9/29/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I didn’t know what to expect on the ride today. My mapping program wasn’t working or at least responding even though I pretty much knew what ride I wanted to do anyway. So with just a written and verbal description I felt a simple familiar ride was in order and I wanted to add a little climbing into an east run. We would just have to wait and see who showed up for the ride.

Both Duramax and Wolf were waiting as I got to the parking lot. We were quickly joined by Rocket, Gambler, Surgeon, Cycobob, Warden, Attack cat and T-3. I recapped the planned ride and we got ready to leave right at 8am. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed down Gilmore to start out west on Acacia before turning on Cypress, Johnson, Sanderson and finally on Wentworth towards the Airport.


The entire group made the turn together and we started to pick up the pace just a bit. We still hadn’t moved into a pace line but we had moved into a double line. There was a bit more traffic on Wentworth than I have been used to but it didn’t seem to bother anyone. But even before we got back onto Stetson I could see the group was getting lined up for the run on Stowe.

Surgeon pulled us all the way to California and then to Stowe. I took off on a hard run and managed to get myself run down about 100 yards before Winchester. Still we didn’t have long to wait till everyone was back together and I explained that we would be making a hard run to Dominigoni before heading east to the Marina. Today my plan was to take the whole group up to Marina hill and then back down to State before heading to Cactus Valley. Rocket, Gambler and Attack cat took off and the other seven of us followed. Rocket and Gambler were coming back down as I got to the last turn of the climb. Attack cat started back down after I started the last straight away. I got a few pictures of the rest making the climb as I cruised back down myself.

We regrouped at the bottom of the hill and were joined by Raptor who had been riding around the soccer field waiting for us. It only took a few minutes before everyone made the return trip from the top of the hill where we caught our breath and hydrated before heading back out to Domenigoni to ride down to State Street.

As we moved towards Domenigoni I got in front and started a pull that would take the group all the way to State Street. I had replaced some of my electrolytes at the regroup spot and managed to get a mouth full of Hammer Gel before starting down State but I still hadn’t recovered from the climb I started to fall back in the line and was passed by Warden, Wolf and Surgeon. They soon attached themselves to Rocket, Gambler and Attack cat as cycobob, T-3, Duramax and I followed about n75 yards back.

Whatever pace Rocket and Gambler were setting it was stringing out rides as I headed past the golf course and got ready to make the short climb at Sage. The electrolytes were beginning to be replaced and I started to feel pretty good. I hit the hill pretty hard and crested it pretty easily. We regrouped at the end of Cactus Valley and started back towards State Street. It was a hard and quick ride as we rounded the corner of Cactus Valley road onto State Street and we were still moving rather rapidly passed McSweeney and then passed Domenigoni. Rocket and Gambler simply pushed the pace all the way to Chambers and I could only hold on for dear life. I ended up waiting for the rest of the group before we got to Buena Vista. The rest of the ride to Fairview was pretty direct and as cycobob ended up pulling me most of the way to Fairview.

Rocket had to leave us early but the rest of the group made it to Carl’s after one final regroup at Fairview and Stetson. It is always good to make the turn on Fairview because the rest of the ride is either flat or down hill almost all the way home. We stopped for coffee but Attack cat had to leave for an appointment. We didn’t stay at Carl’s long before we headed back towards Burger King and the end of the ride.

It turned out to be a great ride and as always I realized what a great group we had. I managed to get in 44 miles today but what made it most enjoyable was the company of riders I was with. We seem to be more than a cycling group we are friends.

9/27/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




It may be fall but it sure looked like and felt like summer when I looked outside early this morning. The sky was clear and blue and the temperature was already 72 degrees as I went out to get the paper. I had to hope I hadn’t made a mistake by not starting early this week but I thought we would be getting home before things started to cook. I would have to wait and see how many were willing to come out and chance it. But I need not have worried because there were quite a few riders as intrepid as me for the start of our ride.

