4/30/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

Looking outside this morning all I can say is it was a beautiful day. We had a clear sky with maybe a few puffy white clouds and maybe just a bit cooler than I expected for this time of year. As I left the house all I could do is hope for a good group turn out. I even left the house early just to get over to the parking lot but I discovered Duramax and Sidewinder waiting for me. It was still a bit cool but people began to show up slowly but surely. By 9 am there we 13 riders ready to go so we started out for a easy ride west passed the airport towards Winchester. I managed to lead the pack as we turned off of Kirby and headed for Johnson but it was one of the last times I was to find myself in front of Rocket.


It was good to see the group riding together as we approached the Airport. Over the last few months we seem to have come together as a group and everyone seems to be getting to know each other. We seem to have congealed into a relaxed group of friends that riders have brought their sons out to join us like Full Throttle has with Cory. I was also pleased to see Sherpa back with us after a long sabbatical.

I wouldn’t get a chance to reflect on this for very long because as soon as we reached California Street and headed for Stowe Rocket, Cossack, Hit man, Killer B (Jeff), Gambler, Full Throttle, Sidewinder and Tool man caught site of Raptor almost to Stowe and started to pick up the pace leaving Sherpa, Duramax, Cory and I to fight the wind by

The four of us didn’t catch Raptor till we had made the turn onto Stowe and we got into a pace line heading for Winchester. Somehow the wind seemed to be coming right at us even if it looked like it was blowing from the south. Sherpa, Duramax and I took turns pulling as we watch the A group pull away. All we could hope for was that they would wait for us at Winchester. Much to my relief we saw them pull into the parking lot on the corner of Winchester and Stowe and we got a chance to regroup.

The regroup didn’t last long however because three of us got caught by traffic as we made the turn onto Winchester and few way behind as the rest of the group turned onto Grand/9th street. Cory was with us for a while but soon he took off after Full Throttle and Duramax and I continued on by ourselves on Briggs. We could just see Full Throttle and Cory as we came out of the housing tract and headed for Florida. And we saw him turn the corner on Mapes. By then we were well behind the main group and I could just see KillerB cresting McCall as we passed the electric yard on the other side of Florida.

By the time we got to McCall Full Throttle was over the top and once we crested the hill we couldn’t see anyone. We rode all the way to the end of McCall and made the turn towards Cherry Hill. When we got to Bradley we figured we would get to Jack in the Box well after everyone else. We picked up the pace a bit and made the turn onto Newport at about 10:35. It wasn’t five minutes later that we pulled up to the light just before the freeway. I happened to look behind me and I noticed Rocket and the rest of the group pulling in behind me. It seems as if they went passed Cherry Hill and all the way to LaLondra so we got a chance to regroup without even trying. What I didn’t realize was the Full Throttle had gone the same way we did and was already at Jack in the box believing everyone else had left. He took off for home only to have Rocket and Cossack pull in behind him somewhere on the road. They hadn’t stopped when the rest of us turned into the Jack in the Box parking lot.

The rest of us took a break at Jack in the Box and managed to meet up with Parky who had been to Sun City Cycles to order a new rear hub. I would like to say we had a quick cup of coffee but it seems as if getting a quick anything in area code 951 is a rare thing. We took off for home and soon spread out into at least three groups as everyone headed for home. I ended up with just over 40 miles and had one of my better climbs on McCall. I look forward to being with these riders again Monday.

4/28/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca
I knew I wanted to ride today. In fact I knew I wanted to ride even before I went to bed last night. The problem was I had looked at the weather report and I had listened to the weather report and when I went to be it didn’t look like the weather was going to cooperate. When I got up this morning I shuffled to the front window much like a small child heading for the principal’s and expecting something unpleasant. As I looked out the streets were damp but my sidewalk was dry. I felt like I had escaped from my captors and had a chance to get free. Some little cloud about the size of a Volkswagen came over and dumped just enough water to get my sidewalks wet but it must have been the last in its pack because soon it was dry again.

I arrived at Burger king just before T-3, Duramax, Connie and Attack cat. I watched as they pulled up to the building and we all commented on how cool it seemed. However the sky seemed to be clearing to the south west so we decided to give the ride a try. So out of the parking lot we went and over to Acacia then Kirby and a right turn through the housing tract towards Johnson.


