2/272013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Looking outside this morning I think I know how a bear feels after coming out of hibernation in the spring. There was sun and glorious warmth looking me right in the face. I still put on arm and leg warmers just in case the clear sky fooled me. But I didn’t need my long fingered gloves or anything to cover my face for the first time in about three weeks. I had breakfast, got my kit on and loaded up my bike before heading down Palm towards Florida and the parking lot to meet my friends. I got to Burger King first and parked my bike only to see Dragon Slayer unloading his bike. I went in and got some coffee and came out to find Dura Max rolling up. For a while we seemed to be it but when I looked at my watch it was only 8:39 so I was pretty early. It was so warm standing in front of the Burger King windows that I was almost sorry I had on my arm warmers. But then I knew once we got started that might change. By 9 am we had several more riders ready to get in a quick 40 miles west just to enjoy the day. We headed down Gilmore heading to Acacia. Bloodhound followed me around the corner onto Acacia followed by Highlander, Chinook, Artemis, Gambler, D’Artagnon, Torpedo, Dura Max, and Digger. We managed to turn onto Kirby shortly after the light turned green and head south. I will admit it seemed like we were moving a bit quicker than we had Monday but I chocked it up to a lack of wind. I pulled us to Cypress and followed Bloodhound west to Sanderson before we headed south again to cross Stetson and make our way to Mustang and finally Domenigoni. We no sooner rounded the corner on Domenigoni to head west when the pace picked up. It wasn’t unreasonable but it was faster than I thought the group could manage all the way to the Saddle. Still I stayed with the leaders most of the way to Warren when I noticed the group was breaking apart. I pulled out of line and headed for the back to ride sweep in case there was anyone to pick up. By Winchester we were split into three groups but we were all pretty much in sight of each other. I managed to pull up to the saddle to regroup with Chinook, Artemis, Highlander, Digger and Dura Max before rolling off of the back side and heading for Menifee. We dropped down to Lindenburger and then formed an easy pace line leading past Laguna Vista and into the turn lane on Menifee. We got caught at the light but could see Dragon Slayer talking to someone on the corner and about half a block up the street the rest of the group was waiting for us. Once we pulled around the corner and headed south towards the hill just past Holland. As we past the big dogs they fell in behind us and waited to make the jump at the bottom of the hill. I was pretty sure the group would split apart on the hill because Gambler and Torpedo were not planning on regrouping at the top and that meant D’Artagnon wouldn’t either. It turned out that Dragon slayer, Chinook and Bloodhound chased then as well. I ended up pulling Highlander, Artemis, Digger and Dura Max to Scott road and then begin the long grade to Murrieta. I regrouped us again at Murrieta and then dropped into the long fast pull to Newport. The glorious sun made my legs feel lighter and faster than they had in weeks and I managed to stay out front all the way to Newport and regroup with the lead group at the Chevron Station. A quick break and we were back on Murrieta and heading north. As we first started north I was still feeling pretty good even if it seemed we had ever so slight of a wind in our face. I chatted a bit with Highlander and Digger as we moved towards Cherry Hill and was happy that no one seemed to want to push the pace as long as we were cruising easily along. It didn’t take long to reach Cherry Hill and head back east towards Bradley. Once on Bradley I got to pull again and took us back towards Newport. For whatever reason once we were past the first stop sign cranking it up to 23 was almost effortless. In fact I was rather surprised when a few of the faster riders decided to ride past me about a quarter of a mile before the SDA church and it took me a moment to grab a wheel heading for the light at Newport. All but two of our group stopped for the red light. The two that didn’t rolled through the pinkest light I think I have ever seen. I did mention it to them at coffee when we stopped at Jack in the Box. When we left the coffee stop Torpedo pulled out front and soon we were back on a fast pace heading back to the Saddle. We were over to top in a fairly organized group and I knew we would have at least two groups on the run back to Sanderson. I managed to stay in the second group all the way to Winchester and we were off chasing the lead group as soon as the light changed. I was sitting comfortably in the back as we got to the flag pole I use to tell wind direction. Something got kicked up by someone in front of me and I managed to roll right over it. It was hard and I was sure I had cut my tire so I slowed down and lost the draft. Highlander dropped back to check on me and then rode with me all the way back to Sanderson where we caught Dragon Slayer, Bloodhound, Chinook and Artemis at the light. Chinook and Artemis started their spin down after we turned north on Sanderson and I rode with them back to Johnston where Bloodhound had turned east. I waved good bye to my friends and caught up to Bloodhound and rode back to my street and home. I got home feeling pretty good. In fact I think I could have done another 20 or 30 miles without much effort. As I pulled onto my front walk I kept humming the old Beatles song, “Here Comes the sun.”

