10/31/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) We don’t do Lambs Canyon very often and when we do some riders express their doubts as to why we do it in the first place. But it was requested by Gambler and sometimes we need to cater t the A riders for all of the pulling they do when we run Domenigoni and Ramona. So I dressed warm, but not too warm as I headed out to Burger King to see just who would be joining us even if I ended up being the only B rider in the group. I didn’t need to worry because 8 of us ended up doing the ride. We didn’t get started right at 8am but by 8:06 Gambler, Highlander, Digger, Huntress, Bandit, D’Artagnon, Coyote and I headed out onto Latham.

It was a beautiful morning even if it were a bit cool as we got to the corner and made the turn north on Lyon. Highlander pulled up next to me and expressed his doubts as to if he wanted to do the whole ride. I knew he would do just fine and we chatted lightly as we headed towards Fruitvale. Traffic was light and no one was pushing the pace almost as if they were waiting for the beginning of the hill to expend their energy. We rode past Esplanade and headed north towards Ramona with a look of determination on our faces.

No one seemed to mind that I pulled all the way to Ramona and made the turn west. Highlander and I settled into a bit quicker pace but after about a hundred yards or so we looked back and noticed we had gapped the rest of the group. Still conserving energy I guess and getting ready for the A riders to attack the Hill. We waited till everyone caught up and I continued to pull till we got to Sanderson and turned north once again as I headed for the light on the Expressway and the beginning of the hill.

Everything breaks up on long climbs and the group fractures into several pieces with Gambler, Bandit and D’Artagnon pushing each other to see just who climbs faster. As I sat at the light it turned green and Highlander went flying to the front as if he had every intention of attacking the hill a mile early. It wasn’t long before the rest of us closed with him and the A group started moving to the front. As we past Gilman we started to string out in a long line when Coyote separated from the B group and then Huntress started to follow him. Highlander, Digger and I settled into a steady climb and soon Highlander separated from Digger and I. Things stayed that way all the way to the top except for just before the last climb where Digger attacked me to show how much energy he had left. We topped out a few minutes later with Digger finishing his first nonstop climb of Lambs Canyon.

We were going to regroup at 1st street but Highlander decided to stop at Jack in the Box while we headed for Starbucks in the mall off of Second Street. I stopped to call Highlander to make sure it wasn’t a nature stop and then followed the rest of the group east towards Commerce and over to 2nd. I got there just as everyone was parking their bikes and getting ready to sit down for coffee and conversation. After much debate on who among us was the strongest Gambler assured us that he was the one. If I remember correctly he said even his eyes have more muscles that D’Artagnon so it must be true.

After getting fully refreshed we started to get ready to mount up and head back for an attempt for a record run back down Lambs Canyon and an attack on the Strava segment back to Ramona. Much like before everyone was more than happy to let me lead the group all the way back to Beaumont Avenue and south back towards home. Highlander had already left Jack in the Box by the time we rode past there so I was still leading as we topped the rise before the long downhill and the Segment.

As we topped the rise before starting through the canyon everyone past me, with the exception of Digger. Originally I had planned on just cruising the canyone but seeing Huntress and Coyote pulling away worked like a magnate to get me to start picking up speed. Not long after I got up a head of steam Bandit roe by and I dropped in on his back wheel. Soon we had caught up to Huntress and Coyote and had past D’Artagnon. I stayed on Bandits back wheel as we closed in on a fleeing Gambler. After the dump road we hit a flat spot and Bandit kicked it up a notch and I fell back a bit. Just before the last drop D’Artagnon rolled up to me and past briefly before Gilman. I got back past him to catch up with Gambler and Bandit just before the bridge and we rode together to Ramona where we waited for the rest of the group. We continued on once we had regrouped and saw Dura Max and T-3 heading down Lyon. We watched gambler and D’Artagnon head home on Ramona and started to follow Bandit back south on Lyon. We caught Dura Max and T-3 at Esplanade and made it through the light only to drop Digger at a red. I stopped to ride with him and Huntress slowed to let us catch up before we got to Fruitvale. I think she was showing off how much energy she still had left after the climb and the ride home.

