AIDS/LifeCycle 7 – San Francisco to Los Angeles – 545 Miles – 7 Days – One Goal
Every year the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center
organize a bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, to raise money for people
living with HIV, along with AIDS Education and Research.
This years the event hosted 2,500 riders and 500 roadies who together raised $11.6
Million to support charities worldwide.
The day before the ride began, Saturday May 31st, we arrived at San Francisco’s Cow
Palace for registration. Yes, I am a 1,000
miles from Dallas and I am waiting in a
long line to get into a place called Cow
Palace. The consolation is, that way back
in time this was also a place that
frequently hosted Grateful Dead concerts
which lead to my first surreal moment of
the trip. In some small way my life had
come full circle, being that I had seen
them several times before, but that is a
whole different story.
At registration we check in our bikes,
attended mandatory bike safety meetings and then signed out lives away.
After we completed registration we headed back to San Francisco’s China Town for a
failed attempt at Dim Sum. Sleeping that night was not easy. I was still eager with
anticipation to get on the bike and also concerned about that long road ahead.
The following morning we woke up around 4:15, to be back at Cow Palace Arena at 5:00
AM for the opening ceremonies. The arena was packed with all 3,000 participants plus
well wishers who were there to see there loved ones off. There was a lot of excitement in
the air coupled with the somber feeling of why we were really there and the charity we
were to support. This was the first moment that it hit me that I was about to convert from
a person that talks about the problems of the world, to a someone who is getting involved
and working for change.
The opening ceremonies complete we headed out to pick up our bikes to hit the road.
Day One – San Francisco to Santa Cruz, 79.3 miles
Right before we saddle up, we are handed a detailed list of directions. I am thankful and
cling to this for dear life. Not yet realizing that it is really hard to get lost when you are
out for a ride with 2,500 other. I am still not sure why we were given these but they will
come in handy now as I try to retrace my tracks.
We headed out of the Cow Palace parking lot and immediately started to climb a few
small hills that were just big enough to get me to start thinking, Am I really ready for this.
Do I have the right gears on my bike? Should I have trained more? And then something
hit me…Dave and Tommie Barnes! Of all the people who sponsored me I knew them all,
except two. These two people are the only ones that showed up on my sponsor page that
I just could not place. Who were these people and why were they donating to me and this
cause. It was at this moment, not more than five miles into the ride that it hit me that this
is my brother and sister-in-laws parents. I had met them once before. They must have
gotten wind of the event and taken the time log on. From this point forward I knew I was
going to be OK and I would indeed make it to LA, no matter what the road ahead dealt
me. There was just no way I could go back home and let any of my sponsors down by
not riding every mile.
We rode down Highway 1 and the scenery is amazing. The mountain climbs are insane,
but a lot less frightening then the forty mile an hour descents. You get as low behind your
handle bars as possible, pedal as hard as you can until you run out of gear and then pray
to the sweet baby Jesus that your tires don't blow. If you haven’t even driven down
Highway 1, make plans to. It is truly an amazing view.
The weather was quite cool throughout the day, but warmed up at camp in Santa Cruz.
Once in Santa Cruz we pulled into Harvey West little league baseball park that would be
our home for the first nights camp. We were greeted by roadies who directed us to the
secure holding pen where we rechecked our bikes for the night.
From there we proceeded to find the truck that was carrying our luggage and grab our
tent. We then headed out to an open field that had been marked in a grid so that everyone
would know where to set up there tent so that the end result would be a neatly
constructed city
After our tent was up we headed for
the showers and on to the dining tent. I
know that these are a little boring
details, but I was truly amazed that it
was so precisely planned out to have
ample mobile showers and a dining
area that supported 3,000 people so
well. The food was quite good and we
never had to eat the same thing twice,
which is a huge detail when you are
burning roughly 5,000 calories in a
day, often eating a complete dinner twice.
Day Two – Santa Cruz to King City, 105 miles
We woke us just after 5:00 am and headed on the breakfast. It is only first day of waking
up in a tent and you can already see that fashion is being replaced by comfort. The
California mornings can be quite cool and being from Texas I am bordering on freezing.
We rode over a one hundred and five miles today which seems like a long way, because it
is. One of the rules to the AIDS/Lifecycle is that there is no drafting and no pace lines.
You pull your own way and as we head into farm country around Salinas you swear the
wind will take you right off your bike.
I met the first of many truly incredible people today, a woman known simply as, The
Cookie Lady. The story is told that she starts early in the year baking cookies and stands
on the side of the road hand one to each and every rider, and cheers them on. Just to
make the scene a little more surreal, this year she has dressed up as Mrs. Brady and is
accompanied by her two daughter, dressed as Jan and Cindy, and her poor husband
Marsha. I have never seen a man dressed as Marsha before. Peer pressure must have
gotten the better of him.
They funny thing about The Cookie Lady is that she is in no way affiliated with the ride,
she, and so many others as I am soon to find out, just find their own to thank all of the
riders for getting out and riding.
Day Three – King City to Paso Robles, 66.7 miles
We left King City this morning and headed inland. I quickly learned where all of our
produce comes from. It is funny to see the farm workers stare as rider after rider goes by.