2/25/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) How could any cyclist not want to ride on a day like we had today? Clear blue skies, sun shine, very light wind what more could we ask for? That is what I woke up to this morning with about 40 miles planned for the group. I had breakfast and headed for the shower before putting on a short sleeve jersey for the first time in weeks. I still needed a jacket but it was my guess it would be coming off rather early in the ride. My ride to the Parking lot was even a bit quicker than it has been since last November. I got there to find Digger having breakfast and coffee. By the time I got coffee Dura Max had arrived and he was followed shortly by Chinook. Tax man and a new rider, Denny drove up and parked next followed by Bloodhound and last but not least Red Rabbit. Eight of us headed out onto Latham and turned on Lyon right at 9am. I tried to stay back in the middle of the pack as much as I could and enjoyed the draft. However after a few blocks I had to stop and pull up one of my leg warmers and Red Rabbit didn’t bother waiting. Once we were rolling Bloodhound slowly but surely pulled us closer and closer to the Rabbit. We almost had him when we got caught at the light on Esplanade right after Rabbit made it through. Finally we did catch him and he fell in line as we turned onto Ramona Boulevard and headed for Sanderson. Bloodhound pulled us all the way to Sanderson and I had high hopes that we could keep the whole group together once we made the turn onto the expressway. The plan was working pretty well after I gave up the lead and fell to the back except Rabbit was slowly falling back. Dura Max and I fell back to pull him up to the pack only I got a flat after the dairy farm whit the Golden Retriever chases us and only Tax man stopped to wait while Dura Max and I worked on the tire and bike. Once we were back on our way we took turns pulling to the Valero to find Chinook and Bloodhound talking with Coyote who decided to join us there. Denny and Digger had continued on so we didn’t wait long before following west on the Expressway. Before we got to the second roller Chinook flatted and I stopped to wait for him. Rabbit didn’t stop and that turned into the last we saw of him. We were back on our way and had a quick regroup on Ryder before running down to Evans and east towards Nuevo. We started to spread out on Nuevo and it didn’t get any better on Menifee. Still we were within sight of each other and we ground it out past Central and we turned into groups of twos and threes. I stayed back with Digger as he looked for his cycling legs, it takes a while when you have been off of the bike for a month. He was doing reasonably well but Tax Man and Dura Max were getting away from us. At the nursery I left digger and gave chase to Tax Man and caught them by Mappes. We slowed down till Digger was with us and I pulled us to regroup at Florida before continuing on south. I took the regroup as time to take the lead and start us south towards McCall and keep the pace down a bit so everyone could stay together. It was working pretty well as we crossed the railroad tracks and onto the flat stretch and the light before McCall. Some wanted to know if we were going to avoid the rise to Simpson by turning left and taking Heritage but I assured them that no matter where Rabbit had gone we were going to head up to Simpson and then ride to Lindenburger together. By the time we got to Lindenburger Coyote broke for home leaving the rest of us to head for Leon by ourselves. I pulled briefly once again trying to hold the line together and did pretty good till we were almost to Leon before giving it to Bloodhound. He picked up the pace a bit and by the time we were coming out of the Eucalyptus trees we were in danger of dropping Digger but soon he was back in the draft and we were settled down into a good pace line all the way to Winchester. Bloodhound took us all the way to Chris’s for coffee and conversation. I got to learn a bit about Denny before we all got back on the road north. I took us up to Stowe and started us east. The ride down Stowe was pretty easy and soon Bloodhound and Tax Man pulled us to California and north to Stetson. Tax Man was in the lead to Stetson and then has us moving rather well all the way to Warren. Bloodhound, Dura Max and I had no reason to go by the airport and Coyote would be leaving at Sanderson anyway so the group broke up at the airport and Tax Man would take several of them back to their cars while the three of us rode to Sanderson and then to Johnston and east again. As it got warmer I was actually feeling better than I had at the beginning of the ride. We rolled by Kirby and then to Lyon with Bloodhound keeping the pace a bit higher than I like for the spin going home. Still with him creating the draft it was easy to roll past elk and the Palm before leaving the two of them to ride east. It felt almost like a spring day today and I was ready for lunch and a shower. It was a good day for a ride.