When I pulled into the Burger King parking lot Duramax and Mike, (The Wolf) were waiting in the shade. Ocelot pulled in to the parking lot right after me and I discovered that Gina, (Valkyrie) was inside the Burger King already. By the time we were ready to start the ride Highlander, Tax man, Sherpa, Rocket, Hit man, T-3, Attack cat and Sea Lion had joined us so we had 13 riders as we started down Gilmore.


I told however wanted to take off as an A group that they were free to take off and not wait for us if they wanted to because I wanted to limit our time on the road as much as I could with the thought of getting home before noon when I expected the heat to set in. I got out in front and pulled us from Gilmore to Acacia and Kirby where we turned south and made our normal run to Cypress.

We were still together as we rode down Cypress and it was still relatively cool. Lately we tend to make the ride to Dominagoni as a group or even when we ride out to Ramona we get to the expressway before the faster riders take off and stretch their legs. Today was no different and I expected the group to break into two parts after we got to Sanderson but today Highlander and Tax man were stuck to the leaders like a trailer.

We moved down Sanderson like and squadron of airplanes after takeoff. We made it onto the street and across Stetson without losing anyone and headed for Mustang and the high school. Rocket was leading the way and Highlander, Tax man and I were right behind him. But as we got closer to Domenigoni Attack cat and Hit man started moving up to be sure they were in position to follow if Rocket kicked it up after we made the turn west.

After the turn Rocket started to open a lead but Tax man was right on his back wheel. Attack cat came around and followed Tax man and finally Hit man chased them all down. I was thinking that Tax man must have had a great breakfast after tagging on to Rocket like he did but finally he decided to fall back with the rest of us and let the rest go. We settled into a pretty good pace line heading for Winchester road and the Domenigoni saddle. To my surprise we had Sherpa in our group and I was thinking he was just taking it easy to attack the saddle and prove how much better of a climber he was than me but that wasn’t his intention so the same group that came down Cypress together regrouped with the A group at the saddle.

We lost Rocket at Lindenburger because he had an early appointment and Attack cat left us there as well. We made it to Menifee and Florida where we lost Highlander and Tax man before we continued on to make a fast run to Nuevo and our last stop before going home. It was still less than 90 degrees as we hit Ramona expressway and we broke into two groups making the run to Sanderson. The lead group turned out to be Sherpa, Hit man, Valkyrie, Wolf, Attack cat and I. Attack cat had made a wrong turn at Lindenburger and had spent about 35 minutes running us down. Valkyrie stayed with the lead group even though we at times were running at more than 23 MPH. She is proving to be a great asset to our group and is a lot more powerful that her riding experience would lead someone to believe. We got back to Lyon in pretty quick time and headed back south towards Burger King before heading our separate way. We had regrouped on Ramona Road and were strung out a long way going down Lyon. Duramax, T-3 and Ocelot decided not to stop and Burger King and continued on passed Florida as I turned onto Latham and finished the ride with the remainder of the group.

Wolf, Sea Lion, Attack cat, Valkyrie and I stayed and talked for a while before heading our separate way. I got home with just over 40 miles on the clock and a much better than average time. Once again all I can say is I feel good about having such a great group of people to ride with, ones I can easily call friends.

9/24/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


It takes more than a good looking day to make for a good Friday Bike ride. The wind has to be light and the temperature has to be just on the mild side and the group has to be made up of the right people. All of those things seemed to come together as we got ready to leave the parking lot at Burger King. There were ten of us counting Parky by the time we were ready to pull out onto Gilmore and we had decided to ride as one group rather than splitting into two. Parky took a few minutes head start to see if he could get to Bautista ahead of us because he had decided to climb it as well.


After we moved over to Lyon and down towards Stetson I began to think about the ride up Bautista. It was pretty clear that we would take it pretty easy down Thornton and maybe even down the first part of Stetson but I wasn’t sure how fast the pace might get as we got closer to Fairview. I didn’t know how hard I would push the climb on Bautista but it was my hope to keep the leaders in sight most of the way to the top. If I were to handicap the run up the hill I would put Hit man, Rocket, Long Iron and Bounty Hunter as the favorites to get to the top first.