Connie stayed with us all the way to Domenigoni but informed me that she would be turning at Winchester and not attempting the full ride. After we got to Warren road I believe some of us thought she was smarter than we were because our old friend Mariah, the wind, hit us in the left front shoulder. The wind never let up all the way to Winchester. Attack cat started to pull away from us after the little hill at the river crossing and the three of us held to the game plan and continued on as a group till we got to Winchester road.

The wind made for some confusion because while it was pretty cool it was making us work pretty hard just to keep up 16 MPH. By the time Duramax had taken his third turn at pulling T-3 and I he was overheating. After I got back in front he pulled up next to me and informed me that after Winchester he was going to pull over and take off his jacket. T-3 decided to stick it out with her jacket and we were soon back on the road heading for the Domenigoni saddle and hopefully regroup with Attack cat. As we rounded the corner from Leon I could see a helmet and jersey waiting for us so I knew he was waiting.

The plan was to ride to LaLadera and make the turn heading for McCall but by the time we got to Murrieta I had about enough of the wind on the face and decided we would turn early and maybe get some wind at our back for a while. It was such a relief to have the wind more or less at our backs that we began to smile a bit. That smile stayed with us all the way up McCall and down the other side to Heritage and finally Stempson. We made short work of the road to Chris’s and were very relieved to get inside and sit down for some coffee.

Once we were warmed up by our coffee and the restaurant we got back on the road and headed for the airport and home. It was still cool but at least we were not fighting the wind and the ride back to Sanderson was quick and uneventful. We split at Sanderson and T-3 and I rode together down Johnson chatting all the way. It may only have been 35 miles but it was a good ride none the less.

4/26/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

Sometimes Monday should be an easy day. After hearing how hard the race some of our riders did on Saturday I thought this would be one of those easy Monday rides. It was a clear warm morning and I for one was looking forward to getting together with my friends and making a cruise east. I still hadn’t found a new camera yet but I had narrowed down what I wanted so at least I knew what I was looking for. But today I would have to make do with just my cell phone.

I got to the Burger King to find that Tool Man was already waiting for me. I didn’t have a clue as to how many riders would be here but I could tell right up front it was going to be a beautiful day. Before I knew it we had 17 riders eager and ready to go. The last rider to arrive was Attack cat and Raptor left while he was still unloading his car. As soon as he was ready we started out of the parking lot and headed for Devonshire and I chatted with Red Rabbit. We quickly made it over to Lyon and by the time we were passing Menlo the whole group was right behind me. Looking back everyone seemed to be coming out of the shadows as if riders were just materializing behind me.


I fell back after a block or two to get a head count and it was then that I realized we had so many riders. For this early in the season 17 riders is a very good number. In fact 17 is a good number for any time in the season and I was impressed. I fell back to try and make sure I had the count correct and to see if everyone was doing ok. During that time Attack cat and Surgeon moved forward as did Tax man. I moved forward to make sure no one tried to go the wrong way on Ramona and headed for the light at Ramona Expressway. It turned out to be a quick green and only half of us made it through. Attack cat continued on while the rest of us waited to regroup and head for Sanderson. Attack cat pulled over just as we got to Sanderson but seemed to want to rush the pace a bit and once again left us heading for Gilman.

With the exception of Attack cat we were all in one long line down Gilman. It stayed that way till we got ready to turn onto Soboba. I was pulling most of the way and was getting just a bit tired as we turned towards the first little hill on Soboba and watched as Attack cat slowly pulled away from our more moderate pace. It wasn’t long before rocket decided to test his tired legs. I was surprised to see him pull up next to Attack cat as we neared the golf course. But what may have surprised me even more was the run that Hit man made from about ¼ mile back. He managed to catch and pass everyone to make it to the top of the last hill in front of everyone. When I pulled up next to him as we regrouped he simply said he needed to visit the man tree first. We laughed and got ready to continue the rest of the ride. It was right about here the group split up into three pieces. One group continued on to Carl’s right after making the light.

