6/29/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


Mr. Big puts out a hit on the Squirrel and Moose



What a great day for a bike ride and what a beautiful morning in Southern California. What we didn’t realize was there was a spy plot to eliminate two of our riders that have been living in our area under witness protection for several years. The discovery of the plot was almost more than I can talk about. I will admit I got to the parking lot and was prepared to award the monthly trophy without a worry in my head.

Raptor had pulled up with his grandson and we took a picture with him when I received a call from the CIA saying a call had been intercepted between Mr. Big and Boris Badonoff and Natasha Fatally. They were told they had to find a way to get rid of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Long ago the two American heroes had been sent to Hemet to hide from Mr. Big and only a few people knew their new names. I had to watch carefully as we rode down Gilmore and crossed over to Kirby on Acacia. Only I and Rocky knew who we were protecting. We didn’t know that Boris had replaced one of our friends with a double in order to do his evil bidding.


As we moved towards Cypress I was pretty comfortable with the 17 other rides in our group. There was nothing suspicious about T-3 and Highlander even if they have been rather aggressive lately. Attack Cat, Vortex, Cossack and Rocket (opps I hope that doesn’t give anything away) were the next group back. Gambler, Surgeon, D’Artagnon, Wolf and Warden followed in the next group. Dura-max, CycoBob and Ocelot were followed by Full Throttle, Jack Rabbit and his two brothers. At that point I felt comfortable as we rounded the corner onto Cypress heading towards Johnston.

I started to look over my shoulder as we moved onto Sanderson and make the left towards the Airport. I took the lead and pulled the group all the way to the airport and then out onto Stetson. As we headed towards Warren I started to wonder how the spy might try to destroy Rocky and the Moose. Then I came to me, the plan was to run us into the ground and watch as we lay gasping for breath on the side of the road like goldfish on the floor.

I continued to pull all the way to California and then up to Stowe. My worry was that some smart spy might have visited the museum, at the bottom of the boat ramp by Diamond Valley Lake, and realize that the ancient Himitonian Indians translated Bullwinkle into Clark and that Rocky was short for Rocket. I had to find a way to smoke the mechanic for Boris out. About that time The A group pulled around me and sprinted for Winchester at a breakneck speed with Cossack running as good as I have ever seen him run. I got suspicious and developed a plan at the same time

I decided to split the group knowing that if my suspicions were correct the mechanic would have to choose a group and if he looked out of place I would know who he was. The split took place at Leon with the A group heading straight and the B group turning to head for Simpson and then up to McCall. Highlander attacked me a time or two but not enough to run me into the ground so I knew the spy must be with the A group and that Rocket, I mean Rocky was in danger. The B group made it to Bradley first but had to stop to refresh and regroup. While we waited I saw the A group come flying down the hill towards the light at Bradley. To my surprise and I will admit my pleasure I saw D’Artagnon, Gambler and Cossack hit the light first followed by Rocket and then Attack Cat. Gambler and D’Artagnon told me that Cossack pushed them hard enough up the hill to almost kill them and I knew who the spy was. I also knew he didn’t recognize Rocky and that we had dodged a bullet. As we worked our way to Jack in the Box Cossack gave up and headed for home. Boris had failed again

After coffee and conversation those of us that had stopped got ready to head back to Hemet and home. We were down a few riders with some leaving early for appointments. The A group formed early and most of the remaining riders went with them. Rocket, Gambler, D’Artagnon, Surgeon, Jack Rabbit and Warden slowly pulled away and headed for the saddle. Wolf broke off before Lindenburger.

The B group was taking it a bit easier but not all that far behind as we closed in on Lindenburger and got ready to attack the Saddle ourselves. I looked back to see Highlander, T-3, CycoBob, Full Throttle, his son and Vortex. Not a bad sized group for the homeward part of the ride. We quickly made back to Sanderson and headed north towards Stetson. We lost Full Throttle and his son by the High School and T-3 at Johnston while Highlander, CycoBob, Vortex and I headed for Lowes and home.

It is always a short run down Acacia from Lowes to Kirby and then to Gilmore. It was just a short run to Florida and then back to Burger King where Warden and Surgeon were still talking. We stayed and talked for a few minutes before I took off for home myself. It was good to know my secret hadn’t been found out by Boris or his agent and it was good to get in another 38 miles on a perfect day.