We headed back to Burger King planning on finding Highlander waiting because he had an extra Jacket from Digger and a bike rack for Huntress in his van. Sure enough he was there and as we talked Surgeon pulled up and visited for a little while before I headed for home myself. I was tired and my allergies we acting up but a hot shower and lunch cured a lot of my ills before a short nap and some time sitting on my front porch. Yes all in all it was a great day to be on a bike with friends. Oh and on the Strava Segment Bandit, Gambler and I finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Not bad.

10/29/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I almost always look forward to Monday rides. After a weekend of resting the legs and looking at the weather patterns I was ready for an easy ride of about 50 miles to start the week. The question would be how many wanted to take a 50 mile ride? I left the house without a clue how many would join me but I also had the knowledge that it didn’t matter because I felt good enough to do the ride even if I ended up pulling all day long. I didn’t have to worry however because by 8am there was 8 of us heading down Gilmore to acacia. I followed Highlander and Tax Man to the light on Kirby and turned south towards Cypress.

As we made our way to Cypress and turned west I was thinking how nice it would be if I could keep the whole group together all the way over to Sanderson and then up to Domenigoni and west past Warren Road. I was guessing that we could more than likely hold 19 or 20 MPH all the way down Domenigoni. The biggest problem was going to be keeping Red Rabbit up front so I could see where he was. With that in mind I tried to put him in front so he could get a jump on Sanderson and cross Stetson first. My plan didn’t work however because by Mustang Highlander, Tax man, Surgeon, Digger, Jerry and Dura Max were all in front of Rabbit and they stayed there as we rounded the corner heading west towards warren Road.

The group quickly formed into a pace line and I pulled over the rise and part way to Warren before giving up the lead to Highlander. We rotated through the line once by the time we got to Winchester. At that point I had to fall back and help Highlander pull Dura Max up to the saddle where we regrouped. But try as I might we still had to wait for Rabbit who was at least a half of a mile behind us.

Once Rabbit rolled past us we headed down the hill and past Laguna and on to Menifee. The ride south was easy and unhurried as we once again started as a complete group. Several of us rode in a double pace line so we could talk and watch the hill just past Holland come in view.

Once over the hill and regrouped we headed for Scott road. The ride had been modified from an old ride we used to do that went all the way down Scott and across Winchester to Washington. Many of the riders didn’t like how narrow the road was past Leon so we turned on Leon and road down to Max Gillis before crossing Winchester and working our way down to Benton and back to the gas station on Winchester. Only one little problem was we lost Rabbit. He turned at a street behind us and got caught up in a housing tract. We waited at the Gas Station for quite a while before heading back to Max Gillis and then to Leon. Never saw Rabbit. Leon to Menifee and still no rabbit.

I picked up the pace on Menifee as we crossed Garbini and managed a pretty good time back to Domenigoni. I pulled us to Lindenburger and then Surgeon and Highlander took us to Simpson and heading east. Surgeon pulled to Leon then I pulled past the trees and Highlander pulled to Winchester where we turned and stopped at Chris’s, still with no sign of Rabbit. It took another ten to fifteen minutes before rabbit showed up so we took some extra time before getting back on Winchester and heading for home. Rabbit was still tired after getting lost I think and I ended up falling back with him as the rest of the group cruised back to Burger King. We managed to get to the cars while they were still loading the bikes.

We talked for a while before everyone split for home and I rode back on Latham to Palm and home myself. I had to ride past my house and around the block an extra time to get a flat 50 miles in but you do what you have to I guess. Anyway I had a great time.

10/26/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I got up this morning thinking it was going to be cold, windy, and maybe overcast. Several of the group had things they were going to do Saturday and Sunday from hiking to TT racing so a request was made for a short ride where we would either becoming home with the wind to our back on downhill. I had planned just such a ride and was looking forward to it as I rode over to the parking lot. There was a small group waiting for me as I pulled up to Coyote’s truck. There were people there trying on Jerseys. By 8am everyone that was going to ride was there and we pulled out onto Latham to make or way to Lyon and north.