One group ran down to Florida on Ramona and one group turned and made it over to Florida on Fairview. Some of us went all the way to the Ranger station and some stopped for coffee. The last group managed to get to Carl’s before everyone had left and we sat and joked and drank coffee for a few minutes before heading for home. I only had 34 miles on the clock when I got home but I felt good and had a good time.

After I got home I started to down load my cell pictures and decided I would have to go shopping for a new camera before the next ride. The good news is I found a simple point and shoot that should work just fine.

4/23/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

I just can’t help myself I like Friday rides. I like the idea of just going out for a ride and enjoying the company of a few good friends and, in the case of this Friday, clear blue skies. When I go to the Burger King parking lot Duramax was just pulling up. Sidewaider, Tool Man, Raptor and Connie were not far behind. Red Rabbit and Jeff arrived followed by T-3 and Connie


Lastly Dudley arrived with Shadow showing up in his car. By 9am it looked like we were all ready so I started to explain where we were going in case the racers decided to take off. I was assured they would be taking it easy because they have a race tomorrow so we set out for one of our easy Friday rides.
As usual Red Rabbit got an early start but we caught him on Kirby riding his 29er. Raptor was in the lead as we came up Sanderson to Domenigoni and made the turn west. Soon we were in a pace line and the speed was slowly picking up. Once we hit about 20 MPH we settled into steady pace and cruised all the way to Winchester. Red Rabbit fell back a bit and we changed leads as we came up to Leon. Sidewinder decided he felt like attacking the Domenigoni Saddle and he pulled out of my draft running hard. I had already downshifted into my small sprocket and was in full spin as he passed but I tried to kick it up a notch to see if I could pass but even at full spin I couldn’t get around however Dudley had no such problem being in the better gear. We reached the top of the saddle and regrouped even waiting for Red Rabbit.

Once we were all collected and ready to go Red Rabbit informed me that he would be leaving us at Lindenburger and heading for home. We started down the hill and everyone by Red Rabbit made it through the light at Lindeburger. Sidewinder pulled up next to me looking full of energy and happy to be out on such a good looking day. Raptor managed to get through the light at Menifee and for one of the first time ever we all got the light together. As we approached the hill on Menifee Sidewinder decided to make another run at it. He got a pretty good jump before once again Dudley took off after him to see how far he could let him go before he could catch him. It looked like he pulled up next to him right at the top of the hill. It wouldn’t be the last hill Sidewinder decided to attack for the day.

I pulled till we got to Hawn and Jeff pulled us all the way to Holland where we made a left turn and make a quick run to Murrieta. We regrouped once more before heading back to Newport and then east back towards Hemet. It was not about time for a bit of socializing so we talked and rode easily passed the freeway heading back to Menifee. As we rolled up to the back side of the saddle one again Sidewinder took off and this time Dudley didn’t give chase till he was almost at the top of the hill. I don’t think he caught sidewinder till he crested the saddle but shortly after the rest of us started down the back side we saw two of them riding together. Jeff took off after them and Duramax, T-3, Tool Man and I followed behind. Soon we caught up to them and noticed Sidewinder had tossed a crank arm, something I had experienced shortly after rebuilding my Jamis, so we stopped and helped him put it back on. Jeff must have missed us because he continued on heading for home. Thank goodness Duramax had his expanded took kit in his bag because none of us had an 8 mm wrench.

After we were all back on the road we discovered Jeff was nowhere to be seen. I am not sure but he may have had an appointment. We moved quickly passed Winchester and onto Warren where once again Dudley and Sidewinder jumped out to a lead. We pulled up to them at the light and continued on towards Sanderson. Dudley pulled me along at close to 29 MPH almost all the way to Sanderson where we turned and headed for coffee at Kelley’s. As we pulled in I noticed Raptor was back with us. It was a new stop for us but the coffee was good and there were good seats to sit on. Once we had a chance to visit and relive the ride people started drifting off to their homes. I ended up with about 40 good miles in great weather. I also had a good time with good friends. As someone said, that is why we live here.

4/19/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

When I got up this morning I was still a bit sore from the Century Saturday. I had planned a ride that would allow me to take it a bit easy if I could only stay away from chasing the big dogs. I looked out of my front window and it looked like it wasn’t going to a bad day at all. Once I got to the parking lot my assumption was conformed it was a great looking morning.

