1/30/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I got up and looked out Wednesday morning and it was dark. Normally I have breakfast first but today I wandered past the coffee pot and peeked out of the window blinds to a dark street. But at least the sky looked clear and we were expecting a nice day. Because of that we planned a bit of an adventure ride that would help some of us get ready for the Palm Springs Century. It had been reported that Railroad Canyon was open so a trip around Lake Elsinore seemed in order. It would be the longest ride since I got sick after new years and I considered it a test of my fitness for the century coming up. The ride would prove to be just the test I needed. I had breakfast, showered and got into my Club Kit and headed for the parking lot to see who would be joining me. Dragon Slayer was already there airing up his tires as I pulled up and Dura Max wasn’t far behind me as I rolled up to talk. Highlander arrived and our long lost Canadian Friend Chinook and his wife pulled up with his new Dogma on the roof of their jeep. Turns out they weren’t riding because they were sick but they said they would try and join us Friday. Bulldozer rode up followed by Rocky, Gambler and D’Artagnon. Huntress pulled up about the same time as Bloodhound and lastly Double Time drove into the parking lot. However he forgot his shoes so with a dejected look on his face he told us to leave without him, which we did right about 9am.

We quickly made our way to Acacia and headed for Kirby and up to Johnston and the light at Sanderson picking up T-3 along the way. I had promised Highlander I would try and keep the pace at a moderate century pace and pretty much had that in mind at least all the way to the saddle and maybe to Carl’s if we got lucky. We pulled out onto Sanderson and Bloodhound almost upset the plans from the start. But with luck we caught the light at Stetson red and I got a chance to get in front of him and slow the pace down.

I don’t think he was happy about it and by Mustang he was out front again and creating a gap. It wasn’t a big gap and the rest of the group was cooperating so we were close on his wheel as we rounded onto Domenigoni. Once we were headed west Bloodhound was like a puppy the broke its leash and he started pulling away. I fell back giving the lead to Highlander and soon found myself next to Huntress chatting away about the day and what she would be doing this weekend. Soon Gambler and D’Artagnon pulled around and I was afraid they were going to drop the hammer and go after Bloodhound. But they didn’t instead they decided to pull all the way to the saddle. Except Gambler finally broke out after we past Winchester. But D’Artagnon pulled us all the way to the regroup point.

We were next headed down the backside of the Saddle and we had to look for Bulldozer because he had left before us to make a stop along the way. I was going to pull over and call him by the time we got to Haun but everyone assured me he knew we were headed for Carl’s so I waited. We just started to pick up speed heading for Bradley when Bulldozer went flying by like a low level F-16. Finally he sat up and slowed down like pulling a drag shoot and let us pull up to him. Next Bloodhound took off again and like a fool I gave chase. I caught him but I believe I burned too many matches too soon in a long ride. Still we had a chance to recover and decide how to split the rest of the ride into two groups. Gambler said he was going to take the A group through the Canyon and on to Jack In the Box on the North side of the lake He had added Bandit to his group so there was a strong A group with a pretty fast B+ group following. I told the B group to meet on the corner just past Mickey Ds and follow after the A group. We rode together to Corydon and headed west where Huntress decided to stretch her legs.

Still Highlander, Dura Max and I kept the pace I had set and we followed Huntress at a distance all the way north on the west side of the lake. It was just our luck that what little wind we did have was right in our face as we moved north. The worst part for me was the wind seemed to be swinging 180 degrees but never to our backs. It didn’t matter however because we took turns pulling giving each of us some rest till we got to the cut off leading to Ortega Highway.

Soon we could see the road curving to the east about 300 yards in front of us. Huntress was already heading east well before we got to the corner but at least as we rounded it ourselves the ride seemed to get easier. The three of us kept taking turns rotating through the pull and heading past the RV parks before Highlander finally pulled us into the parking lot at Jack in the Box. The site of the other bikes parked there was pretty impressive.

It was good to take a break after 35 miles so I gladly walked in to get some coffee and join the group sitting at tables and talking about the ride so far. We didn’t get a chance to talk all that long because the A group was getting antsy after having to wait for the rest of us so long. As Gambler and Bandit started to put on their helmets we knew they would be leaving and hitting it hard on the ride back through Railroad Canyon. Huntress, Dura Max, Rocky, Bloodhound, Highlander and I left a few minutes later.

The ride up to Lake and south towards the Town of Elsinore was pretty easy and we were soon making our way through the old shopping area and back out towards the Mickey Ds we had past when we started around the lake. We were spread out a bit as Bloodhound, Huntress and Rocky worked their way out front and Highlander, Dura Max and I followed them to the Stop light before turning left onto Railroad Canyon road. Highlander jumped on the back of the Huntress group and pulled away from Dura Max and me. Not that we cared because by this time we were in cruise more conserving as much energy for the canyon and the ride home as we could. The front group did wait for us at the top of the last hill in the canyon so we stopped and rehydrated before heading for Murrieta.

The only thing left was the long straight grind home. We stayed together more or less all the way to Antelope when Rocky, Bloodhound and Huntress once again picked up the pace. We weren’t that far apart till we hit the Saddle and then I finally started to bog down. Maybe because it was so cold when we started I didn’t drink enough but my legs were beginning to fatigue was time to so I figured it was time to drop a gear and once again work with my friends to get back to Sanderson with as much gas left in the tank to make it home and actually get my leg over and off the bike. We got back to Sanderson and Dura Max stayed on Domenigoni to State and home. I followed Highlander to Johnston before heading home myself. I got home with a bit over 60 miles at an average of 16mph. Just the Century pace I will be looking for at Palm Springs. As I have heard said before, today was an example of why we live were we do.

