1/30/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


It was supposed to be a pretty good day today so I put together a nice little warm up ride west to Sun City and back to Chris’s. I knew Highlander and Tax Man were going to be back but I wasn’t sure who else was interested in getting out on Monday. As I pulled into the parking lot Wolf and Centaur were at the north end of the parking lot talking. After a few minutes George pulled up and we talked as Torpedo pulled in with Gary and Luigi. When Torpedo shows we know the A group will be fired up and hard to hold back. To my surprise Raptor rode up almost right at 8:30 just as we were getting ready to leave. Not 30 seconds later Dura Max and Ocelot pulled up and just as the A and B group pulled out of the parking lot T-3 pulled in as well. It looked like they were planning a C group but they didn’t say so I can only assume they were going to ride with Raptor. I led the rest of the group out onto Gilmore and then to Acacia then to Kirby to get the ride started.


We warmed up on Kirby and made the turn onto Cypress to work our way over to Johnston and catch the light at Sanderson. So far the pace had been very reasonable but we hadn’t made it to Domenigni yet. I took the lead and pulled us past Stetson and Wally World with everyone in tow. We past Mustang and got in line for the turn on Domenigoni. I knew somewhere along the line the A group would take the lead and start pulling away the only thing I didn’t know was when.

After a brief time in the front I gave the lead to Highlander and the run was on. By the time Highlander gave up the lead Torpedo, Luigi, and Gary were trailing the pack but getting ready to make their run. Torpedo pulled up next to me and mentioned that he and his group were going to modify the ride and head for Clinton Kieth when we made the turn to Scott. About that time Centaur took the lead and we were hitting 25 by the time we dropped over the dry wash. By the time we were hitting 26 the group started to fragment and I noticed we were losing riders while Centaur, Wolf and Highlander pulled away. I dropped back to pick up a rider and we rejoined Wolf and Highlander about Winchester. Tax Man flatted and as we got back under way a rider pulled up next to me and to my surprise it was Backdraft. He and Gazelle were headed to IE for a bike repair on Gazelle’s bike but they at least joined us at the Saddle.

After leaving the saddle we rode past Lindenburger and made a left on Menifee to catch the little hill just past Holland. We decided we would regroup after the top on that little hill and as we did so Backdraft and Gazelle past us heading for Scott Road. We never did quite catch then as they were heading straight while we turned on Scott and worked our way over to Haun. We were about to start another quick run to Newport.

We didn’t bother stopping on Newport so we simply made our way to Bradley and then McCall to climb the Hospital Hill and then down the back side to Heritage before coming out onto Simpson. We made the turn and started a steady pace line towards Winchester. Shortly after passing Briggs Centaur took over the pull and took us all the way to the light. We made the left on Winchester and took a break at Chris’s for hydration and conversation. We only stayed for about 15 minutes before we were back out onto Winchester heading for Stowe.

The ride on Stowe to California was pretty much a continuation of what we did on Simpson and we stayed in a pace line till we turned onto California. Wolf and Highlander shared the lead as we rode back to Stetson and Highlander took over the pull as we headed back to Warren and then the airport road. I broke for home as the rest of the group turned to head back to Burger King and got home with 38 miles on the clock. The day turned out to be close to perfect with very little wind. Yes I would say it was just another good day to be from California.

1/27/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


Often we have what I like to call easy Friday’s and my plan for today was one of those easy days. We do realize that not every easy ride I plan turns out that way but at least we try. We had a new rider joining us this morning, Gary, but I didn’t know who else was going to be there. Turns out Barracuda, Huntress, Gambler, Bandit, Blood Hound, Wolf, D’Artagnon, Rocket and sea Lion were ready to go today as well. It was just a bit after 8:30 when we trekked down Lyon heading for Ramona.


We took turns pulling all the way to Ramona and then over to State Street. I got back out in front and pulled from state and Ramona all the way to Soboba where I told the group to go play all the way to the golf course. The big dogs jockeyed around for a while and finally they dropped the hammer followed by Huntress and Sea Lion. Blood Hound stayed with me till we were over the second roller and then took off as well. I finally regrouped with everyone at the Golf Course.

