8/30/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I never know just what to expect on Mondays. I normally get a day or two of rest so I think I will be stronger on Monday but sometimes it seems harder to get out of bed than other days. Today I got up and it seemed like fall had slipped in over the weekend. It was rather cool and maybe even a bit misty. None the less I decided against leg warmers and arm warmers and headed out the door right at 7am. Somehow even though I was trying to take it easy I got to Burger king well before anyone else.

I waited for about ten minutes before T-3 and Duramax arrived but once they did several other pulled up as well. Rocket, Cossack, Updraft and Shock wave pulled in a few seconds apart and Hit man, Highlander and Tax man were not far behind. Warden was the last to arrive and we headed out right at 7:30am. Highlander was telling me he and Tax man might cut the ride short depending on how they felt as we got to the Back Side of McCall. I don’t know what he had for breakfast but I ended up chasing him most of the way to the Hemet Airport.


I had pictured the A group being Cossack, Rocket, Hit Man, Updraft, and Shock wave and the B group being T-3, Duramax, Tax man, Warden, Highlander and I. However just about every time I sat up to take a picture I found myself having to chase the whole group down the road. Even when I did manage to grab onto Rocket’s or Cossack’s rear wheel Highlander and Warden were always filling my rear view mirror. I also realized that Hit man would only stay back till two or three of the quicker guys started to take off so I expected the line to stretch out a lot more than it did when we were on California and Stetson.

Rocket took the lead when we got onto Stowe and pulled us all the way to Winchester. What was surprising to me was he kept it to a very steady 20-21 MPH all the way to the corner of Winchester and Stowe and when we pulled into the parking lot at the little store everyone was still together. We pulled down Winchester to Grand/9th and headed west still in full contact and in a pace line like team Hemet. By the time we turned onto Briggs road we may have spread out a bit but everyone was within 45 seconds of the front so you could say we were still together. We did stop to regroup at the Housing tract just before Heritage High School but that was more to allow people to start removing arm warmers and light jackets.

We took off for Mapes road before heading west towards Menifee road. The long pull up Briggs spread us out again but we were all pretty close by the time we got back to McCall. Here things started to break up. The A group pulled away and made it to the top well before those of us in the B group did. Once we started down the front side the A group pulled ahead even further. Highlander flatted so the group splintered into three parts. We ended up regrouping at Jack in the box and we only lost Duramax and T-3 because they didn’t have time to stop. The group left at different times so I ended up riding home with Cossack, Warden, Tax man and Highlander. We tried to take it easy and we did pretty much just that till we got back to Sanderson where Cossack headed for home.

Four of us ended up riding back to Burger King together and I will admit I was still feeling pretty good. I got in a bit more mileage than I thought I would with 42 miles but it was the kind of day you could easily have gone all day. I even stayed to talk with Warden and Highlander for a while before heading for home. It was another great day with a great group of people.

8/27/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


As it is often been said, “What a difference a day makes.” We can add to that what a difference 10 or 20 degrees makes. I moved the start time up an hour and shortened the ride just in case the weathermen made a mistake reading their bear grease or lost the cricket in their pocket and were wrong about it being cooler today that Wednesday. I got to the parking lot just in time to see Les, (The Warden), pull up in his red little truck. I pulled over to talk to him as he unloaded his bike and Ocelot, Duramax and Surgeon stopped there as well.


All of us seem to have arrived early so when Rocket pulled into the parking lot he didn’t notice anyone waiting. I am sure he thought he was early or worse yet had the wrong time. But just as he was pulling up to where we normally park several of us came from around the truck at once. He expressed great relief that he wasn’t going to be doing the ride today all by himself.

People kept arriving as T-3, Gambler, Bandit, Huntress and Highlander all pulled up. We also had Jim, (Double Time), Jeff, (Updraft) and Steve,( Shock wave) join us as we were ready to leave at 7am. I had a text from Bounty Hunter indicating he would join us at Sanderson and Stetson so it looked like we would have 15 for a Friday ride.