6/29/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


Mr. Big puts out a hit on the Squirrel and Moose



What a great day for a bike ride and what a beautiful morning in Southern California. What we didn’t realize was there was a spy plot to eliminate two of our riders that have been living in our area under witness protection for several years. The discovery of the plot was almost more than I can talk about. I will admit I got to the parking lot and was prepared to award the monthly trophy without a worry in my head.

Raptor had pulled up with his grandson and we took a picture with him when I received a call from the CIA saying a call had been intercepted between Mr. Big and Boris Badonoff and Natasha Fatally. They were told they had to find a way to get rid of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Long ago the two American heroes had been sent to Hemet to hide from Mr. Big and only a few people knew their new names. I had to watch carefully as we rode down Gilmore and crossed over to Kirby on Acacia. Only I and Rocky knew who we were protecting. We didn’t know that Boris had replaced one of our friends with a double in order to do his evil bidding.


As we moved towards Cypress I was pretty comfortable with the 17 other rides in our group. There was nothing suspicious about T-3 and Highlander even if they have been rather aggressive lately. Attack Cat, Vortex, Cossack and Rocket (opps I hope that doesn’t give anything away) were the next group back. Gambler, Surgeon, D’Artagnon, Wolf and Warden followed in the next group. Dura-max, CycoBob and Ocelot were followed by Full Throttle, Jack Rabbit and his two brothers. At that point I felt comfortable as we rounded the corner onto Cypress heading towards Johnston.
I started to look over my shoulder as we moved onto Sanderson and make the left towards the Airport. I took the lead and pulled the group all the way to the airport and then out onto Stetson. As we headed towards Warren I started to wonder how the spy might try to destroy Rocky and the Moose. Then I came to me, the plan was to run us into the ground and watch as we lay gasping for breath on the side of the road like goldfish on the floor.

I continued to pull all the way to California and then up to Stowe. My worry was that some smart spy might have visited the museum, at the bottom of the boat ramp by Diamond Valley Lake, and realize that the ancient Himitonian Indians translated Bullwinkle into Clark and that Rocky was short for Rocket. I had to find a way to smoke the mechanic for Boris out. About that time The A group pulled around me and sprinted for Winchester at a breakneck speed with Cossack running as good as I have ever seen him run. I got suspicious and developed a plan at the same time.

I decided to split the group knowing that if my suspicions were correct the mechanic would have to choose a group and if he looked out of place I would know who he was. The split took place at Leon with the A group heading straight and the B group turning to head for Simpson and then up to McCall. Highlander attacked me a time or two but not enough to run me into the ground so I knew the spy must be with the A group and that Rocket, I mean Rocky was in danger. The B group made it to Bradley first but had to stop to refresh and regroup. While we waited I saw the A group come flying down the hill towards the light at Bradley. To my surprise and I will admit my pleasure I saw D’Artagnon, Gambler and Cossack hit the light first followed by Rocket and then Attack Cat. Gambler and D’Artagnon told me that Cossack pushed them hard enough up the hill to almost kill them and I knew who the spy was. I also knew he didn’t recognize Rocky and that we had dodged a bullet. As we worked our way to Jack in the Box Cossack gave up and headed for home. Boris had failed again.

After coffee and conversation those of us that had stopped got ready to head back to Hemet and home. We were down a few riders with some leaving early for appointments. The A group formed early and most of the remaining riders went with them. Rocket, Gambler, D’Artagnon, Surgeon, Jack Rabbit and Warden slowly pulled away and headed for the saddle. Wolf broke off before Lindenburger.

The B group was taking it a bit easier but not all that far behind as we closed in on Lindenburger and got ready to attack the Saddle ourselves. I looked back to see Highlander, T-3, CycoBob, Full Throttle, his son and Vortex. Not a bad sized group for the homeward part of the ride. We quickly made back to Sanderson and headed north towards Stetson. We lost Full Throttle and his son by the High School and T-3 at Johnston while Highlander, CycoBob, Vortex and I headed for Lowes and home.