My first challenge to taking it easy came right after I left the parking lot. For some reason I got out first and made the light at Florida and it just turned red as the rest of the group got to it. Now picture all of those movies you have seen where a little devil pops up on one shoulder and a small Angel on the other. My little devil was telling me than I could make it to Domenigoni before they could get to Stetson. If I pushed myself I might make warren before they ran me down. My little angel said this was a group ride and I was supposed to take it easy on my tired legs. The little angel won but looking back at the pack I can tell you I know what temptation is.
After we were all on the road together the pace was at least moderate and I wondered if I was going to be able to just hold on to the group. It is funny how the mind works because as we turned off of Kirby and I watched the group pull up on me everyone looked more refreshed than I felt. As we turned onto Sanderson we had already formed a pace line and I could only hope the big dogs wouldn’t put the hammer down too hard before we got to Winchester.
As we turned onto Domenigoni the pace picked up but at least it wasn’t unreasonable so we cruised most of the way to Winchester at about 20 MPH and maybe once or twice a bit faster. Once we got close to Leon some of the people started to line up for the traditional sprint up the Domenigoni saddle. To be honest I seriously considered joining the lead group but I knew I would be paying for it for the rest of the ride. That thought didn’t seem to be on Rocket, Power Surge, Cossack, Hit man or Sidewinders mind as they attacked the hill in full sprint. Once we got to the top we stopped and waited for the stragglers. Once we started down the back side towards the freeway the group started to split up. Tax man turned off at Lindenburger and Duramax, Sidewinder and Jose continued on following Rocket, Jeff, Hit man, Cossack, Quick Sticks, Power surge and Bounty Hunter. Red Rabbit and Wart had turned back on Winchester and would be waiting for us at Chris’s. However we had to make a cleat repair for sidewinder and it took us a while to catch up to the lead group.

After we reconnected at the park on LaLadea it was a quick jaunt passed the ground owl habitat and then over towards McCall. Once we reached the freeway the A group took off again spurred on by Power Surge I believe and there was another mini race up the hill. We regrouped once again and headed down the Hill towards Menifee road where half the group made a left turn and half of the group went onto Heritage and over to Lindenburger.

Some of the riders reconnected on Simpson and raced away back towards Leon and over to Grand. Duramax and I rode with Jose till I got back to Winchester where most of the riders turned for Chris’s. I had an appointment so Jose and I turned for home riding down Winchester to Stowe and finally back to Stetson and home. I had a better than average speed for my 37 miles and my legs didn’t hurt as much as I thought they would. Once I get my hands on another camera I will try to provide better pictures. But for not my cell phone will have to do.

4/17/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

Special Report

I got up early or should I say I didn’t sleep well so I got up early so I could get breakfast and get ready for the first half of Hemet Double Century. I was looking forward to riding with some friends and getting a chance to meet new friends. As I got dressed I got a text message from Sidewinder they he had picked up his new bike and was ready to go except he was short a spare tube. So I rode over to his house and gave him one so we could ride over to the Motel together. It was dark but we were looking forward to the ride. We got to the Motel about 5:30 am. By 6 am our entire small group had arrived and we were getting ready to go. Just as the sun came up we took off towards Florida and Down to Warren Mark, “Metric man” pulled up next to me and was highlighted as the sun came up over Idyllwild.


The run down Ramona was easy and quick with our whole group catching and passing a few riders and a few riders caught and passed us. But as we got to Lakeview Beowulf, Metric man and I hit the hill hard and took turns leading the way to the top of the second climb and made quick work of the downhill and the turn at Evans. I stopped to wait for the group to catch up and Beowulf attached himself to two other riders I had passed earlier. We took the ride up Evans smoothly and encouraged each other that we were making good time. Metric man, Huntress and I continued on together towards the turn on

After we made the turn onto Alessandro Duramax, T-3, Ruby Tuesday and I pedaled along easily waiting for Sidewinder who had stopped to remove a long sleeve shirt he had on under his jersey. He soon caught us and took off in pursuit of Metric man and Huntress and then Beowulf. We were planning on regrouping at the first rest stop where we would refresh a bit and continue on.