We rode in a double pace line almost all the way up Lyon as we past Devonshire, Fruitvale, and Esplanade. Digger and Highlander were the first two behind me as I looked back followed by Huntress, Barracuda, Centaur, Gambler, D’Artagnon, Dura Max and T-3. I expected the view to remain pretty much the same till we got to Soboba and then the group would break into pieces and the As would take off on a high speed run leaving the Bs to either work as a team our own. Still that was ahead of us as we got to Ramona Boulevard and headed east. It didn’t take long before State Street came in sight.

As we finally pulled up to the light at State Street I noticed the sun was feeling pretty warm and it just might be time to shed some clothing. In my case the jacket had to come off and just maybe the leg warmers. I wasn’t sure about anyone else but I signaled a stop at the Mickey Ds just in case I wasn’t the only one getting too warm. It turned out several took advantage of this stop and made themselves more comfortable as we moved north on State past the college and towards Soboba.

Now all we had to do was turn onto Soboba and the pace would pick up. It started out well with Centaur and Barracuda in front followed by Huntress, Highlander, me, Digger, Dura Max, T-3, D’Artagnon and Gambler on their TT bikes. After the first roller D’Artagnon and Gambler came flying by and Barracuda broke out to give chase. Centaur picked up the pace with Huntress, Highlander and I right behind him. Digger started to fall off and Dura Max with T-3 decided not to play. Centaur made a great pull after the second roller and Highlander fell off but I was close enough to catch Huntress and Centaur and followed them to the driving range. I past them on the rise but couldn’t hold off Centaur at the last hill and couldn’t catch the other three before the regroup at the trees.

We were back on our way and headed for the riverbed crossing and the turn on Main to Ramona and southeast towards Florida. Once again D’Artagnon past my on the little climb and ended up leading us all the way to Cedar. We were back as a group and easily riding in a double pace line again working our way to Florida to head east towards Cranston Station. Once through the light on Fairview it is normally a mad dash up the hill to Cranston but today D’Artagnon and Barracuda took us all the way to the trees and then to the beginning of the last climb at a reasonable pace. Finally we started up the hill with Huntress in the front. It didn’t last long as D’Artagnon took over again only to have Gambler and Barracuda blast past giving me a chance to grab a wheel and create a gap myself. We regrouped at Cranston.

Once we got back on the road towards Carl’s it became a series of sprints and fast runs through the trees and onto the flats heading back towards Fairview. D’Artagnon started a hard pull that got us most of the way to the gas station before Gambler, Barracuda and Centaur rolled by. I held onto D’Artagnon’s back wheel and Highlander was on mine followed by Huntress. As D’Artagnon started to close he kept picking up the pace and I was able to stay with him with Highlander and Huntress in tow. Just before we reached the fleeing A group Highlander and Huntress fell off and when I looked back they were gone. I pulled up and they Centaur and Barracuda were parking their bikes and well all took a break and told stories till time to head for home.

Gambler and Huntress left by the first block while D’Artagnon, Dura Max and T-3 headed towards Acacia. Highlander, Digger, Centaur, Barracuda and I made it west on Lincoln before turning on Park and making our way to Devonshire. For some reason we still seemed to have a lot of energy left and moved towards San Jacinto and a pretty good clip. Barracuda left us first and the four of us stayed together till we got to Palm were Digger went north, Centaur and I went south and Highlander stayed on Latham till he got back to his car. I got home for a light lunch and a hot shower feeling grateful for living where we do.

10/24/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Today felt a lot more like winter than it did fall. When I first got up and looked outside it was only in the 40 degree range and it was clear. As we have all come to learn a cool clear morning takes a long time to warm up. I had a new ride planned and knew it was going to take a long time for my legs to warm up but I was looking forward to it none the less. When I got to Burger King Digger, Dura Max and Coyote were already there. I got a call from D’Artagnon saying he would meet us at Ramona and Sanderson and T-3 would catch us on Lyon. By the time Highlander, Rabbit and Huntress arrived we were ready to hit the road and pulled out onto Latham to begin the ride. It took almost no time to make the turn onto Lyon and meet up with T-3. I pulled most of the way to 7th but to tell the truth I wasn’t feeling all that strong and my legs were a lot tighter than I expected.