We all made it through the light on Kirby and Acacia just fine and we easily turned towards Johnston through the houses and I was glad to see Highlander with us again after he and I had been playing vacation tag for months. I had already explained the plan to everyone and I was looking forward to seeing how well it worked out. The A group would make a run at the Marina while the B group worked its way over to State Street before working over to Stetson and heading east. We were joined by Bounty Hunter by the time we got to the Marina entrance.

Now the ride was on because we knew the A group would be pushing it to catch the B group before we made it to Fairview and up to the housing tract. We settled into a steady 18-20 MPH as we rode down State towards Thornton and finally to Stetson. We kept looking over our shoulders to see if the A group was about to roll over us but we were still clear of them as we turned off of Stetson and onto Columbia

I tried to pull ahead to get a picture as we moved down Crest but the sight through the view finder showed me I was in front of a very determined group and it looked like they might be willing to ride right over me to be sure they got to Fairview first.

As we wound our way through the old homes on Crest we started to spread out a bit. Soon we had split into two groups ourselves with Huntress and Surgeon moving out smartly with about six riders and three of us trailing. I decided to make sure I was drinking plenty of fluids so I ended up riding in the back as we got closer and closer to Lake. Warden, Highlander and Double Time were up front with Surgeon, Ocelot and Huntress leaving T-3, Duramax and I to monitor the back of the pack watching for the A group to start closing.
Highlander decided to call it a day at Fairview and Ocelot and I chased after Huntress, Surgeon, Double Time and Warden but as we turned onto Fairview we could see the A group gaining on us. They caught some of us but one or two did make it up the hill to the housing tract before everyone stopped to regroup. Updraft and Shock Wave were with the A group and it seems as if they were doing very well. All we had left to do was make the run down Fairview and make the turn towards Cranston Station. As I announced the plan Huntress took off like a shot and got at least a 70 yard start on the group. I gave chase but I couldn’t catch her before she got back to Stetson.

I made the mistake of telling her she could draft off of my wheel only to realize I might as well have waved a red flag at a Bull because she shot back around me like I was rolling backwards. I caught her by the Bridge before Mayberry and we both got caught by a crossing guard by the School. I did get a better jump as we pulled away from the school and realized she had pushed us way ahead of the rest of the group. I may not have been 100 percent but I felt I had a big lead and with luck I might make it to Cranston Station before the A group ran me down. Once I made it to the trees I could see the A group coming like a freight train. I didn’t know how much I had left but I felt if I could just hold 18 MPH I should pull into the station before I was caught. Sure enough I just pulled into the parking lot in front of Rocket, Updraft and Shockwave.


We got back onto Florida where we formed a long pace line and ran back towards Carl’s. The great part about coming back from the Ranger Station is it is all downhill back to New Chicago. We managed to catch most of the lights green and we were at Carl’s before 9am. We also had Parky waiting for us which was another pleasant surprise. A quick cold drink and we split up and went home in about three directions. It was good to see so many riders back with us and joining us and it was especially nice to see Bounty back on his bike and riding with us. Once again it was a great ride with good friends.

In the heat

8/25/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


Have you ever had one of those days you look forward to with great expectation turn out to be less than you wanted? Well I suffered a bit of that today. I may have set myself up however. I had been on vacation all week and to be honest I miss the group when I am away. So I was looking forward to seeing all of my friends. But I hadn’t been on the bike all week so I thought I would join the crew riding up Bautista Canyon on Tuesday afternoon just so see how my legs were holding up. This was bad idea number one. Turns out our group decided not to ride Bautista because of the heat so I did it myself. I’ll bet you know where this is going? I should have saved something for Wednesday.


I got to Burger King early and felt pretty good. Ocelot, Duramax and T-3 arrived shortly after I did and Rocket, Raptor and Gambler were not far behind. Surgeon pulled up on a brand new bike made from Petrified smoke and equipped with SRAM red components. Les and Cycobob arrived about time Cossack arrived so it looked like we would have a pretty good group.

We left as close to 8am as we could thinking we might beat some of the heat and to tell the truth is was pretty nice as we left the parking lot and headed down Gilmore towards Acacia. I did a mental check list to make sure I was prepared. Two chilled water bottles from the freezer, one with electrolytes and one with water, check. A fruit bar for fuel, check. Two tubes and 3 CO-2s check. As we made the turn off of Kirby I was feeling pretty good even if I had run Bautista canyon the night before.