At the rest stop I may not have eaten enough feeling that my large breakfast was still working for me but I still felt pretty good. Just as everyone was ready to leave Beowulf thought he recognized a rider passing the rest stop and took off. It didn’t take long before Sidewinder was going after him. Many of us knew we were looking forward to a long downhill where Alessandro and Central came together. The trouble is as a cyclist we all knew that for every long downhill you get to enjoy there is a long uphill somewhere to pay for it. But what I was thinking about is my hope that Sidewinder had stayed with Beowulf so he would get to the next rest stop safely.

As we turned onto Victoria we did a mini regroup and rode pretty much together all the way down the road towards Filmore. A few miles down the road T-3 got a flat and we waited while it was repaired. With the help of Duramax it was fixed in short order and we were back on our way heading for Corona and the turn south. It is that southern turn that pays for the long downhill we had on Alessandro. I was very impressed with T-3 and Ruby Tuesday as they set a constant pace up south Main Street to Foothill. Once we made that turn we knew we were within striking distance of Tom’s Farms. What I didn’t know was that Sidewinder had a flat ahead of us and didn’t have a pump. However another rider stopped to help him and he was waiting for us as we got to the rest area.

When we left Tom’s Farm Metric man, Huntress and Sidewinder left first. Beowulf was already gone and that left 4 of us to ride together. I started the pull to Elsinore and we feeling pretty good till right about the 70 mile mark and suddenly I hit the wall. It was like my power meter went flat and my legs filled with cement. As Duramax passed me he asked of I was OK and all I could say was that I was cooked. I fell in line behind Ruby Tuesday and T-3 as Duramax pulled us into Elsinore. Thank goodness we crested the grade about a mile up the road and I had a chance to recharge a bit as we tagged in behind two other riders. We followed them all the way to Railroad Canyon and made it to the rest stop on LaLadera.

Thank goodness for Duramax because he had to pull me most of the way back to warren road before I was ready to take my turn pulling once again. I took my turn to Sanderson and then like a horse heading for the barn took off for the finish. I caught and passed two of the riders that had been in front of us for most of the ride and they followed me into the Motel parking lot. I saw Huntress loading her bike and Metric man pulling out of the parking lot. Sidewinder was finishing his lunch as I walked in and Duramax, T-3, Ruby Tuesday and Huntress checked in right after me. It wasn’t one of my best rides but I enjoyed it and was glad I had friends to ride with.

4/16/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

The day started out with some overcast but it was warm. The plan was to have a short easy ride so the people riding the Century Saturday wouldn’t get too tired. That was the plan but it remained to be seen if that plan would work out. We didn’t have a large group but by 9am there were 10 of us. Once we turned onto Kirby the whole group looked like they were in Cruise mode.

We traveled up Kirby and over to Johnson and finally South on Sanderson towards the High School. It still seemed as if everyone was content on keeping the pace down as we turned west on Mustang with Parky leading us through the houses where we were joined by Casey Jones. Casey seems to be in more of a hurry than the rest of us but at least he held back while we rounded the neighborhood and came back out on Sanderson.

As we turned onto Domenigoni heading towards State Street Rocket started to pick up the pace with the intent of riding up to the marina while the rest of us continued on to State and then over to Mcsweeney. At first I thought Sidewinder and Highlander were going to go with him but it turned out that Cossack, Sidewinder, Casey Jones, and Gambler were the ones that followed while Highlander, T-3, Duramax, Jose, Beowulf and I rode up to Mcsweeney.

After regrouping back on State Street we continued our casual pace till Casey Jones took off on his own and made it through the light at Domenigoni and Sidewinder, Rocket and I sprinted down the road in pursuit till we realized that we were wearing ourselves out on what was supposed to be an easy ride. So we pulled up at Thornton and Buena Vista and regrouped again. But the time we got to Columbia a Pickup truck pulled up next to us and a new rider, Jeff, told us he had missed us at Burger King and followed our route to catch up. We waited while he geared up and he joined us as we worked our way over to Lake Street. I was very impressed that Jose had stayed with us pretty much all the way. For the second time out on his road bike he is doing pretty well.

