By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Sometimes Fridays can be a gun fight and sometimes they are like a cruise on a multipurpose trail. I never know what they will be and it doesn’t seem to matter if it is a flat ride or one with climbing. The only consistency is everyone gets to ride how they feel that day and as it turned out today was just that kind of day. I got to the parking lot to find Digger, Bloodhound and Minotaur waiting. I knew we had some riders on vacation so I wasn’t expecting much but soon riders just started rolling in. Surgeon, Sasquatch and Closer arrived followed by Gambler, Bulldozer and MacGyver. To my Surprise Afterburner was able to join us followed by Pony Express and his friend Brian. Pirate and Barracuda parked under the shade tree and Huntress came driving in a few minutes later. It was just after 8am when we got the show on the road and headed south.

I had to work to catch up to Bloodhound and tell him to avoid Cypress because of the sink hole. We made our way to Johnston and Bloodhound led us west to Sanderson and the stop light. It turns out Digger decided to play Rabbit and head towards Domenigoni while we headed for Wentworth to start our west run towards Winchester. I decided to try and stay with Bloodhound as long as I could and ended up following him all the way to the airport and heading for Stetson.

I got out front on Stetson and managed to pull the group all the way to Warren in my small ring. I figured it was worth it to try and save my legs for what I expected to be a fast ride on Stowe. I fell in behind Bloodhound, Gambler, Bulldozer and McGyver as we headed south on California. We rounded the corner onto Stowe and just as expected settled into a rather brisk pace line. I was far enough back that is was unlikely I would be called to the front to pull before the parking lot so I figured I would make a run for it before the big metal barn. I started out pretty well but ended up taking Sasquatch with me. He is just getting too powerful to give a lead our draft to and he pulled by me just before the parking lot regroup on Winchester.

Red Rabbit pulled up on his mountain bike just as we got ready to take a picture but left for his own ride and we got back on Winchester with Afterburner in the lead. It took us a few seconds to catch up to him and then he pulled us to the dump road and past Chris’s. we managed to get to Simpson just as it turned green and I fell back to do a head count only to find the Closer had abandoned the ride because he didn’t feel well. I knew once we got to Domenigoni the A group would ramp it up and I was pretty determined to try and keep up. But to my surprise we stopped before Domenigoni because Gambler had a flat.

It was as Gambler was fixing his flat that we got our second group of Rabbits to chase. Huntress, Surgeon, Minotaur and Pirate took off to get a head start on the run to the Marina. I knew that was going to turn the Domenigoni run east into a drag race and once we were on our way that knowledge was confirmed. Bloodhound started us out and I was feeling real good about holding 23 MPH as we headed for the flag pole. Gambler took over and the pace increased to 24 or 25 and I still felt pretty good. However; just before the dry wash as we started up the rise I missed a shift and fell out of the pack. I ended up chasing all the way to Searl and turned for the seven dollar hill only to see Huntress and Surgeon heading back towards Domenigoni. I made one of my better climbs up Seven Dollar hill and not a bad one down before regrouping with everyone else to head back to Domenigoni.

We were down to eleven riders chasing three rabbits heading back to State Street. We lost Afterburner as he headed for home on Gibble when we turned north towards Chambers. I pulled us to Chambers and then to Buena Vista before Bloodhound once again got out front with Pirate. They let me lead them onto Stetson and all the way to Girard before heading towards Ramona Bowl. It was one of my better climbs as we all made it to the top and under the shed roof and regrouped before getting ready to drop off of the back side and head for Crest. Bloodhound was feeling a bit down on power today so he decided to go home. Pony Express was a bit off as well so he decided to pass on Bautista while the rest of us headed east on Crest and made our way to the old housing tract.

We made our way to Lake and back to Stetson before heading to Fairview and running hard towards Bautista. I managed to stay with the leaders as we made the turn on Bautista and was still with them as we made the first two turns and headed for the dam. I was just ahead of Pirate and Sasquatch and when I fell off of the A group freight train I thought they would simply roll by me. To my surprise they didn’t and after the dam I pulled away and made a solo run up the hill for a regroup where Digger, Huntress and Surgeon were waiting.

The only thing left was the ride back down Bautista and then Fairview before going to Carl’s for coffee. I dropped off of the first half of the hill pretty well till the wind shifted and Sasquatch had to come up and work with me to get back to the dam and out onto Fairview. The problem was a work crew had been on the side of the road and it seems they were causing the goat heads to scatter into the road way. We had several flats and Sasquatch flatted when we stopped to wait for everyone else to come out of the canyon. I flatted at Mayberry and but the time I got to Carl’s most of the other riders were gone. After coffee and conversation only Minotaur and Pirate were with me as we headed back to the west side and home. I ended up with 55 good hard miles on y legs and just a bit left in the tank to show I could have gone a bit harder or farther. Like I have said before, it is good to live where we do and have the friends to ride with that we do.