By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was a good looking day for a Friday ride. It wasn’t too hot or cold and it wasn’t too windy. I decided it would be a good day for a flat ride and maybe a good day for the Peugeot set us as a single speed. I headed to the bike shop feeling reasonable well and ready to go. It turned out to be a small group with Digger, Brian, Barracuda, Tax Man, Bruin and me. We left the Bike Shop right at 9am and headed north on Lyon led by Digger.

I did take a turn at pulling and took over from Menlo to Esplanade before giving it back to Digger and Bruin. The thing about riding the single speed is to keep up with the group I have to spin all of the time. We are not talking a cruising spin of 90 rpm but at least 100 rpm just to hold a back wheel. With a 53x20 gear it takes 100 rpm just to do 20 mph and the group was cruising along at about 19.5. Still that is a good gear for cadence training and is easier on my legs. After leaving the light at Esplanade I fell into the middle of the group and followed Bruin and Digger all the way to Ramona Boulevard for the turn west. I picked it up and bit and got to the corner and made the turn first to start the group west and test the wind to see if we would be fighting it all the way to Bridge once on the Expressway.

Bruin took the lead from me and pulled us west towards Sanderson. The group was taking it easy on me by trying to match my gear selection so as to not just pull away from me. Brian was riding a single speed as well but he is a lot younger than me so he can spin a lot faster. Anyway Bruin got us to Sanderson and pointed us to the stop light at the Expressway. Digger started us west on the Expressway but soon gave to lead to me and then Barracuda took over from me and headed us towards Warren. Barracuda set us right on 19 mph and cruised us westward towards the first of the dairy farms. We had to move outside of the rumble strip till we passed the first driveway. We sometimes have to out run a dog or two by the second gate but today we were dog free and I was able to hold on to Barracuda’s wheel as we continued towards Bridge. I was pretty relieved as we finally made it to Bridge and headed north towards Gilman because I expected that we could back it down a bit. We had to wait for Digger anyway so we slowed and finally stopped till he joined us before we headed for the big curve.

We ended up following Bruin after the turn and headed for Gilman and a regroup. I had to work to stay on Bruin’s wheel and follow him all the way to the stop sign for some hydration and a quick regroup before heading east back towards Sanderson. This time we followed Tax Man almost all the way to the top of the grade where Gilman flattens out and heads for the mini rollers and the last dairy farm on Gilman. We had a short downhill and a short uphill before the drop down to Sanderson where we waited for Digger before heading east again on Gilman. I chased Barracuda and Brian past the Scientology gate and up the little hill till it flattens put and headed towards Soboba. Tax Man and Bruin caught me before Soboba where we once again stopped and regrouped and headed east towards the golf course. We made it over the rollers and to the last hole on Soboba before turning towards Ramona. Swe stopped at the corner before heading over the river bed and out onto Ramona and east again.

We easily made our way east towards Esplanade and through the light. We were pretty much all together as we got to Hemet Street and moved on towards Cedar. We decided to ride straight down Ramona and headed for the jog at Lincoln to ride over to Carl’s for coffee and conversation. It was a well needed rest for me but Brian had to leave. Tax Man and Digger left next to get back early. A few minutes later Barracuda, Burin and I headed for Lincoln and the ride west towards Park and home.

We really didn’t have to face much wind heading west as we got to Park and made our way to the Devonshire jog and headed for San Jacinto. Barracuda left us sometime after Yale and the left Bruin and I to ride back to State and then to Lyon to finish the ride and head for home. I got home and had lunch before taking the dog for a walk to get the blood moving in my legs.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I decided to make Wednesday a test day in my journey back into cycling health. I put together a short ride up to Beaumont for coffee and a fast trip back. There wouldn’t be much getting ready or warmed up on this ride only a short trip to Lambs Canyon and up to Beaumont. I had no idea who would be joining me when I left for the Bike Shop but I knew I would be attempting the climb for the first time since I have been home from the Hospital. At the bike shop I found Digger and Dragon Slayer talking to Minotaur. They were soon joined by Earth Dog and Brain on his single speed. ME-109 and Bulldozer joined us as did Anaconda and Huntress. That made ten of us heading out onto Lyon just after 9am to get the day started.

I let everyone know that I wouldn’t be pushing more than 140 beats a minute heading up Lambs Canyon. I didn’t know if that was enough effort to stay up with the group but I expected it wasn’t and that I would be left behind well before we started the climb at Gilman Springs. So I settled in as we moved north on Lyon and tested my legs and checked to see how my saddle position was after adjusting it down on Tuesday. Earth Dog got well out front and we all had to follow him all the way to Esplanade with Brian and Minotaur close on his wheel. I knew there would be a minimum of picture taking on this ride because we would be all split up once the climb started to I took advantage to a slowing of the pack as we turned onto Ramona Boulevard and headed west towards Sanderson.