Invasion of the weather snatchers

1/28/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Invasion of the weather snatchers Last week we had two great days of Cycling. I may have made a mistake however by posting pictures of our great weather and the great rides because it caused enemies of Southern California to try and sabotage our weather. What some of you might not know is our weather is more or less controlled by the quality of our weather people. In Southern California we tend to have positive, upbeat, attractive weather men and women. You may not realize that these men and women were invited to a dinner in LA last week and they were drugged and replaced with body doubles from Seattle, Portland, Boise, and Billings Montana. These evil weather people came in and brought their Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana weather with them. Once I discovered the switch I jumped into a phone booth and changed clothes and headed for LA. I found the offending weather people and forced them onto airplanes, in coach mind you, and told them to go home while freeing our weather people. Knowing what the positive attitude these real weather people would have on the weather I put together two rides for Monday and Wednesday and set my alarm accordingly. It was with positive thinking I came back to the Inland Empire and headed for Burger King to meet my friends for a good ride. There was a small group assembled by 9am because it was still cool and no one was sure that the rain was gone. But still five of us, Dura Max, Dragon Slayer, Highlander, Red Rabbit and I headed down Gilmore to Acacia and then onto Kirby before turning onto Cypress before making our way to Johnston and the light at Sanderson.

After we turned south on Sanderson I thought about our goal for the day. I think one of the reasons we were weather attacked was because we were putting in more miles than some of the Seattle/Portland cycling clubs and they wanted to get our mileage down. So with 5 riders we needed 40 miles each to give us a 200 mile group average for today. So thinking about pace and keeping the group I took us down Sanderson and out onto Domenigoni east. We made short work out of the Parkway and turned onto State to ride through McSweeney before heading back out onto State and down to Chambers. Soon we were back out onto Stetson and heading east again. Only Dragon Slayer and I took the map route onto Columbia and then on Crest all the way over to Lake and back to Stetson. Still we came out about a quarter of a mile behind Rabbit, Highlander and Dura Max. Then we made the turn North on Fairview and took it all the way to Ramona to start our trip to Soboba.

Dragon Slayer was pulling us at a great pace until Rabbit dropped off of the back and we slowly but surely dropped him. He was maybe 400 yards behind us at Hemet and fell another 500 yards by the time we got ready to turn and cross the dry wash and head over to Soboba. This time we waited for Rabbit, last time we lost him, and he joined us and stayed with us to the light on Soboba. Once everyone made it through the light we headed for Soboba and west. We were moving pretty good as we got back to the driving range and once again we started tom drop Rabbit. Not as bad as before however.

Highlander pulled for quite a way west on Soboba and then Dura Max pulled us to and over the last little hill that makes up the three rollers of Soboba Road. The reason we considered calling him Dura Max is that his pace slows very little on these short rollers and today was no different. Once he crested Dragon slayer took the lead and we headed for the regroup point at Soboba and State. All that was left for us t do was wait till everyone was regrouped and we could head down State and back on Ramona to Carl’s. There we took a short stop for coffee and conversation. We ended up spending most of the time talking to two county workers about how great cycling is and telling them that they should start before the retire so by the time they are ready to join us they will know just what kind of bike they really want. Rabbit left first about five minutes before the rest of us started on our way home, first up to Lincoln and then to Park where Dura Max headed for home.

Now we turned onto Park and headed for the jag that would get us to Devonshire. Both Dragon Slayer and I were ready for Highlander just in case he started a horse heading for the barn sprint for home but for some reason he kept the pace within reason as we headed for San Jacinto and the Hospital. We got through the light and made our turn onto Latham and once again west towards State. I knew I would be turning at Palm so I told Dragon Slayer to keep an eye on Highlander and I would see them both Wednesday.

I rolled around the corner on Palm and headed to Florida where I caught the last light before heading for home. Soon I had past Starbucks and Hemet Ice and had to do a short track stand on Acacia. I rode past the new Salvation Army Building and the old Travel Trailer factory before closing in on Whittier and home. I got in my 40.4 miles and was looking forward to a hot shower. I just wondered how many realized we had a problem with weather people being replaced with out of state agents? Oh well I will keep my eye on them just in case.

1/23/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Today was special because the weatherman is turning on us. It I didn’t know better I would think someone from Portland or Seattle say how good our weather has been over the last few days and sent and evil wizard weatherman down to Southern California to cast a bad weather spell on us for this weekend. However it may be on its way but for today only the clouds made it and we had a cloudy but warm day. I put on a light base layer because of the clouds I thought it would be cooler. Later on I realized arm warmers and leg warmers would have been more than enough. Still I headed for Burger King looking forward to a good ride. I got there a bit later than normal and found Dura Max, Digger and to my surprise Double Time waiting for me. I think it has been a year since we last saw Double Time. Within a few minutes the rest of today’s riders were there and ready to go. At 9:02 twelve riders pulled out onto Gilmore and headed south across Florida towards Acacia. In front of me were Bloodhound and Torpedo and behind were Digger, Dura Max, and Double Time, Rocky, Huntress and Dragon slayer followed by Gambler, D’Artagnon and Bulldozer. A very strong A group for a Wednesday.