Once we turned onto Stetson it was a short ride east to Fairview and the run north towards Florida. Beowulf was heading for home and that started the second sprint of the day with a group running at close to 30 all the way to Mulberry. Some of us turned on Florida and some rode around to Mountain and back down Ramona before coming back to Carl’s. We saw Casey Jones leaving just as we pulled up and some of us stopped for coffee and some went home. A few of us rode back together down Lincoln and home with Sidewinder demonstrating his youthful flexibility and energy. Some of us can just barely remember when we were so young.

I rode most of the way home with T-3 and Sidewinder and Highlander rode back to Burger King to drive home. Looking at my computer I could see I just had 30 miles on the clock as I parked the bike. Yet it was a joyful 30 miles with good friends and on a good easy day. The only regret I had was I discovered my digital camera gave up the ghost somewhere on the ride and I had to use my cell phone for the last picture or two. I guess the picture quality will be a little reduced till I can afford a new Camera or a better phone. But I will still attempt to keep the pictures coming.

4/14/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

Once again we had to wait an extra day for our ride because of the weather so people seemed eager and ready when they arrived at the parking lot. I had a short challenging ride planned up Batista Canyon and I knew we would have some new riders with us as well. The eagerness was easy to see because well before it was time to leave we had 17 riders ready to go. By 9 am people were already rolling towards the driveway just to get started.


It didn’t take long for us to travel South down Lyon and across Johnson and Stetson. Tool Man and Shadow had already gone east towards Mountain Center and Idyllwild but we still had 15 riders as we headed east. Everyone seemed content with our rather easy pace as we neared State Street and continued on towards the Golf course to meet up with Bandit. Gambler had made a call as we left Burger King to give Bandit our route and he arrived just before we got there.

Most of the way down Thornton and even as we moved over to Stetson we stayed together as one big group. One of our new riders, Jose was out for the first time on his new Road bike, a Giant Defy and he was doing well keeping up with most of us. Huntress and T-3 rode easily with Hit Man, Cossack, Wart, Bounty Hunter and Duramax. There was another group with Highlander, Sidewinder, Gambler, Bandit, Rocket, Red Rabbit, Whippet and I.

Once we turned off of Stetson onto Columbia we were still pretty much in one big group. It was almost as if everyone was saving their energy for the run up Batista Canyon. Normally by the far into the ride the A and B group would have separated and the A group would be pulling away but this time with the exception of Red Rabbit running out front every now and then we were more like a pack of hunting Dog searching for prey. This was one of those times where I really didn’t know just who was riding with us and just where everyone was. The lead of the group changed so many times it was hard to tell who was going to push us up to Stetson and over to Fairview.

As we turned onto Batista the paces changed all together. Rocket, Bounty Hunter, Cossack, Hit man, Sidewinder, Huntress, Gambler, and Bandit took off and started to stretch out a lead. T-3, Highlander, Duramax and I had to stop to remove some jackets before we started up the hill while Red Rabbit and Whippet passed us to give chase to the bigger A group. Once we got started up the road everyone else was pretty much out of sight. I have no clue as to how the lead group did riding to the end of the road but by the time we got there they had picked up two more riders because Beowulf and Socrates were there with them.

The ride back down the canyon was shaping up to be a good one. Once we managed to navigate our way around a snake sunning itself on the road the pace slowly but surely stared to pick up. It wasn’t long before Sidewinder couldn’t resist himself and he tried to break away. At first Rocket, Highlander, Whippet and I decided not to let him go. After a few turns we were joined by Bounty Hunter and the pace was pretty fast with the lead changing several times. About halfway down the road I pulled up a bit and the two lead groups separated by about ¼ of a mile and it stayed that way all the way back to Fairview. Whippet and Red Rabbit continued on and Rocket and Cossack went home. I waited for the rest of the group at the junction between Fairview and Batista and ended up riding to Florida with Jose and Wart. Beowulf and Socrates decided to ride back up Batista and T-3 had to get home so the rest of us continued on to Carl’s.

Once we got back to Carl’s we discovered Sidewinder had a flat that we would repair after coffee and visiting. When we got inside we were happy to see Raptor after such a long time. When it was time to go home we repaired Sidewinder’s flat and rode home with Wart. It was only 36 miles but it was exciting and the weather was perfect.