We started out the day with a steep climb up a hill (mountain) known as The Quad
Buster. Although it is not the highest hill I have ever ridden up, it is quite a challenge
after riding close to 200 miles the two days before. I can’t tell you how many miles long
the climb was, how many feet in elevation or how long it took us to make it to the top. I
made the decision just before leaving Dallas that I would not be adding a speedometer to
my bike. I felt that if I did that I would find myself watching the clock, instead of taking
time to take a good look around at exactly just what was happening.
One of the most memorable moments of the day was riding through a small town called
Bradley. Bradley has 36 kids that attend their elementary school. That is a total K-8.
Each year their town hosts a school fundraising cookout on the day the AIDSLifecycle
rolls through town. All of the riders to help support the school, even though we could eat
for free, just a few yards away. This year we helped them to raise over $10,000.
Day Four – Paso Robles to Santa Maria, 97.7 miles +
The “+” is because a little detour put us a just under 100 miles. That which
does not kill us...
We started out the day again at 5:15 to make sure we were on the rode by 6:30. The day
started out with a steep climb that would take over a double mountain peak nicknamed
The Evil Twins. The climb took up just over 1700 feet followed by a 14 mile descent. I
can not tell you for sure but I am told that we were rolling around 40-45 mph. We were
lucky that the roads we smooth. My tires held up well. A flat at that speed could send
you flying, and since there is a cliff to your right, staying on the road is a good idea.
We hit also hit the half way point today. A small victory, but great place for a picture!
But I was not alone…
The descent from the Evil Twins took us all the way back out to the ocean. Back to
highway 1. We rode along the ocean for miles wondering who the lucky one who live
there are.
We were greeted by many fine folks along the way, from the grade school kids to the
local town people, all standing at roads edge to cheer us on. Why? Because they just want
to support the cause. It may not be their cause but you get a feeling that they are just
proud to see such a large group of people standing up for something that they believe in,
and working together to make a difference.
This was a particularly tough day in the ride for me. We were four days into ride, just
over half way home and this was my 15th wedding anniversary. Judi, my wife, was over a
thousand miles away, but in spirit she was me the whole way. She inspired me to take
this journey, knowing that we would miss our anniversary together but that this was an
opportunity of a life time.
Day Five – Santa Maria – Lompoc, 44.5 miles.
What do you get when you cross the people of San Francisco with the people from Los
Angeles? Red Dress Day. Day Five is the shortest day of the ride and is also a
ceremonial day where every one is supposed to dress in red. It is just that this crowd
takes that to heart. I cannot even do it justice you need to get to the website and see for
yourself http://aidslifecycle.typepad.com/alc7/aidslifecycle-7-photos.html
I could not get myself to wear a dress, for I knew that the pictures would come back to
haunt me for years. With the help and support from some of friends at Charles Schwab
we came up with an alternative plan for me instead, and it did not require any waxing.
Dress to kill, we headed out on to the road and into a town called Casmalia, where they
turn the town into an open air disco, where every in bike shoes starts to dance. Life is
surreal and funny at the same time.
As I am watching this scene in amazement a very shy little girl around four or five years
old came up and handed me a piece of paper. And in her handwriting it read:
Dear Aids Bike Rider, Thank you for being nice because you are helping
people who are sick. I like you. I hope you have a nice ride home.
By Nichole
I cried, and will every time I tell this story.
Day Six – Lompoc to Ventura, 88.5 miles
Mom, are we almost there yet?
It is funny but the days seem to be getting easier. The pedals never stop turning because
my legs are now on auto pilot. The hills are huge but we climb and laugh along the way. I
am sore in places where I never want to be sore again, but I am starting to see the end and
I am having too much fun for this to end.
Before the day started the ride officials warned us that 25 miles into the day we were
going to be needing to cross a bridge on Highway 101 that is not usually allowed to be
crossed on by bicycle. We were told to plan our days as to not hit the bridge before 9:00
AM when the California Highway Patrol would shut down one lane for four hours
allowing us to pass. Unfortunately someone did not get the memo and traffic started
backing up.
Bicycle traffic that is. Several hundred of us, waiting to cross until almost 10:00.
From there we headed for the coast passing through Santa Barbara. Funny thing about
Santa Barbara is a few years ago some of the locals staged a protest against the
AIDS/Lifecycle. This did not sit well with many residents, who in response created what
they called Paradise Pit. They reserved a park and offer free ice cream, cookies and
massages to any riders that stop. Entering the Pit makes us all feel like celebrity as
the questions about the status of the ride start flying in. I truly expected anyone living in
Santa Barbara would not have time or patience for such an event, but I could not have
been more wrong. It is truly amazing the support we have received.
We camped that night in Ventura, which is now my new favorite town.
Day Seven – Ventura to Los Angeles, 61.5 miles
We rose early again today. Dressed in our Charles Schwab uniforms for the last time, we
saddled up and hit the road.
We left Ventura headed toward Malibu, which was the perfect end to the perfect ride. We
rode roughly sixty miles on a slight down hill road with the ocean in sight the whole time.
It was hard to keep your eyes on the road.
We headed back inland just near the end of the ride as we entered the VA Center in L.A.
Hundreds of people were waiting to welcome us home.
If you would like to learn more
about the AIDS/LifeCycle or see
additional pictures you can go to
http://www.aidslifecycle.org/3450
you can also register there for
next years ride, if you have it in
you.