1/28/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



I wasn’t sure about the wind today so I postponed our longer pre-century till next week. The very last thing we needed was a 60 mile ride around Lake Elsinore and just as we got to the far side of the lake a head wind would hit us in the face while we were still 30 miles from home. So I opted for a bit shorter 40 mile ride to Murrieta and back just to get in the miles. It turned out to be a great day for a ride. I got to the parking lot and some of the riders were already waiting for me. In just a few minutes I could tell the A group was going to well represented.


It took us a while before everyone arrived and it looked like it would be a slightly smaller group than earlier on in the week. Still we had seven or eight riders standing by ready to go by 8:30. I knew Dura-max was taking the day off but I was surprised when I didn’t see Huntress or Nick before we were ready to leave. But I knew it was going to be a hard running day out on Domenigoni because Cossack was with us and he always puts the hammer down once we cross Warren Road.

Once we got out onto Gilmore and got rolling along it seemed like everyone was very eager to get to Acacia and then to Kirby so they could get on the road. I rounded the corner on Acacia and followed Centaur to the light. As we were stopped there I kept hearing someone honking their horn at us. The rest of the group kept trying to get my attention and finally I noticed it was Huntress in her car. She pulled up next to us and said she would meet us at the Wal-Mart parking lot. She fell in behind us and we quickly made it to Domenigoni. I pulled almost all the way to Warren when I heard someone yell out “flat” and we came to a stop. Turns out that Huntress had a flat and everyone stopped while she changed it.

As we waited Casey Jones pulled up coming from Warren and waited with us. It proved to be of no avail however because there was a serious cut in Huntress’s side wall and she was going to be unable to continue. Rocket stayed with he and they rode back to her truck on a booted tire while they told the rest of us to continue on without them. I told Gambler and Bandit to take the main group and go ahead while Centaur, Highlander and I would follow to pick up any stragglers that might fall off the pace line. We didn’t get far till the main group was pulling away and I watched as Casey Jones pulled around the group and made a solo break after the rise over the river bed.

The group looked like they were going to let him get away as they got close to the Winchester. It seemed like he had at least a quarter mile lead on them as they rolled past Winchester and headed towards Leon. It was about then I noticed that Cossack had rotated to the front of the pace line and it looked like Casey’s breakaway was doomed to fall prey to the Peloton. It looked like they were closing and by the time they got to the bottom of the saddle Cossack and the group had caught him. I can only imagine the sprint over the saddle was brutal. None the less they continued on and we managed to catch Traveler who was riding all by himself as the lone member of the C group. We stopped at the top and talked to him for a moment before heading on to Menifee.

Highlander, Centaur and I followed the route the rest of the group had in case we had to pick up any stragglers but we didn’t see any on Menifee or Scott Road. We made a quick run out of Haun before making the turn on Holland and up the little hill before turning north on Murrieta to McCall. It took us a while to get over the hill and out on Simpson but we were still moving along at a good clip as we cut over to Stowe and east to California. I pulled us to the airport where we stopped and met Double Time, Bounty Hunter and Traveler for coffee. A short break and we were ready to head for home after another great ride. It added another 43 miles to my total for the year so I can’t complain. I rode back to Burger King with Centaur, Double Time and Highlander before heading home myself. I have to admit I like this group.

1/26/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




We had two things going for us today. One was it was supposed to be clear and warmer and two we would have someone to race. Yes the weather man had indicated that Mariah would be leaving the desert early this morning and heading in our direction and we would be in a race with time to see if we could get up Bautista and back before Mariah could get from Joshua tree to us. It was with this challenge I left the house and headed for Burger King.

We headed out onto Lyon with the intention of meeting Rocket on the way over to Columbia but just as we got to Florida Attack Cat got a flat so we stopped while he repaired it. Being a little behind time I am sure Rocket was getting antsy waiting for us so as soon as we were back on the road I tried to pick it up just a bit as we headed down to Thornton and turned east towards the mountains. It was good to have Bounty Hunter back with us and to have Jennifer rejoin us for today’s ride.