Coyote and Gambler pulled away from the group looking to make sure they got Sanderson and Ramona before D’Artagnon. I choose not to chase them and tried to keep the rest of the group together. That was a good plan except it meant I would be pulling a lot more than I wanted to. I felt some relief as we turned west on Ramona and was able to cruise at a reasonable pace all the way to Sanderson where Gambler, D’Artagnon and Coyote were waiting. We rolled past them and rolled up to the stop light at Sanderson and the Expressway.

I wanted someone else to take the lead as we turned west on the Expressway but there was no such luck till I got to Warren and signaled to give up the lead. I fell to the back and made sure everyone was in front of me as we started our run towards Bridge. We stayed pretty close to the lead group till a rather large dog came running out to lets us know we were riding in front of his or her Dairy and we simply didn’t get back on the gas fast enough after we got past the dog so we got dropped. Huntress, Coyote, Gambler and D’Artagnon were pulling Highlander and Digger and creating a monster gap between us. We never did catch them because they didn’t stop at the Valero but we picked up Highlander and Digger. We let Rabbit leave first and we didn’t catch him till we rolled over both rollers and made it to Lake Parris drive to regroup and I had to replace the batteries in my camera while Digger looked over me.

The group had decided to modify my planned ride and to tell the truth I wasn’t sure where we were going once we got to Evans. I had talked about turning south but as I got to Evans there were the fast four heading north. They decided to turn around and join us and we moved down Evans towards Orange and the big curve to Nuevo.

We took turns pulling on Nuevo all the way to Menifee where Gambler and D’Artagnon left us and headed back to Ramona Expressway and home. Digger took us around the corner on Menifee and took us all the way to Central. Huntress took over at the stop sign past Central and held us at a Pretty good pace all the way to Winston where we were going to turn east and head back to Bridge.

Once we got onto Bridge Coyote, Huntress and I pulled away from the remaining group about 1/8th of a mile. To our surprise we caught the light at Florida green and rolled through it. It was even more surprising that the light stayed green long enough that Highlander and the rest of the group rolled through it as well. We soft pedaled till everyone caught us and rode through the housing tract together. I separated from the pack a bit and even extended my distance a bit but wasn’t interested in making a run for it so I was reeled in but the time we came out on the old dump road.

Huntress pushed the pace as we started east towards Leon and by the time we got there we had two groups. Coyote, Huntress and I slowly increased the pace just waiting to see who was going to try and make a run for it. The problem was no one did and we just ended pushing ourselves all the way to Winchester and then to Chris’s for a coffee break. We regrouped and after a short stay we were back on Winchester and headed for Stowe. Coyote took us to California and I took us to Stetson. Huntress took us most of the way to Warren but let me make a last minute sprint to Warren. Highlander pulled to the Airport road and Dura Max and T-3 headed for home on Stetson. A few minutes later we were back out on Sanderson and rolled down to Lowes.

By the time Coyote took us back out onto Acacia there were only five of us. We got in our last pace line with Coyote, Me, Highlander, Huntress and Digger staying together all the way to Kirby where we got the light red again. Digger didn’t stop back at the cars but I did and talked for a few minutes before heading for home myself. It had been a good ride even if I felt a lot more tired than I should. Still I didn’t get to take a nap as I planned so I expect to sleep well tonight.

10/22/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Today’s ride turned out far better than anyone expected. It had rained or drizzled all day Sunday and we expected a cold and wet ride today. But after getting dressed this morning I added arm and leg warmers and opted to leave my jacket at home. It was overcast but there was no sign of rain as I headed for the meeting place. It was cool enough to get a cup of coffee and wait for everyone by the big windows in front of Burger King. By 8am we had a group of B riders ready to head out of the Pep Boys parking lot and onto Latham to get to Lyon and head north. As we past Calvary Chapel I looked back to see a pretty tight group following easily behind me.

I had managed to get plenty of rest over the weekend and I was surprised at how well my legs felt in these early stages of the ride. Normally when it is cold it takes my legs a long time to warm up but today I was feeling smooth and comfortable enough to take the pull and try and hold everyone together as we continued north towards Ramona. Slowly I took us to 17mph and Highlander stayed right on my wheel. At 18 Highlander, Tax man and Digger were right behind me. At 19 all of them were still there with Jerry, Dura Max and T-3 still in the pack. At 20 I looked back and everyone including Red Rabbit was with me and ready to make the turn on Ramona to hear to Sanderson.

