11/15/2010
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I was up a bit early this morning and casually had a cup of coffee as I skimmed the paper and watched some news on TV. It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky so I was pretty sure we were going to have a great day for a ride. It was arm and leg warmer weather for the first part of the morning but that doesn’t bother me at all.

Dura-max and Wart were talking with the Wolf as I pulled up. So I knew at least someone had read the e-mail changing the start time. Rocket, Tax Man and Snow Goose arrived next as we waited for others to arrive. Surgeon, Cossack and Hit man joined the group and Puma pulled into the parking lot just before 8:30. Beowulf and Raptor were the last to arrive so we took off down Gilmore almost right on time. As we got to the light at Florida and Gilmore we saw Double Time in the turn lane so we pulled over to wait for him to park and catch up with us. Dura-max continued on as B group leader with Snow Goose, Raptor, Tax man and Wart. They got a few minutes head start on us but we started out rather quickly once Double Time was with us.


Once we were on our way down Gilmore and making the turn onto Acacia the B group wasn’t even on our radar screen. We quickly made it to the light on Kirby but we caught it red and once again we couldn’t see even a sign of the B group ahead of us. I got a call from Sherpa that he was about 30 minutes behind us and would try and catch us out on Domenigoni. I had my doubts because I was pretty sure once this group got in a pace line we were going to move rather rapidly towards the Saddle and we wouldn’t be stopping.

We made the light on Sanderson and Stetson and started the run to Domenigoni and as luck would have it we made all the lights green. We took the turn west and the fun began. People started taking turns pulling and slowly but surely we were building up speed. As we got close to Warren Road we noticed the B group ahead of us and that cause the pace to pick up again. Shortly after Double Time took his turn at the front Beowulf took over and kicked things up another notch. By the time we passed Leon the group was starting to shake a bit and we were moving very quickly to the foot of the saddle. As we started up the hill it was like someone pulled the pin on a hand grenade and it was a mass sprint. As we crossed over the top the group was officially split. I was holding onto the tail of the lead group by the skin on my teeth.

I did manage to catch up by drafting Puma as we passed Murrieta and pulled till we got to Goetz but my legs just weren’t with me and I was left in the dust till we started down the back side of the hill. I tried to get a picture as we descended but at 30+ it was less than clear.


Things didn’t get easier for me as we moved over to Murrieta and then McCall. As was a very distant hang on as we topped McCall and has to chase everyone all the way to Winchester. Some of us took a quick stop at Chris’s before continuing on to Stowe and then to California and Stetson. Once we got to the Airport we stopped to see if Surgeon, Wolf and Double Time were still there. Sure enough they were just finishing off some Banana Cream pie and an Apple Fritter. I think they did it just to punish me. We left to ride back towards Burger King together and at least this final portion of the ride was a bit more relaxing.

After getting back to Acacia it was just a short hop back to Gilmore and then we pulled into the parking lot together. I was tired and just a bit sore but it had been a good workout. I have discovered that some of the best rides we have may not be when we are riding our best but they happen when we aren’t at our best but we stick with it anyway.

When I checked the computer at home I discovered I had put in just over 45 miles so I guess I shouldn’t complain about a little soreness in the legs. After all I have a day to recover and a chance to do even better next time.