I was able to stay out front all the way to Sanderson and even got us to the Expressway and headed north. The group was more than happy to follow me to the bridge just before Gilman and didn’t pass me till we started the climb at the Gilman overpass. Digger decided to cut the ride short at Gilman and I followed the group as they moved passed the Gilman onramp and headed up the hill. I found a gear I could turn about 85 rpm with and headed up the hill after them with a heart rate right at 142 BPM. I wasn’t going to close on anyone but I wasn’t going to blow up either so I kept the pace until I noticed Huntress pulled over removing her jacket. I rolled by her and she started to chase me up the first grade and towards the hump leading towards the dump. Huntress caught me before the light turning into the dump and at first I started to ramp up to follow her but soon saw my Heart Rate hitting 150 so I backed off to avoid hitting the beta blockers and a shut down. I slowly followed the fading figure of Huntress to the top of the second climb in Lambs Canyon and to a regroup at First street before leaving for Beaumont and Oak Valley Parkway. Some of us got separated after the light at the freeway and I managed to stay with the lead group as we past first through Eleventh Street to get to Oak Valley Parkway and a turn towards the east with the wind at our back.

It didn’t take us long to get to Highland Springs road and drop down to Second Street for a regroup at the Starbucks. Half of the group was in a bigger hurry than the other half so Minotaur, Bulldozer, ME-109 and Brian headed for home while Dragon Slayer, Earth Dog, Huntress, Anaconda and I took our time and finished our coffee and conversation before heading west on Second and then First to get back to Lambs Canyon and the decent back to Hemet. Earth Dog started the decent first and Dragon Slayer was the only one to chase him. I stayed with Anaconda till I saw Huntress pulling away about halfway to the dump. I closed on Huntress and pulled around her as we passed the Dump so I could pull her to the last drop just before Gilman. The road opened up so we had the whole left lane as we dropped down to Gilman and then to Ramona Expressway for a regroup and the trip down to Devonshire. I started the pull and Huntress took over and pulled past the water company. Dragon Slayer pulled to Cottonwood and Earth Dog blew by us as we waited at the red light. We took turns chasing Earth Dog and finally caught him by the time we got to Fruitvale. He got away again and we had to chase him to Devonshire where Dragon Slayer took over and pulled us back to Lyon and to the Bike Shop. I picked up a tack when we got to Huntress’s truck and she offered to give me a ride home. I was just tired enough to take her up on the offer and gladly took the ride home.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I normally look forward to Mondays because I am as rested as I am going to get with two days off. I decided to take advantage of the rested legs and put out a longer ride to Murrieta and back. The weather wizards said the wind would hit us from the south west so we would have to ride against it all the way to Whitewood. The advantage was that once we got to Whitewood it would be downhill to Murrieta Hot Springs and it should be a quartering wind to Winchester. But first we had to get there. So once Digger, Earth Dog, ME-109, Bruin and I were ready we headed down Lyon to Acacia. I ended up following Digger on Acacia to Kirby and was surprised when he started to lead on Kirby heading for Cypress.

Digger must have been feeling his oats because he stayed out front all the way through the housing tract and pulled us to Johnston and the light at Sanderson. It was fine with me if someone else wanted to pull because I simply wanted to finish the ride against the wind. I was concerned when I noticed that ME-109 wasn’t with us but I discovered he had given us a head start so he could chase us down. He didn’t have any other A riders so he needed something to challenge him. Digger pulled us all the way to Warren and started us towards California when ME-109 caught up and rolled by. We watched him pull away to California and Digger pulled the rest of us after him. Digger was still leading as we turned towards Stowe and he was still leading as we headed west towards Winchester Farms. I decided to give him a break and pulled into the lead after the last house and headed towards the metal barn. I pulled us to Winchester Farms and we joined ME-109 for a short regroup.

Me-109 left us after we headed south on Winchester and made the turn onto the dump road to head west towards Leon. Bruin and I pulled away from Digger and Earth Dog at the Wild West Arena and turned on Leon where we soft pedaled till they caught us. I then pulled us around the corner onto Simpson and all the way to Briggs where Bruin took over and ran up to Menifee for the turn south towards the Gas ststion on Menifee and Domenigoni. When we got back on our way Digger and Earth Dog took us south towards Holland and the Revive climb. I was trailing the other three as we crossed Holland and started selecting my gears before the climb started up. Once the rest of the group started to bog down I hit the hill pretty hard and got to the stop sign first and slowed down to let the last rider catch up with me before heading to Garbani and the run to Scott so we could ride down to Keller. Bruin was waiting just past the stop light on Scott where the rest of us caught a red. Once the light changed we headed for Keller looking forward to the drop down Whitewood.

