I had nothing in the tank

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I was a bit quick to proclaim my recovery last week and say that I had gotten to the point where I had two days of riding in my legs and was working on getting three. After Monday and Wednesday I thought I could recover with one day off but today proved I couldn’t. I put in a easy flat 38 to 40 mile ride and expected to take it easy on the ride out and have a wind to my back screaming run back on Domenigoni with a tail wind heading to the east end. It didn’t work as I had planned. I got to the bike shop to see Digger and Earth Dog talking. At first it looked like we were the only ones riding till Papillion showed up. Next Barracuda arrived followed by Abacus, Ferret and Bulldozer. Now we had a group and were heading out to start the ride. At the point I was headed south to Acacia and noticed I felt pretty good but had absolutely no drive. I turned onto Acacia heading towards Kirby and felt slightly better but still there was no spin in my legs and it felt like the wind was slightly in my face. Still I managed to lead to Kirby and then to Cypress to head west towards Johnston.

By the time we got to Johnston and Sanderson I knew the ride west was going to be a hard one for me but I had hopes I would get stronger and get some assistance from the wind. Soafter we crossed Sanderson and got out to Cawston I took a turn at pulling towards Warren setting a pace I felt I could hold most of the way to Winchester. After I got to Warren Bulldozer took over and I fell in on his wheel. He pulled us to California and I stayed with him part way to Stowe. Then I decided chasing the group all the way to Winchester wasn’t going to work for me so I fell out of line and cruised to the Winchester Farms parking lot.

I took a short break with everyone else and informed Bulldozer and Barracuda that I was going to take it easy till we were heading east on Domenigoni. I did stay with the group all the way down Winchester and turned with them on the dump road. Digger stayed on Winchester and headed for Domenigoni and the rest of us headed for Leon on the dump road. After the first curve I fell off again and watched every0ne take off for Leon. I was just at the railroad tracks as the group was heading west on Simpson and they were out of sight as I got to Simpson myself. I was comfortable at 17 or 18 mph but not much more. On Simpson I got to maybe 20 but it took a lot out of me to get there. I found Abacus and Earth Dog waiting for me at Briggs and we rode together to Lindenburger where the rest of the group was waiting.

I started out pulling towards Domenigoni and Earth Dog took over just before we got to the traffic light. I got out onto Domenigoni first and was halfway to the top of the saddle before the group rolled past me. I pulled in behind Bulldozer and we dropped off of the saddle and headed towards Leon again. I stayed on their back wheel till we crossed Leon and Bulldozer was pulling it up to 23 plus when I figured there was simply no way I could hold on all the way to Winchester. Abacus fell back with me and we watched everyone else pull away. At that point I realized that it was going to be all I can do just to finish the ride and it was not going to be one of my better efforts. Abacus pulled me all the way to State Street where we joined Earth Dog and headed for Chambers. We worked our way to Buena Vista and then Santa Fe before going out onto Stetson and finding Ferret and the rest of the group waiting for us. Bulldozer had gone home so we headed straight east on Stetson.

As we got close to the high school Barracuda joined me and we cruised up the speed bump and headed for Fairview. I told him I should have brought the Peugeot because I would have done just as well pushing 53x20 all day. I got dropped bad on speed bump but Barracuda waited for me and we made our way to Fairview to join the group one last time before heading for Florida and the turn to Carl’s. I made a reasonable run north on Fairview but nothing to write home about and headed west at the light.

The light that wasn’t working I might add. We then headed to Carl’s and noticed they were closed. It seems as if the power was off for most of the east side of town. So we changed two flats and headed to Lincoln and the ride home. It was a chore for me to ride all the way back to the bike shop but I put my head down and made an effort of staying close to the group. I still got there last and headed into the shop for a well needed rest and something to eat and drink. I was exhausted and took my time before heading home for a shower and lunch. So to be clear, I am not up to the point where I can put in three days effort in one week yet. Wanting it to be true doesn’t make it true.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) After a hard Monday with the wind I do not know why I thought I could tackle a harder longer ride with the wind on Wednesday. As I said by Wednesday I could feel all of the energy I had expended Monday only it was a bit better than it had been a few weeks ago. Still the posted ride looked interesting and doable so I headed for the Bike Shop on a rather cool, clear, calm morning. Digger and Dragon Slayer were already there. Earth Dog and Tax Man arrived next followed by Abacus. Hermes sent a text that he was five minutes out and we waited till he got there to go outside and get ready to start our ride.

Once he arrived we set out onto Lyon and quickly dropped down to Acacia to begin our move west into a light wind to get as fast as we could before the predicted winds hit us. I took us to Kirby and we caught the light red but were still smiling because it felt calm. Wind is a fighter and often we feel like it is beating us up well before we ever get started fighting back. We turned south on Kirby and felt the south runs was going to be the hardest for the day even if this early in the morning it wasn’t bad. We quickly made our way to Cypress and then out onto Johnston before making the light on Sanderson and our longer ride south towards first Stetson and then Domenigoni.

Dragon Slayer started to pick it up as we moved past Mustang and Hermes wanted to know if the race was on already. I said no they were just setting themselves up for Domenigoni run and we should be in line before the crest of the first rise. Sure enough we were in a pace line and heading for Warren by the top of the rise and we were all together at the Warren light. The bump at the dry wash dislodged Digger and the lead changed a few times before we got to Winchester where we picked up Hacker and Dragon Slayer did a great job of pulling us to the saddle where I chased Hacker to the top and down the back side to Lindenburger and then to the gas station on Menifee for a regroup.