After a short break we were back on our way but the ride had morphed a bit and Gambler, Bandit and D’Artagnon decided to head for Saint John’s grade. Rocket left us before we got back the Hemet Street and Wolf Flatted right after Rocket broke off. Huntress, Blood Hound, Gary and Barracuda continued on while Sea Lion and I watched Wolf change his tire. Soon we were headed towards the ranger station ourselves but about 5 minutes behind everyone else. We regrouped once more at the Ranger Station before heading back to Carl’s for coffee and conversation. On the way back down from Cranston station Blood Hound and I got a pretty good jump on the rest of the group but it wasn’t long before Barracuda chased us down.

I managed to say in front or the main group till we caught a red light at Fairview where Blood Hound broke for home. As I pulled up to the light the whole group caught me and we pulled across the intersection together heading past Casino with Sea Lion and Huntress. I felt good enough to try and close and considered getting in the sprint for Carl’s but Wolf decided that would be a bad idea and managed to catch a ride by holding onto my jersey pocket. Huntress took off and got to the Carl’s driveway first. We parked our bikes and went in for another quick break and some energy bars. After a short conversation we were back on New Chicago before turning on Lincoln and heading back to Park for the ride back to Burger King.

There were still half of us left for the ride around park and onto Devonshire and we chatted away even if the day hadn’t turned out quite as warm as they had predicted. But we considered ourselves lucky because the wind they had predicted hadn’t materialized and the ride turned out to be a pretty good one. I got home with only 32 miles on the computer but they were a good 32 miles and I felt the ride had been just about right for a Friday. It was a good day with good people to ride with.

1/20/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


We had a rain out day on Monday. I know this because I actually rode over to Burger King just in case anyone wanted to try and get a ride in and ended up getting rained on all the way home. Today was a special day because we were going to do our last long ride before the Tour De Palm Springs. Huntress had pushed for it and I felt ready for a 70 mile run. When I got to Burger King only Blood Hound and Wolf were waiting but even so I looked forward t the ride at least if the wind held off. And by 8:30 we did have a few more riders with Huntress, Gambler, D’Artagnon, and Vortex joining us for the ride North towards Ramona. It was a quick trip down Latham and a cool morning but no wind to start with.


The ride out to Ramona was pretty fast paced and once we were out onto Sanderson and Ramona Expressway I was interested to see how the ride west would be. As we rotated through the pace line slowly but surely we were rolling along close to 25 MPH. By staying on D’Artagnon’s back wheel I was able to stay with the group and felt pretty good as we made it to Lakeview before working our way to Nuevo and then down Murrieta to McCall. Wolf shamed me into taking it easy on the McCall climb and we regrouped at the Gas Station just past Bradley. The plan called for a ride down Murrieta to Newport and then through Railroad Canyon. So far I felt good and the group split after picking up Bandit with me tagging onto Huntress, Wolf and Vortex.

If we wondered where the wind was we found it on the south side of Lake Elsinore. It turned out to be blowing right in our face as we headed North on Grand. The sun was out and it started to warm up so we did see other cyclists out on the road. Not as many as I would have expected on such a good day but at least a few solo riders were out. As we came upon one we noticed the A group pulling in behind us. They had stopped back at the Taco Bell and had no trouble catching us and pulled us past a fixie rider and past Ortega Highway and to the Jack in the Box.

After a short breakfast break, at about the 50 mile mark, we were back on the road and heading for the east side of the lake and then back south towards downtown Elsinore. Finally the wind was at our back and our speed picked back up. Somewhere the A group got behind us again but caught us before our second pass through Railroad Canyon. I was still on my best behavior after being yelled at by Huntress and Wolf so I simply geared down and cruised through the canyon to find part of the group waiting for me on the last hill.

Now all we had to do was get back to Sanderson and there were no hills other than the Saddle between us and that goal. I tried to get the rest of the group to ride at their own pace because I felt I was strong enough t make it back by myself but they would hear of it so we slowly cruised past Winchester, Warren and finally back to Sanderson. I stayed with the group till we go to Johnston and we broke apart when they went down Cypress and I headed for home. I got back with 72 miles on the computer and an average Heart rate of 145. Not bad for an old guy. Anyway a hot shower and lunch felt real good as did a one hour nap after lunch. We are ready for the century.

