6/11/2012
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)
We had a good ride planned for Monday but you can never tell how many will show up because people are just coming off of a weekend that may or may not be busy. Still I was looking forward to giving the Flats a run to see how my new gears were going to work of not work whatever the case might be. After I got to Burger King it was surprised to see a lot more riders than I expected. Coyote, Highlander, Tax Man, Von Richthofen, 501, Noah, Rocket, Dura Max, Surgeon, Gambler, Hornet, and After Burner, just back from Phoenix. I found myself in a group of 13 riders heading for Latham and the turn onto Lyon to start for Ramona.
It was an easy pace as we started north that let our legs warm up and got some of the nerves out. I finally got up front and started the pull north. Traffic was light and most of the riders were casually talking as we past one block after another one streets we pass every week. Highlander pulled up next to me and teased me about my new cassette before we got to Ramona and turned west to head for Sanderson.
Everyone was content to just sort of sit back in the pack and save their legs for the Expressway. I took us to Sanderson and up to the Expressway and started our trek west. I signaled that I wanted out of the lead and After Burner rolled past with about four riders following and I ended up leading another group giving chase. Finally I dropped back and fell behind a group led by Rocket. Rocket pulled us to Bridge and then broke for home. The rest of us continued on well behind After Burner and his group. I finally caught the back wheel of Coyote just before the light where we would turn south towards Juniper. I managed to hit something pretty hard and flatted after making the turn.
We may have lost Rocket but we picked up Torpedo and Bandit before getting back on the road towards stop sign about a mile and a half up the road. Pretty soon Torpedo, After Burner, Hornet, 501 and Noah past me and I dropped back to see what happened to Dura Max, Coyote and Tax Man. I dropped back to make sure everyone started up the climb and then I found a gear I could spin and started up the hill myself. Soon I was moving up to some of the other riders and I can say the hill didn’t seem as bad as it normally did. I followed Surgeon to the top and waited for the ones that had stopped by the big stop sign to roll over the hill.
When Dura Max and Coyote past me I started down the back side of Juniper and began the fast run down the hill. We didn’t get far however before we noticed Tax Man pulled over on the side of the road. He had managed to throw his chain and somehow managed to turn it into a puzzle that it took Coyote to figure it out. We got back on the road and headed down to Florida and Briggs were we could see the others waiting. As soon as they saw we were going to catch the light they started out and we never managed to real them in as we headed towards the housing tract. I pulled our group as best as I could but more or less ran out of gas just before Winchester as we all stopped at Chris’s for Coffee and conversation. 20 minutes later we headed back up Winchester to Stowe to start the run for home.
We were still in cruise mode as we moved east towards California until 501 picked it up a bit and made a run for it. I rode his back wheel till we got to the house where the dogs normally run at us. He looked up just in time to see me roll past him and gap him a bit before I noticed Gambler and the other heading our way at a good pace. We were gobbled up by Stetson and a few of us stayed together all the way to Warren. I only stayed with the group till we got to the airport road and I continued on heading for home. I got there and posted my time on Strava. I might not have been as fast as Gambler, Bandit or Torpedo but it was one of my better climbs and it was also one of the easiest times up Juniper that I have ever had. 37 miles and I still got home in time to shower before my son and daughter in law came to visit from Colorado. Good day to be with a good group of riders.
It was an easy pace as we started north that let our legs warm up and got some of the nerves out. I finally got up front and started the pull north. Traffic was light and most of the riders were casually talking as we past one block after another one streets we pass every week. Highlander pulled up next to me and teased me about my new cassette before we got to Ramona and turned west to head for Sanderson.
Everyone was content to just sort of sit back in the pack and save their legs for the Expressway. I took us to Sanderson and up to the Expressway and started our trek west. I signaled that I wanted out of the lead and After Burner rolled past with about four riders following and I ended up leading another group giving chase. Finally I dropped back and fell behind a group led by Rocket. Rocket pulled us to Bridge and then broke for home. The rest of us continued on well behind After Burner and his group. I finally caught the back wheel of Coyote just before the light where we would turn south towards Juniper. I managed to hit something pretty hard and flatted after making the turn.
We may have lost Rocket but we picked up Torpedo and Bandit before getting back on the road towards stop sign about a mile and a half up the road. Pretty soon Torpedo, After Burner, Hornet, 501 and Noah past me and I dropped back to see what happened to Dura Max, Coyote and Tax Man. I dropped back to make sure everyone started up the climb and then I found a gear I could spin and started up the hill myself. Soon I was moving up to some of the other riders and I can say the hill didn’t seem as bad as it normally did. I followed Surgeon to the top and waited for the ones that had stopped by the big stop sign to roll over the hill.
When Dura Max and Coyote past me I started down the back side of Juniper and began the fast run down the hill. We didn’t get far however before we noticed Tax Man pulled over on the side of the road. He had managed to throw his chain and somehow managed to turn it into a puzzle that it took Coyote to figure it out. We got back on the road and headed down to Florida and Briggs were we could see the others waiting. As soon as they saw we were going to catch the light they started out and we never managed to real them in as we headed towards the housing tract. I pulled our group as best as I could but more or less ran out of gas just before Winchester as we all stopped at Chris’s for Coffee and conversation. 20 minutes later we headed back up Winchester to Stowe to start the run for home.
We were still in cruise mode as we moved east towards California until 501 picked it up a bit and made a run for it. I rode his back wheel till we got to the house where the dogs normally run at us. He looked up just in time to see me roll past him and gap him a bit before I noticed Gambler and the other heading our way at a good pace. We were gobbled up by Stetson and a few of us stayed together all the way to Warren. I only stayed with the group till we got to the airport road and I continued on heading for home. I got there and posted my time on Strava. I might not have been as fast as Gambler, Bandit or Torpedo but it was one of my better climbs and it was also one of the easiest times up Juniper that I have ever had. 37 miles and I still got home in time to shower before my son and daughter in law came to visit from Colorado. Good day to be with a good group of riders.
No comments:
Post a Comment