Digger decided not to do the whole ride and was only going to McCall before heading for home. Dragon Slayer led the rest of us north on Menifee looking for a predicted tailwind that never seemed to arrive. We split into two groups at McCall when Hermes, Tax Man and I caught the light red and were stuck as Dragon Slayer took Abacus and Earth Dog to Case Street for a detour that Give Dragon Slayer the effective lead of the group. He took us down some side streets and worked us north and west towards Antelope to get our group to Dunlop so we could get to Evans and north again.

So far I was holding us pretty well for this ride and managed to hold onto Hackers wheel all the way to Evans where we had a short regroup before taking off again towards the Ramona Expressway. I will admit I was surprised that I was still feeling as energetic as I was so after a small bite of energy bar and some water I was ready to head north with the rest of the group and hope for that predicted tailwind at least when we were headed west.

Hacker and Dragon Slayer were setting a pretty good pace heading north and we decided to bypass Rider and go all the way to Ramona before turning west. As we rounded the corner Hacker took the early lead and pulled the group to the light across from the Motocross track entrance where we caught the light red and cross traffic was ready to exit. Most of us stopped but Earth Dog and Abacus ran the light and took a big lead heading to the hill at Rider. We caught them before rider and started up the hill. I stayed with hacker till my Beta Blockers decided to wake up and I had to gear down to make it to the top after Tax Man. I had to chase Dragon Slayer, Abacus, Hacker and Tax Man all the way to Bernasconi for a regroup and then we made to run to the Nuevo Market on Hansen. Once we were back on the way east I took the lead and pulled as long as I could till Dragon Slayer took over and we headed for Warren. Hermes went rolling by and took Dragon Slayer with him so that Tax Man and I were left drafting Hacker. I stayed with them till we got to Bridge and then looked back to see Earth Dog and Abacus were way behind. I was running out of gas anyway so I dropped back to about 20 mph so they could close by the time we got to Warren where Hacker left us. WE rode together to Sanderson where Earth Dog turned south and Abacus and I followed. Earth Dog rode by Ramona Boulevard and we couldn’t catch his attention as we turned to join Dragon Slayer, Hermes and Tax man waiting at the trees on Ramona.

We made it to Lyon and headed south again and this time directly into a head wind. I stayed with the group till we got to Seventh and then ran out of gas and slipped into the small ring to cruise back to the bike shop with Hermes for a rest before heading home. A few of us stayed and talked for a while and then I headed for home, lunch, a shower and a walk to work the lactic acid out of my legs. It was a good ride for me even if it was exhausting one. I get a bit better each time I stretch out a little bit. I am a very long way off from getting back to normal but I hope to get there.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Just to be clear I normally look forward to Monday rides. Monday is when my legs have had the most rest and when I seem to have the most stamina. By Wednesday I am feeling a bit tired and by Friday I am just hanging on. So I wanted a good ride today and the weather looked like it might cooperate except for the wind. It was supposed to be a bit windy and I had to try to plan a ride that would take at least some advantage of the predicted wind. It is not an easy task to plot a ride based on predictions of our weather wizards but I gave it a shot and posted a ride with as much east and north runs as I could get. I headed to the bike shop and waited to see how things turned out. Digger was there as was Earth Dog when I pulled up and for a while I thought we were the only ones riding. I got a text from Ben, (Hermes) and while we waited Abacus rode up. Not a big group but considering the wind and cold but it was more than I expected. Right about 9am we headed out of the parking lot and onto Lyon right into the wind coming out of the south. I thought we would get a side wind on Acacia but it was a bit more like a south west wind so it was still a bit in our face. I got us to Kirby and turned south again and it was even harder than before. We ducked down as best as we could and headed for Cypress to go west and over to Johnston. I was up front with Hermes as we got to Johnston and Sanderson and we caught the light till Earth Dog, Abacus and Digger caught up. We headed towards Industrial and the beginning of the next west stretch.

Once we got out onto Cawston I led the way to Stetson and the long slug towards Warren started. I was riding the Klein so I had the aero bars and Hermes was on the TT bike so we were able to get flat and dig into the wind and slowly pull away on Stetson and then pulled away some more on California. By the time we got to Stowe we only had Abacus within striking distance and he finally fell off as we headed for Winchester and a regroup. Hermes ended up pulling much of the way to Winchester farms and we stopped just before Abacus got there and waited for Digger and Earth Dog. Digger was fighting the wind and it looked like it was winning.

Our hope at this point was that after fighting the wind south on Winchester we would at least have a tail wind heading back east. At least that was the plan. Once again Hermes did most of the work as I drafted him to Domenigoni and we waited to gather every one to catch up and start east. I got a good jump because at least the wind was slightly from the west even if it was mostly from the south. Soon I looked back to see Hermes closing on me and Earth Dog and Abacus were fighting the cross wind a lot more than we were. Hermes caught me and we rode together all the way to Searl where we waited for the rest of the group. Abacus wasn’t that far behind and finally Digger arrived and told us that Earth Dog had gone home because of leg cramps. So Digger started towards State Street and we chased him till we got to the corner and headed north for the first time today. The run north on State was almost like flying and with very little effort Hermes and I headed for Chambers and decided to push the State Street mile or at least the last half of it. We turned onto Chambers and were soon joined by Abacus and saw Digger coming around the corner just before we turned onto Buena Vista. He was even closer by the time we turned onto Santa Fe and headed once more east on Stetson.