Bruin and I made the turn on Keller and waited for Digger and Earth Dog before heading towards the Hospital and the turn on Baxter. We dropped down to Whitewood and headed south once more looking forwards to the last light at Clinton Keith before the long downhill to Murrieta Hot Springs. I pushed it on the downhill but it was pretty much wasted matches because the wind would let any real speed be built up. 24 to 26 was about as fast as I could go and I have seen 32 on the run before. Then we caught the light red at Los Alamos, something that happens almost every time I do this ride, and had to wait for another green. We finally got to Murrieta and headed east back towards Winchester. I did the lion’s share of the pulling to Margarita Parkway before Bruin pulled up to join me.

I decided to save my energy on the climb north on Winchester at Murrieta Hot Springs and started thinking about the break we would take at the gas station on Benton. Earth Dog and Bruin were well out front when Digger crested the hill and I had to chase Earth Dog all the way to the French Valley airport. My legs were feeling pretty good but my energy stores were pretty low so I knew the Benton stop would be a food stop. I wasn’t about to suffer another blood sugar drop like I did a few weeks ago so I found a good gear and took off for Benton and the gas station. We were in luck and the wind was at our back as we headed north on Winchester and worked our way back to Scott. Digger started out well but faded before Scott and we stopped to give him a head start at the rise leading to Garbani and Holland. We caught him right after the rise and I fell back to pull him as we rolled up on Holland. He fell off of my wheel and I continued on to Domanigoni where Earth Dog and Bruin were waiting. The wind was strange all the way back to the dry wash and straightened out a bit between Warren and Sanderson. We regrouped after the turn onto Sanderson and headed back to Acacia and then back to the bike shop before heading for home. I finished the ride but I also discovered I am a very long way from being recovered. In fact I am not sure recovery will ever be complete.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) It was another Friday and I still had something left for a ride even if I was a bit sore from Bautista on Wednesday. I put together a simple ride and even thought about riding my Peugeot except when I got up it was windy. So I got out the Tarmac and headed for the Bike Shop looking forward to seeing old friends and getting in a few miles before lunch. Digger was there when I arrived and my old friend Back draft showed up as did Earth Dog and Bruin. Barracuda arrived making our group six strong as we headed down Lyon towards Johnston.

I was not intending to pull all that far but the first part of the ride had been changed slightly to avoid the bad part of Lyon after crossing Stetson and heading to Thornton. So I took us to Johnston and over to Gilbert before heading south towards Stetson. We caught the light and had to wait for quite a while allowing me a chance to catch my breath a bit and assess how much energy it was going to take to spend the first half of this ride fighting the wind. Once we got to Thornton and turned east things weren’t so bad but when I turned south the wind hit me right in the face and made riding towards Domenigoni a lot harder than I had expected.

Once we started down the slope Earth Dog rolled by me and pulled away. Before long everyone rolled by and I was on the back following just about everyone. I finally got a pace going and pulled by Digger and tried to close on the rest of the group. We picked up Prosecutor and he took off of the front with Bruin and Earth Dog leaving Barracuda and Back Draft to soft pedal till I caught their wheel. Back Draft pulled ahead with Earth Dog and Barracuda slowly got me up to speed as we crossed Sanderson and headed for the rise and Warren. Slowly Barracuda got me up to the pack and over the dry wash where Prosecutor was waiting for us. I stayed with the group till Barracuda got me to Winchester where I decided we needed to stop and take one of my pills. We waited at the trees till everyone was regrouped. Digger decided not to do the Briggs and Garbani loop and told us he would wait at the gas station on Menifee so we took off and headed for the saddle. Barracuda, Prosecutor and Back Draft got to the top first and we dropped down the back side and headed towards Laguna Vista with me pulling.

Bruin and Earth Dog took us around the corner onto Briggs and we fell in line behind them all the way to Holland. I got behind Back Draft and stayed close to Earth Dog and Bruin till we got to the hill and up onto Garbani to head west. Knowing we only had to make it to Antelope and the fighting a head wind would stop I put in the effort to stay with Earth Dog and Bruin as they led the way. We turned onto Antelope and Earth Dog took off towards the stop light at the top of the hill with Bruin chasing. I caught Bruin at the light and chased down Earth Dog by the time we got back to Holland. We then rode together all the way to Newport and headed back to Menifee and the Gas station where Digger was supposed to be waiting, he wasn’t. We didn’t stay long before we headed north on Menifee towards Simpson to head for home.