As we made our way towards Sanderson I tried to calculate how to hold the group together knowing that once we were on the expressway the Rabbit was going to have a hard time holding on till we got to Bridge Street. My hope was to start out slow once we made the turn west and give Rabbit a chance to tuck in on the back of the pace line and stay with us. That plan didn’t work because Tax Man took the lead and it took too long for Rabbit to flip his traps and straps. The line pulled away from Rabbit and by the time we got to Warren we had dropped some other riders as well. We stopped to regroup and headed for bridge only to drop Rabbit again. We finally turned onto Bridge and soft pedaled until Rabbit caught up.

We stayed together as we made the big right hand curve and headed for Gilman where we were going to regroup. Once we were ready to hit the road again I had Rabbit start first and Highlander pulled the rest of the group up to him a few minutes later. After Highlander rotated off of the front Jerry pulled and then Dura Max. Finally Highlander pulled back up front and we regrouped at Sanderson. we were back on the road and quickly made it back to Ramona and then back over to State Street before heading north again to get to Soboba and head east.

I geared myself up for a pull all the way to the golf course so I slowly built the pace line up to 17 or 18 by the first roller. Looking back everything was going good as we got to the second roller. Just before we crested the second roller Jerry jumped me and I took off after his wheel as he past. The problem was that broke the pace line and once he lost his after burner I pulled around expecting Highlander to fall in behind me. He didn’t however and fell in behind Jerry after I had made a gap. I had lots of steam left so I took off for the golf course and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. By this time I was finally getting tired. We regrouped and headed over the riverbed and east towards Florida. We were back together and easily made it down to Carl’s for coffee and conversation.

We sat and talked about the ride for a few minutes before downing the last few sips of coffee or soda and getting ready to head for home. As we got on our bikes and got ready to head back to Lincoln Dura Max and T-3 got ready to head to Acacia and back west. That left Highlander, Digger, Rabbit, Tax Man, Jerry and I to head for Park and towards home.

We were still pretty chatty as we got back to Park and headed over to Devonshire and headed west again. Highlander was just as energetic towards the end of the ride as he had been when we were out on Lyon. I followed him down to Santa Fe and back out onto Latham and west to State Street. I decided to stay with the group all the way to Burger King. Digger left us at Palm and we cruised back to the Pep Boys driveway a few minutes later. After watching everyone reload their cars and head for home I went home as well. Not a bad ride for Monday and I felt pretty good after lunch and a shower.

10/19/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was Friday again and we had a simple easy ride planned. Backwards McCall only has one little climb on Hospital hill off of Menifee and McCall and while it is a bit steeper than the other side it is shorter. So I was looking forward to the ride today and had decided to take it easy and stay in the pack all day, with the exception of when I had to go back and sweep for trailers. At least that was my plan as I pulled into the parking lot first thing this morning. As I pulled out onto Gilmore and headed south I could see Gambler, Highlander, Surgeon, Huntress, Digger, Dura Max and D’Artagnon and we met up with T-3 before we got to Acacia and headed to Kirby and south again.

After snapping a picture or two I would fall back into the group and draft off of whoever was in front of me. I was a pleasant feeling moving along with the pack and not having to fight the head wind that most times seems to hit me in the face whenever I have to pull. We made it to Cypress and easily back out onto Sanderson to head north to Wentworth and towards the Airport.

I managed to easily cruise past Hanger 1 and was three or four back as we pulled out onto Stetson and headed to Warren. I was on Highlanders back wheel and I will admit that his being taller than me made the draft zone bigger than I had thought it would. In other words I was cruising easily along as others did the work heading for Warren. Once we crossed Warren and were headed for California I stayed just where I had been and enjoyed the pull all the way to California and the turn south.

As we made the turn onto Stowe I wondered if I would have the will power to avoid the traditional sprint to the parking lot on Winchester so I fell to the back to make my decision easier and watched as D’Artagnon and Gambler ramped up the pace and pulled all but three of us towards the large metal barn. I enjoyed talking with T-3 and Dura Max far more than I think the rest of the group did trying to hold onto the two speed demons running to the parking lot. We would all be regrouping there anyway so I kept it simple and easy. We did regroup at Winchester and took a moment to take on some hydration and gel.