1/20/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)

It was time for one of our simple Friday rides and it was still just a bit cool when I got up this morning. In fact looking outside I noticed just a bit of fog. The problem with fog is it seems to soak right into you and you can feel the cold all the way to your bones. During the winter Fridays can be light but on a foggy Friday there has been as few as three of us. Today at least we had five.


With such a small group it wouldn’t be much of a challenge for Torpedo and Badger so I told everyone they could ride at whatever pace they wanted and I would simply catch up with them when they got to Carl’s. Highlander and Centaur opted to stay back with me and Torpedo and Badger decided that once we got to State Street they would continue on to Saint John’s grade while we turned back at McSweeney. Still we all stayed together after Kirby and rode through the housing track to Johnston and Sanderson.

Everything remained calm as we turned south on Sanderson and after the light turned green on Stetson we quickly made our way to Domenigoni and waited for the light again. As soon as we made the turn east Torpedo and Badger started to pick up the pace and Highlander went with them. I followed till my Heart Rate started to pick up and backed down to about 18 as they pulled away. Soon Centaur pulled around and took off after Highlander. They waited for me on State and we did the McSweeney loop and back down to State and Chambers where we continued our move east to Fairview. Highlander and Centaur did most of the pulling and soon we were making the turn North West on Ramona and heading for Washington and then to the Golf Course on Soboba. We stopped for a quick break and a cold drink.

Once we were back on our way Centaur took over the pull and we past the golf course and picked up speed on the first downhill to start our run to State and Soboba. It didn’t take long before we were well down Soboba and rolling at an easy 20mph. I do believe Centaur could hold that pace all day on a day like this and soon we were coming up on the last little hill before we got to State and I got a chance to get in front if only for a few feet.

State to Ramona and then back down to Carl’s was every bit as easy as the run down Soboba and we managed to catch most of the lights green and rolled into the Carl’s parking lot about 11am. Torpedo and Badger weren’t there but we assumed they went back early after coming back from Sage and Red Mountain. We took a few minutes for coffee and conversation before heading for home on Lincoln. I followed Highlander and Centaur all the way back to Palm before heading for home and a hot shower. Still it was a great ride with some great friends, what more does a person need?

1/18/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


It was cold when I got up this morning. In fact it was below freezing so I got out base layers, long fingered gloves and my Balaclava before I even started to get dressed. Huntress had requested a Half Century for this Wednesday and so I plotted a ride from Hemet to Temecula and French Valley and back. It would be interesting to see how many were interested on such a morning. I was surprised to see Dura Max talking to Wolf when I arrived but it was obvious he was ready to ride. Still by 8:30 Huntress, Highlander, Vortex, Blood Hound, Gambler, wolf and I were ready to go. As we pulled out onto Gilmore I got a bit of a jump on the group and made it through the light while everyone else caught the red.


Once they got back on the way we rode down to Acacia and headed west. I and just about everyone else was glad we didn’t take the false warmth of the Burger King windows to heart and shed our jackets. It was still pretty cold as we stopped at the light on Kirby and waited for it to turn green so we could head south and start working our way to Sanderson.

The turn through the housing tract on Cypress was a bit less intense and conversation flowed easily in the group as we moved towards Johnston. I talked to Vortex about the temperature drop as we moved south and we finally caught the light at Sanderson and Johnston. Once it changed we started the final run south towards Domanigoni after catching the light at Stetson green. I had every hope of keeping the pace on Domenigoni down a bit and wanted to give everyone a chance to pull for two minutes or so with the help of Highlander and the rest.

We did real well as we worked our way west to Warren and were still all together till we picked up Bandit at Winchester. Once through the light Bandit and Gambler started to pick up the pace and some of the group took off after them. I could see no reason to drop the hammer at the light and slowly worked my way back to the back of Highlander and Vortex but letting Blood Hound continue the chase of the other two. I pulled pretty much to Leon before being chastised by Wolf and Highlander and gave up the lead to Huntress and Vortex. I ended up chasing Wolf to the top of the saddle where we all regrouped.