As we headed towards Johnston it was time for our usual chit chat and everyone rode easy as we caught up on what we had been up to and what we wanted to do over the next few days. To me this is what makes our group a bit different from other clubs or groups I have ridden with. We seem to care about each other or at least act like we do and that makes for a comfortable group ride. My plan was to take it easy going out Domenigoni and then over to Scott road and save our energy for the ride home. I had been looking forward to a Smoothie from Kelly’s for weeks and knew that it would be refreshing after the ride I had planned.
A quick turn on Johnston and another on Sanderson and the pace started to pick up a bit. It was still no big deal and it was still in the low 80s as we made it to Domenigoni. Surgeon led the first pull and managed to keep it at a pretty steady 23 or 24. Still it wasn’t long before the A riders were rolling along at 26. Like a fool I tucked in with them and held on for dear life. Now I was paying for Bautista Canyon but I was still doing well and it wasn’t that hot.

We regrouped at the Saddle and again at the top of the hill on Menifee before making it to Scott road. The A group pulled away and somehow ended up at Jack In the Box while the B group went down Haun, Holland and finally to Murrieta and Newport.

The B group headed back towards Hemet and still I was doing pretty well even if the temperature was now in the 90s. By the time we got back to the Domenigoni I started to feel a bit tired. We crested the saddle and it was now 100+. By Winchester road it was 104 and the heat off of the pavement would register 113 at stop lights. Suddenly I was cooked. I had to slow down because I simply couldn’t cool off.

The B group stayed with me till we got to some shade just passed Warren road and I sat down to cool off and lower my Heart rate. I had intended to rest a while and then ride over to Kelly’s but Huntress, Ocelot, and T-3 were having none of it. Huntress went to get her car. However a man in a Pickup stopped and offered to give me a ride home. I had him drop me off at Kelly’s and got my Smoothie while the rest of the B group showed up to check on me. My plan was to ride home from Kelly’s but once again I was over ruled and Cycobob showed up with his car and gave me a ride home.

I don’t know how many miles everyone else got but I ended up with 33. But the best part of today wasn’t about the ride. It was about friends looking out for friends. What better way to spend a day?

8/13/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


When someone gets up in the morning and looks out to welcome the day like I did this morning it is hard to imagine a better looking day for cycling. What makes it even better is when you have good people to cycle with. Those two things alone would be enough to get me out of bed and on my bike. So I got up early, read the paper, had some coffee and watched some news before getting into my kit and heading for the door. The challenge for today would be a ride to keep the A group interested without burning up the B group. I thought I had the route that would do both. I got to the parking lot to see Duramax riding around in circles. The rest of the rides started arriving shortly after we parked our bikes. We settled into introductions with the new riders and last minute inspections and adjustments.


We pulled away from Burger King just after 8am and headed down Gilmore to Acacia. Many of our regulars were behind me, Ocelot, Afterburner, Rocket, Hit man, Gambler, Bandit, Surgeon and Centaur. Some returning from Vacation like Highlander and Sherpa were with us as well. Les and Jim were back with us plus several new riders. I think we left the parking lot with 17 riders.

As I turned onto Acacia I thought to myself that this could turn into a great ride for both the A and B group. There were plenty of strong riders that could form a pace line for the A group and about an equal number for a B group to pull together and at least keep the others in sight. We rounded the corner at Cypress and Kirby and even looking back into the sun it reminded me a bit of the beginning of a rolling motorcycle race. The group looked eager to go and ready to answer any break away someone might try.

With the new riders it took a little while for the group to smooth out and ride together but as we got out onto Stetson from the airport we were doing pretty well. As we passed to Warren Road the pace picked up a bit and it got steadily faster as we turned onto California. Anyone that has ridden with us for any period of time knows that Stowe can turn into a mini hammer fest and today was no exception. We may have done Stowe a bit faster before but we don’t normally have quite so many riders in the lead group. As we regrouped at Winchester we talked about the run down Domenigoni and the splitting of the two groups. Whatever happened we planned to regroup and State Street. The A group pulled away and the B group managed to keep them in sight so they were in a good position to head up Gibble while the A group first rode up to the marina before giving chase. The B group got to the turnaround spot first and seemed glad just to have survived.