2/22/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) We have been living through a second winter for the last few weeks and this week started off wet. It was also very cold, near freezing Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday wasn’t much better. Today however it was a bit warmer, not summer warm but warm enough I didn’t need a ski mask and I could have ditched the base layer under my jersey. So after breakfast I was feeling pretty good as I put on my shoes and rolled the bike outside to ride over to the Burger King parking lot. I was surprised with the small turn out on such a nice looking morning but it was still a bit cool and some of our regular riders were out of town. So I guess you could say we ended up with the Friday five as we headed out onto Latham and headed to Lyon to start north towards Ramona. For some reason I felt a lot better with leg warmers on than I had with tights for the past two rides. Moving north on Lyon seemed much easier than it had in a while and I managed to pull for a long way. Soon Gambler pulled up next to me and we talked while heading for Seventh and finally I fell in on his back wheel and followed him till we got ready to take the jog over to Ramona and head east. It was my turn again and I got us started towards State Street and found that I still felt pretty good. My legs were all warmed up but the effort I was putting out seemed a lot less than it had in weeks. There didn’t seem to be much wind and I was at least warm from the sun and clear sky. Before we got to the first stop sign Rocky pulled up to give me a break. He took us all the way to State before I got the lead back heading north again. By the time we had crossed the light at the Expressway and then we moved on to the college. We caught the light at the college and I took a moment to get something out of my left jersey pocket. However my extra shoe string that I use to tie things to the bike every once in a blue moon and it almost got caught in my front spokes. As I was trying to stuff the lace back into my pocket the light changed and the group took off and left me. I gave chase only to have a CHP yell at us for not being to the right of the fog line and then watch Gambler turn onto Soboba with Rocky and Punisher a few yards behind him. I got to Soboba about the same time as Digger and I pulled him through Soboba to the dry wash and over to Washington/Ramona for a regroup. By the time we got to Lake Gambler left us and Punisher took off heading for Cedar. Rocky, Digger and I caught up with him at the corner of Fairview and Florida and then we all rode up to Cranston Station before heading back to Carl’s for coffee. Punisher stopped off at the bike shop and Rocky turned onto Fairview to ride Bautista before going home. Digger and I had our coffee and headed for home on Lincoln. We made our way back to Latham and Palm and separated to go our separate way. My biggest hope is that next week continues on in the direction Friday has started.

2/20/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I have to admit I had no idea we would have a chance to get in a ride today after rain started last night. But I got up at my usual time and wandered into the kitchen for coffee and finally looked out of my front window and saw a few light clouds and some blue sky but no rain. I went back and had breakfast and decided I might as well get dressed and ride over to the meeting place just in case some of the other wanted to try to get in a ride today. I got there first and then Dura Max arrived. We were talking when to my surprise Digger rode up. I thought he was still away in Japan so I didn’t expect him. Lastly Rocky pulled up and we were about ready to go. We moved down Gilmore and caught the light at Florida and had to wait till it turned green. We had already agreed to make today an easy cruise so we weren’t trying to break any records getting down to Acacia and over to Kirby. It may have cleared up sooner than we expected but it was still cold and damp. The air had a bite to it and I was glad I had layered up more than normal. I took us to Kirby and then up to Cypress before heading west with Dura Max right by my side. We talked easily all the way out to Johnston and Sanderson while we waited to turn south towards Stetson and past Wally world. We continued on to Mustang with me in the lead. I stayed in front till we got to Domenigoni and started west. Rocky pulled in front and offered to relieve me and keep the pace down. Once he was out front he pulled us all the way to Warren easily. In fact Rocky seemed to have no problem pulling us over the dry wash and kept us at a very steady 18 to 19 MPH. Once by Winchester we lost Digger for a little while, us is still getting his cycling legs back after a month off, but Rocky went back and picked him up to bring him back to the group before pulling us all the way to Leon and then the base of the saddle. We regrouped at the Saddle for just a few moments before starting back down the back side and heading west again. They let me pull to Antelope and Rocky took over again and pulled us over the freeway and to Haun. By the time we got to Bradley Dura Max