11/02/2011
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


After having such an interesting ride Monday I was planning on at least an equal ride today. I got up and looked outside and it was maybe a bit warmer than Monday and it was clear without a hint of wind. None the less I tossed on a windbreaker and headed for Burger King to see how many other riders wanted to get in another 50 miles before Friday. I must have been eager because I was the first one to arrive and I had time to get an extra cup of coffee before Dura Max and Blood Hound arrived. Before anyone else pulled up Full Throttle drove up to make the monthly Trophy award. Once the other riders showed up the award went to Dura Max for being the most persistent rides and world’s best at changing and filling a flat tire.


It was a bit smaller group than we had Monday but everyone seemed eager to give the ride a try. We rode down Gilmore and turned west on Acacia and rolled up to the light on Kirby. We just managed to put a foot down when the light turned green and we headed south on Kirby with Highlander, Blood Hound and Gambler right behind me.

We made it through the housing tract and out onto Sanderson where for the fourth time we made the light at Stetson without stopping. I still say the light has been changed or at least the timing has been reset because in the last two years I can’t remember even once making the light green after turning off of Johnston. From there it was a quick ride to Mustang before we got ready to go west on Domenigoni.

Huntress, Dura Max, Snow Goose and I cruised towards Winchester losing sight of the rest of the group well before Warren. The four of us chatted as the rest of the group raced on to the saddle and waited for us to regroup. Vortex indicated it was one of his best efforts at the Saddle sprint. Just as we pulled up Gambler was leaving. It seems as if he was under the weather and I can only hope he doesn’t have what I had or he will be slow coming back into form. We decided to take off again and head for Carl’s before regrouping and refilling.

Dura Max had to leave us at LaLadera to get back home before 11:30. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Goetz and as suggested Dura Max turned at LaLadera. We didn’t get far past that street ourselves when the wind started. By the time we got to Goetz we were heading into a face on Santa Ana. This was going to make the climb just that much harder. I pulled pretty strong to the last climb when I noticed we had dropped three riders. I fell back and watched as Spartacus made a great charge for the last part of the hill. We all regrouped at the top of the hill and took the full brunt of the wind before heading down the hill towards Ethernac. The wind was blowing so hard we were in grey dust cloud and I had to pedal the last half of the downhill just to go 20 MPH. We made the decision to modify the route and head back to Murrieta. It was one of the fastest rides to McCall we ever made and it was a fast climb up McCall Hill till Vortex flatted and Spartacus broke a spoke. We regrouped at the top.

We knew or thought we would have to keep it slow heading down McCall and over to Simpson and then to Winchester before stopping at Chris’s. Spartacus surprised me when once he discovered the back wheel wasn’t rubbing against the brake pads he kept up a rather brisk pace all the way to Chris’s. We only stopped long enough for one coffee and a short conversation before we headed back past the airport and out to Sanderson before turning back to Lowes. There were still six of us as we turned onto the Lowes Parking lot and Blood Hound was still pushing as we rounded the building and headed to Acacia.

Once we were back at the parking lot we took some extra time to visit and discuss the ride and the wind. We didn’t want a repeat of the Gilman wind challenge and were glad we decided to cut the ride a bit shorter than planned. We can only hope that the weather holds for Friday and that everyone stays healthy. I am feeling better every day and was still feeling good as I rode home with 44 miles on the bike computer. It is more than how much I enjoy riding it is how much I enjoy riding it is how much I enjoy riding with the people I ride with, Good friends.