9/07/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


It looked like it was going to be a hot one today but we needed some climbing and Bautista seemed like a good idea if we got there early. The ride wouldn’t be as long as some and once we made it to the end of the canyon it would be downhill almost all the way to Florida. Wanting to get started I left the house about 15 minutes early and met Blood Hound at the parking lot.

We didn’t have as big of a group as we did Monday but still about 14 riders followed me out of the parking lot and onto Lyon as we headed for Thornton to begin our adventure.


Blood Hound has been leading the pack for the last few weeks and today was no different. I had no intention of pushing the group heading east so that they would have plenty of energy once we finally got to Bautista. Still Surgeon, Blood hound and Spartacus were staying towards the front of the pack all the way down Lyon and then east on Thornton.

Once on Thornton I let Blood Hound and Surgeon go and watch as Highlander and Vortex pulled up behind me. By that point Spartacus had drifted back to ride with Dura max and Ocelot. Bud, Warden and Jack Rabbit rode quietly between all of us. Way back in the back the Musketeers and Full Throttle cruised like sharks waiting to pick up the scraps off of the back of a navy ship.

Our positions didn’t change all that much as we moved out onto Stetson and headed for Columbia Street. Once on Crest however it looked like people were starting to think about where they wanted to be when we got back to Stetson and headed for Fairview.


We made it to Lake Street and finally turned onto Stetson with Blood Hound at least ¼ mile ahead of us. I tried to pull the group up and close with Blood Hound but I simply didn’t have the energy today. I turned the lead over and Surgeon pulled from Fairview to Bautista where Blood Hound was waiting for us.

Blood hound and some others took off as soon as we entered the canyon and I offered to stay back with Highlander. However just about everyone passed us trying to make some kind of speed run up the canyon. Vortex offered to stay and Highlander told me to go play so I took off after Full Throttle, Centaur, and Warden as soon as D’Artagnon and then Gambler and Bandit flew past me. Gambler was on his brand new BMC made of petrified smoke. Heat or no heat I pushed myself into the red zone and gave pursuit. My first target was Warden and it took me more than a mile to catch him.

About a mile later I spotted Full Throttle and it looked like he had fallen off of the train created by Centaur. It took me almost another mile to catch him and work my way past. My heart rate was starting to bump up against the rev-limiter so I down shifted and tried to give my legs and lungs a break. Looking over my shoulder I could see a blue jersey gaining on me and I had you get back in to hold whoever it was off. Still the blue jersey kept the pressure up and I had to find a pace that would hold them off and not blow a valve doing it. Once out of the trees and into the last two climbs I knew I had enough lead to back off and cruise to then finish. To my surprise and delight the Blue Jersey turned out to be Spartacus and on his first climb up Bautista. He had a great ride.

I took it easy coming back down the canyon and tried to recover from the climb but still I got a flat just before the last little hill and Warden stopped to help me fix it. It didn’t take that long and soon we regrouped at the bottom of Bautista and Fairview. As soon as we got there it was time to head towards Florida and Carl’s. Spartacus started us on our way and Surgeon followed close behind till everyone formed up into the pace line that would lead to the final sprint over the Bat Bridge and to the School.


Once we were in the pace line Surgeon took the lead out and slowly increased our pace as we got back to Stetson. I ended up about the fifth man back behind Surgeon, Full Throttle Jack Rabbit and Spartacus. I told Spartacus to close on Full Throttle’s back wheel before the bridge because I thought he might make a jump to start the sprint. What I didn’t know was he was working with Full Throttle and was supposed to warn him if I jumped first. Full Throttle waited till I tried to break out of the line and the sprint was on. Full Throttle is on his way back.

We stopped for coffee and conversation at Carl’s and really didn’t stay that long before we started to split up and head our separate way home. About seven or eight of us headed up to Lincoln and headed for park. It was hot but not as hot as they had predicted so the ride was an easy one. Dura max and Ocelot broke off at Park.


The rest of us, Vortex, Bud, Highlander, Spartacus, warden and I continued on around Park, past the animal pens and over to Devonshire. Highlander was riding like a horse heading for the barn and Vortex was doing the same. The pace got us back to Santa Fe a lot faster than I expected.

At this point we started to hit our stride and caught the light at State Street just as it turned green. Vortex got out in front and moved us pat one intersection after another till we finally past Lyon and headed for the Pep Boys driveway and the parked cars. After I got home it may only have been 36 miles but it was a hard 36 miles and a good workout.