The next part of the ride got a bit hectic as Surgeon took us to the dump road and started us west towards Briggs. Everyone stayed together pretty well until we got to the ride just before Leon. Soon D’Artagnon pulled out in front and started to ramp it up. I got on his back wheel and followed till he clicked it into a higher gear and got onto his aero bars. I felt like I was burning too many matches and fell off before Briggs. I stayed behind to gather up and stragglers and we ended up missing the light at Florida and watched as everyone else headed for Mapes. By the time we got to Mapes everyone else had turned on Menifee. By the time we got to Menifee the rest of the group was back to Florida and the AM/PM. We regrouped again before T-3 and Dura Max left early to get a head start on McCall. The rest of us gave chase and had to watch as Gambler and D’Artagnon pulled away over the hill and past Murrieta. We still hadn’t caught Dura Max and T-3 even as we turned at the top of McCall and headed towards Cherry Hill.

We made it to Bradley and headed towards Newport and slowly but surely closed on Dura Max and T-3. They were at the light when we got there and we all had to wait for it to turn green before heading back east. As soon as we were back on our way we formed a pace line and rode to Jack in the Box on Antelope. Dura Max and T-3 continued in and we followed a few minutes later. Once again Gambler and D’Artagnon pulled away from us and were over the saddle just in front of us. By Leon they had stretched the distance out and we couldn’t close even with the light on Winchester. Still we kept up a pretty good pace all the way to Warren where D’Artagnon and Gambler were waiting for us. They paced us most of the way to Sanderson and then continued on to State as we turned on Sanderson. We all rode together back to Burger King. After saying our farewells I headed for home and got home with 42 miles on the computer. Not bad for an easy day.

10/17/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I got up this morning and had breakfast before looking outside to one of those almost perfect mornings. There was very little wind and a clear blue sky and it was almost 60 degrees as I walked out of the house and started riding towards Burger King to see just who would be joining me. To my surprise there was a pretty good group ready to head out of the parking lot by 8am. I pulled out onto Latham and headed to Lyon to turn north followed by Surgeon, Highlander, Dura Max, Digger, Torpedo, T-3, Von Richthofen, Red Rabbit, D’Artagnon, Huntress and Coyote. Not bad for a Wednesday.

It didn’t look like anyone was interested in warming up easy as we headed north past Devonshire. We were picking up speed block by block till Torpedo pulled up next to me to chat. Torpedo pulled ahead at Esplanade and I followed close behind till we got to Cottonwood. We got to the stop sign before the cross traffic but I have a hard time trusting the east bound traffic at that stop sign because we can’t see through the trees to be sure they are stopping. True to my fears a woman in a SUV cruised through the sign while talking or texting on her cell phone. We were glad we had decided to stop at that stop sign even with the west bound traffic waiting for us to cross. Shortly after that near miss we turned on Ramona and headed towards Sanderson.

I fell back in the pack intending to stay in the middle and take advantage of the pull once we were out on the Expressway. Everything was going according to plan until Torpedo started to pick up the pace and Surgeon, D’Artagnon, Highlander, Huntress, Von Richthofen and Digger past me. I dropped back to try and pick up Dura Max and T-3 and noticed Red Rabbit well off of the back struggling with the pace. As we got to Warren I noticed the front group was breaking up and falling apart. Digger was spit off the back and Torpedo with D’Artagnon was riding away from everyone else. There was no panic however because I knew we were stopping at Lakeview to regroup. I took the lead leaving the Valero and pulled over the first hill and half way up the second before running into my max heart rate and getting past by most of the group. We turned on Rider and headed for Evans to start the move south to Nuevo Road.

Once we were out onto Nuevo I followed the group as they started east towards Menifee. Huntress fell back to check on me so I slowly closed in on the back of the group and finally caught a back wheel about the time we got to the little bridge. Things got easier after the bridge even as the pace once again picked up. From the bridge to Menifee it is pretty easy to cruise at 20 mph without breaking a sweat.