We waited till the entire B group had arrived and then waited till the entire A group passed us going up the hill. After their last rider we started back down towards State Street. We had been joined at the bottom of the hill by another rider new to our group and it seems as if at this point we had 18 riders. I think at least eight of us were in the B group.
Highlander was waiting for us at the bottom of Gibble Road but he saw us coming and stayed with us all the way back to State Street. We only had to wait a few minutes at the most for the A to start coming back down. I think Rocket and Hit man were about the first ones of that group back down but it didn’t take long before we were all back together and ready to head north on State and then east on Stetson to get over to Carl’s.

We turned east on Chambers and worked our way up to Stetson before making a quick run towards Fairview. Rocket broke off before we got to Columbia and Duramax pulled up next to me to ask if I was missing anyone. I didn’t think so because I knew Rocket was leaving but what I didn’t know was I had lost Sherpa. He missed a light and then dropped his saddle bag and had to go back for it. But I did call him and made sure he was going to meet us at Carl’s.

About half of the group managed to stop at Carl’s for coffee and conversation. We took about a 20 minute break before Afterburner had to leave and Duramax and Ocelot had to head out leaving a few of us to ride back to Burger King together. It was just starting to get warm but we were planning on cruising and that is pretty much just what we did.


I rode with everyone till we got back to Burger King before cutting over to talk to Highlander in the Mall Parking lot. I wanted to make sure everyone was still feeling pretty good and I knew Highlander had been on vacation for about three months. Seems as if everyone was fine and so we had a good ride of about 38 miles with just a bit of climbing. I for one was pleased and I am always glad to ride with good people.

8/11/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I was still a bit sore from Tuesday afternoon’s ride up Bautista but I had already planned a ride to Juniper Flats so I knew I would have to be my best by ride tome no matter what. I had a good breakfast and some coffee, took some allergy pills and headed for the parking lot. I got there right after Duramax and we joked about having a small turnout because I had plotted a ride over Juniper Flats. Still by 8am we had nine riders and they were all smiles as we rode down Latham to Lyon and made the turn for Ramona Road.

We moved along at a pretty good pace as we passed Devonshire and Menlo heading for Ramona Road. It was still a bit cool for a summer morning in Hemet but no one was complaining. I had heard Ocelot teasing some of the new riders about Juniper Flats being Juniper “no so” flat. I knew Afterburner was looking forward to the climb and I was pretty sure Gambler was going to push the pace a bit. All I was hoping to do was stay within sight of the rest of the group as we headed towards Nuevo on Ramona Expressway. But just as we turned onto Ramona Road and were getting up to speed I heard someone call out “FLAT” and the whole group pulled over. Sure enough Afterburner picked up a Goat Head.

I have mentioned before that every flat tire seems to be a tire changing clinic. I didn’t figure this would be much different because I had never seen Afterburner change a flat before. Didn’t really matter however because Gambler stepped in and assisted Afterburner as we all watched. About that time I heard Ocelot let out a little squeal and watched Duramax pull a Goat Head from her front tire. We weren’t sure it was leaking air but it was decided that we should change it while Afterburner changed his. I did notice that Ocelot got just a bit more help than Afterburner.

We finally got all the tires changed and were on our way. We stayed together pretty well till we passed Warren Road when the group split and I fell back to be with Duramax, Ocelot, and Huntress. Once we got into a pace line CycoBob fell back to help pull till we caught up to the lead group when they turned off of Ramona expressway.

Once we made the turn towards Juniper Flats the group split again and I stayed with the B group till we got to the last stop sign before the climb. I took off and started to see what kind of time I could make going up the hill. I was making pretty good time and when I looked back I could see someone was closing on me. All I knew for sure was whoever it was looked like they were going a lot faster than me. I managed to got to the stop sign before I got run down and when I looked to see who was chasing me it turned out to be Huntress. If I hadn’t had such a big lead I think she would have run over me. We all made it over the last little climb and decided to stop at Chris’s for Coffee. Ocelot and Huntress looked a lot more rested than the rest or maybe they just always look more relaxed than we do.

