By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/29/13 We have started to move towards our summer start times for our rides and today was the first bump to 8:30am. I knew Highlander was going to be gone and I was thinking about doing Bautista Canyon. The problem was every time Highlander is gone I run us up Bautista and Tax Man pays the price. So I put together a new ride and left the house 30 minutes early to meet up with my friends at Burger King. Digger and I were first to arrive and we were having coffee when Dura Max arrived. Not long after he rode up Bloodhound, Bulldozer and Dragon slayer pulled up. Surgeon and MacGyver rolled up and it was only 8:15. No one else showed up and by 8:30 we were out onto Latham and headed to Lyon and south. We were supposed to meet T-3 at Lyon and Johnston but we got there first and after a few minutes most of the riders continued on to Thornton. I got caught at the light on Stetson and by the time I could cross the street T-3 and Dura Max caught me. We rode together to Thornton and then out to State where we could just see the majority of the B group closing in on Donemigoni. The plan from there was to let the A group ride up to the top of Sage at Sycamore Ranch and Red Mountain. The B group would only go as far as Diamond Valley market before heading back to Domenigoni. Dura Max, T-3 and I regrouped with MacGyver, Surgeon, Tax Man and Digger at the Golf Course before heading to Sage and down to the Market. It took a few minutes for the whole B group to assemble at the Market and we rested for a few minutes before heading back north towards Cactus Valley Road. The great part about this part of the ride is that it is more or less all downhill all the way both to Cactus Valley and finally to State and Domenigoni. Once we were regrouped on Domenigoni we started a training pace line with one minute pulls at 18 just to stay in practice. The one minute rotation served two purposes, we were able to keep a average speed of 18 without working at it and we didn’t slinky because everyone stayed tight getting ready for their turn at the front. We finally past Leon and MacGyver gave to lead to Digger who pulled us to the top of the saddle for a regrouped picture. We took off any extra layers as we rehydrated and popped a shot block or Gu and looked back to see if the A group was gaining on us. I could see most of the way back to Winchester and there were no riders in sight. I moved back to the group and headed down the back side of the saddle and headed for Lindenburger. Once we rounded the corner and headed towards Simpson MacGyver asked if I thought the A group would catch us and I assured him that I didn’t think so. After riding with the same people for so many years I was pretty sure we would get to Chris’s before they could run us down. MacGyver must have been less than confident that we were far enough in front of Bulldozer so when he started the pull east on Simpson he picked up the pace a bit. We started a pace line again with one minute rotations and were soon past Leon and heading for the trees just before Winchester. Dura Max and T-3 stopped to feed the Lama and we made it to the light and over to Chris’s. To our surprise we found Bloodhound sitting at a table as we pulled up. Turns out he had to break off early due to a sore knee and that meant Bulldozer was closer than we thought, or at least closer than I thought. Still it took a few minutes for Bulldozer to arrive and a few more for Dragon Slayer. They left almost as soon as they got there to pick up Dragon Slayer’s truck and take Bloodhound home. Once we saw Bloodhound was taken care of we headed back out of the parking lot and out to Winchester. I was feeling rather good as we headed north and it seemed as if we had a very slight tail wind. At least it seemed easier to make it to Stowe than it has in the past. I rounder the corner and headed towards California with MacGyver moving up fast to take the lead. We made it to California and then up to Stetson before heading east towards Warren. Dura Max, T-3 and Surgeon had left well before Dragon Slayer arrived to pick up Bloodhound so we never even saw them. MacGyver turned at Warren and Tax Man left on the airport road followed by Digger while I stayed on Stetson to Sanderson to move over to Johnston and head for home. Three miles later I rolled up to my front door with 39 easy miles on the computer. Once again it was another great ride on a great day. As I have heard so many times, this is why we live where we live.