Normally Thornton is where we slowly warm up as we get ready for the assault on Bautista but today we had to push a bit harder to try and hook up with Rocket and to try and beat Mariah to Fairview. I was pulling as well as I could and up to the point before we got back to State Street I was feeling pretty good. Slowly but surely Wolf brought the rest of the pack up to my back wheel and we got ready to cross State Street as a group

Once we got out onto Stetson I spotted Rocket and tried to pull the rest of the group up to him but I simply didn’t have enough to close so Gambler, Nick and Attack cat pulled around me and followed him towards Columbia and then onto Lake and Stetson. Double Time pulled in front and gave me a chance to draft for a bit and we all regrouped on Lake and Stetson and got ready to give chase to Rocket, Gambler, Nick and Attack Cat. It was time for me to pull again and I did my best as we ran down Stetson and finally made the turn onto Fairview. I saw Rocket heading back before we got to Fairview and I can only hope it was because he had an appointment and not because he had already been to the end of Bautista and back.
We found Raptor and Traveler as we got to Bautista and some of us stopped to talk to them before heading up the canyon. It was warming up so I took the time to remove my vest and some of the others decided it was time to shed jackets and long fingered gloves as well. First Raptor and Traveler took off and within a minute or so Double Time and Wolf did as well. Just before I got my vest stowed Jennifer hit the road and quickly over took the other four. I gave chase but I could never close on her before we got to the top of Bautista. Once we did get to the top we found Casey Jones was already waiting for us. What we didn’t find was Mariah waiting for us.

Jennifer headed for home and the rest of us raced down the canyon and back out onto Fairview before regrouping once more at Carl’s for coffee.

After a short break those of that were left decided to ride together back to Burger King. Dura-max, T3, Nick, Double time, Cycobob, Casey Jones and I headed up to Lincoln before riding over to Park where Dura-max left us for home. It was a quick trip on Park back to Columbia and then onto Devonshire before working our way to Santa Fe and finally Latham and back to Burger King. Just as we got to Burger King Mariah started to arrive so I guess we accomplished all of our goals today. And for me at least it was another 38 miles for my spread sheet.

1/24/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


I know it is winter but I sure didn’t think it was going to be so cold when I started out for the parking lot to meet with the cycling group. I can say I am thankful that my wife bought me a cycling windbreaker for Christmas because it came into good use this morning. Even standing in front of the windows at Burger King didn’t encourage me to remove my jacket. Still it was a good sized group that was ready to pull out of the parking lot by 8:30 to head for Juniper Flats.

Wart was going to be the lone C group rider today and Dura-max and Sea Lion would be taking the B group home early so we were set up to have a good run out Ramona to Hansen. We made it through the parking lot at Pep Boys and rode east on Latham towards Lyon so we could make the turn north towards Ramona. There was a big school bus following us so I never noticed if anyone was following us or not.

We slowly built up speed as we got passed Devonshire, Oakland and Menlo. It was still rather cool and my legs didn’t seem to want to warm up but I was spinning easily and had every hope that it would get warmer before we had to pick it up on Ramona. It was about the time we passed Cottonwood that T-3 must have caught up with us. She must have seen us leaving Pep Boys and had to run hard to catch up before we got up to Ramona. I will admit I hadn’t noticed her chasing at that point until I reviewed my pictures after I got home.

We rode to Sanderson and made a right to the light on the expressway. I don’t think we have ever made the light green and we had to wait till it changed for us. This is one light where running a turn signal is one of the last things you want to try so we waited till it turned green. Once the light changed we turned west on Ramona Expressway and I pulled till we got to Warren Road and then allowed the pack to pass me. This was the first time I noticed T-3 had joined us. We rode behind the B group till the turned on Bridge Street and then followed the A group to Hansen where they were waiting for us. From there on we all took off for Juniper Flats where Casey Jones joined us as T-3 and I stopped to remove our jackets. The next stop wouldn’t be till we got back to Florida and Briggs.