We changed plans a bit and decided not to go to Cranston Station but to go to Wilson Mesa and attack the run back north on Fairview. Digger went straight on Stetson when we turned onto Columbia and we worked our way through the houses on Crest to come back to Lake and Stetson. We came out behind Digger and had to chase him all the way to Fairview. We turned towards Wilson Mesa and he turned towards Florida and Carl’s. We did the Wilson Mesa loop and headed back north towards Stetson and then Florida. I pulled hard to Stetson and Hermes flew past me and headed for Mayberry at about 35mph. I kept chugging till I got to Florida and Hermes and I headed for Carl’s to meet the waiting Digger. Abacus showed up a few seconds later after fighting with a bee on Fairview. After coffee and conversation we headed back to Lincoln and west towards Park. Digger left us at the jog to Devonshire and the three remaining riders made our way back to the bike shop before heading home. It was a fight with the wind but one that was worth it.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) This was a hard week for me because I had decided to push things out a bit on distance and effort. The hard part was the pollen on Monday really kicked my sinuses and I had to take antihistamines all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If the question was does that make me sleepy the answer is yes? My breathing was only slightly better than Monday or Tuesday. I could breathe today so I put together another longer ride and trusted that I could hold up to the ride making it a three day effort to stay with the group. I headed out with a small dose of Benadryl to ride to the Bike Shop and see who might be riding for distance with me. Digger and Minotaur were already there as was Earth Dog. Papillion got there about the same time and I noticed Bugler was with us. Dragon Slayer joined us after riding in from his house. Abacus arrived as did Barracuda, Huntress and Anaconda. ME-109 and Ferret showed up and we moved outside to get ready to go. Bulldozer and RCMP were waiting as we exited the bike shop. It was time to hit the road so I took them out onto Lyon and down to Acacia before heading west. It was pretty easy going getting to Kirby where we first caught the light and then made our way south towards Cypress.

Once again my intention was to draft as much as possible and stay with the group as long as I could. As we approached Cypress it didn’t look like my plans were working as well as I liked and I ended up close to the front as we traveled through the housing tract and headed for Johnston. Digger was up with me and that was no place for him to be either even this early in the ride. But it was what it was and we led the group onto Johnston and got us pointed towards Sanderson and the light there. For a change we made the light and headed west on Tanya and turned onto Industrial to get to Cawston.

Lucky for me Abacus and Earth Dog pulled onto Cawston first and made the turn onto Stetson to start the run to Warren. I never like pulling to warren because I get too tired to keep a good pace going all the way to California. That becomes important because the pace always picks up as we head to California and if I can’t stay close to the pack I have to work too hard to get to Stowe. Stowe is where the pace picks up again and I wanted to be close as we turned the corner. Today I was close but was too tentative when we turned west again and I got dropped early. I was stuck between groups till Bugler and Earth Dog caught me but that worked to my advantage because I fell in on their wheel and recovered enough to pull by Bugler before the Winchester Parking lot. We had a short stop to regroup before heading south on Winchester.

Dragon Slayer led us down Winchester and headed towards the dump road. Even in the wind it felt pretty good as we quickly made the turn and headed west again. When the pace started to pick up I offered to let Bulldozer out to chase the rabbits but he waited till Dragon Slayer fell out to lead the B group past the Wild West Arena and towards Leon. It was a good steady pull and everyone but Digger was solidly in the A or B group as it headed west on Simpson. The A group waited at Briggs and Simpson and we joined them there to watch Ferret fix a flat and collect Digger. Once the tire was replaced we got a chance to chase Digger west on Simpson and south on Menifee. Once again there was a split between the A and B group and we had to chase the A group all the way to Menifee and then to Newport where they caught the light. Digger decided to ride to Scott and then head over to Winchester rather than hold out for the whole ride so I knew the Menifee run would be one of the last times we saw him. The pace was still rather brisk and we headed for Holland and the attack on Revive before the long straight to Scott.

Bulldozer, Ferret and ME-109 got out front and for a while Dragon Slayer and Minotaur went with them. But they finally let them go and I fell in behind them and rode in the back. Huntress, Anaconda, Earth Dog and Abacus were between Minotaur and Dragon Slayer and me so no one expected me to push the climb but I did and managed to almost catch Papillion sleeping before the top of the climb at the stop sign. I had burned too many matches however so I had to back off and follow most of the group to Scott for a regroup and something to eat.

We started east towards Leon and still the pace was faster than normal with Anaconda moving up front to pick things up as we got to the down slope where Bugler took over and led us south on Leon. The big dogs started a pace line and soon were pulling away at the top of the slight grade. I pulled up next to Minotaur to see how he was doing only to discover he was saving his effort for the ride on Los Alamos. Minotaur, Huntress, Earth Dog, Anaconda and Abacus made the turn towards Los Alamos and I was safely in third. We made the first drop on the rollers and I hit the first climb a bit harder than Abacus and Earth Dog. By the second climb Abacus caught me and led us to the top and I took over and got us to Whitewood and started the climb north. I got about halfway to the top of Whitewood and was right on top of the gear when I got a Call from Minotaur saying they stopped at Taco Bell. We were too close to the top to wait so I figured we would ride to the Hospital and wait there. I never could get back on top of the gear so I had to spin a smaller gear. I felt Ok but was starting to run down a bit as we made our way to the Hospital. We regrouped at Antelope before starting towards Keller and back over to Menifee.