We rested and I had some coffee while we talked about and relived what turned out to be a pretty good ride. Afterburner was getting a bit antsy but we weren’t ready to leave yet. What I was impressed with is how well Jim did for his first trip up the Flats. I remember the first time I rode up the flats and how I felt like my lungs were going to explode before I got to the top. I was never so happy to see a stop sign in my life as I was to see the one at the end of Juniper Flats. I was also very unimpressed when I noticed I had one little rise left before we could start down towards Florida.

Soon we decided to get back on the bikes and head for home. There is something relaxing about the ride home even if it turns out to be quicker than you expected. We all cruised back passed the airport and finally back to Sanderson. Gambler took us through the Lowes parking lot and I ended up riding with Jim and CycoBob back to Burger King. Huntress wasn’t far behind us. After seeing everyone safely back to their cars I headed for home and saw Bounty Hunter on his way home from the Hospital. I managed to get in a great 39 miles with friends and see a good friend recovering from a hard fall. It was a good day.

8/09/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



If a Monday ever started out closer to perfect. Clear and cool with no wind is about as good as it gets. So after a cup of coffee and some toast and peanut butter I started to get dressed looking forward to a good bike ride and a good time with friends. By 7:30 I was heading towards Burger King. I got to the parking lot right after Duramax. By 8 am there were only 7 of us and Afterburner was as eager as a puppy to get started. So we were off and headed down Gilmore right at 8am.


We made the light at Acacia and Kirby and took off for the shortcut to Johnston. As I looked behind me I noticed the group had the sun at their backs. It was a bit like looking at five fighter planes attacking out of the sun. Lucky for me they didn’t have machine guns. We made it to the turn on Johnston and to the stop light at Sanderson and when I looked back and we had been joined by Casey Jones. It was a good sized group and everyone seemed pretty strong for a Monday morning. We made short work of Sanderson and made the turn at Domenigoni heading west. We made the turn at Warren and rode passed the horse ranches.

True to form once we were back on Domenigoni heading east Afterburner took off, as I told him he could, and for a while Rocket and Cossack followed him. I was in no hurry and had planned on a steady pace till we got to the hill going up to the marina. As I was planning this part of the ride in my head Casey Jones passed me and caught up to Afterburner. The rest of us followed about 100 yards back and finally watched as Casey Jones, Rocket, Afterburner and Cossack made the turn off of Domenigoni. They were all passed the Museum by the time I got to the first stop sign. I made the turn towards the first part of the hill and put my head down for the attempted spin up the Hill. I wasn’t able to catch Rocket, Cossack or Afterburner but I still had a good run before we regrouped at the bottom of the hill coming back down.

The run to McSweaney was another quick run and we regrouped once more before heading North on State Street. Casey Jones picked up the pace as we got closer to Chambers and Cossack, Rocket and Afterburner took up the challenge and passed me and Casey. I made an effort to catch the draft but my legs hadn’t recovered enough from going up the hill so I backed off. Casey re-passed me and caught up to the front three. We made a small regroup at Thornton and Casey decided to take off on his own. We didn’t see him again till we got to Florida.

Rocket had to break off by the time we got to Girard so the 6 of us continued on to Columbia and then down Crest and over to Lake. We stretched out a bit on Stetson before heading North on Fairview and finally east again on Florida. Before we could get to the Ranger Station we saw Casey Jones heading back west but we thought he would stop and wait for us at Carl’s. We regrouped at the ranger station and were pleased to see that Tax Man was once again with us. He has completed the last two rides with us and seems stronger each time.

