San Francisco to Los Angeles on bikes.

Family and friends,

Thank you for helping us raise the money to go on AIDS/Lifecycle 11, it was a great experience.  Our team raised just over $32,000 for AIDS prevention and community education.

Day 1

We woke up on the morning of June 3rd in John's apartment just above the Castro and drove to the Cow Palace arriving at about 5:15 am.  We said goodbye to John and Roxy and rolled our two big suitcases to the "L" Budget truck that would be carrying our gear for the duration of the trip.  Inside we huddled by garbage cans, discarding power bar wrappers and gogurt pouches, trying to eat enough food to power us through the first 15 mile stretch of the ride.  

2,500 people barely filled the floor level of the Cow Palace.  We did some group stretching that looked like a weird spandex rave and listened to stories of people who'd lost their loved ones to AIDS.  Jen and I sat up in the stands, held hands with strangers and felt really lucky to be a part of something so important.

After the speeches it was a madhouse to get to our bikes.  A police escort took us the first 6 miles out of San Francisco and lead us to Highway 1. The atmosphere was really friendly and as the day wore on the fog burned off and a truly perfect California day provided beautiful views of the coast.  

We took Skyline to the 92, went over a mountain and dropped into Half Moon Bay and from there it was the 1 all the way to Santa Cruz.  

Stopping at rest stop 2 we saw a group of 4 Dolly Partons, with huge balloon breasts and blond wigs.   Every day of the ride this group did something different and it was awesome. 

We continued down the 1 stopping to refuel at rest stops and take pictures at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. 

Approaching the Santa Cruz city limits a woman with a huge printed picture of her deceased brother thanked us for being a part of the ride.  All along the way people would be waiting for us with pictures or names of loved ones’ who they’d lost to AIDS and this made the experience truly rewarding. 

We pulled into camp across the street from Costco.  Every night we would be doing the same routine:  parking our bikes, getting our gear, heading to site “L72” to set up our tent, showering, eating and passing out.  There was usually just enough time to do all of this and go to sleep so we could wake up at 4:30am and do it all over again.       

Day 2

Our tent was wet from dew when we woke up on Monday the 4^th.  We got dressed, packed our stuff, applied the necessary creams and sunblock, and went to eat breakfast.  The sky was dark to the East but fairly clear to the Southwest, the direction we were riding.  At breakfast we overheard someone say, “It’s supposed to rain here today, but not where we are going in Salinas for lunch.”  This would later prove to be false information.

Stopping at the Ugly Mug in Soquel for free, yes free, coffee we listened to a DJ curbside, talked to some fellow riders and eventually got back on our bikes.  The time we spent here would turn out to be costly. 

Entering farmland South of Santa Cruz County, it began to sprinkle.  No big deal.  Then the wind picked up.  Again a minor annoyance.  By the time we stopped at Jen’s old work The Kayak Connection at Moss Landing to rest and take a pee we were soaked.  Jen talked with her old boss, I used the bathroom and then, after about 20 minutes (another timely mistake) we got back on our bikes into headwinds and freezing rain.  The weather had caught up with us.  Jen got on her bike and her rear tire was flat.  We changed it but the replacement went flat almost immediately.  With no more tubes we flagged down a rider from the tail end of the group.  He gave us a new tube and a CO2 cartridge for quick inflation.  Finally we were back on the road.

We rode on to rest stop 2 and it was at this point that I wanted to give up.  Jen was strangely warm but I was freezing and shivering somewhat uncontrollably.  Jen was ready to go so we went.  We rode through some of the most miserable conditions.  Mud shot up into my glasses from whoever was riding in front of me and made it hard to see.  Big rigs and cars zoomed past blowing us nearly off the shoulder.  I was wearing a base layer under a garbage bag under a jersey under another garbage bag.  I looked awesome but I was still freezing.  Jen and I were stuck in a pack for a while but finally decided to pick up the pace and pushed our already tired legs into motion.  As we picked up speed we passed riders and I started to feel warmer and more determined.  When we arrived at lunch it looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster.  Riders were squashed under tents, trees and eaves of buildings trying desperately to stay warm.  One group was already waiting in line for buses to take them to camp.  I said to Jen “Let’s make it a quick lunch and get back on our bikes so we can stay warm,” Jen agreed.  When we pulled in to bike parking they told us, “the course is closed, park your bikes and a bus will pick you up.”  Shit.     

Cafeteria Refuge

We waited for an hour in the rain, not moving, getting cold, making friends with whoever we were mashed up against.  They finally let us use the cafeteria of a nearby community college and, not surprisingly considering the crowd we were with (mostly gay men) there was a mylar blanket fashion show.  A bus finally picked us up at about 3pm but one of our team members had to wait from 1pm until 7pm to be picked up.  It was a tough day.