I was pretty much running on fumes as we headed north towards Scott again and Huntress stayed with me to make sure I was ok. We made it to the gas station on Menifee and Newport and only Huntress, Anaconda, Abacus and I stopped to get water before heading east on Domenigoni and over the Saddle. We split up as we got over the saddle and then Winchester. By the Dry wash Earth Dog and Abacus were well ahead of us and I got stopped again for a call from my wife. I followed Huntress and Anaconda to Johnston before heading for home and an appointment. I was empty but had made two PRs today so it was worth it.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It seemed like a good idea to pick up the pace and distance for Wednesday so I posted the ride that started my journey to the operating room and my recovery. Railroad Canyon has always been a favorite of mine and I didn’t want it to spook me now that I am back on the bike and working at getting comfortable with a few extra miles. I left the house with an extra water bottle because it was supposed to be hot today. I pulled in to see Digger already at the counter talking to Dragon Slayer. We had a cup of coffee together and talked till Papillion and Earth Dog arrived. Soon Minotaur and Abacus pulled up followed by Anaconda and Huntress. It seemed like a good little group to head out and work our way towards Acacia. So I pulled us out of the parking lot on Lyon to Acacia and over to Kirby.

I really had no intention of pulling today at all so I let someone else take us to Cypress and make the turn towards Johnston. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood today and were more interested in talking than running hard this early in the ride. We made it around the corner onto Johnston and waited to take the light on Sanderson so we could head south towards Stetson and then towards Domenigoni.

Once we crossed Mustang Minotaur took the lead and started us west and I tucked in right in the middle of the pace line thinking I would get a pull till after the dry wash. It turned out that Minotaur was feeling like holding a monster pull and we had only one lead change all the way to Winchester where we picked up Bandit and headed for Leon. Finally Minotaur gave up the lead knowing he had a long ride planned for the day and Bandit took us towards the Saddle. Just as we started up the saddle Minotaur pulled up next to Bandit and held the same pace as we climbed towards the beginning of the fence. I jumped out to pull but Dragon Slayer took that as an attack and the drag race to the top was on. We all crested and headed for the gas station on Menifee for a regroup and a slight change on routes.

It seems that Earth Dog had gone over the freeway on Newport the day before and the bridge was pretty torn up with construction. To be safe we headed north on Menifee and headed for McCall. We crossed Simpson together and got to McCall to catch the light and bunch up. Digger had gone straight on Newport giving him about a four mile head start before getting to Railroad canyon. Bandit, Papillion and Minotaur were in front of us and Dragon Slayer had to pull the rest of us to Murrieta to join the three leaders. Once on Murrieta my sinuses almost shut down from all of the antihistamines I have been taking so I fell to the back. Earth Dog fell back to ride with me as I slowly got my breath working again and headed for Newport at the tail end of the second group. Earth Dog got me to the bottom of Railroad canyon and I had to push myself a bit to catch Anaconda and Huntress. They got to the top of the first hill just before I did but I caught them at the light and they had to chase me all the way through the canyon and onto the last decent. Huntress chased me up the hills and Anaconda made a great effort trying to catch me before we exited the canyon and made it to Mickey Ds for a short coffee.

Abacus had to leave early because he had company and Bandit wanted to make one of the local steep climbs before heading home. Bandit was taking the rest of the group through Elsinore to Highway 74 and back to Perris while Digger and I were going to back track and head to Winchester so I could get home it time for a doctor’s appointment. We all pulled out to the parking lot and headed in different directions with Digger and I heading back through the canyon and planning on turning on Murrieta. I got through the Canyon first and got caught by Bandit just before we turned onto Murrieta and headed back to McCall. I had to stop for a phone call and we lost sight of Bandit. Digger and I rode over McCall and worked our way to the dump road and back to Winchester. We headed to Winchester Farms to get a banana and some fruit before heading for home on Stowe. We turned onto California and up to Stetson before heading east once more and riding back to Sanderson where we split up and I headed for home for a quick shower and a fast ride to the doctor’s office. It was a pretty quick 50 mile ride for me and one of the longer rides since I have been back.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was another Monday and another chance to test myself to see how much I have or haven’t improved since I got back on the bike. I poster a flat fast ride heading to Bridge and ending at Cranston Station and headed for the Bike Shop expecting a good day. Digger was waiting as usual and Earth Dog arrived a bit early. Tax man arrived and for a long time we looked like we would be the only riders. Finally Papillion rode up followed by Anaconda and Minotaur and we had a good little group of seven. By 9 am we were out onto Lyon and headed north. We crossed Florida and I managed to pull almost to Fruitvale before Digger took over and pulled us towards Esplanade.

I was rather surprised that Digger wanted to pull even after Esplanade and headed for Seventh. He didn’t give up the lead after Seventh or even Cottonwood and ended up taking us all the way to Ramona Boulevard and west towards Sanderson. Once again to my surprise he kept the lead all the way to Sanderson and then to the light at the Expressway. Once the light changed he finally gave up the lead and let me pull us to Warren. Minotaur took over after Warren but Earth Dog wanted to take off and pulled away from us as we got to the first driveway. Slowly Minotaur closed on Earth Dog with the rest of us in tow. We managed to catch him just as we got to Bridge Street and pulled around the corner and headed north to get to Gilman. We stopped briefly to regroup before heading towards the Bird Sanctuary and the long straight heading to Gilman and another regroup.

