9/28/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)



Today was a bit like the movie the good the bad and the ugly for me. It didn’t start out that way but slowly it turned out that way. I looked out at a clear warm beautiful morning and even left the house early so I could take my time getting to the parking lot. So far everything was right with the world. Of course I got there first but soon I saw Ocelot and Dura Max ride by heading to the mall parking lot and then Surgeon and Highlander showed up. It wasn’t the biggest group we have had but there were at least 10 or 11 riders as we headed for Acacia and then to Kirby. Two got stuck at the light on Florida but I knew we could pull over and wait for them on Cypress.




Vortex was very talkative this morning and we chatted all the way down Kirby with Surgeon, Highlander and Blood Hound close behind. It looked like it might be an interesting group today with Gambler and Bandit looking like they had plenty to give to make the ride intense. All that remained to be seen was how we would do on Domenigoni.

After we picked up our trailing riders we quickly rode to Sanderson and then up to Domenigoni where Vortex decided to start the pull for the Saddle. He pulled for a very long time and he may not have given up the lead if it hadn’t been for some glass Attack Cat pointed out to him. We were quite a ways past the dry wash and Warren when Attack Cat got the lead and he pulled us to Winchester where much to our surprise Gambler and Bandit made their attack. Half of the pack went with them and ended up with one of our quickest runs to the saddle. The pack exploded at the base of the saddle but Bandit and Gambler managed to hold on to finish the run in the one-two position.


It was a great run by the lead pack which even with maximum effort Full Throttle calls fun. I looked at my HR monitor to see that I was only one bubble from maximum effort so I back off a bit so I could sprint to the top of the saddle a distant 4th. We waited for everyone to regroup before discussing how we wanted to do the second leg of the ride. Dura Max and Ocelot decided to take another route than the one we were going to take so the rest of the group started down the Saddle towards Menifee to turn south.

Normally it is a rather casual ride for the little hill just past Holland but not today. Today the whole group looked like a Rugby Scrum as we rolled past the stop sign and started to pick up speed at the base of the hill. We had agreed to regroup after cresting the hill so for some crazy reason I decided to attack the hill. I couldn’t catch Gambler or Bandit but I did manage to burn off any extra energy I may have had left over from cresting the saddle. We regrouped only to find out the Blood Hound had a flat. I decided to assist him in changing the tire and the ugly part of the ride struck. As I was pumping up his tire I must have zigged when I should have zagged because a sharp pain slammed me in the back and I had to sit down. I finished the tire and got back on the bike and headed for Scott road. At the light the act of putting my foot down was like a knife sticking in me. I had to turn the group over to Full Throttle and fall back like a wounded Sauropod. Luckily Highlander and Sea Lion stayed with me to keep the Velociraptors from taking me down and killing me.

A hand full of vitamin I and I could follow my escorts to the main group on east Benton and Winchester.

After a rest I was feeling better and managed to stay with the herd till we got back to Leon heading for Scott again.


Once back on Scott and heading for Menifee I noticed I was still hurting a bit and decided it would be best if I dropped into the small ring and kicked it down till we got back. I have a Century coming up Saturday and I already paid so there was no point in pushing till I hurt today. Once again Sea Lion and Highlander stayed with me as we headed back to Dominigoni and finally to Winchester where Sea Lion left us so I could stop for some coffee at Chris’s. I have no clue how the rest of the group did but I took some more Aspirin at Chris’s before heading back to Burger King with Highlander.

After a hot shower and lunch I sat on my front porch and played at fixing out fountain water feature. For me it was a 50 mile ride door to door. But I think it felt longer. Still I would rather be riding with friends than sitting on the couch.