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/26/13 The weather has finally seemed to turn for good and it was another beautiful day for a bike ride. My plan was for a easy flat ride but to tell the truth I was pretty sure any flat ride on a Friday might get just a bit hectic with even the slightest provocation. Still what ever happened I knew I could ride my own ride rather than get into a hammer fest with the big dogs. At least that is what I told myself as I headed to Burger King for coffee with Digger. Digger and I get there about 8:30 and wait to see who else was planning on a ride. As the time past Dura Max, Ruby Tuesday, T-3, Dragon Slayer, Highlander, Surgeon, Bulldozer, Gambler and Huntress arrived. It was a reasonable sized group for a Friday and right at 9am we headed south to Acacia to start the day. A quick turn west to Kirby and we were headed south again. It was warming up pretty quick and as I have said before I enjoy the sun and warm weather a lot more than the cold so I was pretty content as we turned west on Cypress where I had planned to stop and wait for Dragon Slayer and Bulldozer when I realized they had caught the light red at Kirby. I was more than happy to let Ruby Tuesday lead us out onto Johnston then Sanderson and up to Wentworth before heading west again past the airport. To be honest it feels pretty good to just ride in the pack and it felt even better as Dura Max started us out onto Stetson and west towards Warren. For a change the wind didn’t seem to be a factor and Dura Max soon had us rolling along close to 20 mph before we pulled up to the stop sign. After we crossed the street at Warren Bulldozer and Dragon Slayer took off and headed for California with Highlander and Surgeon between them and the rest of the group. I checked with Dura Max and made sure he and his group knew the route before moving forward to ride with Highlander, Surgeon and Huntress. I slipped back in line as Surgeon and Highlander pulled around the corner and started a steady pull towards Winchester. Soon Huntress took over and I pulled up next to her before Gambler came up and took over. I couldn’t see any reason for giving chase this early in the ride and we weren’t really all that far back coming into the parking lot on Winchester. We waited till jackets were removed and watched Dura Max, Ruby Tuesday and T-3 head down Winchester while we got ready. Surgeon and Highlander started us south on Winchester about three or four minutes after Dura Max rolled by and we could just see his group in the distance as we came up on Simpson and stopped for the red. In fact we watched them make it through the light on Domenigoni as we were rolling up to another red. They had a pretty good head start by the time we started east on Domenigoni and Bulldozer began a rather rapid run east. Soon Gambler and Dragon Slayer gave chase with Highlander and Surgeon on their wheel. I stayed with them for a while and then looked back to see Digger and Huntress out of the draft. I dropped back to pick them up and we slowly closed on Highlander and Surgeon till they pulled off on Searl. There was a small regroup on State when we saw Rocket driving by and I stayed with Gambler and Bulldozer for a minute or two while the rest of the group continued on. We worked our way out onto Stetson and headed east and up to Columbia where Highlander took Surgeon, Dura Max, T-3 and Ruby Tuesday straight and Digger and I went over to Thornton before heading to Lake and back out onto Stetson to regroup with everyone on Fairview. We cruised up to Florida where Gambler left for home and then headed east towards Cranston Station. We say Dura Max’s group coming back before we got through the trees because they had the road closed so Digger and I turned around after we saw Surgeon heading the other way. We caught Surgeon by the Baptist Church just as Bulldozer rolled by followed by Dragon Slayer. It was an easy cruise there to Carl’s for coffee and conversation. After a short stop for coffee and some energy bars we got ready to head back out onto New Chicago. We still had most of the group to ride back with the exception of Gambler. T-3 had a mechanical problem so Dura Max had headed for home to get his truck. We rolled onto Lincoln for the trek home and to drop off Huntress. Once we were back on Park and headed for the jog to Devonshire Highlander started to pick up the pace a bit and I found myself back with Bulldozer and Dragon Slayer starting my cool down spin. Highlander, Surgeon and Digger made the light at San Jacinto and I had to drop the hammer to catch them by Santa Fe and Latham. We rode together till we got to Palm where I headed for home for a hot shower and lunch. In fact after lunch it seemed like a nap was calling my name and I surrendered to the call.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/24/13 Today seemed like a good day to plan for a longer ride. The weather had been close to perfect on Monday so I had no reason to expect it would be all the different today. However when I got up to look outside it was a bit overcast and a little cooler than I like but not so bad that I had to put on arm and leg warmers. I had breakfast, got dressed and headed for Burger King to start the day. Dragon Slayer and Digger were waiting for me as I pulled up and Dura Max joined us only a few moments later. Highlander and Surgeon arrived next followed by Bulldozer and Gambler. Next came Bloodhound and MacGyver and that looked to be close to it. So we mounted up and headed down Gilmore to Acacia before heading over to Kirby. Everyone was just getting warmed up as we started south towards the railroad tracks. To me the group looked relaxed and full of conversation. We were riding groups