I finally took the lead again and tried to keep our pace up as we rolled around the bid right curve and headed straight at Gilman. Anaconda came by and pulled for a while till we started the slight climb before the corner. Once everyone made it to the corner we headed east towards Sanderson again with Earth Dog well in the lead and Minotaur once again had to pull the rest of us to him. Once Minotaur gave up the lead I stayed in third place till the last little climb before the downhill leading to Sanderson and jumped around Earth Dog and Anaconda to make a run to the underpass. Minotaur tried to set up a pace line and we did pretty well till we got to the little kicker about halfway to Soboba. We took the rest of the way to Soboba before we were all back together and ready to head east towards the Golf Course.

Once again Earth Dog started out first and Minotaur once again pulled the rest of us up to him. This time however Digger had a big head start and it took us to the last roller to catch him. Minotaur and I ended up with the last pull after the driving range and pulled the last hill together. After the climb I went back to get Tax Man and we agreed to all meet at the Fire station on Fairview. Tax Man and I caught the light at Main and the Expressway and ended up chasing Earth Dog all the way to Cedar and headed towards the Fire Station. We didn’t have to wait long before Digger showed up and we had to head for Florida and make the turn east towards Cranston.

Minotaur got out front and started a strong pull to the trees and the little climb to Cranston. I was doing well to hang onto his back wheel with Papillion, Tax Man and Earth Dog right behind me. Minotaur kept the pace up and soon Tax Man and Earth Dog fell off. I held on till we almost made it out of the trees and felt real good till I hit the wall with my Beta Blockers and had to fall back and watch Papillion and Minotaur pull away. Still I got to Cranston and we waited till everyone was there before we turned back to start to Carl’s for coffee. Just as we started back down the hill Digger got to Cranston and had to turn around and follow us. Papillion and Minotaur were planning on riding Bautista rather than stopping for coffee so I knew we would lose them by Fairview. Still they assisted with the pull back to Fairview before leaving us.

After the group split up at Fairview I led us down to Ramona before taking us to Carl’s and coffee. We spent a few minutes talking before deciding to head back out onto New Chicago and start to Lincoln to get home. We turned at Park and headed to the jog over to Devonshire were Digger left us and headed for home. The rest of us chased Earth Dog all the way back to the bike shop. It only took a few minutes for everyone to load up their cars and leave for home. Once they were gone I rode home myself and had a good lunch and hot shower.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It is always a challenge to put a ride together for Friday. Sometimes it seems like an esy short ride would be the best and other times there is still enough energy left to put ourselves up to a bit of a harder workout. I haven’t done a lot of climbing since getting out of the hospital but today seemed like a good day to see how tired legs would react to a harder ride. I got to the bike shop with only Digger, Dragon Slayer and Minotaur were there. Try Guy Ben showed up followed by Earth Dog and ME-109. Tax Man drove up just before Huntress and Anaconda. Once Ferret showed up we were ready to leave and I took us out onto Lyon and pointed us towards Acacia. It was hard to hold back as we headed west towards Kirby and the turn south towards Cypress.

I was thinking that it would be best if I didn’t pull at all today so that I could save all of my energy for hospital hill and Goetz. However things weren’t working out they way I had planned and I led us to Cypress and west towards Johnston. It was an easy if a bit quicker than normal cruise to Johnston with Ben and I up front and taking the corner to Sanderson and caught the light. Ben and I led the way over Sanderson and onto Tanya and curved around to Industrial trying to make our way to Cawston.

Somehow I pulled onto Stetson first and headed for Warren. The problem with leading the group was I had to pick up the pace and that was not my intention this early in the ride. Still I did my best and got us to Warren before dropping off and heading back to pick up Tax Man and Digger as the rest of the group headed for California. As I rode with Tax Man I discovered that he had planned on making a shorter ride today and would be leaving us as we got ready to climb Hospital Hill on the back side. We cruised just ahead of Digger to California ourselves and made our way to Stowe to meet the rest of the group at Winchester Farms for a regroup.

The plan changed a bit as we got ready to head south on Winchester. We were going to make our way to the dump road and head all the way to Briggs and south to McCall rather than turning on Leon and going to Simpson and up to Menifee before cutting over to McCall. I took us out onto Winchester and led the way to the Dump road before starting west towards Briggs. We all made it to McCall and headed west again till we got to the light at Menifee and lost Tax Man and Digger. The two Jack Rabbits, ME-109 and Ferret took off and attacked the hill followed by Dragon Slayer and Minotaur. I followed those two and had Huntress, Anaconda and Earth Dog chasing me. We made it over the hill and dropped down to the gas station on Bradley for another regroup. We left the gas station and headed north on Bradley to make the turn and turn to connect with Murrieta and head north once more. Once we got to Ethanic we headed west and made our way to Goetz and turned south to climb the backside and head over the top and back down to Normandy. About halfway down the front side I can upon some of the group removing small hay bales from the road and then made my way to Normandy and east to La Ladera. We turned north to the Small Park and regroup again.