I got back in front and pulled us around the corner on Menifee and up to Central before Most of the group pulled in front of me and started a pace line behind D’Artagnon. By the Nursery Torpedo pulled around and closed with the lead group while T-3 and I made sure to pick up Dura Max and stayed together to Mapes. The rest of the group went straight to the AM/PM while three of us turned on Mapes and went over to Briggs. That moved turned out to be a shortcut for us because we didn’t have to stop at the AM/PM. We got to Chris’s first and waited for the rest of the group for about 6 minutes. Coffee and Conversation took up another 20 minutes before we got back on the road and made our way to Stowe.

I got a chance to pull us all the way to California except for Torpedo who had to stand up and ride with a broken seat post. I was still feeling pretty good as we turned north on California but ran directly into a headwind that we suffered with all the way to Stetson. I was back in front on Stetson and felt good enough to pull to the Airport road where D’Artagnon, Dura Max and T-3 left us when we turned to ride past Hanger 1 and they stayed on Stetson.

As soon as we got to Cawston Von Righthofen left us and we followed Highlander pulled us all the way to Sanderson where we regrouped at the light. Huntress took us at a pretty good clip to Lowes and around the back to Acacia. Surgeon and Highlander led the way to Kirby and we finally we made it back to Gilmore and finally back to Burger King where we said our good-byes and headed for home. Like I said it was a great day for a bike ride.

10/15/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was going to be a bit warmer today but having the weekend to recover I felt we were up to a little challenge so I tossed in a ride up Bautista Canyon. Yes I know there is always a lot or grumbling when we head east and even more when we climb and the most when we do Bautista but today seemed right. So I put on my most comfortable kit and thinnest socks and headed for the parking lot. Coyote and Dura Max were already there and so was Von Richthofen. Tax man and Jerry drove up just as Digger pulled up. Surgeon and Red Rabbit pulled up next and it was almost time to go. We pulled out onto Latham and headed down to Lyon but had to stop and wait for Tax Man to go back and get his sun glasses. When he caught us he had T-3 with him as we continued on towards Stetson.

We crossed Stetson and headed for Thornton after the light. That part of Lyon before Thornton is anything but smooth and it made me glad I was running 25s to help smooth things out. Still Tax Man led us to Thornton and the turn east. There was only the slightest hint of soreness in my legs as we got to State Street and crossed at the light. Things we still moving at a pretty good pace as we past Buena Vista and headed for Santa Fe.

As we turned onto Santa Fe and rounded the corner onto Stetson Surgeon took the lead with Von Righthofen and Jerry followed by Tax Man, Digger Red Rabbit and me. Surgeon rode past Columbia but I expected that. I turned and Digger, Tax Man and red Rabbit followed. Dura Max, T-3 and Coyote took off after Surgeon leaving my group to take the longer route back to Lake and Stetson.

We came out behind Dura Max and T-3 and started to close. I pulled till Digger and Tax man were up to speed and fell back to get Red Rabbit. I then pulled the Rabbit up the group once we were on Bautista and picked up the back half of the group till we got to the Dam. After the Dam I found a comfortable gear and took off after a fleeing Tax Man. Then I could see Jerry in the distance and like a dog after a rabbit I chased him as well. I never caught Coyote, Surgeon or Von Righthofen but still felt good about my time climbing the canyon. To my total surprise the Rabbit looked like he was gaining on me the last mile or so.

After a bit of a rest we started looking forward to the fun part of Bautista, the downhill run. We knew we had to be a bit more cautious than in the past with the number of wipeouts our group has had descending Bautista so we started out slowly but soon Surgeon was out front picking things up a bit followed by Jerry. I dropped in on Jerry’s wheel and the pace stepped up again. Now we had Tax Man, Jerry, Surgeon, Von Righthofen, Coyote and I cruising down the hill in a moderately quick pace line. Soon we were down by the white fence and headed for the dry wash. Von Richthofen moved to the front and picked up the pace another notch. Unfortunately for him he was being set up for the sprint at the Dam and he was dropped at the hill. I gave up the lead to Coyote who was stuck to me like my shadow in the sprint and ended up following him in a pace line to Stetson and Fairview. He was still in front at the sprint point before the bridge and I managed to sneak by and get to Mayberry first. Our next stop was Carl’s. Coffee and conversation only took about 20 minutes before we were headed back to Lincoln and home.