of twos and threes and still making our way to Cypress at about 17mph. I was thinking that if people didn’t back down a bit we would have a very fast 50 miles in front of us. But the traffic was very light as we turned west on Cypress and headed towards Johnston and Sanderson. Once out onto Sanderson the group was happy enough to let me lead over Stetson and past Wally World. Surgeon was up front with me and I was my hope that he would pull out onto Domenigoni first. He was ahead of me at Mustang and did indeed pull onto Domenigoni first and started us west. I was both surprised and pleased to see Digger near the front because he has been getting stronger every week. I dropped back to make sure Dura Max stayed in the draft as the pace slowly picked up. We were started to fall off of the back as we got close to Warren and we ended up catching the light red after the rest of the group cruised through on a green. The main group didn’t make it to the dry wash before Dura Max and I started our chase. As we crested the little rise we noticed a small group of out riders parked on the side of the road. Dragon Slayer, Bulldozer, Gambler, Highlander and Surgeon are just standing there looking at Bulldozer’s bike with two flat tires. Dragon Slayer had a front flat and they were just starting to change out the tubes. There was some debate as to how the piece of pavement wasn’t pointed out before some of our riders ran over it but in the end we had to put together enough tubes for three deep dish rims and three CO-2s before Bulldozer and Gambler decided t call it a day rather than risk another flat. (Turns out Bulldozer did get another flat and had to call for the SAG wagon. Now our work was cut out for us. Dura Max had gone on with Bloodhound and Digger while we changed the tubes on the two bikes. I pulled us to Winchester and we took turns pulling to the Saddle where we picked up Digger. Dura Max and Bloodhound were still ahead of us so we dropped down off of the Saddle to see if we could catch them. We didn’t see the on Lindenburger or Heritage and Dragon Slayer pulled us to the AM/PM only to discover they weren’t their either. I thought my head set was just a touch loose so I gave it a half a twist. (That turned out to be a bad move.) We then headed north on Menifee and quickly were rolling over the rise on the other side of Mapes. We started a speed run to Central where I discovered a too tight head set makes it hard to stay in a fast pace line. I stopped and fixed my mistake and then pulled Digger and Highlander to Nuevo were we fell in behind the rest of the group. We still didn’t see Bloodhound or Dura Max. All we had to do now was make it to Evans and up to Ramona to get to the Park entrance. Digger was starting to slow down a bit but then we were almost 30 miles into the ride. I rode with him to the park gate where we had to slide under the gate to get in and ride to the Marina. We regrouped at the Marina and had a short break and finished off some of our electrolytes before taking off again on the bike path heading to the east end of the Lake. Once we were heading south towards the back gate of the park Dragon Slayer, Bloodhound, MacGyver and Highlander made a run at the Perris TT. Surgeon, Digger and I simply enjoyed the ride around the lake and ended up regrouping with Highlander before we rode down the hill and headed east on Ramona. I pulled us to Lakeview where we were waved on by Dragon Slayer who was heading for home. Highlander took the lead after Lakeview and pulled us most of the way to Bridge. I was impressed with the pace and I was impressed with Digger for staying with us till the wind turned and Surgeon took over the pull. I pulled from Warren to Sanderson and then onto Ramona Boulevard and Highlander pulled to Lyon where the wind turned right into our face. Digger was struggling and so Highlander and I pulled over to wait for him and let Surgeon go on to the cars once we got to Cottonwood. We all road together past Fruitvale heading for Menlo. Digger and I left Highlander at Menlo and we headed for Palm so I could at least move a few blocks closer to home without the wind in my face. Digger lives just off Menlo so I turned on Palm and headed home myself and fought a fading wind back to the house and was happy to sit down and have lunch. 51 miles for the day seems like a good Wednesday and a great start on my weekly mileage.