It is always a short run down Acacia from Lowes to Kirby and then to Gilmore. It was just a short run to Florida and then back to Burger King where Warden and Surgeon were still talking. We stayed and talked for a few minutes before I took off for home myself. It was good to know my secret hadn’t been found out by Boris or his agent and it was good to get in another 38 miles on a perfect day.

6/27/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




The summer is here and the start times for our ride have been moved up and I was ready for a good turnout for today’s ride. Bautista Canyon is both a popular ride and one that allows both the A and B group a chance to have a good time. It was still cool at 8am as 14 of us pulled out of the parking lot and headed over to Lyon for our trip down to Thornton.


We picked up Gary, (Goliath) after we crossed Acacia and he fell in with us as we moved towards Johnston with T-3 pushing the pace just a touch. Vortex, Tax Man and Bandit were not far behind and it was shaping up to be an interesting ride as we got ready to turn east on Thornton and head towards State Street. We quickly worked our way to Santa Fe and then to Stetson and over to Columbia with T-3 in the lead much of the way. Most of the group turned down Columbia and back down to Thornton before we moved over to Crest and worked our way east with Wolf rolling along like he was in a hunting pack.

We talked and joked as we moved through the old houses on Crest and got ready to turn by the larger places with horse property. It is always a relaxing ride through that part of town because there are very few cars even if the roads could use some improvement. Finally Goliath moved up front with Vortex and pulled us over to Lake Street and up the little hill north towards Stetson again.

Both Tax man and T-3 were way ahead of us and already heading towards Fairview as we crested the rise on Lake and came back to Thornton. I knew things would pick up a bit from this point on and looking back I could see the A riders forming up like a swarm of Bees. Rocket, Gambler, Bandit, Vortex and Goliath were sure to take off once we got to Fairview and I found myself looking forward to the pull on Stetson.

Just as I had expected the run for the canyon started part way up Fairview. Rocket, Gambler, Bandit, Vortex, Goliath and Wolf took off, followed closely by Full Throttle and his son, (Jack Rabbit) T-3 and Tax man were already part of the way to Bautista and Dura-max and Ocelot were behind me. I caught up to Tax man and stopped while he made an equipment adjustment. Dura-max and Ocelot passed us and we managed to catch Full Throttle who was beginning to suffer from the heat. Tax man was having heat issues as well but kept pushing while drinking his water. About ¾ of the way up the canyon we saw T-3 heading down and going home. Most of the A group were well on their way back before Tax man and I joined the rest of the B group at the top of the canyon.

I ended up in a rather exciting pace line with Wolf, and Goliath. We cut through the canyon and back down to Fairview were we regrouped with the rest of the Bs. We took off to Carl’s and five of us stopped for coffee and conversation. When we left for home there were only four of us left. Dura-max and Ocelot had gone another direction while Goliath, Wolf, Vortex and I headed back to Burger King.


Goliath headed for home about Buena Vista and we moved on without him. I pulled into the parking lot with about 36 miles on the computer. Everyone seemed to have had a good time and everyone seemed to have accomplished something today. I guess I would have to say it was another good day to be part of the group.

6/24/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)




It was another perfect morning as I looked out at a clear blue sky first thing today. We had very little if any wind and it was much cooler than it was yesterday. I had a rather casual ride planned for the group and depending on who and how many people showed up I expected everything to go according to plan. When I arrived at Burger king there were only two other riders sitting in the shade. We waited quite a while before anyone else pulled up. But by 8:30 we had eight riders and they seemed eager to hit the road.


As we traveled west on Acacia and then south on Kirby many of us spent the time chatting and getting warmed up. There were no real defined groups at this point and we stayed pretty well mixed up as we pulled through the housing tract on Cypress. T-3 was in cruise mode as we pulled out onto Johnston and caught the light at Sanderson. On Once we headed south on Sanderson things started to stretch out a bit and soon Blood Hound was running out in front of us as we turned west on Domenigoni. Before long Attack Cat pulled around and started to give chase and with a small amount of grumbling some of the A riders started to follow. Dura-max, T-3 and I just kept it on cruise control and regrouped with everyone on top of the saddle. A quick break and we were heading down towards Menifee.

