DON'T SWEAT IT, WE'LL JUST CRUISE was Eric's promise to me.  A promise I made him commit to before I ventured out to his famous Black Friday course.  His other promise was that if we used part of or all of this course it would be the toughest HUNKR ever.  One those promises would be broken... and as my head dipped forward, my body and bike searching for traction, the Garmin registered a 26% incline and my top tube was covered in sweat!

You liar!
You no good son of a biscuit...
... damn I love this stuff.

A ride like today is so lovable because:  the weather was perfect, overcast mid-50s; good people who are good riders; a route of stunning views absent cars; and my virginity... it was all new to me.  That's the perfect combination.  Oh, oh, oh... and tasty Mexican food after.

What defines good people... mainly attitude I think.  Not just a "good" attitude, but a similar attitude - one that says Let's go ride some challenging terrain and enjoy each other's company.  Good riders, in this case, means people of similar ability with good handling skills and bikes in good working order.

There was a life size Easter Island statue, a miniature polo rider statue, countless avocado groves, beautiful estates, gorgeous horses, all of it accessed by tiny country roads.  For the most part, they were smooth.  I rolled with 100 lbs of tire pressure which seemed just perfect.

But, there were those terrible pitches, the worst being about 900' in 9/10's of a mile.  While Eric was grabbing PRs and KOMs I reverted to back a more innocent time.  My magazine route, delivering Sports Illustrated and National Geographic through the hills of Fullerton where I mastered the "paper boy".  No shame here, if ya got a skill use it.  If you don't know the paperboy... LMK.

Check out the ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/1567906221