4/16/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Hemet Century Special


If the truth be told I didn’t know what to expect when I got to the Motel to start my planned ride of the Hemet Century. I didn’t expect 14 riders from our group to show up but I was pleased they did. I was overjoyed to see Shadow and RCMP show up shortly after I arrived. I was even happier when I discovered they were going to ride with the cruising group. Wolf and Blood Hound had promised they would be there and true to their word they were.


I was pretty sure that T-3, Ruby Tuesday, Dura-max and Highlander would be in my group but I didn’t realize till she rode up that Ocelot would be with us as well. I have ridden with all of them so I was pretty sure that with the proper pace we could all finish the ride the only question would be how long would it take.

Once we got started we got separated for the first few miles. Attack Cat and Doug were pushing themselves to try for a sub five hour ride and Metric Man and Blood Hound were hot on their trail. I collected everyone else on Warren and Stetson and planned on catching Metric Man and Blood Hound on Simpson and Winchester. We miss connected and somehow got in front of them so we had to regroup later in the ride. They would have a harder time catching us with ten riders to help pull so we decided to wait for them at Menifee and McCall.
Some of the riders needed a short break so I sent them on to the Arco Station on Menifee and Florida while four of us waited for Metric Man and Blood Hound to catch us. We didn’t have long to wait so I can only assume the two of them were pushing themselves to close the distance. Once regrouped we took off for the Arco Station where Metric Man took Huntress, Wolf and Blood Hound leaving eight riders in my group, four in the six hour group and two in the five hour group.

From this point on we were playing tag with Mark’s group getting to check points and Sag stops as they were leaving. That is much like the way it was as we followed down Menifee and made the turn on Nuevo. We could just make out Blood Hounds bright jersey as we headed for Evans. I was just as surprised at how well our group was doing speed wise because we were well ahead of our average speed from last year. But I was even more surprised when as we got to Evans I noticed the five hour riders turning just in front of us coming from the direction of Paris Boulevard. Once we got onto Evans RCMP was kind enough to pull to the front and help pull up to Florida.

For those who were new to the Hemet Century the ride must have seemed easier than some of our weekday rides up to this point. We had no major up to this point and the weather had been perfect. We turned on Iris and headed towards Heacock Street only to notice that there must have been another cycling event with many TT bikes heading in the other direction from us. We easily made the turn on Heacock and headed for Alessandro. It didn’t take long before we pulled up to the first Sag stop just as Mark and his group was leaving. Highlander’s wife acted as a Sag wagon for us and we deposited all of our extra gear, lights, arm and leg warmers and jackets, into the back of her car. We were about 10 minutes behind when we started down Alessandro towards Central.

Highlander was on my wheel all the way to the downhill heading to Victoria. I have to admit that downhill makes you feel like you can fly and it is nice and long. It is also a great way to rest your legs as we got ready to make the turn onto Victoria. Victoria is one of the best looking rides in Riverside in my opinion. Other than the number of stop signs it is pretty easy to keep up a rather fast pace if you so choose. The problem is you simply get caught up with the view.

Once off of Victoria we were back into part of the urban area of Riverside and headed to Corona. As Highlander pulled up next to me on Sixth Street I mentioned that we would be paying for the fast downhill up South Main Street. It isn’t quite as long as the trip down Alessandro but it is still a climb of about 3 miles till you get to Foothill and turn towards Temescal Canyon. It is the ride up that makes or breaks anyone who rides the first part of the Hemet Century. Any energy you have saved up to the Main Street climb is used up as you have to pace yourself and try to hydrate and recover till you get to Tom’s Farms. T-3 was still smiling as we got to Foothill.

It was about here that the heat and distance start to take their toll. Mark’s group was still far ahead of us and most of our group was still in good spirits but some were beginning to drag just a bit. We were stretched out somewhat as we headed down Temescal and the stronger riders started to pull for the tired ones so we all made it to Tom’s Farms just about the time Mark’s group was ready to leave.

My group was ready for a good long break and plenty of hydration and fuel. Make that something to drink and eat. The sag stop had lots of cookies, fruit and Peanut Butter sand witches plus a restaurant for more serious re-fueling. I was having a problem with a loose cleat and took time to repair it while the rest of the group took the time to rest and yes relax a bit. We just had time to say hello before Mark, Wolf, Blood Hound and Huntress pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Elsinore. I checked in with the registration and grabbed a hand full of grapes and some water.

Relaxation and planning seemed to be the order of the day and while some kicked back and others plotted our mileage I ate some chocolate chip cookies and a hand full of trail-mix. The great thing about century rides is you can eat chocolate and nuts to your heart’s content and not worry about the calories.


After everyone was rested and refreshed it was time to hit the road again and head to Elsinor ourselves. Sometime after 60 miles is when your body starts to complain on a long ride. Distance and heat often add up to cramps, weakness and fatigue. So far our group was looking pretty good with the exception of being just a bit tired. It was shortly after this point last year when I started to bonk and Dura-max had to pull me almost all the way to Railroad Canyon.


We did pretty well till we got to the 70 mile wall. For some reason many riders start feeling very tired at the 70 to 80 mile mark. The group was beginning to look a little ragged and I wasn’t sure we would easily make it to the next Sag area. Dura-max suggested we stop at the first place where we could get some ice and cold drinks so we made an unscheduled Sag stop just before we got to Elsinore. It was a good thing we did because it was turning into a lot warmer ride than some of us had planned

Once rested again and cooled down we headed into Elsinore and worked our way to Railroad Canyon. I could see some very tired eyes on some of our group as we slowly made it up the hill at Railroad Canyon and down the back side towards the last Sag stop. T-3 tossed a chain but some of the other riders helped get her back on her way and we all made the turn to the park together. I wasn’t sure everyone was going to continue on at this point but when it was time to leave everyone remounted their bikes and we headed for the last leg of the ride.

There were times when we were traveling a little slow but once we made it back over the Domenigoni Saddle we could almost feel the finish line. We finally made it past Winchester everyone just put their head down and headed for Warren Road. We took a quick little break just past Warren and then took off for Sanderson. We caught the light and made the run north.

As we got close to Lowes I could hear the high pitched cheers coming from Ocelot and T-3. We all knew there was one last light to make and we would have finished the ride. Nothing mattered more than getting back to the Motel. The cramps were starting to fade the fatigue was decreasing and the attitude was improving. Soon we were pulling into the Motel parking lot and the smiles returned to our faces and the hugs started to be handed out. We were joined by Highlander’s wife who was as much part of our ride as anyone could be. It might not have been the quickest 104 miles we have ever done but it was one that demonstrated more teamwork than any ride we have ever done before. As I have often said, these people were more than just someone I ride with, they are friends.