We dropped down the back side of the saddle and picked up Badger at Lindenburger. We all stayed together till we turned onto Menifee. I let the A riders know where we would regroup and they pulled away on Antelope as the rest of us strung out behind at quite a distance. By Scott Road all the B group was back together and we had Wolf to pull us all the way to the turn towards Whitewood. Once on the downhill side we picked up speed and increased our average quite a bit. We pulled out onto Murrieta Hot Springs and picked up another new rider who has been looking for a group to ride with. Wolf fell back and stayed with me as we headed back to the gas station on East Benton to regroup again.

Once everyone was ready we all mounted up and started to pull out of the parking lot to ride up Winchester to Thompson. As I pulled up to the stop light Highlander informed me that we were short a few people and after we turned and made it up to Leon we stopped to see what the problem was. Turns out Huntress had a flat and they were waiting for her to fix it before joining us. So we pulled over to wait with the new rider.

While we waited we told the new rider about our start times and meeting place and introduced him to some of the other riders. It was still pretty cool but at least the sun had come out and we could shed at least one layer. By the time we were all put back together we could see the rest of the group coming up the road so it was time to hit is once again if we wanted to keep a century pace for this half century.

We didn’t stay together all that long before Gambler and Bandit wanted to pick it up again and at first Vortex was out front pulling them. Soon however he dropped back and Highlander pulled in front of me and we reformed into the two groups. We caught up to the As at the stop sign where they had to pull up for Blood Hound as he recovered some object he dropped. They caught and passed us on the first hill and we followed till we turned onto Menifee and headed north. We could just see the last rider in the distance as we pulled up on top of the hill overlooking Holland as we dropped down on what is always Huntress’s favorite part of the ride, a fast downhill.

Once back to Domenigoni we simply turned onto Lindenburger and rode over to Simpson and headed to Winchester to ride over to Chris’s. I for one was happy to stop for coffee and conversation and we spent a few minutes doing just that before jumping back on the bikes and heading for Stowe and home. Once on Stowe we got into a fast cruise and let our legs do a little last mile work towards California.

The pace line held all the way to California and then to Stetson. The pace was fast but comfortable and in little or no time we were back to Warren and heading for the airport road. As the rest of our group headed for the airport I continued on towards Sanderson where I would turn to Johnston and home. By the time I pulled up to the front door I had 52 miles on the computer. I also had a good ride with good friends.

1/16/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


To say the least I was surprised to see rain Sunday and disappointed when they predicted rain for Monday but I put a ride together for the day none the less. Then as I laid in bed Sunday night it rained even harder and maybe just moved the little storm through a bit early giving us a window so we could get in a quick 30 miles this morning. I put on a base layer and a long sleeve jersey with a warm skull cap and headed out to the parking lot to see if I was the only once willing to put in the miles on a less than perfect day. By 8:30 it was a small group consisting of Highlander, Vortex, Wolf, Tax man and me.


I was planning on being good and keeping the ride easy and more or less cruising the whole ride. I knew it would be hard with men like Wolf who always pushes like his namesake nipping at the heels of its prey. Add to run out that Vortex who tends to run out front and push pace and it could be a hard ride to control. I couldn’t even count on Tax Man to keep the pace down because he was looking unusually frisky as we headed out to start our run south.

The lights weren’t co-operating as much as they have in the past and we caught one light after the other red. We had a long wait at Johnston and Sanderson and just caught the light red at Sanderson and Stetson. Still we were moving easily and talking comfortably as we passed Wally World and headed to Mustang. Vortex got out front and pulled us toward Domenigoni. I put myself in the middle of the pack with Vortex and Tax man in front and Highlander and Wolf in back.

We pulled out into the turn lane for Domenigoni just as the light turned green. Typically that is a short fast light but for today it held up for all of us to glide single file through the light and head back east towards State Street. When we got to Searl Wolf and Vortex decided to ride to the Marina while Highlander, Tax man and I continued on towards State. We didn’t get that far before Highlander gave out a shout and I noticed Tax Man in a pile lying down in the bike lane. By the time we got back to him he had bounced back up and dusted himself off while inspecting his bike. He followed Highlander and I to State where we pulled over for a closer inspection before heading for Cactus Valley.

