1/2/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) The second day of the New Year and at least it was a bit warmer than the first. I still have a cold and my breathing isn’t what it should be but I needed to get out for a ride. I planned a simple one and put on my heaviest base layers before heading out of the door and to the parking lot to meet up with my friends. Now all I had to do is stay within myself and push too hard so I wouldn’t start coughing. I got to Burger King to meet up with Dura Max and Digger. We were soon joined by Red Rabbit, Blood Hound, Highlander and his friend Doug. Rocky rounded out the group as we got ready to head down Gilmore to Acacia and then over to Kirby and south where we picked up T-3.

I was able to spin easily but found it even easier to push a bit bigger gear and slow down my heart rate. As long as I kept my breathing slow and steady I felt fine. I pulled in on T-3s back wheel and followed her onto Cypress and head west through the housing tract. Highlander rolled past me and struck up a conversation with T-3 before Bloodhound and I took the lead again and took us to Johnston and Sanderson. We were lucky and rolled up on the Sanderson light green so we headed south towards Stetson and past Wally World. I was still out front as we got to Mustang but we were not moving all that fast.

Once I got to Domenigoni it was suggested that I fall back and save myself for the rest of the ride. I joined Rabbit at the back and we followed the group till we caught Dura Max and T-3 at Winchester. Dura Max pulled us most of the way to Leon and I tried a short pull to the bottom of the hill and took my time making it to the top to regroup with everyone else. Somewhere along the way we picked up The Mechanic and I saw him with the rest of the group waiting as I Pulled up.

I told Bloodhound to take to group to Carl’s and promised to follow as best as I could after we dropped off of the saddle and headed west. Red Rabbit had left first so we gave him a pretty good head start as Bloodhound, Digger, The Mechanic Highlander and Doug gave chase. Dura Max, T-3 and I were about a quarter of a mile behind as we past Haun and finally regrouped once more at Carl’s before heading on to Laladera to turn north.

Our trip towards McCall was pretty uneventful and in fact the ground owls weren’t even out as we past their sanctuary. We got to McCall pretty much as a group and headed back east. However as we got to the light at Bradley five of us got caught while Highlander, Bloodhound, Mechanic and Rocky made the light and were well ahead of us starting up Hospital Hill. For whatever reason Red Rabbit decided to jump me on the hill and if I had a brain in my head I would have let him go. But I didn’t and a caught him and pushed on to the top much faster than I had planned. (I am paying for it tonight with a cough as I sit here typing.) We regrouped and then dropped down the back side of the hill and turned onto Heritage and back to Lindenburger.

I held on as we turned east on Simpson and Highlander pulled Bloodhound and the rest of the group as we started the run. We rolled past Briggs and the stop sign and Highlander was looking strong. It felt pretty comfortable up to about 19 or 20mph and Highlander pulled us all the way to Leon before trying to give it to Bloodhound. He would take it however so I pulled us to the trees just before Winchester and we turned north to Chris’s. The Rabbit was waiting for us there and he left shortly after we sat down for coffee. We followed a few minutes later and Rocky pulled us to Stowe and then turned east.

We made it down Stowe and turned north on California where Highlander took us to Stetson and east again towards Warren. We were running just a bit hot as we got to warren and Highlander stayed in front all the way to the airport where once again we split as he took Doug and Digger on the airport road and Mechanic led Dura Max, T-3, Blood Hound, Rocky and I back to Sanderson. Mechanic stayed on Stetson while the rest of us dropped down to Johnston and headed east again. We dropped off T-3 at her gate and Rocky left us at Lyon. I broke from Dura Max and Bloodhound at San Francisco and headed for my house. A hot shower, lunch and a nap and I felt much better.