Day 3

Day 3 was one of my favorites.  We kept hearing rumors about a steep hill dubbed "quadbuster" which turned out to be not a big deal.

After riding up quadbuster with ease I was so revved because of the disappointment of the previous day that I kept going at a quick pace and finished the 67 mile day in a little over 4 hours.  Brian, one of my teammates rode with me while Jen rode with Elizabeth.  This day took us from King City to Paso Robles and after quadbuster I flew through open space on a smoothly paved road bordered by huge oak trees.  I rode at about 25mph on a nice long 4 mile descent.  Brian and I made quick work of rest stops, eating, stretching and drinking water all at the same time.

We eventually hit the 101 and stopped in Bradley (pop. 93) to buy some hamburgers that were made by local schoolchildren as part of a fundraiser.  The picture below is us leaving Bradley.

  
Brian and I arrived so early in Paso that we got (again free) massages, coffee, had our bikes fixed and set up camp.  That night the whole team went out for beers.

Day 4

One of our longest days, Day 4 took us 97 miles from Paso Robles to Santa Maria and to the halfway point.

Jen Climbing

Part of our team Halfway to LA!
From the left: Cassie Wright, Me, Elizabeth Schilling, Jen, Brian Walton

We faced a climb known as "The Twins" which proved to be more strenuous than quadbuster.  On the long descent we stopped at the Halfway to LA lookout to take a picture.  We had to wait for 45 minutes to hold the sign! 

This day took us through Morro Bay, Baywood-Los Osos, Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande and Nipomo.  We tried to stay together as a team but it proved difficult given the number of riders on the road and the different riding speeds that we were all capable of.  We got into camp at around 5, a full 10 hours of riding.  

Day 5

Red Dress day.  This was probably my favorite day of all.  I got to wear one of Jen's dresses.  In her words "you got more compliments in that dress than I ever have."     

  

Our faces make it seem like this is a really normal picture...

Ho, fo sho

Me with our two beloved roadies, Tom (left) and Cody (right)

 (Forget the name of the woman on the left) Tom, Jen and Cody

 Brian, Elizabeth and Steve

This guy (above) had two dudes following him around in a Jeep for the whole trip.  They were his personal roadies.  At lunch I overheard on of them ask "How is your headdress?" with great concern.  They also carted his little dog around.  This guy must of been some kind of celebrity.  

Anonymous fake butt

McCallister, Jen and Aaron

Aaron and McCallister were on the "princess" tour.  They never camped with us, but chose instead to sleep in hotels with running water and beds.  Foolish.

This day was a short 67 mile ride from Santa Maria to Lompoc and although there was some steep climbing early on, overall we cruised.  It was funny to see the faces of the people in Santa Maria as we road our bikes on main streets at 7 am in drag.  The school children looked especially confused.  What better way to raise awareness!  People were asking us constantly what we were doing.  

Day 6

Lompoc to Ventura.  83.3 Miles.  This was another beautiful California day on the coast.  We road past some famous surf spots and it was hard for me to keep my eyes on the road.  

Brian, Me, Cassie

Me in the front, Rincon in the back

101 South

One of the highlights of this day included a stop called "Paradise Pit."  A local AIDS foundation in Santa Barbara hosted a stop with free ice cream, fruit salad, pastries, and massages.  It was truly awesome.

After the paradise pit we continued down the coast.  I was having pain in my achilles and Brian was having knee trouble.  We were riding together and Jen and Elizabeth were about 30 minutes behind us. When we got to a rest stop a physical therapist brutally worked out some knots and tendons for us.  Later, when we arrived at camp the PT showed us how to roll out muscles with a foam roller.  It was extremely painful and people were laughing at me while I writhed under the pressure of the roller.  Here is Brian's face as he's getting rolled out, explains a lot.

The day ended with an awesome comedy show.  We were almost there.

Day 7

Ventura to LA.  60 Miles.  Although it was a relatively short day, the buzz about "the caboose" close on our tail kept us a little stressed.  The course closed early this day (3pm, all other days it closed at 7pm).  We rode through hectic Malibu single file, with traffic to our left and random car doors opening to our right.  We kept getting booted out of rest stops and by the time we hit lunch we were about 15 minutes ahead of the caboose and being swept.  We ate lunch and took some team photos.

Who is that sexy rider?

A mere 15 miles from the end we got back on our bikes and headed out.

When we arrived there were crowds of people cheering us in.  We got in 30 minutes before the course was closed and we rode in as a complete team.  Friends and family were there to greet us, we were done.  Gramps picked us up and took us home for a real, delicious meal.  The ride was over.    

                                      

We made it!

Me, Gramps, Jen

The best welcome home gift ever.

Next stop Denver...