6/18/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)





When I first got up this morning I noticed a lot of light coming through the front drapes and we very impressed when I noticed the clear blue sky once I opened those same drapes and looked out. I could tell it was going to be a good day for a ride. I could only hope others would feel the same way. While I do enjoy riding I will admit I enjoy it even more when I get a chance to ride with good friends. I got dressed and even left the house a bit earlier than normal so that I got to the parking no one else had arrived. But I didn’t have long to wait before a full group of riders showed up for the days ride.

It took a while for everyone to greet each other and we had two brand new riders join us for the first time, Eyrn and Mary. I took a quick head count before we pulled out of the parking lot and we had sixteen riders ready and eager to go.


While Raptor had to leave a bit early and take a slightly different path than the rest of us we did manage to get all fifteen remaining riders down Gilmore and over to Lyon. It was pleasing to look back and see all the happy looking riders and all the different colored jerseys and bikes. It wasn’t long before we made it passed Stetson and made the turn onto Thornton. Surgeon, Beowulf and Shadow were up front as we moved passed the first two blocks. It was good to See Shadow back with us as it was to have Beowulf there to make sure the group stayed together.


As we moved through the quiet little neighborhoods between Lyon and State Street everyone looked eager and seemed to be riding strong. The female contingency of the group seemed to be doing as well as any of us. They also looked every bit as relaxed and determined as any of us. Huntress was up front nipping at the heels of the normal A group riders and the rest looked like they would have no trouble running over me if I didn’t stay on my toes. Ocelot was due for a good day and T-3 never ceases to impress me. Light Saber gets better with every ride and Mary looked like she fit right in with the rest of them.


We finally turned onto State and Surgeon and Beowulf pulled us all the way to Domenigoni. With Beowulf pulling we made quick work of the road till we passed Sanderson. It looked to me like we were bunching up a bit so I moved forward and asked Beowulf to pick it up a bit to see if we could spread out the line a little. By the time we got to Warren road Hit man and Sherpa were breaking away with the bit of the A group we had for the day. I watched as Cossack, Hit man, Surgeon, Eyrn, Beowulf, Huntress, Sherpa, Light Saber, Gambler and Shadow slowly pulled away from the rest of us. Once on top of the Domenigoni Saddle we regrouped and got ready for the run down the other.


Next it was a quick turn on Lindenberger before crossing Sempson and making the turn on Heritage. Next we ran north on Menifee to the Mini Mart on Florida and Menifee for a short break. Once we were refreshed and refueled it was a fast run north and a regroup at Nuevo Road. I got a late run at Menifee when I went back to the store to turn in a set of keys we found in the parking lot and I simply couldn’t close ground on the group before they got to Nuevo. I can only hope they didn’t have to wait too long but they seemed ready as I rounded the corner and followed Sherpa and Surgeon towards Lakeview. We made the turn and headed north towards Ramona expressway and once again the pace picked up. Sherpa was pulling us along about 21 MPH and all in all everyone seemed able to keep up. We did end up dropping a rider but I fell back and pulled till we got close to the main group again.


At the last regroup there was no reason not to let the A riders ride whatever pace they wanted on Ramona Expressway and as we pulled out onto the road that is pretty much what they did. We still had quite a few riders and we set a reasonable pace line of about 19 MPH. This seemed to be about the perfect pace for the group at this stage of the ride and I started thinking of stopping for coffee at the end of the ride. Huntress and Hit man pulled us all the way to Warren Road and Duramax pulled us most of the way to Sanderson. As I got close to Sanderson I pulled out to catch Duramax and let him know where I wanted to stop for coffee and got around the corner on Sanderson in front. As I headed to Ramona road I could feel someone closing on me rather quickly only to see it was Ocelot just stretching her legs. She was a lot stronger today than she had been Wednesday and I am not so sure that if I hadn’t stopped to regroup once more she might have passed and dropped me on the way to Lyon.


As we got closer to Latham some of the remaining riders had to break for home but we still had a pretty good group as we stopped and socialized over coffee or cold drinks at the Mall. I ended up with just over 43 miles and was still feeling pretty strong. I got a chance to get to know Mary and Eyrn a bit as well as spend some quality time with Huntress, Surgeon, Shadow, Light Saber and Hit man. Like I have said many times it just doesn’t get much better than good friends, good weather, and a good ride.