We all made the turn and drop onto Simpson together and quickly crossed Lindenburger heading for Winchester. Bruin pulled most of the way to Leon and then turned north again towards the dump road. The wind was mostly out of the south and north was the best way to go. We got to the dump road and headed east but the wind wasn’t much help as we headed for Winchester and the turn north. Once on Winchester we were once again riding with the wind on our back and quickly made it to Stowe and headed east towards California. The run north on California was rather quick and we had to chase Bruin all the way to Warren. When we got back on the way I led us to Cawston and we turned onto Industrial to head back to Sanderson.

We got back to the light on Sanderson and Prosecutor left us the head back to his side of town. Back Draft took us to Lowes and I took us out onto Acacia to head back east towards Kirby. We managed to make the light at Kirby green and I stayed in front till we got to Raymond and made the turn to the back side of the Bike Shop parking lot. We broke up there and headed for home. I had a quick lunch and took the dog for a walk to finish off the day. Not bad for a Friday.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I was still a bit stiff from Monday when I got up this morning but in a way I was looking forward to riding Bautista today. Climbing hasn’t been good to me for a while now. I haven’t had the stamina to push for very long and it is hard to judge my conditioning because I can vividly remember where I was the Wednesday before surgery and I know I am nowhere close to that today. So I was determined to gage myself on Bautista to see just how far off I am. I got to the bike shop to find only Digger. I knew Huntress was going top meet us on the road but I wasn’t sure we would have any other riders. With luck Papillion arrived with Anaconda and at least we would have four. Ranger came down from Beaumont and we were ready to go. I took us out onto Lyn and down to Johnston to head east to Gilbert.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Huntress was at that very moment heading for the Marina after misreading the route for the day just as we turned onto Gilbert and headed for Thornton. We were headed east on Thornton and crossing State Street about the time Huntress was heading south on State Street and west towards Searl and the Marina. I was doing a lot of pulling during the first part of the ride and got us to Santa Fe and started us east on Stetson till Ranger pulled up to give me a break.

He pulled to Columbia where I took over again and got us to Crest Street and headed for Lake thinking Huntress was in front of us. Once we got to Lake I took us back north to Stetson again and pointed us towards Fairview. Once again Ranger took over and pulled me to Fairview where I expected to see Huntress. She wasn’t there so Ranger and I headed south towards Bautista where we waited for Anaconda, Papillion and Digger. Once we were all together I sent a text to Huntress to see where she was and discovered she was well behind us and had just turned off of State and was heading east. Anaconda, Ranger and Papillion decided to ride up Bautista and come back down to make two trips once Huntress got there. At first I was going to let them go but changed my mind and headed up Bautista myself. I managed to hold a relatively good spin most of the way up the hill and stayed in the 12 to 13 MPH range most of the time. So I realized I am at least 2 maybe 3 MPH slower than I was last October but I am faster than I was in 2013 and at least the first half of 2014. I got to the top just as the other three were heading down and started down after them. They turned around as Digger got there and rode back to the top so I followed them once more. Once we got back to the top we headed back down to see if we could find Huntress. We found her about ¾ of the way up the canyon and then she turned around and we headed back towards Fairview with Ranger leading the way.

I was a pretty wild ride back down the hill because the wind was right in our face. I pulled at first but Ranger took over early and we separated ourselves from the other four slowly but surely created a gap. Ranger was able to pull against the wind at about 23 mph and sometimes a bit more as we got closer and closer to the white picket fence. Here is another place where I could test my recovery because I often make an attack sprint at the dam on the way downhill. Ranger was leading as we crossed the river bed and headed for the dam. I had no intention of pulling at that point but I had every intention of drafting right on Rangers back wheel till we got to the bottom of the dam and the bump over it. I jumped out just as we started the little climb and was able to hold the sprint over the top and part way down the other side heading for the big right hand turn. Once again I felt like I was about two years back from where I used to be and I can only hope I can get some of that back by the end of this year. But I am discovering that what I now lack in stamina I am learning to compensate with technique. Ranger caught me at the turn and we rode together to Fairview for a regroup with Huntress getting there just after we stopped.

Once we were all ready we headed north on Fairview to make our way to Florida and for some of us coffee at Carl’s. Ranger had to get back as did Anaconda. Huntress stopped by to let us know she would be gone next week while Papillion, Digger and I had coffee and then headed back to the Bike shop on Lincoln. Digger left us at the Devonshire jog and Papillion and I made our way back to Latham and then to Lyon to stop by the Bike Shop before going home. I was pretty tired and need a hot shower and lunch but a bit more positive about my cycling than I had been over last week. I look forward to talking with my GP to see about modifying my medications so maybe they won’t affect me as much when I am riding.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) I think I rested my legs pretty well this weekend but I still wanted an easy ride for Monday. I put together one that I thought would work and got ready to head out of the door and to the bike shop only to have a drop or two of rain hit me. That was all that ended up hitting me all day but I was concerned as I pulled into the shop to see Digger and Earth Dog waiting for me. Abacus showed up for his last ride before heading back to Washington and Minotaur arrived with him. Bulldozer was the last to arrive so we headed out onto Lyon to get the ride started. I led us to Acacia and toward Kirby feeling pretty good.