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/22/13 Yes spring is here and the sun is out to welcome us to another week. But there is more than just the sun to let us know a new cycling year is in full bloom. We not only had 15 riders we had a full A group and a full B group. After I arrived at Burger King I was overjoyed to see Dura Max, Tax Man and Highlander first thing. Shortly after we started talking Surgeon, Bloodhound, Bulldozer, MacGyver and Dragon Slayer rolled up and joined the conversation. Ruby Tuesday and T-3 pulled up as did Red Rabbit. Gambler, D’Artagnon and Bandit were the last to arrive before we eagerly left the parking lot and headed for Lyon to go south and begin a great ride. I led the group south towards Johnston as Bandit and the A group hurried to catch up. We were rolling along at a reasonable 16 mph as we crossed first Whittier then Johnston and finally got caught at the light on Stetson. By the time the light changed the whole A group was with us and ready to head down the broken pavement on Lyon all the way to Thornton and east towards State Street. I noticed as I looked back the Rabbit was already falling back well before we got to South Gilbert. I had a feeling he was going to have a hard time once we got to Domenigoni but I didn’t think he would drop back this soon. But there wasn’t much I could do by the time I got to State and started south. By the time we were past Chambers the A group started to move forward with Bulldozer passing first followed by Bloodhound, Gambler, Bandit and D’Artagnon. I could see no reason to give chase because I was pretty sure they would drop the hammer and run hard towards the saddle. The turned west about 50 yards in front of us and I turned the same corner about 30 seconds later. Well before Searl I signaled to give up the lead because there were only four of us in our group. I fell back to get Dura Max, Ruby Tuesday and T-3 and let Highlander, Surgeon and Tax Man run after the A group. Dragon Slayer and MacGyver had to first catch us and then speed away and try and run down Highlander and his group. It took all the way to Winchester before they reeled the three in and waited for my group at the Saddle. We dropped off the saddle and rolled past Lindenburger to set up for the turn on Laguna Vista and start south. Highlander, Tax Man, Dragon Slayer, MacGyver and I made the turn only to see that Dura Max, T-3 and Ruby Tuesday caught the red. We waited till they made the turn and managed to regroup with everyone else on Rocksport and then followed them to Briggs for another turn south past the Chicken ranch and dairy. Looking up the road at all of the colorful bikes and jerseys heading for Carboni I was reminded of a flight of exotic birds of colorful butterflies stretched down the road all the way past Holland. I stayed with the Dura Max group all the way to Antelope as the A and B group drifted away down the road. We easily cruised to Newport and headed east. The A group was on a mission so the stayed on Newport/Domenigoni and raced over the saddle heading east. The B Group rushed headlong to Linderburger and started towards Simpson. They decided to wait for us at Rock Canyon road but we had no clue they were there until we had made the turn ourselves and came around the curve to see them waiting. We joined them with Dragon Slayer leading us to Simpson and starting us east. Surgeon took over and I fell in to the third slot as we rolled by Briggs and headed for Leon. The plan called for us to turn onto Leon and ride up to the dump road. Traditionally Highlander doesn’t make this turn with us but today Dragon Slayer tossed the gauntlet down and said we should try the dump road sprint. No it isn’t part of the Strava segments but it is a tradition with the DVV group. When we got to Leon Surgeon stayed on Simpson as Dragon Slayer, MacGyver, Tax man, Highlander and I headed for the dump road. The whole group was together as we were heading east again and headed for the rise just before the sprint. As we got to the sprint point Dragon Slayer, MacGyver and I were riding three across and I told them the run was to the flag at the Rodeo Bar gate and we took off. I was a great run and challenged all of us all the way to the flag. We recovered and stopped at Chris’s with Surgeon and Red Rabbit for coffee. Once we were back on the road we quickly made it up to Stowe to head for home. Once the group made the turn towards California I noticed Rabbit was off of the back again and so I stopped to make sure he got back to the parking lot. The rest of the B group was out of sight by the time we got to California and they were nowhere in sight as we pulled onto Stetson and headed to Warren. As we got close to the stop sign I noticed a rider fixing a flat and we stopped t watch Tax Man demonstrate a tube change before heading for the Airport road and home. Tax Man soon pulled away from us and managed to make the light at Sanderson before we got there to wait on the red. Once it turned we headed to Lowes and around the building to Acacia. I took Rabbit back to Gilmore and then to the parking lot where I talked to Dragon Slayer, Highlander and Tax man before heading for home myself. It turned out to be just over 40 miles but the weather was close to perfect and I felt good as I went inside my home for lunch and a shower.