The run down the back side of Juniper was as exciting as ever and soon Casey Jones started to pick up speed with Attack Cat close in pursuit. By the first turn on the downhill side we were packed up like a swarm of bees and flying down the hill about as fast. As we exited the last turn I looked down at my computer and noticed my top speed was just a bit over 43 MPH which makes the run almost as fast as the downhill in Lambs Canyon. Rocket and I slowed down to make the turn on Watson as Casey Jones and Attack cat flew past and ended up going all the way to Florida on Juniper Flats road.
After the Briggs regroup we continued on to the old dump road and worked our way over to Winchester before going back north to Stowe. We talked as we rode back to California and then down to Stetson. Our plan was to stop at Hanger 1 for coffee and then head home. Rocket rode passed the airport and headed home and Attack cat left for some appointment as well. Centaur, T-3, Casey Jones, Wolf and I stopped and took a quick break before heading for home. Once again it was a great ride and everyone seemed to enjoy it or at least parts of it. It did get warmer by the time we left Hanger one and I ended up with just over 37 miles. Not bad for a cold winter day.

1/21/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




I walked out front to look at the sky and the first thing I noticed was it was cold. Yes it was velar by it was less than 40 degrees and I knew I would at least need leg warmers. I went back in got some hot coffee and laid out my kit for the day. By 8am I was out of the door and heading down the road to meet my friends for what I hoped would be a good ride even if it wasn’t designed to be all the challenging. Everyone made it to the meeting place on time and we were eager to hit the road by 8:30 am. We all made the light at Gilmore together and quickly made it to the turn on Acacia.


One of our new riders, Nick, was following right behind me as we rode towards Kirby. It seems like we always catch the light at Kirby red and today was no different. Once again there were 14 of us counting Traveler who ended up in the C group all by himself. I looked back at the whole group waiting for the light and felt pretty good about how our turn out have been lately. I have planned an easier route for us because I didn’t know if the wind was going to hit us early or not. Still even with a ride without many climbs looking behind me on Cypress I could see we would have a pretty strong A group that just might break out early.

We made it out onto Johnston and then over to Sanderson before making the left towards Wentworth and the Airport before getting back onto Stetson and heading west. We stayed in a good pace line all the way down Stetson till we got to California. We made the turn and Rocket pulled in front and slowly picked up the pace. Both groups were still together as we moved west on Stowe and got ready for the traditional sprint. Rocket, Ruby Tuesday and Nick took the lead and made the run halfway down Stowe before Gambler, D’Artagnon and Cossack pulled around and started to make a run to the front.

I managed to just grab onto the pack of the pack and rocket pulled in on my wheel till Gambler gave up the lead to D’Artagnon. It was a flat out drag race from that point and the two groups broke up as we took turns running hard all the way to the parking lot at Winchester were we regrouped and decided to break up into groups for the rest of the ride. It was a hard decision but I decided to give staying with the A group for the rest of the ride. I was feeling pretty good and thought that if I could at least stay with them till we got to Leon I would be doing pretty well.

As luck would have it I fell in about ¾ of the way in the pave line as the A group made its way down Winchester and held on all the way to the dump road. I was still with them when we turned on Leon and once more when we turned onto Simpson. We made quick work of Simpson and make the light at Lindenburger and all waited at the light at Domenigoni. The hill climb on the back side of the saddle was a good test and we all made it over the top pretty close together till Barracuda started to stretch things out a bit and we broke into three smaller groups. Like drops of water combining on the hood of a car the two back groups combined and we all met up at Winchester and stayed together till Rocket, Barracuda, Cossack, Gambler and D’Artagnon put the hammer down again and left Nick, Centaur and I. We regrouped at the street leading up to the boat ramp and found Rocket and Barracuda waiting for us at State Street. We made a quick run down State and worked our way over to Stetson and Santa Fe.

Rocket and Barracuda headed for home before we got back to Columbia and D’Artagnon left us at Lake Street. That left Nick, Gambler, Centaur and I to ride down Stetson to Fairview and then over to Florida before turning west again and stopping at Carl’s for coffee.

Traveler was waiting for us and we enjoyed a quick cup of coffee before most of the A group had to leave but it was just as the B group was getting there so I stayed and visited with them before heading home with Traveler, Dura-max, Double Time and Sea Lion.