As we turned onto Kirby and headed for the railroad tracks Bulldozer and Minotaur pulled up front and started to pull away till we turned on Cypress and headed west. They must have been on a tight schedule because Sanderson was about the last time we were within sight of them as they headed for Domenigoni. I led our group onto Domenigoni and headed us west before giving the lead to Abacus and Earth Dog. Digger fell off by the time we got to Warren and I started to back off to pick him up as Earth Dog and Abacus faded into the distance. Digger was set at his pace so I started a long chase after the dry wash to catch Earth Dog and Abacus. I caught Earth Dog and pulled to Winchester only to pull away and try and close on Abacus. I simply didn’t have the juice to catch Abacus before the saddle and I ended up chasing him all the way to the gas station on Menifee where we were going to regroup. Once we were all together we headed south on Menifee towards Holland with Digger leading the way.

We followed Digger past the park and towards Holland. Once we crossed Holland Abacus and Earth Dog hit the climb a bit harder than Digger could so they pulled away and I led Digger to Revive and over the hill towards Garbani. Earth Dog and Abacus were well out of sight by the time we crossed Garbani and I pulled us all the way to Scott and started west. Abacus and Earth Dog were waiting around the corner and I once again took the lead and pulled us towards Antelope. We got caught at the light and had to wait to merge left out of turning traffic before heading over the hill at the freeway and to the light on Haun for the turn north towards Holland for a second time.

Now the race was on because Earth Dog took off in a sprint north feeling a slight wind at our backs. He passed Abacus and was soon pulling away. I pulled up behind Abacus and then came around to give chase. It took me about 100 yards but I caught Earth Dog and waited till he had to shift up and came around in my 52x11 in full spin. I got away and made it to Holland first and waited for Abacus and Earth Dog. We all waited for Digger before heading west towards Murrieta. We popped over the little hill and headed north on Murrieta to the gas station on Newport for a short water break. We rode together to McCall and headed back east towards the freeway. Abacus and Earth Dog got a light on Digger and me and were on their way to the Hospital Hill climb before Digger and I got to the Valero. I led Digger to the top of Hospital hill and we found Abacus waiting. Earth Dog had to head for the car because of an appointment so the three of us were on our own. We dropped down the back side of the hill and crossed Menifee and then Heritage heading for Briggs.

Once on Briggs we turned south to Simpson and headed for Winchester and the turn towards Winchester Farms and our last break. I got a banana and something to drink before we got back on Stowe and headed for home. We got just a touch of a tailwind on California and a little on Stetson as we headed for Warren. The wind was simply fluky as we got to Cawston and headed over to Sanderson and started towards Lowes. Abacus led us back to the bike shop where we waited till Digger arrived and said our goodbyes. Abacus is heading back to Washington and we more than likely will not see him till next January. Digger rode home and I headed to my house for lunch and to walk the dog.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) This hasn’t been one of my best weeks on my road to getting back in cycling shape. I got tired towards the end of Monday’s ride. Wednesday was a rather long haul and the wind pushed me bit and I had a blood sugar drop on the way past Esplanade. So today I decided to post an easy ride and try riding the Peugeot just to see how I would like it. So I tossed on a water back pack and headed to the Bike shop to get ready for about 40 miles of flat ride. Digger was already there and Tax Man showed up right after me. Minotaur was there and Earth Dog joined us while we waited for more riders. Barracuda and Bruin were next to show up followed by Huntress and Anaconda. Ferret and Bulldozer rounded out our group by 9am.

I was about to see how riding a single speed with the group would work out and it would also be my longest ride on an old steel bike. We made our way to Lyon and south to Acacia and I led us to Kirby. I was able to stay out front once on Kirby and took the group to Cypress and headed west. I was able to stay up with Huntress and we talked all the way to Johnston before heading to Sanderson and catching the light red. I knew that once I got over Sanderson and over to Industrial I would have to make a choice of giving up the lead or trying to see if I could pull the group to Warren once we got onto Stetson. So when we turned on Cawston and headed west on Stetson I was in the lead and pushing my spin up to 20 MPH as we got past the airport. The gearing I had picked made me spin more than 100 rpm. If I were drafting someone I could get to maybe 22 or 23 but it would take a spin of close to 110 rpm to get there and I didn’t know how long I could spin that fast.

