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.
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.
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