Once we made it to Menifee Blood Hound continued to pull away in an attempt to place some distance between us so he could make a quick pit stop on Scott Road. The group decided not to let him get too far away and pulled up behind him in the short steep hill just past Holland. I pulled up to make sure we had everyone and the group broke into two with Huntress, Dura-max, T-3 and I followed Gambler, D’Artagnon, Blood Hound and Attack cat to Scott road.

The group fractured a bit more as the front four stopped at the freeway and the rest of us headed for Haun. Gambler and D’Artagnon caught up and we received a call saying Attack Cat and Blood Hound were on their way so we continued on towards Newport. I have to admit I was impressed with the pace the six of us were setting and we turned onto Newport and then Bradley and were close to McCall when Huntress got a flat. While she was changing the tire Attack Cat and Blood Hound caught up and stopped while we waited for the repair to be completed.

Once we were back on our way we split into two parts again because half of us got caught at a light. Huntress threw a chain and we fell a bit further behind but finally we were on our way to Chris’s. We took turns pulling east on Simpson and from Leon T-3 pulled us all the way to Winchester. It was too hot to sit outside so we took the time to cool off and visit in the air conditioning before heading for home. After we turned onto Stowe I watched as Gambler and D’Artagnon put their heads down and started to pull away as they often do. Dura-max, Highlander, T-3 and I stayed together till we got to Sanderson where we split up and two of us went south and two went north. I got home with 40 miles on the computer and got in the house just before the thermometer hit 100 degrees. Perfect timing for a good day and a good ride.

6/23/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

Just because it was there


Today was unusual for several different reasons not the least of which was a group ride to Idyllwild on an off day for group rides. It was also a strong showing for the A group riders. Some if not most of the A rider had never been to Idyllwild and they were in for a challenge they might not have planned on. We had decided to meet at 9am at the Carl’s parking lot to allow for Shadow to join us and I wasn’t sure just how many people were going to join us. To my surprise there where more than I expected.


I ended up giving Shadow a ride to Val Vista so he could make it on time and we were there before anyone else. But it wasn’t long before other riders joined us and slowly but surely we had a group of about 9 riders willing to take on Idyllwild.

As we got ready to start our trip I lead the group out onto Ramona to the light so we could cross Florida and head east into the morning sun and up the mountain. I pulled us up to Fairview and then to Cranston Station before falling back to call out oncoming cars

About a mile past Cranston Station we started up the small rollers and I noticed Shadow moving towards the front. Gambler, Bandit, Centaur, D’Artagnon and Rocket started to pull away while I closed with Warden and Vortex. I looked at my temperature reading and it was already over 90 and we were only at the 2500 foot mark. I passed Warden and started to pull up next to Vortex when I noticed warden was slowing down. By the 3000 foot level it was close to 100 degrees and Warden was cooked. I stayed and talked with him till he started back down the hill and then followed Vortex up the hill.

Vortex noticed I was fading a bit and fell back to pace me because I couldn’t seem to get my heart rate fewer than 165. I dropped into a granny gear and slowly continued up the hill till we came up to the 3500 foot mark. Rocket was pulled over to the side of the road with Centaur and he was having trouble cooling off as well. The computer read 109. He decided to head back and Centaur decided to ride with him to make sure he got back to the vehicles. I sucked down about half of a bottle of electrolytes and followed Vortex all the way to Mountain center. We took it easy trying to keep my heart rate down and fluids in and still I was fifteen minutes slower to Mountain Center than two weeks ago. We continued on for the next four or five miles till we got to the Idyllwild sign where we took a picture.

It is just a small climb from the Idyllwild sign till we rode into town and headed for Mile High Café where everyone else was waiting for us. I will admit I had been thinking about stopping to get something to eat for miles. In fact I wanted some pie and ice cream. When Vortex and I pulled up everyone was relaxing and bandit’s wife and family had driven up to have lunch with us. I ordered apple pie and a scoop of ice cream.

Once we were cooled off and refreshed it was time to head back down the hill and head for the cars. Vortex took off and we ran down to Mountain Center in front of the pack. We stopped briefly so everyone could catch up and then took off again down the hill. Vortex was flying down the hill and it was all I could do to hang on till we got back to Cranston Station. However well before we got there the wind hit us right in the face and the temperature felt a bit like a blast furnace. Bandit and Gambler caught us just as we entered the trees and I noticed the heat was pushing my heart rate up again. Gambler pulled me back to Carl’s and we regrouped one last time before heading for home.