We regrouped as we came back from Cactus Valley and formed a pace line all the way back past Sage and back past the gold course to State Street. Everyone seemed content to let me pull back past Newport and to the housing tract at McSweeney. So far I was still feeling relaxed and thought my attempt to follow my doctor’s orders and keep my heart rate down was working pretty well. Still knowing Wolf like I do I wasn’t sure things would stay as calm as they had been so far. I would be proved right later.

After we moved back out onto State Wolf and Vortex took the lead and started the pull back down to Domenigoni and it was a pretty good pace at that. Wolf slowed down the pace after we moved past the light on Domenigoni. I had no intention of getting in front and would have been perfectly satisfied to follow Wolf and Vortex all the way to Chambers but Wolf took that moment to drop the hammer and almost like a dog chasing a stick I took off after him. I had to work hard to close but once in the draft it was all good as he laughed about baiting me.

We worked our way up to Stetson and I would have been perfectly happy to take a short cut on Lake when Wolf once again talked me into going all the way to Fairview. This time I followed Wolf all the way to Fairview before he gave up the lead and I found myself in front. Yes I decided to give the Fairview sprint a try and Wolf and Highlander jumped on my wheel and ran me down all the way to the bridge. Wolf pulled a text book double pass at the bridge and pulled ahead. Once again Wolf was over laughing about his ability to get me to push myself even when I shouldn’t. We continued on to Carl’s for coffee and conversation. About 20 minutes later we were headed for home.


Vortex had another problem with his front tire but it seemed like a slow leak to he simply pumped it up and we took off for Lincoln to start the ride west. Vortex seemed to be on a mission and soon was pulling away from the rest of us and we ended up having to chase him all the way to State Street. It turned out he was in a hurry to get back to the car before his tire lost air again. The group was still giving chase as I broke off on Palm and headed for home. I got home with 33 miles on the computer and a chill all the way to my bones. A hot showed felt great.

1/13/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


Because it is getting close to the Palm Springs Century we have planned on extending some of our rides in the coming weeks and today was one of those days. It looked like it might be warm enough and even though they predicted some morning wind we decided to take a chance and put in 50 miles. Now all we needed was to see how many wanted to roll the dice and give it a try. I shouldn’t have worried however because we had 9 riders by 8:30 and even Huntress was there early.

We pulled up to the light at Gilman and Florida with a well balanced group easily moving to Acacia and then Kirby before quickly moving through the housing track and out onto Johnston.


I felt pretty good except it didn’t seem like my breakfast wanted to fully digest and I had a brick in my stomach. Still I was looking forward to this ride and so far the weather had been co-operating and by 9am there wasn’t much wind. My only other concern was keeping my heart rate down to make my doctor happy till my next checkup. We made the left turn onto Sanderson and were rewarded with a green light at Stetson. We rolled past Wally World and Blood Hound started to move to the front to get ready to start the pull once we turned west on Domenigoni.

Once pointed west Blood Hound started to pull towards Warren and soon has us rolling along at close to 24MPH. Ferret and Vortex pulled around me to get on his back wheel but I caught him at the light on Warren and asked him to calm it down a bit to keep the whole group together as long as possible. Once Blood Hound gave up the lead Vortex took over and pulled us after Winchester. Soon Huntress got impatient and pulled to the front to take a pull. Seems as if she felt Blood Hound and Vortex simply pulled too long and didn’t give the rest of us a chance. Soon however Full Throttle dropped the hammer and took off with Ferret and Blood Hound in hot pursuit. The rest of us closed on them and soon we were attacking the bottom of the hill. Centaur jumped out and attacked and managed to pull the hill in front of the rest of us.

We took a few minutes to catch our breath and I tried to let my heart rate drop without setting off any Claxton’s in my doctor’s office. By the time I had finished half of my water bottle I was almost back to normal and we got ready to head down the saddle to Lindenburger to start the run north towards Florida and the gas station on Menifee.