got out front and took us all the way to Carl’s for a break. As soon as we were all refreshed we were back on the road and heading for the street heading to LaLadera. We rolled around the corner onto LaLadera and Dura Max Pulled us all the way to the corner by the Owl Sanctuary and then started working our way over to McCall with Rocky in the lead. By this point I had removed my jacket but I still had a vest over my jersey and base layer plus my ski mask. Still it was cold and damp but at least the sun was coming out and it felt good. We turned east on McCall and worked our way by Murrieta and then Bradley and back over the freeway before climbing Hospital Hill and regrouping. I removed my ski mask just before we dropped off of the hill and headed for Menifee. Taking off the mask was a bad idea at that time because the air was even colder at 35 mph than it had been at 19. We turned onto Heritage and headed towards Lindenburger. Once back onto Simpson we took turns pulling east till Rocky took over again at Leon. We moved quickly through the Eucalyptus trees and finally got to Winchester to head north to Chris’s for some hot coffee and a chance to thaw out a bit before getting back on the road and heading for home. I got out onto Winchester and up to Stowe before heading east towards California. We took turns again after we turned onto California and went down to Stetson before heading east once more. I pulled to Warren and then to the airport. Because we all had to go that way anyway we stayed on Stetson all the way to Sanderson rather than turn at the airport road. I managed to stay in front to Sanderson and then to Johnston as we made the turn for home. Digger left us at Cypress while Rocky, Dura Max and I continued on to Kirby and then to Lyon where Rocky had to leave for home leaving Dura Max and I to continue on towards Elk and finally Palm where I turned for home leaving Dura Max to ride home by himself. It was only 37 miles from door to door but it was still good to get out.

2/18/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) With the threat of rain on Wednesday I thought we should try and get in a few extra miles on Monday so I set up a bit longer ride and crossed my fingers that is wouldn’t be cold or windy. By the time I was up and ready to go at least it wasn’t windy but it was still colder than I like. I walked out without my cold weather mask and thought better of it so I went back inside and put one on before heading to Burger King for some morning coffee. Somehow I got there first and got my coffee before Dura Max arrived. We talked for a while before Rocky and Bloodhound pulled up. To my surprise Phil from Beaumont showed up before Tax Man, Gambler and Bulldozer. We waited till 9am and just before we were ready to leave the parking lot Red Rabbit arrived giving us out last rider. We went down Gilmore west on Acacia and started up Kirby. I was staying out front in an attempt to keep the pace steady. I know Red Rabbit hates it if we start out too fast and at his age I guess he has earned the right to complain. Phil was on a Mountain Bikes with road tires so I expected him to be pulling up the rear once we got on Domanigoni and if we created a gap I planned on going back for him. However he stayed with us on Kirby and Cypress and was still there as we headed south on Sanderson and closed in on Mustang. As soon as I got us onto Domenigoni and started west over the first rise I gave the lead to Bloodhound. I told him to run whatever pace he wanted because there was a big difference between the pace of the fast and slow group. I kept going back for Rabbit and Dura Max pulled Phil all the way to Winchester where I let rabbit go and fell back to help Dura Max. We kept this up to the saddle where we regrouped with Rocky, Tax Man and Rabbit. I knew from this point on we wouldn’t be together that often as a group but as we got ready and dropped off of the back side of the saddle and headed for Lindenburger. We were lucky in that as we rounded the corner Gambler, Bulldozer and Bloodhound were coming back to look for us. They followed part way before Bulldozer flew by heading for Simpson. No one gave chase even if it looked like it would have done any good. We got through the light at Simpson and more or less rode as a group through the housing tract to McCall. I thought Gambler and Bulldozer we going to attack the Segment after Florida so I figured one of the last pictures we would get today would be at the Am/Pm. Once we were back on the road and headed north Bloodhound started a long pull to Mapes and then pulled away as we topped the rise a half of a mile later. Gambler pulled out front to give me a break and Bulldozer took over a few moments later. We caught Bloodhound just before central and soon we were all headed west on Nuevo. I decided to wait on Phil and Dura Max stopped with me as the rest of the group continued on with the ride. Just before we got to Evans Dura Max got a flat and Phil and I stood around and watched him fix it. I realized we had lost Rabbit but this wouldn’t be the first time and I am sure not the last. Once we were back on the road I took us to Ramona and then to the light at Ryder and Dura Max took us over the hill. We told Phil we would meet him at the Valero for a break and cruised there with very little fan fare. We did some minor adjustments to Phil’s saddle before heading east on Ramona. Phil said he would be leaving us on Sanderson and told us to go on at our own pace so I pulled to Sanderson and then Lyon. We turned on Esplanade together and Dura Max took me to Palm where I headed for home. It had finally warmed up and was a pleasant ride home. 47 miles isn’t bad for a cold foggy day and it beats rain and snow anytime.