Members of the Banana Gang Cycling Group Enjoy Peeling Out

They were only three sentences, and they seemed harmless: “A very fast-paced workout ride for experienced riders only. No fee, no sag. Must be able to keep up pace or be dropped.”

They described the Banana Gang, a local cycling group, and appeared in the Summer Cycling Calendar, a local newsletter that announces upcoming bicycling events.

Greg Walker found out the hard way last week that those words are to be taken seriously.

Riding with the Banana Gang is a very fast workout. And if you can’t keep up, well, you had better know how to find your way home.

According to one of the club’s founders, Lee Skeen, the Banana Gang averages about 28 m.p.h., even though it usually chooses hilly courses. Most other cycling clubs average between 20 and 23 m.p.h., Skeen said.

That may not seem like much of a difference, but the riders can tell the difference, especially over 70 miles.

“When you are in a pack ride (riding with a group of cyclists), it doesn’t seem that different,” Walker said. “It’s not too hard to keep up with them. But when the miles get long, it’s tough. Then it’s every man for himself.”

Walker, 16, from Santee, is one of the best young riders in San Diego County. He has won a few local age-group races although he has been riding for only a year.

Walker was sick the first time he rode with the Banana Gang, and after a short time was dropped, or left behind.

Sunday, although he had a cold and had ridden 88 miles Saturday, he decided he’d give the Banana Gang another try. He rode 15 miles from his home to the Fashion Valley shopping center in San Diego, showing up with the rest of the riders before the scheduled 8 a.m. start. They decided to ride to Rancho Santa Fe and back, a total of about 70 miles.

The Banana Gang does not have any members, only about 15 regular riders. Anyone can show up and ride.

Anyone is permitted to join their rides, but the reputation of the Banana Gang keeps away many slower riders and attracts some of the best riders in San Diego. On Sunday, the riders included Dave Wallace, 41, who, in his first year of racing, has won several veteran-age-group races for riders 35 and over; Arnie Baker, who has won 12 Category 3 amateur races this year, and John Rubick, who holds the world distance record for riding a stationary bicycle (on rollers) in a 24-hour period (792 miles).

Most of the cyclists who ride with the Banana Gang are classified as Category 2 or Category 3 amateur riders. Category 1 is just below professional, and Category 4 is the lowest rating.

Rob Templin of San Diego, who finished sixth in the Race Across America this year, has ridden with the group, as have Sue Ellers and Tammy Warden, two of the top female professional cyclists in the United States.

In addition, two top veteran riders, Skeen, 40, and Alan Johnson, 54, co-founder of the gang, ride every weekend “unless it’s pouring too hard,” Johnson said.

Johnson and Skeen rode together in a group called the San Diego Wheelmen in the early ‘70s. But they wanted a faster pace, so they formed their own group.

Each had ordered hand-built bicycles from local designers Mike Jackieln and Bruce Hecht. Jackieln and Hecht called the 75 or so bikes they made “Platano,” which means banana in Spanish. Thus, the Banana Gang was born in 1974.

“We figured we could form our own group of some of the fastest guys who would push each other,” Skeen said. “Yeah, I guess we do ride fast.”

Said regular Eric Kalle: “A lot of guys come out the first time and can’t keep up. The first 12 times or so you get blown away, but then you get the hang of it.”

Most Banana Gang riders have raced competitively. But they say the informality of the gang makes the riding more enjoyable.

“We have no formal organization, no rules, no bureaucracy,” Johnson said. “Other clubs can be intimidating for new people. They all have their club jerseys on, and you don’t know anybody. We don’t care who we ride with.”

The U.S. team’s winning nine medals in the 1984 Olympics was a boon for cycling. The increase in participation in the sport translated into more riders showing up on Sundays.

Now about 25-30 ride each Sunday. But the influx of new riders has not softened the pace.

“The Banana Gang just hammers,” said John Kling, who is a member of the La Jolla Cycling Club but rides with the gang occasionally. “Everybody knows they’re fast and ride hard. It is the consistently hardest ride I know.

“They can be kind of ruthless sometimes. If you have a flat, there’s not much chance of catching up. But if you get dropped, that’s tough. That’s what cycling is all about.”

Walker stayed with the pack for about the first hour as the riders peddled their way up to Del Mar.

But by the time the Gang reached Rancho Sante Fe, Walker began to drop back. Skeen and Baker led the way down a steep hill with the others not far behind. Walker was another 50 yards back.

While the others made a rare stop at a stop sign, Walker caught up. But it was only for a moment.

By the time the group hit Encinitas, about five minutes later, Walker was left to figure out the best way back to Santee.