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/19/13 I got us and looked out on a bright sunny day. Not a day for arm warmers or leg warmers but a day for just a touch of ice in your water bottle. It was time for sun and skin and maybe some sun block. It was just the kind of day for a group ride of about 40 miles. I was eager to leave the house and head over to Burger King to see who would be joining me for the ride. A great day brought forth a great group of riders. Waiting to pull out onto Gilmore at 9am were Dura Max, T-3, Digger, Huntress, Highlander, Bulldozer, Gambler, Dragon Slayer, MacGyver, Surgeon and me. That was a good number for a Friday and they all looked eager to hit the road as we crossed Florida and started to Acacia. We turned on Acacia and made our way to Kirby only to catch the light red. As we sat there Dura Max noticed that Surgeon’s rear tire was low. Surgeon decided we could wait till we got past the railroad tracks and down to Cypress before checking it to see if we needed to replace the tube. So as the light turned green that is just what we did. I led the way over the railroad tracks and made the turn onto Cypress for our first stop of the day. I had no idea how fast the group felt like going today but up to this point we were a bit faster than out normal warm up. While moving through the housing tract on Cypress I could hear MacGyver talking about attacking the saddle but I wasn’t sure how far from the saddle he would attack. As we got to the light on Sanderson I figured we would see what kind of pace the group wanted to set. To my surprise surgeon and Digger started to move towards the front and as we got close to Mustang Digger asked what pace I wanted him to set once we turned on Domenigoni. True to his word Digger pulled us west on Domenigoni most of the way to Warren. He gave the lead to me before the light and I pulled over the dry wash before turning the lead over to MacGyver. As I moved towards the back of the pack I noticed we were already split into two groups and I found myself in the front half. I closed in on the back of Highlander and MacGyver and then fell back to recover Dura Max, T-3 and Digger when Bulldozer and Gambler started their run towards the front. We caught the light at Winchester and couldn’t even see the lead group by the time we got started. But it didn’t look like we were all that far behind when we regrouped on the saddle. Once everyone was ready to roll again I took off down the back side of the saddle and took the group to Menifee for the turn south towards Scott. Between us at Scott however a little 8 percent is kick up hill just past Holland. I was sitting at the light on Newport and Menifee when Highlander pulled up next to me to inform me that he had programmed the run to Scott to take 4 minutes. I took that as a challenge and when the light changed headed for Holland hard. Not flat out but enough to pull away from the pack and cross Holland about 75 yards before the main pack. MacGyver and Dragon Slayer had given chase and MacGyver almost caught me at the top of the hill were I once again started to pick up speed and make my way towards Scott. Dragon Slayer did catch me just before I got to Scott and we rounded the corner in 3:41. We stopped to regroup and tease Highlander about how long it would take me to get to Scott. Once we were back on our way it was a quick trip down Scott, past Antelope and over the freeway to Haun. Dura Max and T-3 rounder the corner first as the group slowly closed up to head north towards Holland again. As we moved north on Haun I managed to suck down a bug and it got caught in my throat. I coughed and sputtered my way down to Holland and then made my way past Bradley and started up the hill towards Murrieta. I rounded the corner on Murrieta just in front of Highlander and Digger and headed north again to regroup at the Chevron on Newport. It took two Shot blocks and half of a bottle of Heed to force that bug down my throat but finally I stopped coughing as we got ready to pull back out onto Murrieta and head to McCall and east. I wasn’t planning on hitting McCall hill very hard but when Gambler pulled around me just past the Valero the temptation to draft him was simply too great. Bulldozer and Dragon Slayer has already pulled away so there was no hope of catching them but Gambler took me to Highpoint before I dropped off. Surgeon and Huntress were closing on me as MacGyver pulled by and once again I caught a wheel and followed him to the flat spot where I had gapped Surgeon and Huntress. We regrouped with everyone but the escaping Gambler, Bulldozer, Dragon Slayer and MacGyver. All we had left to do was a run to Simpson and then down to Leon and onto the dump road before stopping at Chris’s for coffee. Highlander and Surgeon bypassed the dump road but Huntress, Digger and I took Leon to Grand and headed east. I started a lead out the sprint with Huntress hot on my wheel. She pulled around right at the flag and dropped me on her way to Winchester. Digger and I followed about 100 yards back till we got to Chris’s with everyone else. I thought the big dogs were going to head out onto Domenigoni but once I started up Winchester I looked back and they were right there with us. We made it to Stowe and the group headed east towards California. MacGyver had to head for home so he left us somewhere before I got to Stetson but I stayed with everyone almost all the way to Warren where I fell back to ride with Digger to the airport road. I could see Gambler and Bulldozer in the distance but didn’t catch them before Sanderson. I cut over to Johnston and headed east once more and found Dura Max and T-3 at her gate on Johnston. From there Dura Max and I rode together back to my street where I turned for home with 42 miles on my computer. A great day with great friends is more than most people ever get. I guess I am lucky and I get such days quite often.