It became clear that Bloodhound and Torpedo were feeling a bit frisky because they were pulling away from us during the traditional warm up period. It didn’t matter to me because I wanted to warm up before Domenigoni and what I thought would be a fast and steady pace. We weren’t that far behind the two flyers coming down Cypress but we caught the light at Sanderson and again at Stetson only to watch them fade into the distance. Once the rest of us crossed Stetson I got the lead and took us past Wally world and the high school before turning west on Domenigoni and picking up speed.

I pulled briefly before turning it over to Digger and falling back to see if there were any stragglers. However Gambler and Bulldozer decided to ride sweep so I got a chance to fall back in line and take it easy as Digger pulled us all the way to the dry wash on the other side of Warren before giving it over to Dura Max. Dura Max took us to Winchester and Double Time took over till D’Artagnon pulled around and took us to Leon. I was sitting in forth when Dragon Slayer took the pull with Rocky and Huntress right behind him. Huntress pulled over to give me a shot at an attack on the Saddle and for a change I felt I might give it a try. I got a good jump but couldn’t keep it up all the way to the top and Rocky caught me by the fence. Still I felt good and we regrouped with everyone else before heading down the back side towards Menifee.

We all made the light on Menifee and turned south again heading for the little hill just past Holland. Some of the group continued on while Huntress and I waited for the stragglers and then rode on to Scott road to head west. Huntress and Rocky crossed Haun first while Double Time, Digger, Dura Max and I followed. For some reason the climb seemed easier or shorter than normal to me. Still we rounded the corner about 150 yards behind Huntress and Rocky and I got a great draft off of a slow moving truck that got me up to 40 before I had to stop where Bloodhound, Huntress and Rocky were waiting for us. We started off after Digger and Dura Max caught us and Bloodhound pulled us to the next stop sign and I pulled to Holland. Bloodhound started us off again after Holland and I managed to jump in front of him when he least expected it. So at least all my pistons were firing even if the air supply was still choked a bit. We regrouped at the Chevron Station and then headed for Cherry Hill on Murrieta.

We made a more social run on Cherry Hill and over to Bradley before heading towards Newport. I spent most of my ride on Bradley talking to Bulldozer and following Double Time as he seemed fired up to get to the coffee stop. Double Time may not have been with us for a year but some things don’t change and his desire to get to the coffee stop is just as strong as ever. He made it onto Newport in front of us but Bulldozer caught up with him at the top of the overpass just as Digger, Dura Max and I were pulling through the light on Haun. We regrouped and refreshed at Jack In the box before getting ready for the ride home.

We quickly rolled up on Menifee for the second time and started for the Saddle again. Before we got to Lindenburger the big dogs started their run for home and the group splintered. I waited on top of the saddle for Huntress, Digger and Dura Max while the rest of the group continued over the hill and down the other side. Huntress took off to chase down Double Time and Digger took off to chase Huntress so once Dura Max caught my back wheel we had to chase Digger. Slowly but surely I was reeling in Digger when Dura Max and I caught the light at Warren. Digger almost caught Rocky, Double Time and Huntress at Sanderson and once Dura Max rolled on towards State I caught Digger. We never were able to close on the three or four in front of us so we turned on Johnston and rode back to Palm together. I left Digger to his own devices before Whittier and got home with 42 miles on the clock. All in all it was a good day and I hope the North West witch doctor weathermen go home to Portland or Seattle and take their weather with them before Friday.

1/21/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Retribution Finally we had a day predicting weather suitable for Southern California. Looking at the forecast it seemed like a great day to ride to Lake Perris. I knew some would be out of town but I could only hope for a good turnout to make it easier on all of us going down Ramona. I dressed a bit lighter than I had last week, had breakfast and headed for Burger King. I was surprised to see Coyote was waiting for me as I pulled into the parking lot. We talked for a moment and I went over to the restaurant and got a cup of coffee. Dura Max got there by the time I came out. Bloodhound joined us and so did Rocky. Next Bulldozer rode up followed by Dragon Slayer and Torpedo and Punisher. The last to arrive but not the last to get ready was Tax Man. Ten riders isn’t bad for a Monday so as soon as we were all set we headed out onto Latham and over to Lyon to start our trim north before we could head west.

After we had gone a block or two Bloodhound and Torpedo took over the pull and I fell back to enjoy the draft in the pack. I got to enjoy that draft all the way to Ramona Blvd. The pace was steady but a bit quicker than we had been going for the last few days and soon we were out on Sanderson and waiting at the light on the Expressway. We were sitting behind a truck that had some live animal that obviously didn’t want to be in the truck. Dragon Slayer suggested we pound on the back doors to see what would happen but most of us weren’t sure that would be a good idea. After all it could have been anything from a Bull to a Velociraptor or Sasquatch for all we knew. None of which we would have liked to see come out of the back door. Once we turned Torpedo, dragon Slayer and Bloodhound started to draft the truck towards Warren Road. Torpedo stayed with it the longest. But lucky for me Bulldozer decided to pull the rest of us along at a bit more reasonable pace. I stayed on Bulldozer’s back wheel till we rolled through the light on Warren when I pulled out of line to see if we had dropped anyone. We had so I dropped back and picked up a rider and we rode together to regroup with everyone at the Valero Station on Lakeview.