All I can say is we have a good group of riders to ride with and ones that I am glad to call friends. It may have been a slow 37 miles but it was one filled with challenges. But it was also a good day because we all made it home safely and with a feeling of accomplishment. In my case I also had the feeling of sore legs.

6/22/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


Summer is finally here and it was like someone flipped a switch and turned up the thermostat. I looked out at zero early thirty and it was clear with absolutely no wind. It was also already 60 plus degrees. I took two water bottles out of the refrigerator and put them on my bike before sitting down for one last cup of coffee before heading to Burger King.

When I pulled into the parking lot only Dura-max and Wolf were waiting in the shade on the north end. Soon however T-3 and Huntress arrived and not long after that Cycobob. Raptor pulled in just after Attack Cat giving us a rather lop sided group of six B group riders and only one of the As. To me it was a perfect day for the killer Bs ride.


We took off for Acacia at a rather relaxed pace and both Huntress and T-3 stayed close to the front of the group as we turned onto Acacia and then again on Kirby before heading west on Cypress towards Johnston. As I looked back at the group I started to daydream about how our group reminded me of a group of bombers flying a sortie over Europe. Six of us were in close formation and one fighter escort.

As we headed south on Sanderson towards Domenigoni I thought everyone looked rather relaxed, well except Attack Cat who always looks like he is straining at the leash. After we turned east, towards State Street, Attack Cat pulled away to make a run at the Boat ramp hill. The rest of us stayed together in a tight pack and continued on to State. I pulled to McSweeney and T-3 pulled us to the Golf Course. I had already let it be known I didn’t plan to push today so that I could climb to Idyllwild with some of the A riders tomorrow. It didn’t matter because Wolf kept trying to bait me into a sprint and I kept backing off. It is so good to have friends to help you out like that. We all made it to the end of Cactus Valley road and then started back to begin the run east to Fairview.

We made it back to State and then over to Stetson smoothly and rather quickly with Huntress pulling us all the way to Chambers. We split up at Columbia and T-3 went straight while most of the rest of us headed for Crest and Thornton. Once back on Crest we chatted and moved east towards Lake.
It was a smooth quick trip down Stetson till we got to Fairview. We turned south towards Wilson Mesa and I saw T-3 heading back towards Florida. I flipped a quick turn and followed her all the way to Carl’s where we met up with the rest of the group and Raptor. We took a short break for coffee and conversation before we headed for Lincoln and home.

As we got back to Park Dura-max headed for home and the rest of us worked our way back to Columbia and jumped over to Devonshire. We cruised west on Devonshire with Huntress up front much as she had been at the start of the ride. I am afraid at the rate she is improving I will be losing her to the A group before the summer is over.

We finally turned onto Santa Fe and then Latham for the final stretch to Burger King. We caught the light red at State and then moved on towards Palm. We discussed the ride and the weather and once T-3 pulled up next to me we decided to break off on Lyon and head for home.

As T-3 and I moved down Lyon Cycobob, Wolf and Huntress rode back to Burger King to pick up their vehicles. It was getting warm and we had to start thinking about starting our rides earlier. By the time I got home we had 35 miles on the computer and my average Heart Rate was only 117. All in all it was a pretty relaxed day and one where the whole B group stayed together for the whole ride. Not bad for a easy Wednesday.

6/20/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



Finally the weather seems to be changing and looking outside this morning it was clear and warm even at 6:45 am. I made sure I had two water bottles filled with electrolytes, dressed for warm weather and headed out the door for the ride to Burger King. The plan was for a easy ride to Elsinore and back.

I was short a few riders that I expected but still I had ten riders ready to go by 8:30am. There was plenty of energy in these ten riders and I had to wonder if the ride was going to be as easy as I had wanted. We moved out onto Gilmore and headed down to Acacia before turning towards Kirby. As I turned the corner onto Acacia I could feel pressure from behind me even if I wasn’t looking back. In fact if you have ever seen the movie Jaws I could also almost hear the music they played just before you say the Shark make an attack. I looked back and for an instant I saw the shark. In this case it was Rocket.