It was an easy recovery ride home as we left Dura-max and Park and continued on towards Santa Fe. It didn’t take long before we got back to Palm where Traveler left for home and I rode back to Burger King with Sea Lion and Double Time. I had just over 40 miles on the computer by then still felt pretty strong. If I feel this good for the Palm Springs Century it should be one of the best I have had. It also seems like a good number of the riders we had today will be with us in Palm Springs as well. I am looking forward to it.

1/19/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




One of the great things about living in Southern California is we have good riding weather most of the year. Today was another one of those days. I did put on my arm and leg warmers this morning but the arm warmers came off right after I got to the Burger King. Once again we had a good turn out with 14 riders making up the A and B group and 2 in the C group. Raptor and Traveler left just before the rest of us did and we had a new rider join us for what turned out to be a pretty good ride.


Only a few of us made it through the light at Gilmore and Florida so we waited for what is almost always a long light to change before we could continue on towards Acacia. While parked by the side of the road I was thinking to myself that we were lucky to belong to such a friendly social group. I have belonged to other groups before but few showed as much concern for the other members of the group as this one. It was a thought that would return to me as the ride progressed and made the turn on Acacia towards Kirby.

Looking back as we turned on Kirby everyone in the group was packed pretty close together. Not quite a pace line but not one of the spread out packs that we often resemble at this stage of our warm up. I was feeling pretty good and I would have said everyone else looked like they were more than ready for the ride before them. If was advertised as a casual out and back of about 44 miles. It would offer some pace line work and just a bit of climbing and for some reason tends to be one of the groups better attended rides. Once we made it onto Sanderson the pace was steady and picking up. I looked back to get a picture knowing full well it would be one of the last ones I got before we got to Elsinore.

Much like I expected we started a pace line and held a constant 20 MPH all the way to Warren Road. As we passed Warren and started over the river crossing I fell back and was just in front of T-3 before the slight rise. I looked back and noticed she had fallen off the back of the pack and then called to let me know she had a flat. She wanted to try pumping the tire us to see if the green slime might hold and as we got back to the group it flatted again so Cycobob and I helped her change the tube before we were off on the chase again. Right after Winchester Cycobob picked up a big roofing nail and we had to fix another flat. We ended up regrouping at the Carl’s on Newport just before Murrieta and then running up Railroad Canyon to Elsinore and a quick coffee stop at Mickey D’s. Three rides had to leave early while then 11 of us took a quick break before heading back towards Hemet.
We rode back up Railroad Canyon and managed to get spread out quite a bit over the two climbs. I started out strong but once I fell off of the lead it wasn’t long before I found myself drifting back in the pack. It only took missing one light for the rest of us to lose sight of the lead four riders. We did regroup at Murrieta and made sure there were still 11 of us before making the run for home. We pretty much stayed together all the way to the saddle where had one more traditional sprint for the top of the hill.
We broke up into two groups at Leon and watched as the lead group pulled slowly away passed Winchester. It was a pretty easy ride heading back to Warren Road and I was still feeling pretty good as we got closer to Sanderson. Dura-max and Ocelot continued on towards State Street while Cycobob, Sea Lion, T-3, Double time, and I turned down Sanderson. I ended up turning on Johnston with T-3 as the rest of our group continued on back to Burger King. It was a great ride and I have to think Cycobob for helping with the flat repair and shepherding of the group.

1/17/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




Looking up at the sky this morning I was pretty sure we had an almost perfect day for a ride. Shortly after getting to the Burger King it looked like we might have a good turnout. Then I remembered it was a holiday and I was sure of it. Taking a quick count as we left the parking lot and headed down Gilmore I believe we had at least 13 or 14 riders and we even had Wart representing the C group even if no one else happened to show up.

The ride to Acacia and over to Kirby was easy as normal and we all had to wait till the light changed. It was a pretty tight group that headed down Kirby and worked its way towards Cypress. It didn’t take long at all to ride over the railroad tracks and make the turn onto Cypress. Once we were headed towards Johnston I looked back to see some riders I hadn’t seen in a while. Sidewinder was with us because of a school holiday and Daredevil was back after a bit of an absence. Wolf’s friend Doug and Ink Jet were back with us along with some of the regulars like Highlander, Dura-max, T-3, Attack Cat, D’Artagnon, Wolf, Double Time and Huntress.