Torpedo, Bloodhound and Dragon Slayer didn’t stop but we still had Bulldozer to lead us to the hill and into the back gate at Lake Perris. After we were sure everyone was ready to go I took us out onto the Expressway again and over the bridge and to the bottom of the hill. Bulldozer started up the hill followed by Rocky and Punisher and they quickly made it to the back road with me trailing in forth. I had it in an easy gear and got to the top of the hill to find Tax Man, Dura Max, quickly gaining on me. By the time we got to the bike trail Coyote and Dura Max were leading.

It was a beautiful morning and it was quickly warming up. We saw several other cyclists on the trail and for a change there were not many runners. The four of us rode around the lake and back through the day use area and finally to the Marina to meet up with the rest of the group. We sat down to rest and talk and enjoy to warm sun off of the lake. I got a chance to talk with Bulldozer for a few minutes and he mentioned he liked to plot my ride maps over the Strava course to see where the segments were and he wanted to try the Perris TT. I told him where I thought the segment started and we got up to start the ride home.

As I came out of the trees after the Day use area I could see Bulldozer out front and soon I saw him ramp it up and drop the hammer. He was moving pretty good by the time he turned back towards the south side of the lake and I could no longer see him. The only question was could he get the KOM. I wouldn’t find out till later that we have a DVV rider listed as KOM. Dura Max, Coyote, Tax man and I joined Punisher and Rocky for the ride home down the Expressway. Coyote pulled us almost all the way back to Bridge before giving it over to me.

Almost as soon as I got the lead the wind smacked me in the face. I over worked it and started to break up the pace line and we had to reform at Warren. Punisher started out a bit fast and once Rocky had the rest of us together I took off after him to see if he was coming back to Lyon with us. He said he planned on it and we turned onto Sanderson and then back onto Ramona together while the rest of the group pulled up behind us

Though the big dogs were more than likely were already home it had been a good ride for the whole group. I was thinking back to the first time I ever rode to Lake Perris and back and how hard it was to ride home from Lyon and Ramona. Today it was far easier and I knew I had a lot left in the tank. We made our way back to Esplanade where Dura Max left us and Rocky once again took the lead and pulled us back to Menlo. Coyote had been dodging the camera all day so I took advantage of him being boxed in to prove he was with us.

Once we got back to Latham we said good bye to Coyote and Tax Man while Punisher, Rocky and I headed back across Florida and back towards Acacia. Rocky and Punisher turned east on Mayberry and I continued on to Johnston before going east to San Francisco and home. It was an easy 44 miles and I didn’t even need a nap.

1/18/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) The last two weeks we have been faced with the cold breath of the frozen north. The rides have been planned with a distance that would keep our feet from freeing and dropping off. But today the sun was going to come out and we were going to get just a touch of spring type weather. So the plan was to take an easy ride and kick the miles up to a half century. As I had breakfast and got dressed I decided against a base layer and settled on arm and leg warmers. By 8:15 I headed out of the door and rode over to Burger King to see how many other riders were as interested as me to get in a good ride. Little did I realize it was going to be one of our better turn outs. I got there just in time to see Dura Max and Highlander talking by the van. Centaur was just pulling up as I parked my bike by the east side windows. Rocky pulled up about the same time as Bloodhound. It already looked like a normal Friday group. Then Bulldozer rolled up so I was beginning to think we might get at least ten riders. Just then Ferret pulled in with two bikes on his car. It turned out he had his wife Mary, (Tinker Bell) with him. Punisher and Gambler arrived followed by Huntress and then D’Artagnon. We had 13 riders counting me and most of them were part of the A group or at least very fast Bs.

We took off down Gilmore to Acacia and then over to Kirby and I still had my jacket on. But it was in the 50s and considerably warmer than Monday or Wednesday. I was ready to pace myself knowing I was still down on power from my cold but I just didn’t realize how fast the A group was going to be. I have been riding sweep for two weeks so I knew I wouldn’t have to push it I was just hoping my legs and lungs would hold up for 50 miles. But that was all yet to be seen as we turned on Cypress and headed for Sanderson and Johnston.

The group was looking good as we sat at the light on Sanderson and everyone seemed happy to be there. Ferret and I chatted for a bit as we waited for the light to change. I was planning on stopping at the gas station just on the other side of Stetson in case anyone needed to stop. Only one rider took advantage of this stop and we were back on our way. I got out front and took us up to Mustang heading for Domenigoni.

Once we made the turn west on Domenigoni I took the first pull till Bulldozer pulled up to give me a break. About halfway to Warren I fell back to sweep and watched the group pull away. They reminded me a bit like a pack of hunting dogs running down the scent of prey. That thought would come back to me several times today. But as those thoughts rolled through my head we came up to Winchester and could just see the last of the group rounding the curve and heading for Leon. Once we got to Leon I could see the group waiting for us at the saddle.

We took a few minutes to rest and I reminded the group about where we were going, then we got ready to drop off of the back side of the saddle and head for Menifee. As we got close to Lindenburger I noticed Bulldozer was already waiting for us. I hadn’t noticed that he didn’t stop at the regroup point. He waited till Highlander and I rolled past him and then he joined the pack as we got to the light on Menifee. We made the turn North and headed for Holland to cut over to Antelope.

It didn’t take long before Bloodhound took the lead and started to make a gap. As we got close to Holland it was obvious he had no intention of turning but we were not close enough to shout to him. Luckily Rocky felt like running him down and brought him back to the group by the time we got to Antelope. Somehow I was in the lead as we were once again headed south towards Scott. I pulled up the grade and by Garboni before turning the lead over to Huntress and Centaur.