Hit man left us before we got back to Carl’s because he had an appointment and Casey Jones wasn’t there when we got there so only 5 were left by the time we had coffee. We talked about the ride and how much we enjoy riding together. Today’s ride was just about perfect and at the perfect recovery pace. Some of us have to save something for the ride on Tuesday afternoon. For those that want to get a real work out a quick run up Bautista after dinner gets your blood flowing. Afterburner left first and I ended up riding home with Cossack. I didn’t get quite as many miles as I thought I would, only a bit more than 36, but for a ride east with a hill tossed in it was a good ride.

8/06/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I was thinking about the line from Forrest Gump, “Momma says life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get”, as I rode towards the parking lot this morning. Sidewinder had stopped by the house to ride over with me and we chatted easily as we headed towards Florida. The weather was close to perfect and the route plan was a typical easy Friday ride. So if a few people showed up it could be a great day for a ride but as they say, “you never know”.

When Sidewinder and I turned into the parking lot Duramax, Surgeon and Centaur were already there waiting for us. Ocelot and Rocket pulled up as did one of the new riders, Jim. Chris and His Wife Amy pulled up about the same time as Bandit and Gambler. Les from Cycopath and Troy seemed to be the last to arrive and we got ready to leave only to have Hit man join us at the last second. We pulled out of the parking lot and down Gilmore to Acacia and then to Kirby just after 8 am.


Like finding your favorite candy in the box of chocolates I like looking back and seeing a good sized group on any of our rides. It might be just a bit more pleasing on Fridays because we tend to stay together better than most of the other days of the week. We turned off of Kirby and headed towards Johnston when Rocket took a picture of me and I noticed I was all smiles. My smile shows why some of us get up early in the mornings to get in 30 or 40 miles bike riding. For me it is the joy of riding and I love being with friends.

We made quick work of Sanderson and made the turn onto Domenigoni with no problems and no loss of riders. Once we got into a long pace line I fell back to talk with Les and we quickly watched the group open a gap on us. Once we got back in line the whole group settled into a nice easy 20MPH. But what would a Friday ride be without a flat? Yes, our friend Centaur, who missed the record flat Friday made up for it by picking up a few Goat Heads. We stopped so he could fix a flat and Sidewinder found three extra Goat Heads in Centaur’s front tire. That came back to bite him later.

I often think of these flats as a chance to watch a Tire Changing clinic. It seems as if most of the time Duramax ends up pumping up the tire still the one with the flat gets to demonstrate their own personal tire changing tactics. Centaur had the wheel off in short order and had the old tube out in just a few seconds. But it did take a few minutes to check the tire out and make sure there were no pointed objects still stuck in it to flat the new tube. For a moment it looked like Ocelot was going to pass out popcorn while the rest of us watched the demonstration.

We were off again and headed for the Domenigoni Saddle and I figured we might have to chase Sidewinder up the hill. But before we got to Leon Centaur’s front tire started to suffer from the small goat heads we had found in his front tire. Duramax and I stayed with Centaur while the rest of the group headed for the hill. It took us a few minutes to get Centaur back on the road but from what I understand Sidewinder did manage to inspire the group into a fast pace line designed to catch him before he made the top of the Saddle solo. It must be nice to have the energy a Seventeen year old sidewinder has but it will not last. After all before the end of the month he will be 18 and feeling his age, or maybe not.

We finally made it over the saddle and onto Menifee heading towards Scott Road. Rocket decided to call it a day and headed for home while the rest of us turned on Scott and made our way to Murrieta Road. Ocelot had some minor mechanical problem but soon made the corner onto Murrieta and we ended up regrouping at the AM/PM on Newport and Murrieta.

We pulled away from the AM/PM and made our way over to McCall before heading back east. The group split up into two groups once we crossed the freeway on McCall and the A group pulled away to run up over the hill. While the B group wasn’t all that far behind we still had a way t go to catch up after starting down the backside of McCall. As I got close to Menifee I noticed the group was waiting for us before Heritage. Before I got to the group I noticed Hit man had broken off and headed for home. Then as if by magic I lost Duramax. Turns out he wanted to extend his ride so he had taken Lindenburger to Domenigoni while the rest of us rode down Simpson to Chris’s.