I did hold 20 all the way to Warren and was able to stay with the group as we headed towards California. The question was going to be what would happen when they headed south on California and west on Stowe. Ferret and Minotaur took the lead with Huntress and Anaconda right behind them. Bulldozer moved up front as well and soon it looked like they would all pull away from me. I managed to catch Anaconda’s back wheel as she rode with Huntress and Bruin rolled by us. I saw no reason to try and spin up to go with Bruin but when Barracuda rolled by as well I jumped on his wheel and we started to chase down Bruin. We caught him and went around and I followed Barracuda to Winchester Farms and a regroup. So far into the wind I was doing pretty well staying with the group but I knew once we turned onto Domenigoni it might be problematic to hold the wheel of so many power riders and if we were running downwind I would spin out pretty quickly. Stayed close to the front of the group as we headed south on Winchester and looked back to see how Digger and Tax Man were doing. We all made it to Domenigoni behind Ferret and got ready to turn east and like I thought the wind would be at our back. I gave up the chase rather early and planned on rejoining the group at State Street. Tax Man stayed with me and Digger followed about 200 yards behind us. Tax Man and I stayed together to Searl and then joined the waiting group at State. We had to wait for Digger and we had to wait for Bruin, Huntress and Barracuda because they had done the Marina climb while waiting for us. Once we were all together we headed north on State Street and Minotaur took the lead heading for the little hump just before the speed sign and Chambers. Huntress caught me spun out on the hill and attacked out of the saddle smiling from ear to ear. She laughed and we rode to Buena Vista and then to Santa Fe before heading east on Stetson.

As we got to the Ramona Bowl turn off Minotaur, Bulldozer and Ferret head for the Ramona climb. The rest of us headed for Columbia where Tax Man and Digger stayed on Stetson and we turned for Crest. The whole group did well heading on Crest all the way to Lake where Earth Dog took off a bit and I followed him to Lake and then to Stetson. We fell in about 100 yards behind Digger and ended up chasing him down just before Fairview. We regrouped till we saw Bulldozer heading in our direction so we took off north on Fairview and I made the group chase me to Mayberry.

Bulldozer caught me and told me that Ferret had laid it down coming off of the hill from the Bowl and had decided to head for home. Bulldozer left us and Minotaur took over and pulled us towards Cranston Station. I stayed with him till the statue and yard ornament yard before falling off and letting Huntress pull me through the trees. I got my spin back and headed for Cranston. I didn’t have quite enough spin to catch the leaders but I wasn’t far behind. We didn’t stay at Cranston long before I felt the need for coffee and we headed back out onto 74 and west towards Fairview again. Tax Man started us out and I fell in behind him till we got to the rise leading into the trees where I got the lead and took us closer to the Baptist Church.

Minotaur took over again and waited till the rest of the group had hooked on before leading us west again. He held it to about 21 and with the ever so slight downhill I was able to stay with him all the way to Fairview and then on to Carl’s. We regrouped there where Anaconda refilled her water bottle before leaving with Huntress while the rest of us went on for a break. Tax Man, Digger and Earth Dog left early leaving only four of us to head back to Lincoln and west towards Park to get back to the Bike Shop.

Minotaur was the first to leave us because he lived on the east side of town. Bruin, Barracuda and I rode the jog onto Devonshire and then followed Bruin to San Jacinto before heading past the Hospital and to Santa Fe before dropping down to Latham and headed for State. We rolled by State and then Palm with Bruin leading till we got back to Lyon. I turned and got back to the shop while Bruin and Barracuda rode back towards Starbucks and joined me at the shop while I stopped to talk with Robert and explain how well the gear worked on the Peugeot. After about ten minutes of conversation I headed for home. Considering the limitations of a single speed I was more than happy with the ride today

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Like many Wednesdays we tend to plan a longer harder ride than the rest of the week. I Have been feeling a bit down lately because I don’t feel I am improving like I should and my stamina isn’t what I want it to be. Still I try to get in a longer ride every now and then just to see if I can. So I posted a 45 mile ride and headed for the Bike Shop not knowing how many would be in town to ride with me. Digger was at the bike shop when I got there and Earth Dog was unloading his bike as I pulled up. Hermes showed up just as Minotaur had to go home and get his shoes. Bulldozer joined us even if he was a little under the weather and Huntress pulled up a bit before 9 am and we all waited for Minotaur to come back so we could leave. He showed up, we started to leave and he had to ride back and get his water bottles. We told him we would be meeting Dragon Slayer at Lakeview Market and he took off after Bulldozer heading north on Lyon. The rest of us cruised north on Lyon getting our legs warmed up and Earth Dog took the lead as we followed Bulldozer and Minotaur in the distance heading for Esplanade.