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/17/13 I know we do not live in the land of the Navajo but we do live in a valley once populated by some of their North American brothers. So today’s ride report should be of no real surprise to any of you. But if it is new to you I will try to explain. Since DVV has been together we have ridden in the heat, cold, fog and even some rain. Our riders have faced the local weather spirits and come home victorious time after time. Our A Group has gotten faster and faster until they almost have the wings of Mercury on their road shoes. The B Group is about where the A group was two years ago and the C group has the steady persistence of a Locomotive moving across the plains States. In fact I think we may have gotten just a little over confident. And here is where our story begins. I was dreaming the other night when Navajo Spirit Nilch’i (wind god) came to me and said the local weather spirits had come to the 4 corner States and asked for the Navajo wind God to come and challenge our group so that we would stop being so proud and give more respect to the local weather spirits and stay home when the weather isn’t perfect. To tell the truth Nilch’i looked a bit like Surgeon and he already stays home on most non perfect days. But I digress. I accepted the challenge with the one caveat that Nilch’i could only oppose from one direction at a time. He could not have the other three winds waiting for us if we got past the one of his choosing and that wind would have to move around us if it planned to oppose us. The deal was made and I got up and got dressed get to Burger King early. I got to the meeting place early but I was soon joined by Digger and Dura Max. Highlander decided to join the fight as did Gambler, Bulldozer and Bloodhound. Next came Dragon Slayer, Surgeon, (proving he wasn’t Nilch’i) and MacGyver followed by Huntress and T-3. It was time to make our first move. We rolled out onto Latham and rode up to Lyon to ride north. There was only a slight breath of wind as we moved north but we had a plan to confuse Nilch’i. We had sent Dura Max and T-3 out first to fool Nilch’i into committing early so we could organize an attack of our own. It seemed to because all the way up Lyon we seemed free to ride as if it was a perfect day. The only clue about the war about to be waged was it was cold even in the sun. Still we easily rolled past Esplanade and the Seventh and Cottonwood as if nothing could go wrong. But little did we know a lot could go wrong once we got out onto the Expressway. I took us to Ramona Boulevard and west towards Sanderson. I took us onto the Expressway and started the pull towards Warren. I could see Dura Max and T-3 in the distance and I began to feel a breath of cold air in my face. I got about half way to Warren and signaled to give up the lead. Dragon Slayer had to come from about five riders back to take the lead and he brought several riders with him. I ended up following Digger just in front of Gambler and Bulldozer. Dragon Slayer got to Warren just about the time the light turned red. He was thinking it was a three way stop and decided to run it not knowing the close call we have had at that light before. All but 4 of us went with him and the 4 of us stopped and waited for the green. We took off again once we had the green when Bulldozer and Gambler pulled around to try and pull us up to the rest of the group. It was about there that Nilch’i attacked us head on. We were spread out enough that he couldn’t cover us all and I don’t believe he counted on how powerful Bulldozer and Gambler were. Still Digger took it hard and we began to fall back just about the time the golden retriever tried to jump us. Dura Max and T-3 had to pull over and replace a chain so I pulled over to pick them up. I could see our group was spreading out as we headed into the teeth of a 14 knot wind. Bloodhound was failing and needed relief so I hunched over and pulled our small group towards the Valero station on Lakeview. I don’t know how far behind the main group we were but we got to the station for a regroup and a critique of the plan s far. Nilch’i couldn’t see us under the roofline of the station so he didn’t have time to move in front of us before we came out onto Lakeview and headed towards Nuevo. We found him waiting for us at Nuevo but a quick jog on Ramona Avenue and we were hidden by the trees as we regrouped onto Central. Central was a different story. We got hit hard on Central heading to Menifee. Here is where planning had to work or Nilch’i would swing around and hammer up all the way down Menifee and have just enough time to get us again on Simpson. We broke into three groups so that Nilch’i would have to move from front to back to get us all because he couldn’t use the east, west or south wind to help him. Here is where we win all the