We were back on the road soon and headed north to Honey run to work our way back to McCall and head east. Me-109 and Ferret took off again as we got to the front side on Hospital and we lost them all together by the time we crossed Heritage and headed back the way we had come to get to Briggs and then the dump road. We had a pretty good tail wind most of the way back to Winchester before turning north and heading to Stowe. Once we were headed east we had a tail wind again and it stayed with us almost to California. Once we turned north on California my right leg developed a cramp and I had to down shift and easy spin all the way to Stetson with Ben Pulling me all the way.

Dragon Slayer came back to get me and between him and Ben they got me back to Warren where I stopped to take some electrolytes and some Rolaids before Dragon Slayer pulled us to Cawston and Industrial for the ride back to the Bike Shop. We decided to ride back the way we had come on Cypress and Kirby so that the houses could block the wind for us till we got back to Acacia. Dragon Slayer got us back to the Bike shop and we said good bye before heading for home and in my case a hot lunch. The climbs worked well for today. I home next week is even better.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was another Wednesday and another perfect day for a ride. Little or no wind and it was sunny but cool. It was going to be a bit longer than some of the rides over the last few weeks but I didn’t mind because for a change it looks like I can get in two days worth of rides with relatively fresh legs. It remained to be seen if they would last for 45 miles but as I left the house it felt like they could. I got to the bike shop to meet Digger and Dragon Slayer. I knew Minotaur was going to be there and we were soon joined by Abacus. Huntress arrived followed closely by Bulldozer and Tax Man. Not a big group but a good one anyway. At 9am we pulled out onto Lyon and headed towards Acacia.

I got us to Acacia and headed for Kirby with no trouble and we stopped at the light briefly. Abacus took off as the light changed and headed for the railroad tracks and Cypress Street. We followed him around the corner and headed west as a group, still in chat mode. Cypress is almost always were we warm up for the ride north on Sanderson and the dash over Stetson to get the ride going. As soon as the light changed on Johnston we headed for Stetson but caught it red and had to wait till we could once again try to wind it up past Wally World and head for Mustang.

I managed to fall in line as we came up on Mustang and followed the group onto Domenigoni in third place behind Huntress and Minotaur. Normally about here I would be measuring my energy level and watching my heart rate to make sure I was well into my approved zone for a long run to the saddle but today it didn’t feel like any of that was necessary. I rotated through my turn at the front with everyone else as we crossed over the dry wash and gave it up on the downhill side as we headed for Winchester. I had one more chance to pull as we closed in on Leon and separated into two groups just before the hill. Minotaur got us started and Bulldozer and Dragon Slayer pulled us to the top and down the back side headed for Lindenburger and then the gas station on Menifee. We regrouped at the gas station before heading south towards Holland the little climb called Revive. Bulldozer and Dragon Slayer made the climb first followed by Minotaur and I. Huntress and Abacus made the climb next and somewhere in there we lost Tax Man and Digger. It didn’t matter because I knew they both may cut the ride short so I followed Huntress and Abacus onto Scott and caught Minotaur and them at Antelope. We made the climb on Scott to Murrieta where I waited for Huntress tomake sure she made the turn after taking a phone call. We followed Abacus to Holland for another regroup and the climb through the rollers and back out to Railroad canyon. I managed to hold onto Dragon Slayer’s back wheel as he followed Minotaur almost all the way to the light at the top where I almost lost the draft till Bulldozer gave me a shove to get back on the wheel. With that I was back in contact and doing pretty well.

Because of time restraints once we made it to Railroad Canyon and headed east we would be separating into three groups with Bulldozer and Minotaur heading for Bautista Canyon and Dragon Slayer with Huntress going to Sanderson and home. Abacus and I would cut over at Menifee to Simpson and head for Winchester. Abacus and I got separated at a light right after Goetz but caught back up at Murrieta. Dragon Slayer and Huntress continued on towards the freeway. We caught dragon Slayer and Huntress just before Haun and rode over the freeway together. Dragon Slayer tossed a chain at Antelope and we picked up a rider while he was fixing the chain. Dragon Slayer caught us before Menifee where he, Huntress and the new rider continued towards the Saddle and Abacus and I headed north to Simpson on Menifee. Once on Simpson Abacus and I took turns pulling all the way to Winchester where he stopped at the post office and I rode on to see if Digger and Tax Man had stopped at Winchester farms. It turns out that I caught them just before they were leaving and we waited for Abacus before heading for home on Stowe.

I took us to California Street and made the turn onto Stetson and took us to Warren. Tax Man took over and pulled us to Cawston. We all turned onto Industrial and headed for Sanderson only to once again catch the light red. I decided to head straight east on Johnston and head for home. I ended up a bit faster than I had been riding over the last few months but not as tired as I expected.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) After a rain out on Friday my legs were ready for a ride on Monday. The weather looked like it just might cooperate and just in case I put together a short ride east to Cactus Valley and then to Val Vista for coffee. I headed to the bike shop right at 8:30 am and looked to see if everyone else was as eager as I was. Digger was there and Highlander was unloading his car just before Tax Man drove up. A small group to be sure but we were ready to head out anyway. We walked out just before 9am and Abacus rode up to join us. I took us down to Acacia and over to Kirbu to get the ride on its way. We made the light on Kirby and headed south.