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Finally we were supposed to get a warmer day and I for one was looking forward to it. The cold gets to me and makes me feel like an unturned vehicle. I simply can’t seem to run at maximum RPM or even get to it unless it gets above 70 degrees. Today would be close if everything worked out like it should. So I got up, had breakfast, got dressed and headed for the parking lot to join the rest of the team for a ride up Bautista. We pulled out of Pep Boys parking lot and onto Latham eight riders strong. Tinkerbell, Ferret, Dura Max, Centaur, Huntress, Rocky and a new rider Phil from Beaumont were behind me as we headed down Lyon past Florida towards Johnston and then Stetson. I kept the pace down to make sure the group stayed together and we caught the light at Stetson. So far so good as they say but I noticed a rider in front of us heading towards Thornton and he was almost there before we got the green light. I was still pulling at we headed south on Lyon and rounded the corner onto Thornton and we started to gain on the lone rider. As we moved east we slowly pulled up on the fleeing riders and I began to recognize him as The Shadow. We haven’t seen The Shadow in months but I should have realized a ride up Bautista would bring him out. It took two or three more blocks before we pulled up next to him but as soon as we did I knew he had been soft pedaling till we got there. Once he joined us we stayed on Thornton all the way over State and to Santa Fe before coming out onto Stetson and heading east. Somehow I was still in the lead and we rolled by San Jacinto and finally we made it to Columbia and turned back to Thornton and then over to Crest to ride through the quiet streets of a nice older neighborhood. I always like the ride down Crest because you still see people walking in the morning and people will wave and say hello as we pass. I know some complain about the turns and slight climbs here and there but it is still sort of rustic and quiet. After a jog or two we came back out on Lake and headed towards Stetson. As we got to the corner I stopped everyone for a regroup to make sure our new rider was doing OK before starting east on Stetson. For some reason I was still out front setting the pace and by now it was rather relaxed as we got to Fairview and headed south towards Wilson Mesa and the final turn up Bautista Canyon. I fell back to ride sweep and Ferret took the rest of the group up the canyon. It took us a while but finally we made it to the top of the canyon and regrouped with Ferret and the rest of the group. After some hydration and in my case a shot block or two before we were ready and then Huntress took the lead and started back towards the bottom of the hill. Against my better judgment I followed her and soon we were racing down the hill switching leads till we got the white fence and Huntress started to run out of gas. I started to back down only to have her close again not far before the Dam. 2/15/2013 Just as I was about to put the camera back I saw a freight train of bikes being pulled by closing on me. I attacked the rise at the dam and ran for my life but I was running out of steam pretty quickly. I held them off for about a mile but soon they ran me down. I pulled off just as we turned onto Fairview to wait for the stragglers and watched everyone else roll on towards Stetson. Once Dura Max and Phil rounded the corner we rode together to Florida and headed over to Carl’s. I gather the service was pretty slow and the rest of the group got tired of waiting so by the time we got there they were ready to leave. Still the three of us had coffee and talked after they left till we were ready to leave for home ourselves. Phil just took off on Ramona while Dura Ace and I headed west on Lincoln till we got to Park where he left for home and I rode over to Devonshire to make my way to Santa Fe. Once I dropped down to Latham it only took about 15 minutes before I was headed south on Palm and back to my house. Finally we had a pretty warm day for a ride and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 2/13/2013 I got up this morning looking forward to a warmer day than we had had in more than a week. My legs seemed to have recovered from the century and I decided I was ready for a little climbing. The only question we how many others wanted to hit some hills with me. I looked outside as I got ready for breakfast and it was clear and blue. I then looked at the Thermometer only to see it was a chilly 35 degrees and wasn’t going to warm up till after 10am. It is getting to the point where