2/29/2012

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)


I have discovered I am a creature of the sun. I may not like cold and I don’t like the wind but if it is sunny some of that discomfort goes away. I looked outside and it was clear and sunny, not yet warm but not overcast. Automatically my attitude picked up and I put on a base layer under my kit and downed a cup of hot cocoa before heading out to ride over to Burger King and see if anyone was going to join me for a quick easy 38 mile ride west.

I got there and Wolf was unloading his bike and talking to Centaur. Chinook arrived a few minutes later along with Rick. Next Al and Traveler arrived and Gambler pulled up. Rain turned into the parking lot and we all talked and waited for Huntress to pull around the corner. As soon as she unloaded and rode over to the group we got ready to leave just as Raptor arrived.


Once we got down to Acacia and turned towards Kirby I knew it was going to be a pretty good day. I was spinning well and I think my bike is just about dialed in for comfort and cruising. The test might be once we got out onto Domenigoni and headed for the saddle. After the light changed on Kirby we headed south towards Cypress so we could work our way over to Sanderson. We turned on Cypress and headed west.

We caught the light at Sanderson and waited till it turned green. Once it did I took the lead and started us south again towards Stetson. We managed to roll through that light green and I stayed in front as we past Wal-Mart and then Mustang. We started to pick up the pace as we past the High School and I was still in front when we turned west and started the run towards Warren

We formed a pace line and started a rotation as we moved first to Warren and then over the dry wash. Wolf and then Huntress took turns till we got to Winchester where we picked up Bandit and Gambler took over the pull. By this time I was second in line and decided to try and stick to his back wheel. Before I knew it we were passing Leon and heading for the foot of the saddle. A quick check of my heart rate monitor showed I was getting close to 170 beats a minute so I thought it would be beast to pull out of line and see if it would drop back to normal. As soon as I got to the saddle it was back to 135 so I could hit it again and regroup with everyone else at the top.

We headed down the back side of the saddle and made it to Menifee and turned south again. We all stayed together till the little hill after Holland. The A group pulled away leaving 4 of us to follow as best as we could. We could still see them as we turned on Scott but they were almost out of sight when we turned onto Haun. Once we were headed back north Wolf took the lead till the road widened and Huntress dropped the hammer. Because I was still feeling pretty good I gave chase and managed to catch her wheel after about a quarter of a mile. I let her pull me almost all the way back to Holland before passing just before the stop sign. We regrouped and rode together all the way to Newport where Wolf took us to Bradley and part way to McCall before Huntress once more took the lead. We didn’t find the lead group till we crossed the freeway and saw them parked at the Valero Station. The two big dogs hammered the hill and continued on while the rest of us stopped on top of Hospital hill to regroup.

Once down McCall we turned onto Heritage and made our way back to Lindenburger. The light cycled twice before we could turn left and head down Simpson where once again we got in a pace line and rode all the way to Leon where we turned towards the dump road. We were bunched up as we turned east again and made it as a group to the ride with Huntress pulling. I waited to the last minute to start the jump for the sprint and managed to get a good jump till wolf and Chinook caught me at the Flags at the Coral and bar. We waited for the rest of the group and rode to Winchester before turning north to Stowe.

Once onto Stowe we headed for California at a steady pace but looking for the dogs that have chased us the last few times. Just before we got to the last dirt road sure enough the dogs came running out to meet us. With much yelling we stopped them before they came into the street and continued on to California and then down to Stetson. It was a smooth trip down Stetson with Al in the front all the way to Warren and then Wolf and Huntress took us to the airport road where we decided to stop at Hanger One. Gambler and Centaur were waiting for us. Thank goodness Bambi still had fresh apple pie in the oven so I couldn’t order any. While most of us just had coffee the Canadians and Wolf opted for Apple Fritters. Yes, those hub caps sized pastries topped with whipped cream. But some of us didn’t give in to temptation.

We left Hanger One and headed for home. Once we were back of the road heading back on the road towards Sanderson we got to experience what riding the Roubaix section of the TDF because the street is so cracked and uneven.


Unfortunately Huntress lost her Garmin as it popped off of its mount and to add insult to injury a car rolled over it. Just between you and me it looked like road kill when she picked it up and rejoined us at the Lowes parking lot. We rode around the back of the building and out onto Acacia where we all more or less split up with only 4 of us heading back to Burger King and then to our separate homes. I got home about noon with just over 40 miles on the computer. It was a good day even if it was pretty cool. Thank goodness for the sun.