It didn’t take us long to ride down to Lindenburger and then to the light on Simpson. Huntress informed us that she would be turning back before the end of the ride but she stayed with us as we turned onto Heritage and then again on McCall. Finally we turned onto Menifee and Full Throttle took off with Blood Hound towards the AM/PM and our stop for water and a nature break. After we were ready to hit the road Huntress decided to head for home while we headed for Nuevo on Menifee. Once past Mapes the pace picked up quite a bit and we pushed hard all the way to Nuevo before turning left and heading down to Evans. We spread out a bit on our way to Ramona and as we got close we were greeted with a hard wind. We fought that wind all the way back to Lakeview and then headed back south towards Nuevo and worked our way over to Central.

Once back out onto Menifee Ferret, Blood Hound, Highlander, Vortex and Centaur decided to pick up the pace heading back to Mapes and I was seriously thinking about just letting them go but Full Throttle and Jack Rabbit decided to fall back and stay with me. We made it to Briggs and worked our way over to Grand when Full Throttle mentioned that he neglected to tell Jack Rabbit that today was a half century and I do believe I noticed Jack Rabbit giving him the evil eye. As we got back to Winchester Full Throttle and Jack Rabbit headed for home and I turned for Chris’s to join the main group for coffee and conversation before heading back to Stowe and heading for home ourselves.

Once we got in single file to let a car pass we simply decided to stay in a pace line and ride all the way to California the Stetson and back to Warren. Vortex pulled all the way back to the airport where Blood Hound and I continued on to Sanderson while they turned to ride past the airport. I left Blood Hound at Sanderson and rode down to Johnston to head for home myself.

It was time to down shift and spin my way home and get the lactic acid out of my legs. Kirby, Lyon, Elk, Palm were passed in order and I got home with 54 miles on my computer. Not bad for and old guy if I say so myself.

1/11/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


It had been a long time since we rode Lambs Canyon and when I was waiting at the parking lot it looked like there would be very few of us taking the ride today. But it wasn’t long before Blood Hound, Highlander, Centaur, Rocket, Gambler and Wolf to arrive. Torpedo pulled up with a few friends and we were all waiting to see if Huntress was going to come sliding around the corner but she never did. However Snake and his friend Jim, (Badger) pulled up just as we were getting ready to leave. It turned out that Torpedo and his friends were heading south and at first I thought Snake and Badger were going with them. However Gambler scooped them up and caught the rest of us on Lyon heading north.


I got back out in front and started a pull towards Ramona and found it rather easy to cruise at close to 20. It was overcast and pretty cool and at that point I wasn’t sure if not wearing a jacket was the smartest move I had ever made. Still I had a feeling the climb up Lambs Canyon would warm me up quite nicely. I also knew there were very few B riders today and the climb was going to be heated to say the least. Gambler looked fully prepared to push the climb far above what I would be capable of.

Highlander pulled up next to me and commented on the rapid pace that was being set as we moved closer to Sanderson before making the final turn north up Lambs Canyon. I told him my goal was to simply cruise up the hill and keep my heart rate down to make my doctor happy so he won’t prescribe any new medications before my next check up. Highlander was more than happy to say he would try and stay with me and climb together. Gambler and the rest of the group headed for the turn well ahead of us but was could at least catch them at the light to start the climb together.

It didn’t take long before the line started to spread out and Gambler pushed the pace as the group hit the hill. Highlander and I climbed and a more moderate pace in the rear but still not out of site of the rest of the group as we rolled past Gilman and the first long climb. For some reason the hill seemed a bit easier on me today and it seemed like I could pull much bigger gears than normal. As we topped the first grade we noticed Rocket and Centaur on the side of the road fixing a flat. Off in the distance were Badger and the long line following Gambler towards the stop light in front of the dump.

Highlander had me stop at the top of the second climb to take in the view of the mountains in front and canyon behind us before we rode down to Jack in The Box to join the rest of the group for coffee before heading back for home.

Rocket had an appointment so he left us a bit early and Centaur wanted to check his tire before we headed back towards Hemet. So we got up a bit early and walked outside and got ready for what promised to be a very fast ride back to Gilman and then home. Highlander lead us back out onto the road down Lambs Canyon the pace started out easy and I found myself up towards the front of the group. Once we crested the hill and started down towards the dump the pace picked up and soon I was coasting at more than 30 MPH.