Abacus and I chatted as we headed south towards the railroad tracks and he set a good pace before we made it to Cypress. Once we turned west towards Johnston we slowed a bit and the whole group stayed together till we got to Sanderson and Johnston and stopped for the light. As we waited we saw Bulldozer and Minotaur pull up across the street and they joined us as we headed south again towards Stetson and Wally World. Minotaur seemed eager to get on with the ride and headed for Mustang well ahead of the rest of us. Bulldozer pulled away to join him and I picked up the pace a bit to drag the rest of the group up to them before they reached Domenigoni. I didn’t quite make it however as the two of them were able to catch the light green. Abacus and Tax Man managed to make the light on a shade of pink I believe but whatever the color they were not going to stop. I worried a bit that they would follow Bulldozer and Minotaur and that they would take them up to the marina but then I realized the marina is closed on Monday so they waited for us at Searl and three of us joined them there and headed for State Street and the next turn south towards Cactus Valley. I got them pointed south and led the way past McSweeney.

I got us most of the way to Newport where Abacus relieved me and took us to the small hill in front of Sherpa’s old homestead where I took the lead back and toom us towards the Golf Course and Sage. Abacus took over by the golf course and got us all the way to Sage and started up the hill. I took the lead again and got over the hill first and waited till Tax Man and Abacus caught me before falling back to pick up Highlander. We then joined Bulldozer and Minotaur at the end of Cactus Valley Road and waited for Digger. Once we were all back together Minotaur told me that they would wait for us at Fairview for a regroup but Tax Man and Highlander had already decided not to go up to Wilson Mesa so we were not going to regroup at Fairview. We started back towards State Street with Minotaur and Bulldozer in the lead. I had to work pretty hard to catch up to the two of them but I did manage to get on Bulldozers back wheel just after they crossed Sage and chased them all the way to State feeling pretty good all the way. My recovery may be coming in stages but I am finally feeling like there is some progress. The three of us rode through McSweeney and Abacus joined me. Tax Man and Highlander took the short up and were waiting as we came out on State. Minotaur and Bulldozer kept on going and we lost sight of them before we too headed towards Domenigoni.

We made the run to Chambers and worked our way over to Santa Fe and Stetson before heading east towards Columbia. Tax Man, Digger and Highlander stayed on Stetson while Abacus and I did the traditional route to Lake Street and back out onto Stetson. I followed Abacus all the way to Fairview and then to the hill on Wilson Mesa. I took over at the hill and pulled us through the housing tract and back to Fairview. It was at this point I pushed myself for the second time in the ride. I headed for Florida and managed to pull away on my one for one of the longer runs I have made since last October. It wasn’t my fastest run but I did manage to stay into the spin all the way to Mayberry. Abacus pulled up to me at Florida and we headed to Carl’s and joined Highlander, Digger and Tax Man for coffee. We took a break and then headed for home on New Chicago and west on Lincoln to head to Park and home.

We rode together around Park and made it to the jog over to Devonshire where Digger left us. Abacus, Tax Man, Highlander and I rode back to Santa Fe and down to Latham before heading west to Lyon and the bike shop. We took a short break at the bike shop before I headed for home and lunch. It was a great day for a ride after all.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) The best laid plans Wednesday had a predicted light wind in the morning getting brisker as the day went on. Try as I might I could not find a route that didn’t have us fighting it either going out of coming home. So I posted a ride to the back side of Goetz and home. I headed for the bike shop still feeling pretty good even after the workout on Monday. I got there to see Digger and Earth Dog waiting and Highlander pulling in to a parking spot. Abacus rode up and Huntress was even early. Anaconda arrived with a flat tire but Robert fixed it rather quickly so she could start with us and head north on Lyon. We sputtered along a bit at first till we settled into a bit of a pace line and headed into a wind that had managed to show up early.

At this point we were still hopeful that the wind would fall off a bit by the time we got to the Expressway and headed west. We were even pulling for a bit of a tail wind. I took us around the corner onto Ramona Boulevard and headed us towards Sanderson. The problem was the wind was not slacking off at all and the two women were getting blown all over the road. Anaconda and Huntress turned back at Sanderson and headed south while the rest of us headed for Warren and west. We did got some tail wind heading west but I had to stop to take a call before we started for warren and Digger took advantage of the stop to get a head start. Once on the road we gave chase and Highlander took us past Warren and the first driveway before Abacus took the lead and ramped us up as we headed for Bridge. I worked up to the second spot and waited for a chance to get in front and chase Digger as well. Once I got up front I hit it pretty hard and we closed on Digger and finally caught him. Abacus got back in front again and I followed most of the way to Hansen before pulling away and closing in on the light and a regroup at Nuevo Market. As we talked at Nuevo Market the wind picked up quite a bit and it was obvious it wasn’t turning towards the south as we had wanted. It was almost blowing due west and wouldn’t be much help if we moved over to Lakeview and headed for Nuevo. Some of us decided to cut the ride short and head south on Hansen to Nuevo to see if we wanted to do Goetz anyway.

I led us most of the way up to the stop sign where Abacus took the lead and pulled onto Nuevo first. As we turned west towards Lakeview the wind was at our back and at times we hit 30+ mph. We turned at the first street past Lakeview and waited for everyone to regroup. Earth Dog and Abacus decided to give Goetz a try while Digger, Highlander and I headed for Central and west to Menifee. Highlander led us to the Nursery and I took us to Mapes where we waited for Digger. He followed Highlander and I to Briggs and caught us as we waited for the light on Florida. We had a pretty easy time getting down to the dump road and headed east into the teeth of the wind. I pulled almost all the way to Leon before I noticed Highlander looking back to make sure Digger was in sight of us before we hit the area of the Flag Sprint. Highlander and I headed for Winchester and I pulled us to Winchester Farms for our food break. We didn’t stay long before we decided to head back to the bike shop. I had a banana and something to drink before we headed back onto Stowe and made a run at California into what seemed like a fading wind.