As we worked our way east on Crest Hit man started to move towards the front and he pulled me part of the way down Stetson after we turned off of Lake. It looked like the group was starting to string out a bit so I fell back to see what was going on. I got passed by Rocket, Double Time, Bounty Hunter and Long Iron. As we turned onto Fairview I was in the back waiting for Highlander when Duramax informed me that Highlander wasn’t going to make the climb. I was a long way back from the front of the group and I wasn’t sure how much energy I would have for the climb itself. After catching Double Time and Sea Lion I started to try and see how long I could spin making the climb. About 200 yards up the road I caught Parky and his trike but I was still a long way behind Hit man, Rocket, Long Iron and Bounty hunter.

I was rather surprised at how well I was spinning when I saw Hit man heading back down. I knew he would break off early because he needed to be somewhere in Riverside but I didn’t realize he wasn’t heading for the top of the canyon. I still had Bounty Hunter, Rocket and Long Iron in front of me and Duramax, Double Time, Sea Lion and Parky behind me with Highlander and Hit man heading for home.

Somewhere about the small hill by the Dam I caught Bounty Hunter and it perked me right up. The last time we rode together he out climbed me on the Ramona Bowl hill and I fully expected him to pull away from me on this one. Considering my dislike for long hills I was moving at a pretty good pace as I crossed the river crossing and headed passed the white fence. I looked up the road and could just make out Long Iron and Rocket in the distance and for some reason it looked like they were waiting for me. As luck would have it Long Iron flatted and Rocket stopped to help him. When I asked if they needed any help they declined and so I continued on looking back to see if Duramax was closing on me. He didn’t and I managed to get to the top before Rocket and Long Iron could fix the flat and catch me. My day had been made.

The ride back to Carl’s was fast with a slight tail wind most of the way and I noticed that I had just had the best climb times wise I have ever had for an up and back on Bautista. One more quick regroup at the bottom of Bautista and we split up with some of us heading for Carl’s and some heading home. Parky, Duramax, Sea Lion and I met Raptor at Carl’s and spent 20 to 30 minutes conversing and recovering for the ride home. I ended up riding back to Lyon with Sea Lion and Duramax and Raptor left us at Park. All in all it was a great day for a 37 mile ride for me. Not bad for a Fall day. But still sharing the day with friends makes it even better.

9/22/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



In southern California the colors of Fall are pretty much like the colors of any other season if you are a cyclist, bright colored jerseys and black or colored shorts. But the weather can be a bit cooler even if it doesn’t have to be. A cooler morning is just what we got and some of the riders showed up with arm and legs warmers. I happened to be one of the ones wearing both arm and leg warmers. My only question was how many people would show up on such a nice cool morning? It turned out we had plenty of people ready to go by 8am even if we did have to wait for a flat to get fixed before we got started


We left Burger King and headed south towards Acacia and then we made a left Kirby before turning right into the housing tract. It looked to me as if we had a very solid A and B group both so it seemed like a good idea to split the groups up early. Rocket, Bandit, Gambler, Centaur, Attack Cat, Benjamin, (Long Iron) and Shock wave made up the A group and Duramax, Highlander, Double Time, Sea Lion, Huntress, Mike S, Ocelot, T-3 and I made up the B group. However Duramax must have had a great breakfast because he and Ocelot we moving at a rapid pace towards the front of the group all the way down Kirby and over to Johnson.

By the time we got to Johnson we lost a rider to equipment failure or the cold I am not sure which but we were still in good order as we traveled up Sanderson to Domenigoni. Once we made the turn the two groups split apart and we watched as the A group guys put the hammer down. I knew they wouldn’t have to wait for us at the saddle but we were planning on a regroup there anyway. My biggest hope was that my legs would hold up after Tuesday night. I ended up cruising in the back and talking about the weather with Highlander as Huntress and the other pulled away from me.