Things started to get a bit hectic after we crossed Scott and the group split up. The A group simply disappeared and the group I was with could just see Huntress, Centaur and Punisher ahead of us. Highlander, Dura Max and I turned the corner on Whitewood and managed to catch Huntress and her group about half way to Murrieta Hot Springs. We stayed with them till Highlander wanted to pull over and remove his jacket. Just as we got ready to pull back onto the road Gambler, Bulldozer, Ferret, D’Artagnon and Rocky pulled up behind us and zoomed to the corner. I thought for a moment they had lapped us because we had no clue where they had come from. We never saw then and didn’t think we passed them. We once again watched them pull away going north on Winchester. We pulled into the gas station on East Benton a few minutes after the group and took a break Huntress had to get home early so Gambler and his group were going to take her back to Burger King and Rocky, Bloodhound and Punisher joined Highlander, Dura Max and me is a second wave back up Winchester t Max Gillis and then Leon. We stayed together pretty well all the way to Scott and headed west where Bloodhound pulled me up the hill and away from the rest of our group. I started to soft pedal till the rest of our group caught up and Punisher followed Bloodhound to Menifee where we noticed the A group sitting by the side of the road.

It seems as if somehow they had lost Huntress and Tinker Bell. We knew they were not behind us because we left after they did and we didn’t see them anywhere along the way to catching up. We past them and headed back towards Newport with Punisher and Bloodhound well in front. Punisher and Bloodhound turned onto Newport/Domenigoni first and shortly after Highlander, Dura Max and I made the turn the Big Dogs chased us down and said their good byes as they headed for the saddle and a fast run back to Sanderson or State. Bloodhound decided to chase them over the saddle so it was down to just five of us. We stopped again at Chris’s for coffee and in my case vitamin I, (ibuprofen) my wrist has been giving me some trouble. It isn’t even the wrist I hurt in the car accident. We drank our coffee and headed back to Stowe to start home.

At least the wind didn’t fight us heading east. Rocky pulled us to California and I pulled us to Stetson and the Rocky pulled again to Warren where I once again took the lead and pulled to the airport where Highlander pulled off to head back. Rocky then worked with Punisher to pull us back to Sanderson. Rocky, Dura Max and I moved over to Johnston and headed east. Like before Rocky turned on Lyon and I turned on San Francisco while Dura Max rode to the east end of town. He almost always gets five or six extra miles on a ride over me. But for today 52 miles seemed like enough.

1/16/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) The day was supposed to be warmer but we had a chance of a bit more wind than we like. Still with warmer weather it seemed like a good day for a few extra miles and a split group. I had to get a new jacket yesterday because I made the mistake of washing my old one and the dirt must have been holding it together. The side looked like shark gills when I took it off Monday. I will admit the new jacket was warmer than the old one but I was still just a bit cold as I headed towards Burger King to see how many wanted to make a fast run west. When I pulled into the parking lot Digger was off talking to Highlander and getting his new bike computer mount attached to his bike. I didn’t go in to get coffee because one of our local street people was hanging around the paper stand and that would have been far too close to where I parked my bike with camera and Garmin exposed. However soon Dura Max arrived and the person left. By then Digger walked over to the warming windows, I swear the windows on the east side of Burger King make that spot the warmest in Hemet. Rocky and Bloodhound rode up and Highlander came over. The next ride to pull up was Josh Fields, (Bulldozer) and we were waiting for Gambler and D’Artagnon. To my surprise Red Rabbit rolled up with his new bike ready to go. Dragon Slayer unloaded his bike just before Gambler showed up and we waited to the last minute for D’Artagnon before the whole group was ready so we pulled out onto Latham and headed over to Lyon to get started on a 42 mile ride.

I pulled north for the longest time till Gambler decided to come up and relieve me. I told him that I was planning on turning the A group free once we got out onto the Expressway and regroup at the Valero. We got to the corner at Ramona and headed west towards Sanderson. I tucked safely back into the middle of the pack and accepted a draft all the way to Sanderson and up to the stop light on the Expressway. Gambler, Bulldozer, D’Artagnon. Rocky, Highlander and Dragon Slayer all rolled by just as we got started on the Expressway and we quickly dropped the Rabbit. Soon it was just Dura Max and me chasing Digger as we came up to the first dairy farm. I finally pulled Dura Max up to Diggers back wheel and we followed him all the way to bridge before I took over again and pulled. Dura Max relieved me and pulled us the rest of the way to the light just before Lakeview. Rabbit wasn’t that far behind us so we all regrouped and got ready for the next leg of the ride. Rabbit took off first as was well over the first hill before we ever got started. Dragon Slayer and Highlander set a pretty good pace to the bottom of the first hill. Dragon Slayer started to pull away and I was able to close on Highlander till we got to Burnisconi. There is a Strava segment from there to the School as we turn onto Rider so Gambler, Rocky, D’Artagnon and Bulldozer all gave chase to Dragon Slayer. (I believe Gambler and Bulldozer both got a KOM on one of those segments.) Highlander stretched it out on the flat before the last roller but I managed to catch him halfway up the hill and found the right gear to spin to the top and down the hill to Rider. I think I improved my time on all three segments before Evans and we did catch Rabbit. I stopped to collect Highlander, Dura Max and Digger while Rabbit continued on. Highlander, Digger, Dura Max and I rode on to Orange and then moved back out onto Nuevo where the rest of the pack was waiting for us. I stuck Highlander out front and as soon as we topped the bridge we hit a head wind. But the time was pulled up to the construction zone the big dogs had caught and passed us and started to pull away and around the corner on Menifee.

