the rise. Sidewinder wasn’t far behind and shortly after I sat up Beowulf pulled the rest of the group up to and passed me.


The group reassembled at Sanderson but we got split up again before we got to State. Somehow Beowulf disappeared and we lost Highlander. Turns out they had turned towards the marina and didn’t rejoin us till we got to Thornton. We lost Quicksticks at Thornton and Buena Vista to another flat so Rocket flew wingman and escorted him the two blocks to his house.

We started running out of time so we headed straight down Stetson and made the turn on Lake rather than going all the way to Fairview. That decision caused us to lose Duramax who ended up going to the Ranger Station without us and finally we were joined by Highlander after we got to Carl’s.

Hit man took Beowulf, Aldona, and Attack Cat to ride back down Soboba while the rest of us stopped for coffee to finally be joined by Casey Jones who had left us earlier to repair a broken saddle rail. Finally several of us rode back to Park and back towards Burger King to complete a good ride even if it didn’t go just like a planned. Maybe I should rethink the name “Flat Friday” we had more flats in our 34 miles than anyone wanted.

3/17/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

One day I was walking down the road and I found a seat bag buried in the sand. I brushed it off and as I was doing so smoke and steam escaped and out came a genie. I was told that I could have three wishes but because this genie was a small genie and in a seat bag they had to be bike related. My first wish was for a carbon fiber bike. My second wish was for good friends to ride with. My third wish was for perfect weather to ride in. Poof just like that all three wishes were granted. Well Ok to be honest I just made that up but today all three of those things happened today. I was riding my new bike with good friends and a day with perfect weather.


Today we were going to ride Juniper Flats which typically isn’t one of my favorite rides because it is anything but flat. Still it is a favorite with many on the bike group and it always gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I make the ride. So after we all assembled at Burger King we agreed to meet the C group at Chris’s in Winchester and left the parking lot heading for Lyon Street and north towards Ramona Road. I always like the first five to ten miles of our ride because that is when some of the best conversations take place and we get a chance to catch up on what is going on in our friend’s lives. Everyone was commenting on what a beautiful day it was and how good we all felt which made me think we might have a pretty good climb. I looked back to see Huntress and T-3 following me and I began to wonder if they just might be planning on running over me as I struggled up the Flats.

Once we got out onto Ramona Expressway the pace picked up a bit but we all stayed together except for Attack Cat who was running ahead of us most of the way till we got to Warren where we fell onto his back wheel. As we took turns leading first Attack cat then I and then Highlander kept the pace at between 18 and 20 MPH. When Duramax got in front we picked it up to 21-23 MPH almost all the way to the turn on Hansen. After a brief stop to shed an extra vest or two Rocket slowly picked up the pace as we got closer to Contour and Juniper flats road. I was moving along pretty good till some kind of insect decided to fly into my helmet and into my left ear. I managed to shake him or her out without falling over in my wild flailing.

I was climbing the hill at a pretty good pace for me as I watch Rocket pulling away and suddenly Beowulf shot passed like he was going to give chase. I didn’t let it bother me till we got to one of the steeper sections and I decided to give a shot at trying to close with Beowulf. It turned out to be a bad idea as I had expended far too much energy for the amount of hill I had left and ended up having to down shift quite a few gears till I got my heart rate back to normal.


Rocket and Beowulf when back to check on Huntress and T-3 only to discover they were well escorted by Highlander and Duramax so they turned back to follow me to the top of the hill on Juniper. Attack Cat continued on as I waited for the rest of the group to get to the top of the hill before we raced down the back side towards Florida. Soon I watched as Duramax and then Huntress were riding up the last hill towards me. Considering how many times we have climbed this hill it surprises me how close we all were together. There wasn’t more than 1 ½ minutes between riders coming up the hill one after the other.


I was very impressed with the energy Huntress seems to have left as she topped the hill but what might have impressed me even more was how well T-3 took the hill today. I have watched her get stronger with just about every ride in the last few weeks and I can say it is good to have her in our group. I can remember the first time I say her ride up Juniper flats and how she struggled to make it. Today was a totally different T-3 this was one that knew she could beat the hill and was looking to do it even better than she had the last time. She started down the hill as the rest of the group waited to make sure everyone was collected for the fast run down the hill and the run down Florida to the High School on Florida.


The run over to Grand was pretty normal except that Attack Cat was pretty far out in front of us and he stayed that way most of the way to Leon. Rocket started to pick up the pace with Highlander and Huntress on his wheel and I was trailing the three of them. I didn’t notice that Beowulf was on my wheel as well. Huntress stayed with the pace line till we got to about 23 or 24 and we were closing with Attack cat pretty rapidly. I closed with Highlander and at about 25 of 26 he waved me by to lock on to Rocket. We caught Attack cat at the top of the rise where Grand turns into 9th and soon it was a 4 man pace line until it turned into an all out sprint. It was a great ride and a great sprint that left us all gasping for air but smiling none the less. Rocket soon regained the lead and the rest of us followed him to Chris’s where we met up with the C group and Casey Jones who had shown up late for the ride and never connected with us. By the time I got home it was another 39 mile day. Good friends, good weather equals a good day.