marbles or he stomps us into the pavement. The Fast boys hit Menifee hard and the wind moved forward to hit them on the front corner. But they were much stronger than he believed them to be and they were moving faster than he thought so when he moved back to attack those of us in the back he misjudged our position and ended up behind us. Now the chase was on. We regrouped at Florida and Menifee while Nilch’i was still looking for the back group at Mapes. Once he realized his mistake he rushed headlong south trying to get past us and cut us off from Simpson. Dura Max and T-3 had past us by as we regrouped so they were most of the way to the railroad tracks before we got started. Bulldozer and Gambler took off on a fast sprint south and the main pack wasn’t that far behind. I started to work with MacGyver and made a hard run towards McCall with Highlander, Surgeon, Huntress, Bloodhound and Dragon Slayer close behind. Nilch’i caught us as we past Dura Max and T-3 but he had to rush on by chasing Gambler and Bulldozer. That allowed MacGyver and I to close slightly on Gambler and Bulldozer, they were already at McCall and at least one of them had started the climb. But we caught the light and had to wait. I took off on an attack of the hill after the light turned but had to slow at the top where Dragon Slayer, Bloodhound and MacGyver past me. A few strokes later Surgeon pulled in front of me and turned the corner on Simpson first. I got back in front of Surgeon and started to Lindenburger and beyond. Highlander finally pulled Huntress up behind us just before Leon where surgeon and I turned towards the Dump road. Highlander, Huntress and Digger stayed on Simpson while surgeon and I closed on Bloodhound, MacGyver and Dragon Slayer. The five of us rode together in a wind shadow almost all the way to Winchester to regroup with everyone but Dura Max and T-3. In all reality we had beaten Nilch’i today. Yes we had to ride down Domenigoni and Nilch’i tried to get in front of us but once again we out maneuvered him when MacGyver started to pick up the pace on the way to Warren, Gambler, Bulldozer and Dragon Slayer went with him while Huntress, Highlander, Bloodhound, Surgeon and Digger stayed with me to the dry wash. We caught MacGyver turning on Warren and continued on with a much weaker Nilch’i in out face. He couldn’t stay there so he moved back to the north to wait for us to turn on Sanderson. But it was a defeated wind that we were facing. Several personal records had been set today and we can only hope Nilch’i goes back to the 4 corner states, and stays there.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/15/13 Spring is struggling to pop through much like a new plant forcing its way through the dirt into the warm sun. Only trouble is there was no sun for the spring plant to view when I got up this morning. All I could see in the sky was clouds. At was a wet foggy day like Saturday but the sky was covered from view. It wasn’t all that cold but it wasn’t a bare arms and legs weather day either. I got dressed in a base layers and long sleeve jersey with vest and headed for Burger King to see about getting in a ride before the weather turned on us. Digger and I were having coffee and talking about sore tight legs from Saturday’s Century. Dura Max rode up next followed by Steve, MacGyver, and Dragon Slayer. Just the threat of rain must have caused some to stay home in bed because the six of us were all there were by 9am. So seeing no reason to wait any longer we headed out onto Latham and over to Lyon to start North towards Ramona. What surprised me early on in the ride as I talked with Dura Max was that my legs were getting better the farther we rode. The effort to get myself down the street was a lot less than I expected and I found it rather easy to spin along in a middle gear without too much effort. I also had the advantage of having Dragon Slayer come up and pull once in a while. By the time we were rolling past Cottonwood the whole group was comfortable with 20 plus MPH till we turned east on Ramona and Dragon Slayer pulled us all the Way to State Street. I had to break a sweat just to get in front long enough to get a picture. After we past the fast food placed Steve and Dragon Slayer started to pull away from us and stayed out front till we got past the College and into the tree line. They extended their lead as the crossed over the dry river bed and then finally beat us to Soboba. They were almost to the first roller as we rounded the corner onto Soboba. MacGyver pulled up next to me and asked if he could pull down Soboba and offered to help keep the group together rather than giving chase to the quickly fading Steve and Dragon slayer. And stay together we did all the way over the rollers and up to the driving range and the next little hill. We crested the hill and did a quick regroup at the big trees on the south side of the golf course. We found Steve and Dragon Slayer waiting for us on the corner before the river bed and were all back together heading down Ramona to Cedar. We split into two groups before we got to Fairview but were reunited on Florida