The wind has slowed those of us in the B group down but it didn’t seem to bother Gambler, D’Artagnon, Dragon Slayer, Bulldozer or Rocky. Lucky for me Rocky decided to drop back and help me with the B group. We got back to Menifee and turned south out of the wind heading towards Central. All in all I was pretty satisfied with my day as far as riding had gone so to me the rest of the ride could be a cruise.

After Bloodhound gave chase to the Big dogs Rocky, Highlander, Digger, Dura max and I were into for a straight shot down Menifee to Mapes and a slight downhill to Florida. I didn’t know how well Digger was doing but once we passed Mapes he seemed to perk up a bit. I pulled up next to Rocky and told him he could pick it up all the way to the AM/PM where I thought we would have to stop. However as we got to the light Highlander said he could make it to Chris’s so we rolled on and noticed the Big Dogs sitting on the side of the road waiting for us. I yelled back to Dura Max that I thought we should turn on McCall and he agreed we planned to turn on McCall when we got there. Just as we were making this decision I saw Bulldozer getting ready to pass Digger just as we were ready to move left at McCall.

The A group beat us to Lindenburger so we formed a pace line to start down Simpson. I started to pull and held it steady at about 18 all the way to Bridge. Looking back I wasn’t sure Digger had 18 in him because we were now headed straight into the wind. Highlander took over but I wanted to move digger to the front So see just what pace he could hold. He took it to 19 but soon tired and Highlander took it back and I finished us off the rest of the way to Winchester. We caught the light red on Winchester but it wasn’t long before we joined the rest of the group at Chris’s. We had coffee together until Gambler, D’Artagnon and Bulldozer decided to leave and ride down Dominigni. Rocky took the rest of us up to Stowe on Winchester and we turned east to start for home. Dragon Slayer took over to start the pull all the way to California.

The wind had shifted and we hit the wind again on California. It wasn’t bad but after 40 miles we were getting just a bit tired. It did seem like we got a slight push on Stetson and dragon Slayer, Highlander and Digger headed down the airport road. Bloodhound, Dura Max, Rocky and I headed straight on Stetson to Sanderson. Bloodhound went straight while the three of us moved over to Johnston and headed east to Lyon where Rocky left us. Then Dura Max escorted me to San Francisco where I turned for home and a hot shower. I don’t know about everyone else but I had a good time today.

1/14/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Looking at the projected weather reports on Sunday things didn’t look good for Monday morning. They were predicting freezing temperatures and high winds so it looked like a good time for a short ride that stayed closer to the center of town and Cactus Valley got the call. I had to get my mid weight base layers on because my heavy weight ones were in the laundry. I looked outside and there was no wind so I dressed as warmly as I could and headed out to meet the group. The first thing I needed when I got there was hot coffee. We stood in front of the windows of Burger King, the warmest spot in Hemet I believe, and talked till all the people that were going to attempt the ride in the cold arrived. Digger, Dura Max, Rocky, Highlander, Bloodhound, T-3 and I were ready to go by 9am. A quick ride down Gilmore with a turn on Acacia and then on Kirby and we were on our way.

I felt a bit sluggish as we got to Cypress but I managed to lead the group through the housing tract all the way to Sanderson and Johnston. I just wasn’t sure I could pull all the way up Sanderson to Domenigoni but I managed to do just that all the way past Mustang and the high school to the stop light. I managed to start us off on the turn towards State Street before turning the lead over to Highlander. As I fell to the back of the pack I could see the cold air was attacking Dura Max more than the rest of us.

Highlander and Bloodhound were waiting for us at Searl and Rocky finally offered to pull for me about half way to State. But as soon as he did I noticed T-3 was pulling Dura Max so I fell back to help. Rocky pulled Digger, Highlander and Bloodhound towards Diamond Valley golf course. Once I started pulling Dura Max T-3 took off in chase of Digger. When Dura Max and I rounded the corner onto Cactus Valley road T-3 was about 150 yards behind Digger and Bloodhound was already over the hill on the other side of Sage. T-3 caught Digger right after the top of the hill. Rocky and Highlander had stopped to help a motorist with a flat tire and then had to chase Dura Max and me all the way to the end of Cactus Valley Road.

We didn’t stay at the end of the road all that long before we headed back towards State. As we started out T-3 took the lead and soon I was giving chase to Bloodhound and Highlander. Bloodhound picked up the pace but soon was spinning out as I pulled up on his far right side but one look back and I could see Highlander was going to be my shadow. As we past the little church on the left I clicked my shifter into 50x11 and dropped the hammer. Highlander for some reason got caught off guard and let me go and soon I had a 20 foot gap on both him and Bloodhound. I was breathing well and my legs seemed up to it so I stayed on it till I got to the first horse ranch. I had 200 yards on Highlander by then and noticed Bloodhound coming around and giving chase. I dropped a gear to same my legs and kept up a steady 21 or 22 as we got close to the turn onto State. Now Bloodhound was coming hard but I had saved enough to make a hard run to the stop sign on Newport. I sat up and let them catch me at McSweeney and we rode together around the housing tract to the corner back on State. Once we regrouped we headed north on State towards Domenigoni.