As we worked our way over towards the Airport we were joined by Casey Jones. He can be a bit of an enigma when he joins the group because sometimes he is with us at the end and sometimes he isn’t. He is a bit like a porpoise that swims in front of a boat. You never know when he will show up and you never know when or where he might leave. All I know for sure is he was with us when we got to Winchester and he was with us when we back from the Marina but after than he was gone pretty much like where he showed up, a mystery. Still after we all did the marina hill, some more than once, we did the traditional regroup of both groups before heading for the next challenge, the climb into Ramona Bowl.

The ride over State Street was where I expected to lose a rider or two but to my surprise we still had pretty much had everyone with us that we started with. The ride up state was smooth and quick as was the ride on Chambers to Thornton before hitting Santa Fe and out onto Stetson. Highlander expressed some trepidation about the Ramona hill but T-3 was showing some determination so he decided to give it a shot. I will have to admit he did quite well as did everyone. But one thing is for sure we all feel like if is a deceptive climb and it looks as bad as it is.

After working our way back out to Thornton we finally made it over to lake and Stetson before heading for Fairview. We had spread out quite a bit but the group was still together and was still heading for the third climb on Florida. Huntress pulled us most of the way to Florida before surrendering the lead to me as we headed towards the trees and Cranston Station. Huntress got the lead back and pulled the group up to the Ranger station were we once again regroup and chatted before getting ready to head back to Carl’s on New Chicago.
The ride back down to Carl’s seemed easy and fast as always and no one seemed in any big hurry to see the ride end. We were spread out over a quarter of a mile but bunched up a bit after we got back to Fairview and then we all made the light at Ramona before pulling into the parking lot at Carl’s. We still had 13 riders and it looked impressive to see all of the bikes parked out front. There were only two that had to park by the lamp post because all of the wall space was taken.

We left in waves when it was time to go home and I ended up going with the last group. I was feeling a lot better than I had Friday and I think the group was as well. We have very little wind and no one was forced to ride alone. We got to all of the regroup spots within a few minutes of each other and almost everyone stayed for conversation and coffee before heading home. I ended up with 45 miles by the time I go home and a dead Heart Rate monitor. Turns out my chest strap must have leaked and moisture got in the battery compartment and cooked it. Well what can I say; it was three years old I think. Still it was a tossup as to who impressed me more today. T-3 climber the hills as well as any of us and Highlander stayed with us even if he didn’t feel in top form. I think Highlander is stronger than he thinks but I wouldn’t want him to know in case it goes to his head.

1/14/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




What a beautiful morning I woke up to this morning. Finally there was blue skies predicted and rather warm weather. I was looking forward to a bit of a longer ride today and I was hoping everyone else was as well. What I didn’t know was it was going to be a day that reminded me of Fastnet force 10 and Bataan.

We had a real good turnout which meant I would have a hard time keeping track of the group either from the front or the back. But still Cycobob, Highlander, Cossack, Bandit, D’Artagnon, After Shock, Ruby Tuesday, T-3, Gambler, Double Time, Dura Max, Ocelot, John, (Ink Jet) and I would be a pretty reasonable group. We left a few minutes after 8:30 and headed down Gilmore towards Acacia.


It was a quick trip to Acacia and on towards Kirby. We collected at the light and waited for it to turn still thinking it would be an uncomplicated if slightly longer ride. We pulled onto Cypress and headed towards Johnston where we picked up Casey Jones who joined us as we moved out to the light at Sanderson. We made the turn and headed south towards Stetson where it seems as if Ocelot had a mechanical problem that I never heard about so they fell behind as we crossed Stetson and headed towards Domenigoni.

The turn onto Domenigoni was fine and we started a reasonable pace line. Casey Jones decided to take off by himself as the rest of us pretty much held a 20 to 22 Mph pace all the way to Warren Road. I pulled over the river crossing and fell back to the back to ride with Highlander and Ruby Tuesday after the first rotation. We caught up with the second half of the group as we got to Winchester and the group spread out in one very long line with D’Artagnon, Gambler, Bandit and Cossack pushing ahead. As I got close to Leon I noticed we had a hot air Balloon that looked like it might be landed in the field next to the highway.