We did regroup at the top of the saddle and then continued on to Menifee and up to Scott road. By now I was pretty tired and was hoping to get on the Wheel of Double Time or Sea Lion for most of the rest of the ride. Sea Lion has proven to be a strong rider and Double Time seems to get stronger as the ride progresses.

We decided that because Ocelot and Duramax had to get back a bit early we would cut straight across Hawn to Newport and make a quick pit stop at Jack In The Box before heading back to Sanderson and over to Kelly’s. After getting back on the road we came out in the middle of the A group heading back towards the Domenigoni saddle. The A group dropped us going over the saddle and I only managed to catch the rest of the B group because they regrouped at Winchester Road. However we did manage to stay more or less together till we got to Sanderson where Duramax and Ocelot left us. It took almost all the effort I had to stay with the B group all the way to Kelly’s but lucky for me Double Time’s need for coffee wasn’t so great that he was forced to ride over me. Sea Lion was gracious enough to allow me to ride into the parking lot at Lowes first.

Some of the A group were still at Kelly’s when we pulled in so we all got some tables and sat outside and visited till we were refreshed and rested. We talked war stories, bench racing and past victories and future bikes for about 40 minutes before heading home or at least back to The Burger King parking lot before heading home. I ended up with about 36 miles of great ride and I still had just a bit left to ride home and have lunch with my wife.

9/20/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I have to admit I look forward to Monday morning rides. This is one of the best times of the year to live and ride where we live in southern California. The weather is mild and the winds are light and even traffic tends to be light. After the great ride we had Friday I could only hope for a repeat for today. My plan was to map out a ride that would be interesting for both an A and a B group and get us to Carl’s about the same time. Only trying it would let me know if I succeeded or not.


Eleven riders showed up to start our ride and by 8:03 we headed down Gilmore to Acacia and over to Kirby. I think the A group thought they would get a good lead going onto Sanderson and then pull away on Domenigoni before they had to make the run up to the marina while the B group continued on to McSweeney. Rocket and Sherpa were expected to make the run and then try to catch the B group on their way towards Fairview. To make it a bit easier for them Ansu, (Puma) was going with them and he looked like he could more than hold his own.

Whatever the A group had planned the 8 members of the B group were going to make it a challenge. The climb was going to come early in the ride so the B group did everything in their power to stay close to the A group all the way to Johnson and then up Sanderson. In fact the B group was sitting at the light on Sanderson with the A group waiting for the green light. Rocket took off as the light changed and I followed until Sherpa and Puma passed me when the B group fell in behind me and were only about 60 yards behind the A group as they made the turn for the marina.

We put in a reasonable pace to State Street and Duramax relieved me for the pull to McSweeney. We didn’t slow all that much except for teasing Sea Lion about wanting to stop by his house. Still we made short work of the housing track and were heading back towards the circle. Bunty Hunter, Highlander, Tax Man, T-3, Ocelot, Sea Lion, Duramax and I wanted to get back out to State Street as soon as we could to see how far ahead of the A group we were.

We were almost back to Domenigoni when we saw the A group turning towards McSweeney so we kicked it up a notch and headed for Chambers in a impromptu pace line. What we didn’t see was Sherpa had pulled a U turn and was gaining on us as we got passed the golf course and back out onto Stetson. He was gaining but not closing all that fast when he made a turn on San Jacinto and came out on Girard right in front of us and never saw us closing on him. He took the lower end of the parking lot while we took the top and Rocket and Puma caught us before we got back to Crest. We regrouped and rode to Fairview together then Duramax pulled us to Florida and east towards the Ranger station. Rocket, Puma and I hit it hard and got to the Ranger Station pretty quickly only to find Sherpa, Tax man and Highlander waiting for us. The rest of the group gathered only a few minutes later.
We only took a few minutes to catch our breath and rehydrate while we discussed the ride and the two climbs. This was the first time up Girard for some of us and it was a better climb than I expected. What impressed me the most is that the B group is riding about as well as the A group did a year ago. The A group is faster as well so the gap is still there be we have all learned from each other. We got a picture or two and then took off for Carl’s down Florida at a dead run.

