By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Fridays have become the day a rider has to put on their big boy, or girl, shorts and ride whatever it thrown at them. The pace of the ride depends 100 percent on the mood of any of the A group that shows up. There is no real B group on Friday there is just the As and the super Bs. If it is a planned flat ride it will be fast. If there is some climbing there will be climbing attacks and the group will spread out. That my good friends is just the way things seem to turn out. Today was no different even with one of the larger groups of the year so far. I got to Burger King right after Digger and was standing there talking when the rest of the riders pulled up. Highlander and Doug, Gambler and Bulldozer, Quicksilver and Huntress, Ranger and Jackal, Surgeon and Barracuda, Ferret and Sasquatch and Closer were all ready to go when Rabbit arrived and took us out onto Gilmore to start the day. Barracuda commented that we looked like a gang riding down Gilmore and onto Acacia to sit at the light. After we turned onto Kirby I looked back and could see his point.

We may not be exactly like Marlon Brando and the wild bunch but we were pretty determined looking and we had wild bunch characters in the group. At least from my perspective they are characters. The Bling team is always stalking me like cats stalking a bird. Jackal is nipping at my wheel like an angry dog and Sasquatch seems to just be waiting for a weak moment to roll over me in youthful exuberance. But still keeping this group together can and is like herding cats.

Or reasons beyond me I was pulling as we headed north to Wentworth and west again past the airport. I slowed a bit but no one seemed interested in pulling out onto Stetson first s I pulled again till we got to Warren. As we moved towards California I felt I had to do something to get off the front or I would be a sitting duck by the time we got to Stowe. So after we turned the corner I simply stopped pedaling and Bulldozer pulled by with Gambler and Ferret on his wheel. I was determined to play when we turned onto Stowe and got into the lead pack as we moved west on Stowe. At first Bulldozer ramped it up for us and then Ferret took off and I followed, with Jackal on my wheel. Just as we were hitting our stride we noticed a large water flow in the road that broke the pace line and caused us to cruise to the Winchester parking lot.

It took a few moments to get out onto Winchester because of traffic but once we did we quickly moved south towards the Dump road. However we were joined by Murphy ’s Law just as we got to 9th and Ranger missed the turn and headed for Simpson. I thought he would turn around so I fell back and waited picking up Digger and never seeing Ranger. I pulled Digger down the Dump road and onto Leon and then Simpson before heading west again. By the time we got to McCall we could just see Ranger cresting Hospital Hill and he was gone by the time we got to the same spot. We dropped down the front side and made our way to the gas station on Bradley for a regroup.

As we left the gas station I got a chance to draft the A group all the way up McCall and south towards Honeyrun before turning onto LaLadera where I pulled up next to Surgeon and waited for Huntress and Quicksilver. We then teamed up and headed for Normandy passing the A group waiting at the park. We turned towards Goetz and the A group caught us just before we turned on Goetz towards Newport. Somewhere we had lost Jackal and Digger and I was sitting in sixth when we turned west on Newport and into Railroad Canyon. We hot the first two hills hard and finally made it to Canyon Hills. After the turn I was missing three riders but discovered that Closer had gone home. I called Digger and found out where they were and had Gambler take everyone else to Jack in the Box while I waited for Digger and Jackal. We then rode down Canyon Hills till it turned into Holland and then picked up Highlander before heading for Haun and then north to Newport and Jack in the Box. Several of the riders had gone home but some of us stopped for coffee before heading east towards the Saddle and home. We spread out going over the Saddle and I waited at the top till everyone was past me. As we dropped down the saddle and made it to Leon we had closed up a bit and had to chase Jackal almost all the way to Wincheter before heading on to Warren. We got mixed up a bit before the dry wash and I kept falling back to try and pull Sasquatch back up to Highlander and Jackal. Sasquatch was about finished so I made a solo run to catch Highlander and Jackal but just as I got to them Jackal flatted and I rode by to join Doug and wait at Sanderson.

I followed Highlander north on Sanderson till we got to Johnston and noticed we had lost Jackal, Sasquatch and Digger again. It turned out he had only added air the last repair attempt and had to change the tube by the time he got to Mustang. I waited for them and we ended up riding east on Johnston together till I got back to my street and turned for home and a hot shower. I had almost emptied the tank but I sure felt good about the ride today.