I have had just about as much cold weather as I want so it can start warming up right about now thank you very much. So I bundled up and headed for Burger King to meet up with my friends and head to three climbs east. I got to the parking lot after Dura Max and Highlander. We were joined by Bulldozer, Gambler, Rocky and Bloodhound before taking off down Gilmore. To tell the truth cold weather bothers Dura Max the most but I am not sure that I am not a close second. I did manage to remove my ski mask but I still had on my built in Balaclava, Jacket, long sleeve jersey, base layers, bibs and long fingered cloves. Even with all my extra gear on I felt cold and when I am cold I am not happy. However I was with friends and I was on my bike so that in itself cheered me up as we moved west on Acacia and south on Kirby and finally onto Cypress while talking to Dura Max. Dura Max inspires me because I know the cold air pains him and yet he is one of the more dependable riders in the group. It takes dedication to both cycling and the group to get out knowing that you will suffer even when you aren’t dropping the hammer. But there he was riding by my side or right behind me as we worked our way out to Johnston and then back north on Sanderson to Wentworth. As we pulled up to the street the light changed green and I think that is one of the first times the turning light responded to a group of cyclists that I have been with. We took the jog over to the airport road and I could see I would be first out onto Stetson when we turned west again. I decided not to push it more than about 80 percent going west on Stetson and pulled us out onto Stetson at about 18 mph and kept it there as we past the Sherriff’s helicopter pad and then continued on to Warren. Traffic was clear as we got to the stop sign and I took us across and towards California. No one seemed interested at this point of taking the lead so I kept it as we turned south on California and pulled everyone up to Stowe. After we made the turn I gave the signal that I wanted off of the front and Bloodhound took over as I fell to the back. I drafted Gambler and Bulldozer about halfway down Stowe till they got ready to pick up the pace on the lead group and then I stayed with Dura Max. It didn’t look like a real fast sprint to the parking lot on Winchester but it was faster than I wanted to go at the time so two of us cruised into the parking lot a bit behind the rest of the group I was back out in front again as we headed south on Winchester and still traffic was light so we had no trouble getting out at the stop sign and forming a pace line. Once I could see that we were all formed up I slowly eased the pace up till it was a comfortable 19 heading for the dump road. We rolled by the dump road and the railroad tracks and finally Chris’s as we came up on Simpson and I knew the cold was getting to me because my knees were sore. Still it was my turn at the front and I couldn’t pass it off till Simpson. I ended up pulling all the way to Domenigoni and turning east before Gambler pulled up and took over. I watched him go with everyone but Rocky, Dura Max and I and we set the cruise control at 18.5 heading for Warren again. By the time we got to Warren we could no longer see the lead group but we were determined to get to the marina road and ride up Seven Dollar hill. Rocky headed for the hill as soon as we turned right off of Searl and I followed a few bikes back with Dura Max chasing me. I dropped into the small ring and slowly downshifted to keep my spin up as I rounded the 180 switchback. It was one of the easiest climb I have made in a long time and I turned around and headed back at the top of the hill with Rocky and Dura Max behind me. The downhill run from the marina is always a good ride and if you careful you can get up a lot of speed. I was running out in front of a car that came out of the parking lot by the lake and was able to stay in front of him all the way back down to Searl where we were going to regroup before heading to State street. We pulled out onto Domenigoni and headed down to State planning on turning north. Bloodhound started us off and soon he had us clocking about 23. Bulldozer pulled in front and took us to 24 before Gambler attacked at the rise. I tried to go with him but I was flat footed and just didn’t have the juice I needed to stay with Gambler. We finally turned onto Chambers to start the ride east after getting back out onto Stetson. The group broke up at this point and Gambler left with Bulldozer before the rest of us got to San Jacinto to make our right turn towards Ramona. Highlander and Dura Max stayed on Stetson heading for Fairview. Rocky, Bloodhound and I climbed up to the Ramona Bowl before heading back down the back road and onto crest. It took us a while but finally we made it to Fairview and up to Cranston Station to meet up with Dura Max. Highlander had gone home so we rode back down towards Carl’s. Rocky turned off and headed home at Fairview and Bloodhound didn’t stop at Carl’s so Dura Max and I had coffee and then headed home ourselves. I left Dura Max at Park and rode home with 43 miles on my Garmin and a smile on my face.