It took us a while to collect at the top of the saddle as we seemed to be cresting the hill in waves. The A guys were waiting for us except for Casey Jones who had gone on ahead and made the run down the hill by himself. It seems as if Cossack must have been riding strong and the A guys laughed about the sprint up the hill and Cossack decided to stay with us till we got to the Am/Pm on Florida

Once it looked like we were all together I yelled back to see if everyone was ready and if anybody was missing. Other discussions were going on so no one spoke up. I discussed where our next stop was and that we would regroup there and asked once again if we were ready to go ready and if anyone was missing and still no one said anything so we got ready to ride down the back side of the saddle and head for Lindenburger before cutting through the Housing Track on Heritage and over to McCall before going out onto Menifee and heading north.
Much to my chagrin I discovered as we got to the AM/PM that had left before Dura max and Ocelot got to the saddle and before T-3 and Ruby Tuesday was ready to take off. We did pick up Casey Jones at the gas station and I called to see where everyone was. In held the group up till Dura Max and Ocelot pulled into the gas station. As we were waiting we say Ruby Tuesday and T-3 ride by and I offered to let the A group take off but they opted to wait. Highlander and Cossack decided to head for home as the rest of us took off on Menifee heading for Nuevo. However as the A group started to pull away the wind started to pick up and I started to be concerned about the rest of the ride.

Huntress, Ink Jet, Cycobob, Double time, Dura max, Ocelot and I made reasonable time getting to Nuevo and turned towards Evens before cutting over to Ramona Expressway to head for home. As we topped the first of the two rolling hills Huntress devised a plan to deal with the wind we encountered at the top of the hill. Here is where the reference the Fastnet comes in. There was a famous sailboat race off the English coast called the Fastnet. One year a storm hit and blew a force 10 on the Beaufort scale and many boats were capsized and people had to be rescued. It didn’t take long before our plan for on minute pulls fell apart. By the time we got to Lakeview I pulled over to let everyone catch up only to discover I was like a drained battery.

It was from this point forward I started to feel we would have to just survive the next ten miles much like the men on Bataan had to. With absolutely no energy reserves left I figured I would simply gear down and just hang on till we got back to Sanderson. We got a bit of a break as we passed Bridge Street but were hit by just a bit more wind on Ramona Road before starting down Lyon. All I could think of was getting a Smoothie at Starbucks when we got back and that is where I headed after Dura max and Ocelot turned left on Latham. I sat at Starbucks and slowly drank my smoothie and ate a sandwich to get enough energy to ride home. 8 or more miles riding against a 20 Knott wind is draining but at least we all made it and it should make the fist 50 of the Palm Springs ride a bit easier. That is my hope anyway. I had just at 49 miles as I got home and decided to take a nap after eating lunch. I feel better after having dinner but hope we can avoid running into strong wind Monday.

1/12/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




I had been surprised how quickly I was getting back on pace when I got back from my vacation. It should be of no surprise then that I decided to toss in one of our better training rides with a bit of climbing and just over 40 miles. Everyone else must have felt pretty good about the ride as well because between the A, B and C group we have 15 riders ready to leave the parking lot by 8:30. Raptor and Traveler left first getting a head start down Gilmore on their more casual ride.


Thirteen of us pulled up to the light at Gilmore and Florida on a clear cool day that had promise of being the best day we had to ride for some time. We had a pretty good division between a potential A and B group with Gambler, D’Artagnon, Attack cat, Centaur, Huntress, Double Time and Sea Lion in the former and Dura-max, Ocelot, T-3, Bounty Hunter, Highlander and me in the latter. Our plan was to stay together till we got to the Domenigoni saddle and then split up and make a run to Goetz for the A group and LaLadera for the B group.