We caught the light at Kirby and I managed to get clipped in and headed for Cypress first. I chatted a bit with Rocket and Gary as we traveled south and after only a minute or two we were crossing the rail road tracks and heading west on Cypress through the housing track working our way to Johnston. However I noticed we were moving at a pretty good clip on a street we usually just crawl down. There simply was no way anyone was going to fall back today. I already knew Gary was going to be in the A group because he is a monster mountain bike rider and he has the stamina for it.

Just before we got to Johnston I noticed Casey Jones coming down the street in the opposite direction as soon as we past him he spun a turn and joined us to make the group eleven. A quick turn onto Johnston and then another onto Sanderson and we were on our way to a great ride. I still didn’t know who the A group was going to be but I had already decided to stick with the B group to make sure any of our first time group rides made it to Elsinore and back.

Looking back as we got close to Mustang I wasn’t so sure I wouldn’t be the only one in the B group. Wolf had been all over me on our last ride and was just as likely to run with the A group as anyone. Rocket may have been under the weather for a while but he was almost always running flat out. Highlander has been running strong and Dura-max was on his new bike and we always know a new bike will make you faster.


Once we started west on Domenigoni Gary pulled up next to me and asked if we would be splitting into two groups. I assured him we would and shortly after I dropped out of the lead the group split in two. For the longest time Highlander, Tax Man and I cruised at about 20 mph slowly slipping behind the A group. By Winchester the A group was out of sight except for Wolf who fell back to join us till we past Leon and road as a group to the top of the saddle. Once at the top we regrouped. The A group left first and the B group followed expecting to regroup once again at Carl’s on Marietta.

As we expected everyone pulled into the Carl’s parking lot and we took another head count to make sure everyone was there. Dura-Max had an appointment so he had to leave us and head for home. The rest of us headed west on Newport towards Railroad Canyon. Once we started up the hill the whole group spread out. I started to push up the hill but thought better of it as I caught Vortex and decided to stay with Wolf and Highlander. They soon pulled ahead of me and I rode with Tax man all the way to Micky D’s.

Once we had our coffee and conversation the A group got antsy and got ready to leave. We were evenly divided with five riders in each group and the B group still had coffee to drink so we waited. About five or ten minutes later we pulled out onto the street and headed over to Rail Road Canyon and started for home. My expectations for an easy cruise home we dashed by two rides today. Wolf was still nipping at my heels every time I tried to kick back and Vortex was pushing me on each and every hill. This continued all the way to Newport and Antelope where Wolf broke off and headed for home.

I crossed over the saddle one last time with Vortex right behind me. We slowed down and waited till all four of us were back in a pace line and headed for Winchester. We passed Leon and Vortex pulled us all the way to Winchester.


This was Tax Man’s first ride to Elsinore and he did very well as we got back to Sanderson. We pulled up to the light and waited for a long time before we were able to make a left to head north. It didn’t take long for us to cross Stetson and not much longer till we turned into the Lowes parking lot to take a short cut to Acacia.

We pulled around behind Lowes and turned out onto Acacia to go east. I managed to pull us back to Kirby where, just like this morning, we caught the light red. Once it had changed we moved on to Gilmore and started back towards Florida. Highlander noticed the light was green and we had to sprint about 50 yards to catch it. We all pulled into the parking lot and stopped to talk for a few minutes before going our separate way. When I got home I was tired but felt good about the ride. I had 47 miles on the computer and was looking forward to a light lunch and a dip in the pool. Good day, good ride, good friends.

6/17/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



Sometimes the ride we do is the challenge and sometimes it is the group itself that makes its own challenge. Today was the latter. It was just a bit overcast as I rode towards Burger King and for some it might have seemed a bit cool. But I knew that is it was anything like Thursday it would burn off and be nice pretty early so I dispensed with arm warmers and leg warmers and decided to wait for it to warm up as everyone arrived for the ride. I got there just a bit early because Shadow was going to stop by and see me before we left.


I will admit I was a bit surprised to see the turn out for the ride today. By eight fifteen we had at least twelve riders and they were still pulling up. Wolf, Dura-max, Blood Hound and Ocelot and I were chatting away as Rocket and Gambler pulled up making it fourteen and once Full Throttle and his two sons arrived we had seventeen riders ready for an easy flat Friday. A few minutes later we were out on Gilmore heading for Acacia.