Some of us made a right on Fairview to add a mile or two and some of us went straight to Carl’s. One or two even went home but we still had a good group for coffee and conversation. After about 15 or 20 minutes we split up and headed for home. I ended up going back with Puma, Sherpa and Sea Lion and got back to Burger King about 20 minutes later. I stopped by the LBS to thank Dillon forgetting my bike adjusted just right and went home for lunch. It may only have been 36 miles for me and maybe 40 for some of the A group but it was an interesting 35 miles and a lot of fun.

9/18/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I got up this morning expecting to join Hit man on a short quick Saturday morning ride. The weather looked good and I was just a bit tired from Friday but it seemed like good plan. I got to Burger King First and waited to see who would show up. Duramax was the next to arrive followed by Mike S, Gary, Metric Man, Huntress, Hit man and T-3. Not bad for a last minute ride plan. We left and headed for Acacia and then Kirby before working our way over to Sanderson. This was the first time I have seen Gary on a road bike and I have to admit I was impressed.


We had planned on breaking into two groups and Huntress was going to lead the B group. We rode through the housing track towards Johnson rather easily and I thought it just might be a recovery ride. Heading down Sanderson should have told me it might be a bit quicker than a recovery ride but I still had high hopes for the turn onto Domenigoni. When we got to the turn it was decided to turn right and head for Leon rather than go straight to Bautista.

Soon Gary and Metric Man started to pull away and Hit man fell back to let us know where he was going to turn around. Then he took off after Gary and Metric Man followed by Huntress and Mike. Duramax, T-3 and I followed about 100 yards behind till we all caught up at the Warren Road light.

Mike, T-3, Duramax and I saw the rest of the group heading back east on Domenigoni well before we got to Leon and I started to notice a noise from my drive train. We were well behind the rest of the group heading back towards Winchester. We stopped a time or two to adjust my derailleur and I felt we had gotten close to eliminating the noise but it still didn’t go away whenever I applied torque like leaving a light or going uphill. Finally we regrouped at State and Domenigoni and after running up to Chambers and working over to the golf course I stopped one more time to try and adjust my rear derailleur. It was here that things went bad for some of us. Metric man tossed a chain and after putting it back on the chain-ring he promptly broke it after remounting and managed to fall over in the process. Huntress volunteered to go get her truck and SAG for Metric and I decided to ride back with her to get my bike checked out at the LBS.

Duramax and T-3 retraced their route to check up on Metric man and Hit Man, Gary and Mike headed for Fairview. By the time Duramax and T-3 got to Fairview the three lead riders had decided to run down Soboba rather than up Bautista. So out of 8 riders we covered at least three of the directions on the compass. The Shop discovered the problem with my derailleur and Metric took his bike home for a new chain. So at least all is well that ends well and 5 of the 8 riders got in a good ride today.

9/17/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

I got up this morning feeling a bit better than I have for a few days and walked out to get the paper. The sky was clear and the air was just a hint of cool. It looked to me like we had another perfect day for a ride. The only problem was I never know what to expect from a Friday ride. I have planned ones that turned cold, hot and ones that had more flats than I have spare tubes. Today was going to be close to 40 miles with a climb in the middle. But at least I would be with friends and on my bike so I knew it would be a good day. I just didn’t know how good it could be.

When I pulled up to the parking lot I noticed Parky’s trike parked out front and he was inside getting something to drink. While we were talking he told me I could expect Wart so they could establish a C group. Once we moved out front people started arriving every minute or two till we had 17 standing in the parking lot. It was just a few minutes after 8am as we pulled out onto Latham heading for Lyon and then north. The first time I looked back I could only wonder how we would keep such an eclectic group of rides together all the way to the turn at Hansen.