4/09/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca
As some of us get ready for the Hemet Double Century I try to put together some longer rides just so we can get prepared. Today was one of those days. I called it the 44 Mag run because it was going to be at least 44 miles for anyone riding from Burger King and back. I didn’t know how many would show up but it looked like a good ride to me and I could only hope it would look like a good one to the rest of the group. The plan was to ride south to Domenigoni then west to Lindenburger where we would turn north and end up on Menifee heading for Nuevo. That was the plan but the execution ended up being slightly different. The first challenge was that we would have to meet up with T-3 after we turned off of Kirby. But we met the challenge with flying colors with only a brief stop to adjust her seat post.


It seems as if T-3 had to use Ruby Tuesday’s bike today and so the saddle and seat post were just a bit too high so we all pulled over to help her get in adjusted correctly. Just like most of our on road repairs it reminds you of the old stereotype of county road workers with one or two people working and everyone else watching. Still Rocket and Duramax got things fixed and we got ready to leave. Once back on our way Rocket and Highlander started to lead the way with Nathan, (Gambler) and Jessie, (Bandit) in tow.

Once we were in a pace line it wasn’t long till we were moving at a rather rapid pace for the whole group. We stayed together pretty well after Bandit and Jessie took the lead and crossed the river overpass at blistering pace for the B group. I have no idea what happened to Wart but I could see Red Rabbit up ahead of us and we were closing fast. We started to spread out a bit after Beowulf took the lead and he kicked it up a bit. Shortly after we passed Red Rabbit I took my last shot at the lead and fell to the back as Hitman and Rocket moved back to the front. The pace picked up and the pace line started to break up. Soon riders were falling off like heat shields off of the space shuttle and I found myself trying to cross the gap as they pulled out of line. There was no way I could catch the first three or four riders but I did catch two or three as we regrouped at the top of Domenigoni Saddle. I didn’t discover that we had picked up Casey Jones till we were all waiting to regroup and recover at the top of the Saddle.

Miscommunication raised its ugly head at this point as we talked about Cossack not feeling well and he might have to leave the ride. Because he lives in Murrieta some decided that was where we were turning. So you can imagine my surprise as I watch most of the group ride right through the light at Lindenburger. I tried calling to turn everyone around but it didn’t work so we had to regroup at Menifee and Domenigoni and work back through the houses to get back to Lindenburger. Finally I heard from Rocket, and arranged to meet up with him and Sidewinder at Menifee and Macall. Turns out he had Beowulf with him as well. Still no wart and Red Rabbit had turned for home. But I had most of the group with me except I had lost Highlander to the Rocket break away.

We waited at the bottom of Macall till Rocket and his contingent arrived and I received a formal complaint from Beowulf that Sidewinder doesn’t make enough of a draft for anyone to follow. Personally I find he makes about three times the wind shadow as Shadow does but I will admit it isn’t as much as one of the larger riders. Highlander called to say he was way out of the flight path and didn’t want us to wait for him so he would be heading home and because of time we lost Rocket, Cossack and Hitman. Still we had a good group and decided we would continue on north on Menifee all the way to Nuevo. I gave implicit instructions about stopping on Nuevo and Menifee and we all regrouped after a hard run with Beowulf and Sidewinder getting to Nuevo first. It was a short hop and a skip to Evans and we turned towards Ramona before heading home with Power surge taking the lead.

Once on Evans Power surge took the lead group with Bandit and Gambler to Ramona while Sidewinder, T-3, Duramax, Beowulf and I cruised several hundred yards behind. Sidewinder tried to close the gap between the lead group and the rest of us as we got to the bottom of the hill by Lake Parris but Power surge was kind enough to stop for us at the top of the grade so we regrouped and got ready for the next run to Lakeview. As we got ready to leave Sidewinder saw the downhill and simply couldn’t hold himself back. He took off like a sprint race and left some of us in his dust. Problem was he had Power surge, Bandit, Gambler, and Beowulf right behind him and they were not about to let him go.