3/15/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

I was disappointed that I missed the group Friday but I had a commitment I promised my wife I would do and I simply couldn’t get out of it. Still I managed to get in a 40 mile ride on Saturday and my only complaint was it was cold and windy almost all day Saturday. Like the old song I have started to call the wind Mariah and Mariah was with me on my ride all day. Sunday was cool but hardly seemed like any wind so I was eager to see what this morning would bring. When I got up and had a cup of coffee I looked out on a beautiful day and suddenly I was ready for a new ride on a new day. It felt a lot like spring and I was looking forward to riding passed a heard of Sheep to see if they had any lambs.

Like any normal day Deacon, Duramax and Parky were waiting for me when I pulled into the parking lot. While we exchanged greetings Rocket, Highlander, Tax Man and Hit man pulled up. While we were still saying hello Attack Cat was unloading his Cannondale from his car and Traveler joined us about the same time Nathan arrived. It wasn’t long before we had a full crew when Jessie arrived. I asked if everyone was aware of the route I had posted and everyone side they were ready so we pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the Hemet Airport. As we turned towards the Airport we picked up Casey Jones and we were off as a group towards Warren road.

Rocket, Hit man and I were running along at a pretty good clip down Warren Road before I noticed the group was starting to break up a bit. I backed it down a bit and joined Duramax in cruise mode as we passed Cottonwood and started gaining on Tax Man. We were joined by Mariah and not a gentle breeze but she was blowing at a pretty good clip. Somehow we lost Tax Man at Ramona Expressway and Duramax ended up pulling me most of the way to Bridge Street. As we made the turn we caught Highlander waiting for us at the corner. Because we didn’t stop he had to catch up with us and after he pulled up next to me he explained how he and Mariah were not good friends and he would rather not ride with her at all.

Most of the way to Gilman we were buffeted by Mariah and I had to drop into the small chain ring. We regrouped at the corner of Bridge and Gilman and discovered that Tax Man had turned right on Ramona when the rest of us went left. I told him to wait on Ramona Road and we would be there as soon as we could. However at this point Mariah was back in our face with the occasional hit on the left shoulder. Rocket and his group started to pull away but every time I tried to pick up and speed I would almost get knocked off of the road. Finally we regrouped one more time just before we were going to turn south on Sanderson. With Mariah hitting us hard we stood around like a bunch of Indian corn trying to keep from blowing over. Almost everyone was looking tired and we were only halfway through the ride. Rocket decided that when he got back to Ramona and Lyon he was going to call it a day. I guess you might say he had expended more rocket fuel than he had planned and wanted to save enough for the return trip home. Highlander and Tax Man decided to leave on Lyon as well.

It was down to Hit Man, Casey Jones, Duramax, Attack cat, Nathan, Jessie and I. At State Street Nathan and Jesse stopped for water and the rest of us continued on to Soboba expecting the two of them to catch us before we got to the golf course. Just before we made the turn off of State Casey Jones and Attack cat pulled into the lead. I thought about going after them but held back to see if we would be joined by the trailing group. Hit man and I rode side by side for a while and watched Casey Jones pull away with Attack cat on his wheel. After the first little roller we say Attack cat take the lead and then Hit man does what hit man can do so well he took off after them. I waited a bit longer till we were over the first hill before I decided to stretch out a bit on my new ride and see how she would do on a long chase.

Hit man pulled up on Casey Jones and then started to close on Attack cat. Casey pulled onto his back wheel and soon Hit man and Casey Jones were passing Attack cat. I also noticed I was gaining on them. By the time we were even with the beginning of the golf course I pulled up on Attack cat. At the bottom of the last hill I had Casey Jones in my sight and I managed to have just enough energy to get passed him. I was feeling pretty good and Mariah had backed off. As Hit man and I waited for Duramax, Nathan and Jessie we watched Casey Jones and Attack cat ride by. When Nathan and Jessie failed to show up Duramax, Hit man and I continued on but noticed we were running way behind our 11 am stop time. Hit man left to get in some Gym time and Duramax had to get home by the time we got to Columbia. When I got to the Old Hemet Train Station none of the other riders were there. But soon I was joined by Casey Jones and Attack cat and finally by Nathan and Jessie. I ended up with 39.5 miles and a great workout and spent some time with Casey Jones and Attack cat solving the problems of the universe over coffee.