Bloodhound took the lead out on the State Street run once we crossed Domenigoni and I made sure to keep Highlander in front of me because we were fighting a head wind. I didn’t attack till we started up the rise but Highlander tried to attack back and he got a wheel on me before I could take it back and make it to the sign first. Now all we had to do was make it to Stetson and head east to Fairview. Highlander took the lead and went straight down Stetson all the way to Fairview but Bloodhound got there first and turned left rather than right so he didn’t regroup with us at Wilson Mesa. The last sprint of the day was about to happen. We started north on Fairview with Highlander and T-3 in front followed by Rocky and me. Before we got 200 yards past Bautista Digger came flying by causing Highlander to jump on his back wheel. Rocky was going to jump out but I warned him about being the lead rider at Stetson and we waited to start the sprint closer to the yellow sign just before the bridge. Digger was fading and I got the jump on Highlander but Rocky almost caught me until I crossed the bridge and pulled away. We rode the rest of the way to Carl’s together and stopped to warm up.

We finally got back on the bikes and started for the west side on Lincoln. As we got to Park Dura Max left us. Digger and I had to chase down Rocky and Highlander but finally they pulled over before San Jacinto and then we rode together to Santa Fe before dropping down to Latham and heading for State again. Rocky took over and pulled us to Palm we split again with Digger going north, Rocky and I went south and Highlander continued west. I finally left Rocky and continued on Palm to my house. It was only 33 miles but I was cold and tired and felt like I had been on a much longer ride. But I was happy we did have any problems with ice.

1/11/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I got up this morning and almost went back to bed. Coffee or no coffee I could feel the tile floor through my socks and coldness when I got anywhere close to a glass window. My body was telling me that I had just gotten up out of a nice warm bed and I would be getting dressed to go for a bike ride in near freezing weather. Just before I finished getting into my kit I look at the weather report on my Iphone and noticed it wasn’t planning on getting much better. Now all I had to do was ride over to Burger King and see how many other people would be able to force themselves out into the cold. Digger as drinking hot coffee as I pulled up and Dura Max pulled up right behind me. I noticed Highlander pulling into the parking lot just before Rocky got there. We all stood around by the restaurant windows talking till D’Artagnon and Gambler pulled up just before we got ready to leave. We started south on Gilmore and crossed Florida headed for Acacia. The air rushing past us did not make it feel one bit warmer so I was glad I had my base layers and cold weather gear on.

I was in no hurry to be in front and others seem more than happy to pull so I followed them to Kirby. Just before we got there T-3 flipped a U turn and joined us as we turned south and headed for Cypress. We stayed together pretty close as we headed west on Cypress and made it to Johnston. I think the tight group was to try and stay warm and I was more than happy to let Gambler and Highlander lead us south on Sanderson and over Stetson. I only got out front long enough to get a picture and then fell back to let someone else take over as we closed in on Domenigoni.

Once headed west on Domenigoni Gambler and Highlander took over and pulled us towards Warren. Even though he kept the pace down some were affected by the cold more than others so I fell off to stay with the back half of the pack while Gambler took Highlander, D’Artagnon and Rocky with him. Slowly but surely we started to work as a group with Dura Max, T-3, digger and I. Digger ended up pulling from Winchester to Leon and I took them to the saddle where we regrouped and refreshed a bit.

I had to change the batteries in my camera and I took of my ski mask before sucking down about half of my Heed just as we got ready to drop off of the saddle and head for Menifee. It didn’t take long to coast down to Lindenburger and then catch the light at Menifee. We turned south and I did pull us to the bottom of the hill or at least to Holland. Everyone passed me at first but only D’Artagnon and Rocky were still in front of me when we climbed to the top of the little hill and pulled over where the road got wide to regroup.

We moved on south on Menifee and made our way to Scott. Somehow I found myself out front and no one seemed to want to take over all the way to Antelope. Once the light changed Gambler, Rocky, Highlander and D’Artagnon took off leaving the rest of us to follow along out to Haun. We found the lead group waiting for us about two blocks before we got to Newport and they joined us heading for the gas station. Highlander had to leave early so he left us at the corner of Newport and Haun while the rest of us took a quick break. We were soon back on the road and headed for Bradley. We all rounded the corner onto McCall and once again I was in the lead heading back to Hillpoint Road where once again everyone passed me. I pulled back till I was behind Gambler, Rocky and D’Artagnon And then fell back till T-3 caught my back wheel. We regrouped at the top but the lead three were long gone. We didn’t see then again till we got to Chris’s. We decided we needed to thaw out so we sat inside and I had hot chocolate rather than coffee. When we got ready to leave Chris’s Gambler and D’Artagnon headed for Domenigoni while Rocky pulled us to Stowe on Winchester. It was still cold but at least the wind wasn’t in our face as we turned east.

Rocky took us to California and then to Stetson. Still we were moving a bit too fast for some riders in this weather so Rocky fell back to pull some of them forward leaving me to pull to Warren. I took us back to the airport where Digger left and then to Sanderson. We went north to Johnston before heading east again.

We dropped T-3 off at her gate and then continued on towards Lyon. Rocky turned for home on Lyon and Dura Max and I stayed together past Elk and then Palm where I broke off for home leaving Dura Max heading for the east side of town and his home. I got home a few minutes later looking forward to lunch and a hot shower. I may not have frozen my bottom off but I wasn’t sure my feet and knees were still there as I stepped out of my kit and into the hot water. But as the water refreshed my cold skin I could still smile and say I had a good day because I was with friends and I was on my bike.