2/11/2013 By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) After a very cold and windy century on Saturday I for one was looking for a recovery ride today, Monday, and had put together a simply little ride to Nuevo and home. The predictions were for some clear skies and light winds. When I looked outside before breakfast it was clear and cold, much like it was when we got to Palm Springs Saturday. I could only hope it wouldn’t be windy. I put on a base layer and long sleeve jersey over my bibs, added a heavy skull cap and long fingered gloves. Adding a ski mask and I was ready to head for Burger king and start the day. I got there right after Dragon Slayer but by 9am there were nine of us heading out onto Latham and north on Lyon to start the ride.

As we headed north Highlander pulled up next to me and we talked about our weekend and getting together so I could return his bike rack we had used Saturday. About then Dragon Slayer pulled up and said he was going to make a fast run down the Expressway so he could stop by his house and get his water bottles. As he raced off Bulldozer went with him as did Bloodhound, leaving Highlander, Rocky, Ferret, Tax man, Dura Max and I to make our way to Ramona Boulevard on our own. It didn’t stay that way because as the lead three pulled away Rocky went after then and Highlander was hot on his wheel. Dura Max, Tax Man and I cruised at about 20 mph and ended up catching the light at the expressway right after the lead riders past through. We lost about 600 yards at the light and never got it back as we rolled through Warren and then had to dodge the dog at the first dairy we past. But we managed to not get bit and made it to the Valero a few minutes after everyone else.

After Dragon Slayer rejoined us we headed south on Lakeview and I pulled pretty hard to just past the elementary school. My legs felt pretty good but I still felt sluggish. It was as if I simply couldn’t spin past 100 to 105 rpm to same my life. My Garmin said I was doing fine but my head wasn’t satisfied. I gave the lead to Bloodhound and fell back behind Ferret and stayed there till we got to Nuevo and I noticed we were three riders short. I show pedaled to Central and then waited till Bulldozer took off to run down the leaders and Dura Max and Tax man joined me to ride down to Menifee. We took turns pulling to Mapes and I took over again heading east. About halfway to Briggs Tax Man started to cramp up and we had to slow till he could spin it out. We then make the corner on Briggs and down past Heritage High to the housing tract.

All we had left was to ride down Briggs and onto the dump road before heading east towards Leon. The problem for me was the wind. It had been fluky all day and I would almost swear it had been in my face no matter what direction I had been heading in. The dump road was no different and once again I was headed into the wind and fighting to hold 19 mph. Shortly after we went by Leon, Tax Man pulled over to check on something while Dura Max and I continued on to Winchester. Dura Max headed for home and I rode over to Chris’s for coffee with the rest of the group, Tax Man got there a moment or two later. After a cup of coffee and an Odwalla bar I was ready to head north on Winchester and start for home. Highlander pulled around me and finished the pull to Stowe and it still felt like we had the wind in out face. Looking at the flag at the country store you would have thought it was a side wind and that it should be at our back once we got onto Stowe and headed east. But it wasn’t at our backs or at least it didn’t feel like it.

We didn’t get far down Stowe before Tax Man and Highlander got to the front and pulled us to the rise about a quarter of a mile before California. Feeling as if the wind may have cut back a bit I got ready to start a sprint only to run full face into the wind again after topping the rise. I got down in the drops but it wasn’t doing much good and soon Rocky and Bloodhound were on me anyway so I sat back up on the hoods and cruised with the pack down California to Stetson and then to Warren. Dragon Slayer, Highlander, Bulldozer, Tax Man and Ferret took off at the airport road while Rocky. Bloodhound and I continued on to Sanderson and over to Stetson.

Rocky left at Lyon while Bloodhound and I stayed past Elk and then Palm where I turned off and headed for home myself. I rolled up at our door looking forward to a hot shower and lunch. It was a good ride and a reasonable pace but I simply never warmed up. Not that I feel bad because it could be Flagstaff and it could be snowing. No thanks were we live is just fine.