We easily rode down to Park were Von Richthofen headed for home leaving Tax Man, Surgeon, Digger, Coyote and I to work our way over to Devonshire and continue west past Yale and to Santa Fe before dropping down to Latham and west again. The easy spin to State had worked most of the lactic acid out of my sore legs so I was starting to feel better as we got closer to Palm where I would be leaving the group and headed for home myself.

Once I made my turn south I thought about how much better I felt about this ride to Bautista than some in the past. I am not a climber and so climbing 8 or 9 miles are never my favorite pastime but today the climb didn’t seem too bad and I never felt a need to really push to get up the hill. So it was a great surprise to me to see I had two personal bests on that ride. When I got home I went inside and finished my Heed before taking a shower and having lunch. Yes it was a good day for riding Bautista Canyon.

10/12/2012 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was a good looking day today. The air was clear because of the rain the day before and cool. There was a very light wind but nothing we would have any trouble with. It might have been a day for a base layer and maybe even long fingered gloves but still it wasn’t bad. So I had breakfast and got the Klein out of the shed, pumped up the tires and went back in to but my kit on and got ready to head for Burger King. I got there just after Dura Max and just before Digger. Highlander pulled up followed by Gambler and Barracuda. The plan was for a simple and easy recovery ride. So we headed for Gilmore and Acacia to start the day. We managed to catch the light green and headed south with the sun on our left.

We quickly made our turn west on Cypress and worked our way through the housing tract to Sanderson before going north and then back west again to ride past the airport and out onto Stetson. I took the first pull to Warren and then to California before heading over to Stowe and making the run at Winchester. For a change we didn’t go into a sprint and we stayed together as a group well past the corner of California and Stowe to set our sights on the parking lot in front of the little country market.

After a short regroup we were back on our way south with a new leader pulling. Once the pace line formed behind Highlander were cruised down to the old dump road and past Chris’s. As we cruised past Simpson we came up on the small school about a block later. We stayed in line and let Highlander pull us all the way to the light at Domenigoni. We had to wait about 2 minutes before we could turn east and once we did I took the lead all the way to the dry wash before giving the lead to Dura Max. He pulled us past Warren and started us on the grade or rise just before Sanderson before letting Digger and Highlander have a turn.

Dura Max and I were on the tail of the pack as we got close to the turn to the Marina. We took a moment to regroup at Searl before continuing on to State. Once we were headed north we thought about the traditional State Street sprint but only Highlander took off as I rode next to Barracuda up State and over the rise. No sooner did we level off than I had a blowout flat. I pulled over to replace the tube only to have to let the air back out and reset the bead. After resetting the bead and refilling the tire and had to let the air out again to put a boot over a hole in the sidewall. After three tries I was tempted to ride home but decided to continue on and head east on Stetson.

We decided to stay together and cut the ride a bit short because I was riding with a boot and was worried that it might still flat. We glided past San Jacinto and Columbia before coming up on the High School. Gambler decided to stretch his legs a bit and took off promising to meet us at Carl’s and we watched him pull away over the little hill. We rode to Lake and then turned north to Acacia before cutting over to New Chicago and then to Carl’s. As promised Gambler was there but had to leave as we went inside for coffee and conversation.

Twenty minutes later we were back on the road heading for Lincoln and home. We quickly rode up New Chicago and headed for Lake Street on Lincoln. Traffic was very light today so we rolled past Lake and then did the same at Hemet Street. We were chatting away as we got close to Park knowing Dura Max would leave us there. True to our expectations Dura Max turned right as we turned left on Park and rode past the animal zoo on Park.

We worked our way over to Devonshire and headed west some more for the downhill run past Yale and all the way to Santa Fe where we dropped down to Latham and got ready to split up for home. Barracuda left us before State Street and Digger and I left Highlander at Palm. I got home with an easy 30 miles on my computer and an average heart rate of 119. This was what I call a recovery ride, even if I have to replace a tire to get it.