We took a short break at Chris’s to catch our breath and relive part of the ride or talk about our week. A few had to leave a bit sooner than the rest of us because Bandit had some place he had to be. But after about 15 or 20 minutes the rest of us headed back out on Winchester to Stowe. It took a refill or two to get Centaur home because of a slow leak in his back tire by we managed to make 40 miles on this ride in pretty reasonable time. If the rest of the group had as god of a time as I did then they had a great ride as well. Even Hit man had a good time even if he tried to look angry at the break.

8/04/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


There are advantages to living in Southern California and the weather is one of them. When I left the house this morning in was in the high 60s and clear as a bell. I had mapped a easy 30+ mile ride out Domenigoni and back to Kelly’s and thought I would get a recovery ride in today. That was the plan but that isn’t exactly how things turned out.


I got to Burger King first for a change and my legs were only slightly sore from Bautista on Tuesday afternoon. Duramax arrived next and then Ocelot pulled up. Rocket was the next to arrive but only a few minutes before Cossack. Last to arrive was Jim one of our new riders. By 8am it seemed as if the six of us were all that were going to show up. So we saddled up and headed down Gilmore to Acacia and right about there I should have known it was going to be anything but a recovery ride. We made it over to Kirby and turned on Cypress where I fell in line with the group as we moved rapidly towards Johnston.

Rocket told me he was planning to just noodle along and I was my hope that if that was the case we would have a nice easy ride. Cossack expressed a bit of doubt about Rocket holding back but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and it seemed he was kicking back as we headed down Johnston and made the turn onto Sanderson. Duramax took the lead and pulled us all the way to Domenigoni and made then turn towards Warren Road. We went through one full cycle of a pace line and even Ocelot kept us at 21 MPH till she gave up the lead and everyone kept it at the same pace. Even Rocket kept the pace down and we moved down towards Winchester together.

Finally as we passed Winchester we got one more rotation in the pace line before Cossack got back up front and started to pull away. For reasons only know to my male hormones I decided to fall onto his back wheel and hang on for dear life. As we pulled away from the other four riders I noticed one of them had started to close the gap and was gaining on us. Pretty soon I could see it was a green jersey and knew it was Rocket. By Leon he had closed the gap and was sitting on my back wheel. It didn’t bother Cossack one bit as he continued to pull all the way to the top of the saddle and when I looked down at the computer we had averaged 17 MPH.

Once we regrouped at the top of the saddle we were off again and headed down the hill towards Menifee and made the left heading towards Scott road and by now it was all I could do to stay with Cossack and Rocket and I could feel every mussel that I had used Tuesday night. Ocelot like any predator cat must have sensed my weakness and kept taunting me with the prospect of being “chicked” on every little climb.

I fought off one of her last attacks and used about the last match I had just to stay ahead of her. Still we made the turn on Bridge Street and headed passed the dairy and Turkey ranches and back to Domenigoni. Once we turned east I was back on the wheel of Rocket and Cossack as they ran up the back side of the saddle and soon started to fall behind. Duramax closed on me but I managed to stay in front all the way over the saddle and started down the back side towards Leon. As I got close to Rocket I noticed we were still averaging better than 17mph and we didn’t look like we would be slowing anytime soon. Cossack let us catch him and we followed him all the way to Winchester. We regrouped at the red light and I realized this was not in any way shape or form a Recovery ride.

The pace didn’t slow much after we left Winchester where Rocket and Cossack extended their lead over the rest of us. Jim, Duramax and Ocelot chased me down at Sanderson and we headed for the last leg before Kelly’s. Jim was looking forward to coffee and a bit like a horse heading for the barn he was moving along at close to 20mph as we hit the lights green except for Stetson. We saw the Lowes parking lot in the distance and knew we were close to the end of the ride. I took a quick look at my computer and noticed that my average speed was just at 18mph from the start of the ride till the end. Everyone seemed to be rather relieved to be stopping for coffee, smoothies or sodas as we got ready to turn into Lowes.
We rested for a while at Kelly’s and joked about how fast the recovery ride had been. It is always nice to get a chance to cool down a bit at the end of a ride but it is even better to get a chance to visit with people that have become my friends. It may have been a short ride of just over 30 miles but it turned into one of the quickest rides I have had in a very long time.