We made it down to Acacia and turned towards Kirby with everyone staying pretty close together. We caught the light red and had to wait to make turn on Kirby and up to Cypress. This part in normally the most social time of our ride and today seemed little different. We cruised smoothly around the corner at Cypress and chatted away as we move towards Johnston. Once again we all caught the light at Sanderson and had to wait till we could turn south towards Domenigoni. What surprised me was how strong everyone seemed to be as they rode behind me. I could tell that once we got on Domenigoni it could be a struggle just to hold on to the group let alone the A guys.

As I predicted the pace picked up as we moved down Domenigoni heading west but the pace seemed reasonable as we moved through a rotation and I slowly moved to the front to take my turn at pulling. As we got closer to Warren Road I noticed Raptor and Traveler were ahead of us and we were slowly closing in on them. We had a pretty constant 21 MPH in the line as we caught up to them and I got a quick shot of Traveler as we passed.

I pulled out of the lead as we crossed the river and once again I expected the pace to increase but it didn’t and we were still in one group. As I moved back in the pack Bounty Hunter fell off a bit and waved me in front of him. To be honest I should have fallen all the way back but I wasn’t thinking and I pulled into the fifth spot just about the time we got to Winchester. Slowly but surely people started to fall off the front till I was second behind Gambler, not one of my favorite spots as we closed in on the saddle. Gambler pulled off and I knew perfectly well I didn’t have the steam to out run the young Turks up the hill from the number one slot. I looked back to see Highlander was no longer on my wheel so I backed off and let the rest of the group go.

To tell the truth we really weren’t spread out all that far and as I rode next to Bounty Hunter I watched to run up the hill like a spectator. D’Artagnon took off like a shot as a group of four headed for the top where we planned to regroup and divide into the final A and B group. Dura- Max was going to take part of B group and cut off on LaLadera and I would take part of B group and follow the A group all the way out to Goetz. It only took a few minutes for everyone to catch their breath and we were once again on the road and heading west with the A group pulling away into the distance.

Highlander, T-3, Cycobob, Dura-max, Ocelot, Bounty Hunter, Sea Lion and I followed the A group towards Murrieta and soon noticed they were pulled over to help Double Time repair a flat. We continued on yelling at them that they would have to pick it
Up if they wanted to catch us before we got to the top of Goetz. Dura-max, Ocelot, Bounty Hunter and Highlander turned off at LaLadera while Cycobob, T-3, Sea Lion and I headed for Goetz. As fate would have it the A group didn’t catch us before we climbed Goetz and we didn’t see them till we got back to Murrieta where the passed us and headed for McCall. Turns out the group split once more with Huntress and Double Time breaking off and giving chase to Dura-max and his group. The A group left us and we never saw Dura-max and the B group again.



We made it down the dump road and finally out onto Winchester before turning on Stowe and then Stetson. Just as we turned onto Stetson I ran out of juice. I believe the cold was getting to me and my neck was sore. But then I had tried to cut back on caffeine and I hear that sometimes you get a head ache. I followed my group to Hanger one where I decided on a cup of coffee and refreshed myself as we waited for Double Time and Huntress to limp in on his last tube and no more CO-2. We finished filling his tire and headed back to Burger King for a finish to a great ride on a great day. It was a good 42 miles for me and a good day to be with friends. What is not to like about living in California in the winter when you are a cyclist?

1/10/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




In a line from Forest Gump it is said that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Today was a bit like that, I had expectations and all I could do was hope they came to pass. As we left the parking lot I had ten people in my box and we all seemed rather laid back riding over to Lyon and north towards Ramona. Raptor had pulled into the parking lot just before we left and offered to ride with Traveler indicating that we had twelve riders before we left. We didn’t get far however when the candy box started to get mixed up because Casey Jones called t ask where we were heading indicating he was behind us and on his way.


We kept the Esplanade I realized Casey wasn’t going to catch us if I didn’t stop so once we turned onto Ramona Road I pulled the group to a stop and we waited for him. We sat there and Wolf explained cows to Ocelot. She wasn’t all that interested in looking at potential food and she didn’t think she wanted to walk over to the fence and pet one just to see if they like people. We chatted easily and by the time I tried to call Casey back he was turning the corner and pulled up behind us. We all started moving again towards Sanderson and the turn to Ramona Expressway. With the good weather and the fact it was getting warmer it was a little like biting into a dark chocolate soft center of orange cream. It was good.