Digger was way out front after we stopped to wait for Minotaur and we didn’t close on him by Esplanade. We had to pick up the pace after Seventh Street and followed Earth Dog as he chased down Digger. We were past Cottonwood before we caught Digger and Hermes took the lead as we closed in on Ramona Boulevard. We pulled our group together and I ended up starting the pull west as we headed for Sanderson.

Hermes took over again and got us to Sanderson and we all made it to the red light at the Expressway. When we got the green I led the way west towards Warren and held my own pretty well till we got to the light. I gave things over to Huntress and she pulled till Earth dog had a turn. Hermes took over after Bridge. I was safely tucked into third place as Hermes pulled us all the way to Hansen and we met up with the rest of the group and Dragon Slayer. As we waited Digger rode by and headed for the rollers and we gave him a head start. As we got on the road Bulldozer took the lead and pulled Minotaur with him I got the rest of the group to the first roller and started up it pretty well till about half way to Bernasconi where Dragon Slayer and Hermes past me. I got to the top just in front of Earth dog and then fell back to get Huntress. I pulled her up the second roller and where we caught and passed Digger. I pulled her to the top of the roller and then we had to chase down Earth Dog before he got to the Motocross Park. Huntress pulled up to Lake Perris Street and then I pulled us to Evans where we regrouped.

Digger was struggling a bit so I said I would wait for him because Huntress had to get back. Dragon slayer offered to go with Huntress along with Bulldozer and Minotaur. Earth Dog, Hermes, Digger and I headed north on Evans planning to regroup at the Mickey Ds on Iris. We managed to regroup without getting killed by a driver making a right hook into the parking lot and after a short break headed north east towards Alesandro. The wind was sort of at our back heading towards Gilman and we sure wanted it to be at our back once we got there so we were glad it hadn’t changed when we got to the corner. However Earth Dog flatted and we stopped to atch him change it.

Once on our way Earth Dog started the pull and took us about ¾ of the way to Bridge. I took over and got us to bridge then after collecting Digger I led us towards Sanderson. Hermes caught me before the dairy and led us to Sanderson where we headed for Ramona and one more regroup and another flat for Earth Dog. Once the flat was changed we headed south and it was just our luck the wind had turned into our face. By the time we got to Esplanade my blood sugar must have dropped because I was a bit light headed so we stopped for something to eat and I got some Power-aid. We then made our way back to the bike shop and then home where I took a much needed hot shower and tried to rest my legs till I had to take the dog for a walk. Still I made the distance so it was all good.

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) After a wet weekend I think most of us were looking forward to getting out for a ride today. I wanted to start out easy so I put together a ride that had the possibility of taking advantage of the predicted winds and headed for the bike shop to get the day started. It was a small group that was ready to ride by 9 am consisting of Dragon Slayer, Minotaur, Abacus Digger and me. We headed out onto Lyon with digger leading and he took us to acacia and then Kirby before turning south. After the turn Minotaur and I headed for Cypress and turned west to get to Johnston.

I thought I would hold back today and just spin without putting much effort into turning the bigger gears so I was in no hurry to follow Minotaur and Abacus out onto Stetson and west towards Warren. After we crossed Warren I looked back and noticed we had dropped Digger so I fell back to get him and slowed to a cruise as we headed for California. He hadn’t caught me by Stowe so I slowed some more as we turned west towards Winchester. I got to Winchester farms just before Digger and joined the other riders waiting to head to the dump road and west once more.

We had a slight change of plans because of the construction we knew was on Menifee causing us to take the dump road to Briggs before heading north. I led out and took us to the dump road where Dragon slayer and Minotaur took over. I stayed with Abacus as we headed past the Wild West Arena and kept an eye on Digger well back in the rear. We were about the same distance in front of Digger as Minotaur and Dragon slayer were in front of us. . By the time we turned onto Briggs I realized the weather predictions were wrong and the wind was not going to assist us from the south. It wasn’t right in our face but it was no help either and I wasn’t sure it would be with us when we turned back east. By the time we got back to Florida we saw that Briggs was closed by construction and we would have to head to Menifee while Minotaur decided to head for Juniper flats. We planned on meeting him at Nuevo and Lakeview so we parted ways and I pulled us to Menifee and dragon slayer took over and pulled us past Mapes. At the top of the rise Dragon Slayer took the pace up and soon we were well ahead of Abacus and Digger. I took the last pull to Nuevo from Central and got us pointed east where Dragon Slayer took over and got us to Lakeview to wait for Minotaur. It took a while so by the time Digger caught up to us we went back to Nuevo and headed up towards where we expected to see Minotaur heading back in our direction. We met up with Minotaur before we had to turn on Hansen so Dragon Slayer led us back to Lakeview and to his street where he and Minotaur left us and took a break waiting for Magic Man to get off work and do another ride. Digger, Abacus and I continued on to the Expressway to start the trip home.