After Sidewinder had maxed out the pace line behind him started to gain and as the hill leveled out they were like a runaway train and he learned a valuable lesson about when to break away and when to wait. His riding has improved every week and already is considered a valued member of our A group. As I watch Sidewinder develop I often wish I had a group of riders like the one we have that were as interested in seeing me get better as we are of wanting to see him mature as a rider. If he continues at this rate soon we will be moving him from the A group to our racing team. We just have to find a way to hold him back till he is ready. We had a conversation to this effect when we stopped to get more fluids at Lakeview but by the time we had rested for just a few minutes he was ready to go and chase Gambler and Bandit all the way to Sanderson.

Beowulf, Duramax, T-3 and I cruised along at a reduced pace till we got back to Ramona Road where we saw Gambler leave and head for home. Everyone started to break off and head for home after we got onto Lyon and while I wasn’t that tired I was having trouble because I got something caught in my throat and I couldn’t seem to get rid of it. I ended up riding most of the way home with Duramax and T-3 and by the time I got home I had just about 50 miles on the computer. The Hemet Century will be longer but no more difficult than the ride we had today so I feel confident we will have very little trouble with the ride on the 17th. I guess that will depend on the weather but if it is as nice as today it should be a great ride.

4/07/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet, Ca

As the sun hit my window this morning I had mixed feeling about the ride that was planned. I was pleased with the idea of the Pursuit ride but I was also well aware of how tired my legs were from riding up Lambs Canyon yesterday. I started to wonder if I would be able to keep up with the B group and I could only hope I wouldn’t slow them down before the A group had a chance to try and catch us.

I got to the parking lot a bit early but it seems as if Attack Cat had been there for a while. As we talked and waited for everyone to arrive it gat warm enough to remove my arm warmers. By the time everyone was assembled I explained to the A group than we would be riding up to Dominigoni on State Street and while the B group turned right for the climb to the marina the A group would go left up Gibbel Road. I could see by the look on some of their faces they were up to the challenge. Once we got started Rocket blasted off at a pretty good pace and Attack cat wasn’t far behind. Rocket took the most direct route towards State Street he could. Attack cat turned on Thornton like the rest of us but rushed off towards State Street as well. Once the B group turned onto State Street Beowulf started to pick up speed and we watched as the A group turned towards Gibbel.


The B group made the right turn on Domenigoni and ran directly into a head wind. Red Rabbit tried to make a run at the light into the water park but wasn’t able to make the run by himself so he had to wait till we were all together as we crossed the street and headed for the Marina Hill. I told the group that they only had to ride up the hill if they wanted to but everyone made the turn with me as we took the one mile climb to the top. Everyone made it to the top and back and we paused at the bottom of the hill to remove windbreakers and arm warmers before heading back out to Domenigoni. As we sat there I thought I saw Rocket go by and a minute or two later Attack cat followed.

The B group ended up chasing two of the A group riders all the way to Winchester. The group as a whole would gain a few yards and then lose ground at the stop lights. Finally as we approached Leon Hitman and I decided to see if we could run down Rocket and Attack cat. We took turns pulling each other till we came upon Rocket just getting back up to speed after stopping to take a call. As we passed he dropped into our line and we took aim at Attack cat. With Rocket in rotation we caught and passed Attack cat and headed for the Domenigoni saddle. At the bottom of the hill I started to run out of gas and managed to crest the hill well after Rocket and Hitman. As we waited for the rest of the B group Attack cat rolled on by believing the pursuit wouldn’t end till we got to Chris’s. The rest of us rode to Chris’s together. We took a few minutes to drink coffee and catch our breath and we were off for home.

The ride home was pretty pleasant heading up Winchester and over towards California on Stowe. At least the wind wasn’t right in our face and everyone was still pretty talkative. As hard as it was for the A group to ride up Gibbel they seemed to have recovered enough to have enjoyed the challenge. Beowulf was shocked at how hard the climb seemed but agreed he would do it again because now he knows what to expect. Officially the A group caught the B group in this pursuit so it makes the score one for the A group and one for the B group. It will be a real challenge to see what the next month’s pursuit. It may have only been 33 miles but it was a good workout for both groups. One part of Gibbel has a stretch that is 13 percent and one part of the Marina hill is 12 percent so both groups were tested based on their ability. Toss in a bit of wind and you have the making of a good ride for a group of good friends. What more can a cyclist ask for?