The ride west on Ramona Road is always easy and with very little traffic. I fell back and got a few pictures and had a chance to visit with Centaur and Wolf before moving forward to talk with Highlander and T-3. So far this was a good box of chocolates and nothing tasted bad. I knew the pace would pick up on Ramona Expressway but I also knew that Dura-max would take care of the B group if we broke into two groups.

As we pulled onto Sanderson and made the right towards Ramona I moved to the left to get into the turning lane. A car that was about 150 yards behind me and in the far right lane decided to move left and see if he could drive up next to me and honk his horn for whatever reason he had. I had already moved into the median to get ready to enter the turn lane when the driver caught a red light and we all pulled up next to him. Attack cat and Casey Jones were more than happy to educate the driver into proper bike verses car etiquette. With Sea Lion sitting right next to the car I am pretty sure the driver felt properly chastised and I did everything in my power not to smile at his discomfort. That particular piece of chocolate had very little taste.

After we started west on the Expressway one or two of us started a pull till Casey Jones got to the front and took off like a jack rabbit. I decided not to go after him and try to hold the group together when Attack cat took off after him instead. Soon we had to rabbits and a veritable pack of hounds following. We messed around a bit before finally putting together a pace line all the way to Bridge Street. We caught Raptor and Traveler about ¼ mile passed Warren Road and turned the corner onto Bridge as a complete group. T-3 pulled up next to me to express concern about the car issue and I assured her that I wasn’t all that disturbed. That piece of candy was like a chocolate turtle.


We all regrouped at Gilman and Bridge and I pulled us to the top of the grade heading back to Sanderson. I don’t know how many know what Marzipan it is my very least favorite Chocolate covered candy. That was what was in my next bite as I noticed my bike wasn’t downshifting. I could get it into a bigger ring in the back but wouldn’t drop down into a smaller gear so my top speed was suffering quite a bit, not to mention a concern that the derailleur might be bent. Casey Jones Passed me on the downhill side just before Sanderson but for whatever reason he rode right passed Sanderson and we never saw him again during the ride. By the time we got back to Ramona Road I had to stop several times to try and adjust my derailleur. I was picked up by Dura-max and his group. I rode with Highlander and T-3 back to State Street.

We made the traditional run through the rollers on Soboba and regrouped once again at the golf course. After a rather short break we took of extra outer wear and headed for the river hill and the turn towards Florida on Ramona. I got some sour candy shortly after turning east because somehow we lost Highlander. Turns out he got caught at the light just passed the river bed and I didn’t notice. At first I thought he might have headed for home where D’Artagnon had but soon I discovered we had dropped him and failed to notice. He called to let me know where he was and then headed home as we turned onto Cedar. Shortly thereafter we were stopping for coffee at Carl’s. We were joined by Raptor and Traveler and after coffee we split up to go our separate ways home.

Dura-max and Ocelot were headed back to Casino Bikes and Attack Cat was headed for home. Centaur, Wolf, T-3, traveler and I were headed back west on Lincoln and Burger King. I am sure Traveler had to work a bit harder on his mountain bike but he stayed with us pretty well. It didn’t take long before we were back to Park and making a quick turn on Columbia then Devonshire and we were almost back.

By the time we were on Latham and passed State Street We had discussed our day and pulled up on a guy riding a Chopper bike. I believe I have owned motorcycles with smaller back wheels and I stopped to ask him about his ride. I am sure it is comfortable over some of the small cracks that shake us a bit on a 700c tire but fast it wasn’t.

I followed Traveler on Palm as Centaur and Wolf kept going towards Burger King. I caught up with T-3 just as we got back to Florida. Then I lost my jacket and had to go back to get it. Having lost both T-3 and Traveler I turned towards Lyon to get my derailleur checked out and see what was happening to keep it from shifting. Turns out my cable was suffering from stretch as much as anything so it wasn’t a major problem. That news was like a Chocolate covered Cherry. It was a great day with a few problems but with good friends and good weather sp what more can I ask for?