We got out onto the Expressway and Abacus and I took turns pulling us east back to Bridge and towards Warren. Digger held on pretty well for the most part but started to fade a bit before Bridge and we got away from him and had to wait for him at Warren. We then rode to Cottonwood and headed east back to Sanderson and headed south. Abacus and I once more pulled till Digger broke off at Menlo and went home. Abacus and I rode to Devonshire and I pulled us back to the Bike Shop for a short break before heading home to check out the plumbers handy work before having lunch and a hot shower. All in all it was a pretty good day.

Redemption

By: C. Kent, aka (Superman) Monday brought me back to reality after a disappointing Friday. Friday I had no stamina and no power. Friday I thought my recovery was over and I would have to settle for solo riding because I wasn’t going to be able to keep up even with the B group. I took a look at the wind patterns for this week and put together some shorter rides with the winds in consideration. Today’s ride was a simple ride east and the winds were supposed to be light. I headed to the Bike Shop checking for any sign of fatigue or soreness left over from last week. As I pulled into the parking lot I could tell I felt better today. We ended up with a rather small group that included Tax Man, Digger, Abacus, Minotaur, Bulldozer and me. We waited till 9am and headed out onto Lyon and headed north with little or no wind in our face. Minotaur pulled up next to me and we chatted as we headed north past Devonshire and Menlo on our way to Esplanade and the light there.

I knew it was better today and riding with Minotaur felt good and I was able to spin a bit. In fact when I would fall in on his wheel I would try to pick the same gear as he did and get my revolutions as close to his as I could. It just felt good to get over 90 rpm and still have room to go as we headed towards Seventh Street and through the stop sign. After we crossed the street Abacus took the lead and we followed him through the sign at Cottonwood and made the dash towards Ramona Boulevard. As we got to the turn we did get just a bit of wind in the face but so far it wasn’t bad.

Our first move west was pretty nice for me as Minotaur and Bulldozer took the lead and pulled us towards Sanderson. With a head wind the two of them created the perfect draft and I was able to almost coast all the way to Sanderson and the turn north to the Expressway. Minotaur and Bulldozer made the light but the rest of us had to stop and wait for the next green. Once we were headed west on the Expressway I took the first pull and got us to halfway to Warren. Minotaur took a turn and got us to Warren and gave the lead to Abacus and Tax Man. They pulled us towards Bridge and somewhere before the first driveway we lost Digger. The pace still seemed perfect to me and I was easily able to stay with the group as we past dairy after dairy and finally made the turn onto Bridge and waited for Digger. I knew Minotaur and Bulldozer were going to leave us at least by the time they got to Gilman so I told them to feel free to leave on Bridge and we would wait for Digger. They decided to stay and would leave us later.

Once we were on our way again Bulldozer and Minotaur pulled us towards the curve and headed towards Gilman while Tax Man and Abacus stopped at the Pheasant club to take a nature break. Digger kept going and I stopped to wait till Tax Man and Abacus got back on the road. We headed for Gilman expecting to see Digger waiting at Gilman and Bridge. He wasn’t waiting so we rounded the corner and gave chase heading back towards Sanderson. Sure enough way in the distance we saw Digger and Tax Man pulled around to start giving chase. We closed on digger just before the last decent and we made our way to the underpass to wait for him to catch up. When we left the underpass Digger was a bit slow on the start and we dropped him well before the first downhill and we made it to the little kicker in front of the Scientology center without him. I jumped the hill and headed for State and Soboba with Tax Man and Abacus in full chase mode. We turned onto Soboba and waited once again. Digger headed east first and once again we gave chase and Abacus seemed intent on catching him before he reached the golf course driving range. And catch him we did and headed for the last hill before the 4th green at the golf course and waited once more. The next run was for the riverbed crossing and the Expressway so we could head east once more towards Cedar and the turn to Fairview and Florida. Tax Man and Abacus pulled us to the Fire station where Tax Man stopped again and I continued on to Florida. When Tax Man caught up with me on Florida Abacus headed for home and an emergency and Digger headed for Carl’s. Tax Man and I rode to Cranston and returned to Carl’s to join Digger for coffee. After coffee and conversation we got back on the road and headed to Lincoln and west towards home. We got quite a way west before we made the turn onto Park.

As most cases we lost Digger at the Devonshire jog and headed west on Devonshire to Santa Fe before dropping down onto Latham. Tax Man and I rode together all the way back to the Bike Shop and separated to go home. I got back in time for a hot shower and lunch feeling a lot better about my recovery and the chances of getting better or closer to how I was before heart surgery.