1/9/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was supposed to be a warmer day today and if fact the warmest day of the week. This was one of those times I wanted the weather man to be right and with any luck we would have light winds. Still I decided to put on my heavy duty base layers and a jacket. It may have been club jersey day but being cold with the tail end of a cold wasn’t my idea of fun so long fingered gloves, a mask with neck gator and jacket were a necessity. I headed for the parking lot feeling pretty good and reasonably warm. I wondered how many would brave the weather and join me on one of our better rides. As I got to the parking lot to see Digger having breakfast and Centaur unloading his truck. I was surprised to see how many riders started pulling in after that. Dura Max, Highlander, Dragon Slayer, Red Rabbit, Josh, D’Artagnon, Gambler, Rocky, Bloodhound and Punisher were all there ready to go at 9am. We picked up T-3 as we crossed Florida and headed for Acacia.

As soon as all of us were heading in the same direction Bloodhound moved to the front and took us to Acacia to make the turn west. I was just a bit surprised to see so many riders behind us on a winter ride. This was a typical spring sized group and it was also heavy on the A group side. Even if I were feeling better I knew I wasn’t strong enough to stay in sight of this A group if they decided t drop the hammer and I kept that in mind as we waited for the light to turn green so we could head south for Cypress and get this ride on the road.

I discovered I was moving far easier than I had earlier in the week and that I didn’t even need my jacket, I still had the face mask on and the long gloves but the jersey and base layer seemed just find as we traveled through the housing tract and got ready to turn on Johnston and again on Sanderson. For whatever reason the group was more than willing to let me lead through those turns. The light at Wentworth was red so we did a quick regroup and headed for the airport.

We moved past Hanger 1 and once again I was out front all the way to Stetson and started the pace line run west towards Warren. To my surprise ramping up to 20 was pretty easy and I felt real good as we got to the stop sign and continued on down Stetson towards California. Finally Bloodhound and Highlander took over the pull followed closely by Dragon Slayer and they stayed there all the way to California where Dragon Slayer got out front and pulled to Stowe where Bloodhound and I rounded the corner and headed west. We had a bit of a gap on everyone else till Dragon Slayer pulled a group with Highlander up to us. I was in the fourth slot for a while and then pulled up front to give Bloodhound a chance to recover before the big dogs came up on our left. It was a drag race to Winchester and I fell off of the second group after I started coughing a bit. We regrouped at Winchester and Stowe.

We let Rabbit roll on and start down Winchester while some of us took off our jackets and down some electrolytes. As soon as he was out of sight Dragon Slayer took us south on Winchester building up speed pretty quickly. I felt pretty good sitting on his wheel till we turned west on 9th heading down the dump road. As we rounded the bend and started down the straightaway past the Horse Bar we got in a rather fast pace line and I stayed with the lead group all the way over the rise only to look back and see we had dropped several of the B riders so I fell off and went back to get them. The group split into three parts and I ended up in the last part after we crossed Florida and started to Mapes. We got to Menifee and headed south without seeing either of the other two parts of the group. As we got to Florida once more we noticed the other two groups were stopped at the AM/PM. We didn’t stop so T-3, Dura Max, Rabbit and I made it to McCall and over the hill before they could give chase.

We were just cruising but we had a pretty good lead as we started down the hill past the Hospital and toward Hillpoint. The front side of Hospital hill isn’t as steep as the back side but it is longer and gives us a chance to rest our legs after the short steep climb on the backside. We caught the light red before the freeway and then lost Rabbit at a light on Bradley. We were well past the gas station on Bradley and soft pedaling when instead of Rabbit I noticed two other riders gaining on us. It turned out to be Bloodhound and Rocky. They caught us and pulled up next to us at the light on Murrieta.

Bloodhound started up the hill to the end of McCall and turned south with Rocky on his wheel. They both missed the turn at Cherry Hill so briefly Dura Max, T-3 and I were alone. That didn’t last long because before we got to the golf course we were overtaken by the big dogs and I had to work a bit to get in front and get a picture.

To my surprise I was staying with Josh, Gambler, D’Artagnon, Punisher and Dragon Slayer. We moved onto Bradley and cruised up the rise and onto the flat heading towards Newport. I took some teasing from the big dogs about my Monday post and the contention that some of my friends questioned my health just to see if they were going to be able to drop me like a bad habit or if I could put up a fight. Today I felt like I was at about 80 percent and if my breathing comes back I will be ready to play. We made it to the light on Newport and headed for Jack in the Box on Antelope for quick cup of coffee. Dura Max, T-3 and Rabbit decided not to stop.

Coyote stopped by on his day off just before we got ready to leave. We discussed the ride home and the pace we wanted to set and after we got ready to start said good bye to Coyote and headed east over Antelope and towards Menifee. I pulled all the way to the base of the hill where Highlander asked if I would regroup on top of the saddle rather than the down side and I agreed. We ended up having to wait for Bloodhound and Digger while all of the big dogs kept on going. Bloodhound said he was a bit under the weather so I pulled us to Winchester and a little beyond before Highlander took the pull. We took turns in the pace line till we got back to Warren where I took over and got us back to Sanderson. It was time to head north and I stayed in front as we headed back to Stetson.

Bloodhound stayed on Domenigoni as we headed north and I left Highlander and Digger at Johnston and headed east. I was still surprised how well I had done up to this point. Last week I would have been out of gas well before I got back to Johnston and I was still spinning easily as I rolled past Kirby and then Lyon on my way home. Elk, Palm and San Francisco and I was all but home. I rolled up to my front door feeling almost a good as I did when I left this morning, only warmer. I think I am on the mend.