By the time we got to California it was clear there would be no PRs set because that fading wind was not fading at all. The ride north to Stetson was little more than a cruise and we took turns pulling back to Warren and the Airport. Once we made it to Cawston we were glad the ride was almost over. We worked our way over to Sanderson and then up to Lowes and the Acacia before turning back to Kirby and then made our way to the bike shop before heading home. It was a pretty good ride all in all but it was like they say, riding into the wind is like fighting a Gorilla, you cannot quit when you are tired, you have to wait till he quits.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I usually like Mondays and today was no different. The predicted weather was almost perfect and my legs felt like they had plenty of rest over the weekend. I put together a little 38 mile ride and posted it just to get our week started. I headed for the bike shop and got ready to head out with friends for what I expected to be a easy run. I got to the Bike Shop to find Digger waiting and Watched Dragon Slayer ride into the parking lot. Earth Dog drove in followed by Highlander and Tax Man. Abacus rode in as well followed by Anaconda. I thought that was it till Bulldozer and Minotaur arrived making the group and even ten riders. As it turned 9am we pulled out of the parking lot and headed south towards acacia.

I don’t know why I was leading the group to Acacia nor how I got in front to Kirby but I did and we caught the light red and had to wait to turn south again towards the railroad tracks and Cypress. We got a chance to slow down and converse as we headed west toward Johnston and by the time we came towards the end of Cypress Digger, Highlander and Tax Man had pulled up next to of just in front of me as we turned onto Johnston and stopped at the light on Sanderson to wait for a green. Once the light turned I once again started to lead us south towards Wally World and then Domenigoni.

As we got close to Mustang we picked up a rider turning onto Sanderson and he fell in line with Dragon Slayer as we got to the corner on Devonshire and the turn west. I was hooked onto the back of the group as we headed towards Warren where Dragon Slayer pulled up next to me and told me about the new rider. I fell back to talk with him as the group pulled away and we lost them on the dry wash overpass. The new rider was called Bob and I filled him in on when and where we rode and talked with him as the group faded into the distance. Bob turned off at Winchester and much to my chagrin I had a long chase in front of me instead of a cushy spot towards the back of the pace line being pulled all the way to the saddle and over to the gas station. I only just managed to catch Digger at the saddle before joining the rest of the group at the gas station on Menifee.

Once we were all ready Highlander took us back out onto Menifee and got us to the light on Domenigoni. We left the light and got rolling towards Holland when Minotaur puled by and started to gap the rest of us. Dragon Slayer and Bulldozer weren’t going to let him get away so they closed on his wheel and I drafted them both. Tax Man and Highlander followed me as we crossed Holland and headed for the segment called Revive. Today I had enough energy to try and stay with the three in front of me and I did so until Dragon Slayer and Minotaur got out of the saddle as Bulldozer started to pick up the pace a bit. I jumped out of the saddle and hit the hill hard for about the first time since last October. In my case it was a good effort and I thought I had enough matches to make it to the stop sign before Bulldozer and Minotaur caught me. I was about two matches short of make the stop sign but still had my third best time on the climb. After the stop sign I slowed to get my heart rate back down and ended up chasing everyone else to Scott. As I rounder the corner I could see three riders had slipped off the back of the Bulldozer, Minotaur and Dragon Slayer freight train and I started a long chase that took me all the way back past Holland and the next two stop lights to catch up. By the time we got to Newport there were four of us watching the rest of the group pulling into the gas station for a short break. Once the light changed we joined them and waited for Digger. Once Digger joined us we got ready and headed for Bradley and the run north towards McCall. We all turned the corner about the same time and got in a group for the assault on Golf Cart Racing, another segment.

I knew that Dragon Slayer would be leaving us at Menifee and McCall and I was tod Minotaur and Bulldozer were going to join him. I pulled up behind them and followed them to McCall and west back to the Valero Station where I fell back to ride with Highlander, Tax Man and Anaconda. They all left Highlander and I at Highpoint and we regrouped with them at the top of Hospital Hill for one last time before the big Dogs left us. They left first while we waited for Digger and dropped down the hill ourselves. We decided to change the route a bit and head down McCall to Briggs and then cut over to the dump road to connect with Winchester and a coffee break.

Anaconda got us started towards Leon and a pretty good clip but as the road turned a bit before Leon and Tax Man started to pull away. I got on his wheel as he pulled towards the Flag sprint. I pulled through the sprint and he pulled us to Winchester where we turned north and waited for the rest of the group at Winchester Farms. We took a short break and I had a Banana before heading back on Stowe towards California. Earth Dog took off on us and I didn’t start chasing till we got to California. I pulled Highlander and Tax Man up to him as we got to the airport on Stetson and then fell back to get Anaconda and pull her to Sanderson and Johnston. Once we were headed back north we made our way to Lowes and around the building to Acacia.

Once we all we on Acacia Highlander and Earth Dog led us back to Kirby and the light there before making our way back to the Bike Shop where they loaded up their cars and headed for home. I rode home a few minutes later and took a hot shower before taking the dog for a walk. It was a great day for a ride.