T-3 pulled up next to me at the light on Kirby and mentioned she was perfectly happy with the pace we had been setting so far. To tell the truth I was pretty happy with it myself and thought it was going to be a rather easy day. My plan was to let the A group run as fast as they wanted to and I would just kick back with the B group till we got to the ranger station after we turned back east. As we turned west on Cypress that is just how the day was starting out.

We worked our way through the houses and up to Johnston before turning west to Sanderson and the north to the first light where we would be turning towards the airport. We lucked out and Sanderson was almost empty as we rode north and crossed the railroad tracks. Favor shined its face on us some more as we got to the stop light with two vehicles in the turn lane making a left. We hardly ever trip that light if there are no cars.

The whole group made it through the light and Blood Hound pulled away so he could make a quick stop at Hanger 1. We passed him and headed for Stetson where I started to pull us towards Warren. I must have been doing a good job because everyone was more than happy to allow me to pull all the way to California and then to Stowe. I knew pretty quickly I wouldn’t have any steam left if the sprint to Winchester started and just as I was thinking this Highlander pulled around me lighting the fuse for the A group. The first to jump was Wolf but soon the whole pack went after him. I filed into the parking lot on Winchester towards the back of the pack and looked back to see Blood Hound had almost caught us and there was a speck of a rider following him. By the time I got a picture we were up to eighteen riders.

Soon we headed down Winchester towards Domenigoni and I was pulling again with seventeen riders in tow. The plan at this point was t let the faster riders take off and head for the Marina Boat ramp and the rest of the group would follow and the A group would catch us before we got to the Ranger station. Eight riders took off in one group and ten of us followed as best we could. All ten of us made it to the marina turn off where we picked up Blood Hound and continued on to State Street. I took off down State at a pretty good clip only to have Wolf all over my back wheel like he was chasing a rabbit. Once the rest of our group caught up we worked our way over to Stetson and headed east.

Slowly but surely Blood Hound started to pull away from the group and he was almost out of sight by the time we worked our way through Crest, Thornton, and Lake before coming back onto Stetson. Highlander, T-3 and Ruby Tuesday went straight to Fairview. I waited till we were all back in line before noticing Casey Jones as he flew by the group. We regrouped again on Fairview and once again I was tormented by Wolf making the run to Florida. This time he pulled into the draft and pulled past me. The man was feeling his oats for sure. We picked up Gambler and Centaur coming down from Mayberry and we all headed for the ranger station to regroup again before heading to Carl’s.

After twenty-eight miles everyone was looking rather fresh and happy even with several sprints and short climbs under our belts. Dura-max had been riding strong even on a test bike he was riding this week. Sea Lion had been a great help pulling when one of us got tired and even with some minor chain problems Ocelot was right there with us as we pulled into the Cranston Station Parking lot.

The other great part of the ride was having Full Throttle and his sons with us. Even with the youngest being 15 he is more than able to keep up. It will be nice to see them join us even more during the week this summer. They are all proving to be a great addition to our club.

We soon took off back down Florida and headed for Carl’s for coffee and conversation. I was looking forward to a relaxed ride but Highlander and Wolf were more than happy to push me every chance they got. As we rolled along towards Fairview Centaur had a second flat and Gambler stopped to assist him. Turns out that we later found out he had to stop at casino to get a spare tube because he ended up with three flats.

We watched as Full Throttle and his boys headed for home and after having our refreshments we packed up and headed for home ourselves. All by Dura-max and Ocelot who decided to return to the ranger station for a second time and a few more miles.


As we headed down Lincoln we didn’t realize that Centaur was in hot pursuit. We were rolling along at a reasonable clip and still no one looked like they were tired. Highlander, wolf and Surgeon took turns leading us back to State Street where it turns out we made the light and Centaur didn’t. Highlander kept pushing the pace till at Lyon he went into a full sprint all the way back to the Pep Boys parking lot. It was that last sprint that kept Centaur for catching us before we got back to the cars. He did pull up just as we were about to call and make sure he didn’t need a ride. After exchanging pleasantries I headed for home and ended up with just over forty miles. Good weather, good friends make for a good day.