Todays ride was great. Twelve riders went out to take the elena route. There were new riders with us which made it even better. Everyone did great except there were a couple that sustained mechanical problems . Anthony's bike had his chain come off twice during the worst time of the ride while going uphill. Willis being the team mechanic though rode back and helped him out. Lynn was also having brake issues and could not be resolved on the ride so they played it safe and took the shortcut instead fo the big hill on elena. The exceptional riders again for being new riders were Val andChristina and surprisingly the most improved from the last ride was HAns . He really spun all the way eventhough he said he was dying and legs were burning. Chuck was again flying on the downhills even tucking down to increase his speed. I would not want to be in front when he's going down. I guess i cant describe who all these people are individually but describing their accomplishments is enough. Doing this ride for the first time is achievement in itself. Howard is another new rider with green wheels . I think he rode before because he did alright through the ride. The pace was surprisingly fast even with new riders. We made it back under an hour. The temp was around 70-75 degrees and very comfortable compared to yesterday.