before heading up to Cranston Station for a brief rest and a turn around. On the way back to Carl’s I talked MacGyver into helping me make a strong run back to Fairview. I have tried it a few times by myself but I can’t hold the pace long enough to keep from being run down by the group in a pace line. We attacked going into the trees but we didn’t drop Dragon Slayer as he sprinted by right after we got on the flat. MacGyver managed to catch his wheel and dragged me along till we got past him when he dropped back to get reinforcements. That move allowed the two of us to create a gap that we kept all the way back to Fairview and then to Carl’s. It felt good and my legs weren’t even throbbing. MacGyver stopped to talk for a few minutes while Steve and Dragon Slayer had to leave. Once Digger and Dura Max pulled up we went in for coffee while MacGyver headed for home by himself. After coffee it was just Digger, Dura Max and me heading west on Lincoln. Dura Max left us at Park so Digger and I made our way to Devonshire and into the wind all the way to Santa Fe then over to Latham and back to Palm where Digger goes north and I go south to get home. It was only 31 miles but it was fun and good for my legs.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) 4/12/13 It looked like another good day was predicted for us and that was good thing because it was our last chance for a easy ride before the Hemet century this Saturday. I put together a rather flat easy ride just to get our legs working and was looking forward to it. I had to dedicate myself to staying in zone one and promise I wouldn’t chase any big dogs or get into any sprints so I would be rested for the century. I got dressed after breakfast Digger and headed for coffee with Digger at Burger King. Once Dura Max and Highlander joined us it was quite a while before anyone else rode up. But soon I saw Gambler and Bulldozer arrived along with Bloodhound. Then to our surprise Vortex pulled up followed by D’Artagnon, Ferret, Tinker Bell and their friend Sue. The 12 of us started off south to Acacia and then to Kirby and south again. It was my plan to ride this ride like a recovery ride so as to not burn out the legs before Saturday’s century. I had talked to Bloodhound and told him to hold it down so we wouldn’t get into and heavy pace line chases and I knew it would be hard to hold him back. Still they let me lead till we got to Cypress and headed west. I let other lead us to Sanderson and fell in behind Vortex and Highlander as we got to Stetson and rolled past Wally world. Once on Domenigoni and heading west again I knew we would face the true test because Bloodhound loved dropping the hammer once we got past Warren. Today however things were working out well until Sue flatted. Highlander, Bloodhound, Dura Max and Vortex were in the front when the shout came out, “flat” but only Vortex pulled up as the others continued on. I stopped and talked with Tinker Bell till the rest of the group caught up to us after fixing the flat, twice, and we headed for Winchester. Shortly after we crossed the light Vortex flatted and I told Sue and Tinker bell to head on. They ended up waiting for us on the back side of the saddle because no one was there when we got there. We didn’t regroup till we got to Carl’s with the rest of the group. Bloodhound started us west again and we rode past Murrieta and headed for the light at Berea. I was very impressed with Bloodhounds control and he had kept the B group right at 15 MPH all the way to the light and then to Normandy to jump up to Laladera. We turned north and I noticed we were still all in one group even if Sue was at the back of the pack. Sue started to fall back a bit as we moved towards Honeyrun and I fell back to ride with her as the group pulled away from us and headed to Valley. We didn’t get to McCall till they had already made it to Murrieta. We followed back a bit less than the curve of the earth so we could still see some riders in the distance and finally we regrouped on top of Hospital Hill. We finally dropped off the back side of McCall and headed for the light at Menifee. When Highlander and I rolled through the intersection we saw the big dogs turn on Menifee for the Strava Segment up to Simpson. I waited for Tinker Bell and Sue and we tried to catch the rest of the B group at Simpson. We didn’t make it however and fell well behind before Leon. We didn’t catch the and ended up regrouping with everyone at Chris’s. We took our time drinking coffee and telling stories before getting ready to head out to Winchester and home. The A group headed for Domenigoni for a Speed run east while the rest of us turned north on Winchester and worked our way up to Stowe and east towards California. I was feeling pretty relaxed as we turned onto California and moved up to Stetson. I left Highlander and most of the group at the airport road and stayed with Sue and Tinker Bell all the way to Sanderson. We split at Johnston and I headed east past Kirby and Lyon to Palm and home. It was a slow ride but a good one and my legs still fell pretty good as I walked in the house after 37 miles.