The pace was comfortable as we moved north on Lyon and I thought we looked a bit like a real Peloton was we rode along almost effortlessly thinking of the ride ahead. I knew we had a pretty strong A group with Rocket, Gambler, Centaur, Jeff, Shock wave, Surgeon, Warden and Benjamin and I could only hope the B group and I could hang on once they got out on Ramona Expressway. As I looked over my shoulder it looked like everyone was in the mood for a good ride and no one seemed to be struggling

As we moved along I noticed Aaron and Mary on the side of the road waiting for us to come by and they joined us bringing our number back to 17 as we headed for Ramona Road. Just after they joined us I got a call from Sherpa but he wasn’t able to catch up because he had a flat or two just getting to the parking lot. Hit man called a few minutes later and said he would join us for the second half of the ride. We made t turn onto Ramona together and headed for Sanderson and I was still feeling pretty good riding clost to the middle of the pack.

Once onto the expressway there would be no more time to take pictures so I put the camera away and we settled into one long pace line. I took my turn pulling and fell back in line about Bridge Street. As we rotated through Rocket, Surgeon, Gambler and Duramax I was pleased to see we were still all together. We stayed that way till Double time got the pull and the pace picked up to closer to 24 and I was worried we would start to break apart before we made it to Hansen. We made the light at Hansen and we stopped to regroup only to discover that we were all together and everyone was still doing quite well.

The next planned stop would be the stop sign at the top of Juniper Flats. The A group took off and we ended up strung out for about ½ of a mile as we turned onto Contour. What we didn’t know was that Gina threw a Chain at the turn and Highlander was stopped to assist her. They ended up riding over to Menifee to catch us as we came over the hill and back to the High school.

I found myself between the two groups with Huntress and Mary breathing down my neck and Surgeon and Centaur about 50 yards ahead of me. I ended up with one of the best climbs of Juniper flats I have ever had but I am sure it was because I was worried that Mary was going to run over me any minute so I pushed myself even when I didn’t want to. We regrouped and headed down to Florida where somehow I promptly lost Warden and Sea Lion. The rest of the group got away as I turned back to pick the two riders up at Brigs street and Ocelot and Duramax waited for us to catch up at Grand.


Warden kept us honest as we traveled passed Leon and continued on Grand. The weather was still great and I was still feeling good. As we crested the little rise on Grand and headed down the traditional sprint spot the rest of our trailing group tightened up as we got ready to pass the Pentecostal church and got ready to make the turn onto Winchester heading towards Chris’s.

As we got close to Chris’s I was surprised to see all the color from all the riders waiting for us. Hit man, Parky and Wart had joined us so there were 20 riders crowded onto the small patio at Chris’s and for the first time we had to park some of the bikes outside of the patio.

It is at gatherings like this that I think sets our group apart from many others. Yes we enjoy riding our bikes and yes we enjoy the challenge of climbs and fast average speeds and a few sprints. What we seem to enjoy even more is the people we ride with. We enjoy talking with each other and getting to know each other as friends as much as fellow cyclists.

I went inside and got a cup of coffee and walked out to socialize with the rest of the group. Everyone was still there and I had time to leisurely drink my coffee and have a Cliff bar. We got as chance to tease Rocket and Gambler about lighter than air bikes and relive the climb up Juniper flats and the made run down the back that we had just done. Then almost as if on cue people started to finish their cold or hot drinks and got ready to leave.

We left in groups with Rocket taking the A group with him and I followed Huntress and Mary with Double Time, Sea Lion, Benjamin and Highlander right behind me. Not far back were Duramax, Ocelot and Gina. It stayed that way till we got to Stetson where Double time put the hammer down and took us to Warren Road.

I managed to hang on to Double time till we crossed Warren Road and took the lead till we got to the Airport. Benjamin closed on me and we turned onto Walden Weaver and weaved our way through the speed bumps as we moved closer to Sanderson.

We caught at the light at Sanderson and ended up regrouping a bit as we waited for it to turn. Once on Sanderson we quickly formed another pace line and headed for the driveway at Lowes. Traffic was still pretty light and the weather was still less than 86 degrees. It seemed to me that we had just had about a perfect ride. As we turned into the driveway we noticed Hit man was pulled to the side of the road with our one and only flat for the day. Like good friends we all stood by and watched him change the flat while we smiled because it wasn’t our flat.