I was pretty content to allow gravity to pull me down the hill when Gambler came powering by. He was followed by Badger and Snake so I jumped on and gave chase. We took turns trading places till we managed to catch the light at the Dump red and had to stop. I looked down and noticed my fastest speed was 47.9 MPH. But that was only the beginning. Once we were waved through the light we took off again and again Gambler, Snake, Badger and I took turns pulling till the last downhill where Badger took over and we took turns again to Gilman where Gambler left us and I sat up to wait for the rest of the group. Once we got to Ramona Wolf, Highlander, Blood Hound and Centaur caught up and I noticed Badger was off on the side of the road fixing a flat. I waited while Badger and Snake fixed the flat and the rest of the group headed back to the cars. I followed Snake and Badger back and joined everyone at the parking lot.

Once again it was a better day than I expected and a better climb than I expected. I talked with the group for a while before heading for home and lunch. It was also a good day for a nap. That way I could dream about the fast ride back down to Ramona.

1/09/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


After having a pretty good day Friday I was looking forward to a good ride today. The weather looked like it was going to co-operate. There was a very light breeze and a mildly cool morning facing me as I moved my bike outside and headed for the parking lot to meet up with whatever riders wanted to join me. I did see Centaur’s truck as I pulled in to the parking lot but that was about it for the first 15 minutes. Finally people started to show up and I was surprised to see Dura Max and Ocelot ride in. By 8:30 there were 8 of us heading out for a day of riding.


As we made our way to Acacia and turned west I thought it might be just a touch cold for me without a jacket. But I was pretty sure things would warm up and that the energy expended on today’s ride would keep me toasty. As we pulled up to the light on Kirby my two wing men from last Monday pulled up next to me so I was sure that at least I was going to make it back after the ride. After a brief wait the light changed and we were off south on Kirby and moving easily towards Cypress.

As we moved west on Cypress again I chatted with Highlander and Tax Man thinking how comfortable the pace had been up to this point. In fact was kept the pace down on Johnston and even on Sanderson as we moved north to start our ride towards the airport. As we got back out onto Stetson Vortex got out front and started a long pull all the way to California and then up to Stowe. For some reason he held the lead after the turn onto Stowe and set the pace just a bit quicker than when we were on Stetson. I was happy to follow at whatever pace he set till we got to within clear sight of the big Steel Barn on Stowe. I looked over my shoulder and Centaur jumped out of line and passed me like a cork shot from a Champaign Bottle. Hot on his back wheel was Rocket with afterburners smoking. I managed to hook onto Rockets back wheel followed them till Rocket lit the match on his afterburner and pulled me around Centaur like a utility trailer. Looking at my Heart Rate Monitor I could see I was in the red zone for the last 120 yards to Winchester where we stopped to regroup.

After we got back on the road I got a chance to pull to Grand where Dura Max and Ocelot broke off to avoid the Saddle. After turning west on Grand I pulled for a while till Vortex got back in front and started to pick up the pace. For some reason Highlander was off the pace today so I could see no reason to give chase but that didn’t stop Centaur and Rocket from taking off after him. Highlander, Tax Man and I watched as they turned onto Leon and then disappeared around the corner on Simpson.

They made it to Briggs by the time we were out onto Simpson and that was the last we saw of them till we saw Vortex waiting for us on the bridge over the dry wash just before Warren. He took off just as we got there and pulled us all the way to the light that turned into the Marina entrance. We took a brief break and then continued on to State Street and once again headed north to Chambers before working our way up to Thornton and passing the old golf course.

Once back on Stetson all we had to do was work our way east to Fairview before making the last turn heading back to Florida. Tax Man started to stretch his legs a Bit after we passed Lake and finally Vortex was free to chase after him. Highlander and I followed quite a distance behind and regrouped at Fairview. Tax Man and Vortex left when they asked if Highlander was OK. When he said yes they took off and we ended up chasing them all the way to the elementary school. We made the turn back to Carl’s and had coffee with Dura Max and Ocelot.

After we spent some time together Vortex, Highlander, Tax Man and I headed for home. We cruised by Huntress’s house but no one was home so we continued on to Park then Devonshire, Santa Fe and at Last to Latham. I broke for home on Palm and let all three team 4 seasons riders go on alone. I had an easy ride home and felt good about the 39 miles on my computer. Another good ride on another good day.