Huntress got caught at the Light at Kirby so Sea Lion, Gina, Mary, Highlander and I continued on to Gilmore and while Sea Lion left us as we made the turn finishing up a great ride. I ended up with right at 40 miles and I still had some energy left, enough to daydream as I cycled home. Today’s ride fell into place almost like those rows and rows of dominos they use to create such great looking displays when they knock them over. Once the first one falls over the rest just seem to fall in place. Today was such a ride and I have many great friends to thank for it.

9/15/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


The weather today started out pretty much like I thought it would, a duplicate of yesterday, so I was looking forward to a pretty nice ride. I had put together a ride with a little distance with some places for a speed run and a few rollers just to get the blood flowing. That was my plan even though I have been struggling with sore tired legs for the last week or two. Still I got up and was looking forward to today’s ride and had great expectations for a good sized group. By the time I go t the parking lot I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be disappointed. By the time the clock struck 8am we had 15 riders ready to go. However it turned out that our day wouldn’t go without a hitch. I pulled out of the parking lot only to return when no one followed and discovered T-3 started out with a flat.


It didn’t take long before Warden and a few others had her up and ready to try another start. We didn’t get a whole lot farther down the road before CycoBob got our second flat. We were spread out over several blocks when I returned to check on him and after replacing the tube he went back to use the floor pump in his car. It turned out that he had another problem and decided to call it a day. So we started again down one rider. Raptor had taken off early thinking we would catch him somewhere down the road but I was pretty sure we were too far behind to catch him before Soboba road. We more or less cruised down the first part of Lyon just getting warmed up. We finally got into some kind of pace line and moved off towards Ramona Road.

We stayed in a relatively tight group with Surgeon in the lead most of the way to Ramona and made the turn together. I tried to keep an eye on everyone and keep track of time knowing that Gina had to break off early and that T-3 might cut the ride short as well. I felt sure everyone would make it to Ramona expressway together and looking back I noticed that Highlander, Warden and Sherpa were riding in the back of the pack so I shouldn’t have to worry about losing anyone before the turn.

Like any other plans mine were doomed to fall as we turned towards Warren road. I had given up the lead to make sure everyone made the turn and was sitting back in about the sixth position when I noticed Sherpa heading for the front. Gambler started to increase the pace and a quick look behind me made it look like everyone was hanging on pretty well. However as we passed Warren road it looked like I had lost Gina, Ocelot and T-3 so I called them and discovered they had another flat. They didn’t want any help according to Ocelot and they had decided to drop out of the planned route and head South on Warren as soon as the repaired the flat. I call again a few minutes later and was once again assured that they were fine and were heading south. The rest of us continued on to Bridge Street and then Gilman before coming back to Ramona and heading east towards State Street.

I was beginning to tire a bit and it was all I could do to stay with Huntress and Sea Lion as we cruised down Ramona. I was pretty sure there was going to be a reasonable break on Soboba and I was only hoping not to get run over by those two. The break did materialize and we made the run to the golf course with an average speed of about 20MPH. We regrouped and we still had 11 or 12 riders. The next stop was Carl’s so we shoved off and headed east some more till we finally made it to Florida and New Chicago.

We still had a pretty good group as we had coffee and conversation at Carl’s. Counting myself I believe we still had 9 riders by the time we were getting ready to leave for the west end of town. Just before we got back on the bikes Highlander stopped by to check on us after he noticed we were still there after he stopped to check out the new bike shop on the east end of town. We took a few minutes to make small talk and then headed off to Lincoln to start the journey home. Gambler left us after a block or two and Surgeon, Benjamin, Mike, Warden, Huntress, Sea Lion, Sherpa, Centaur and I continued on to Park and finally over to Devonshire till we had to turn at Santa Fe and again at Latham before getting back to the parking lot at Burger King. I finished with 42 miles for the day and was thankful to make it. But to be hones it was a great ride and I do enjoy the people I ride with. Those two things together make for a very pleasant day.