AIDS day ride

World AIDS Day, now in it's 29th year, is on December 1st 2009. Today I rode 29 miles to help raise awareness in the fight for a cure....

We met at 7:30 am in Brentwood at the Lulu Lemon shop on San Vicente.  It was impressive to see everyone in their gear and wearing red which is the color that represents HIV/AIDS advocacy.  Although still half asleep and pratically frozen, the ride started with a bit of excitement on my part. This is only the second time that I have ridden with a group this large and it is very...different.  In some aspects it is safer to be on the road with a larger group as vehicles are more aware of you. On the other hand, having that many cyclists around you starting and stopping at the same time has it's own set of safety issues. 

It was a slow pace today, but I didn't mind. The purpose was to stay together as a group and get the attention of people on the road.  I have no doubt that we succeeded.  The large line of cyclists would have been hard to miss.  I also got a chance to ride with Gregg (right) and Ulisses (left) and catch up with them a bit.  I fully agree with Gregg that the call-outs (i.e. car-back!, pot hole!, slowing!, stopping!, etc. etc.) are totally over used and get annoying.  However, I do admit to using them in my head occassionally when I am driving around town (hot man on the right!, slowing!, stopping!, flirting!......).

The 20 mile stop was at Marina del Rey. It was an amazingly beautiful day!  We met on a grassy hill looking out over the marina with the sun in full shine, the water glistening, and the sail boats gliding by. The purpose of this moment was to remember the people who had died from AIDS and remember the reason we were riding -- to honor them and help prevent future deaths.  I know it will sound weird, but the moment was spiritual in nature.  As stories were told and the names read of those who had passed on I was moved to tears.  Especially when we all held hands and release two large red balloons with the words from one of the cyclists...."We will remember."  Powerful moment.


They also displayed a section of the AIDS Memorial Quit (shown here). This quilt was initiated in 1987 and has grown expeditiously over the years. I was intrigued to find that each "block" consists of eight individual three foot by six foot panels sewn together representing the size of a coffin. Virtually every one of the more than 40,000 panels that make up the Quilt memorializes the life of a person lost to AIDS.  Each, in a unique way, telling the story of these people's lives. These panels travel around the country, and I was honored to view this one.

While the ride itself was not physically challenging, I will cherish the experience forever. It was a beautiful way to spend the morning and I thoroughly enjoyed the chats, the laughter and the unifying bond that I felt with that group of cyclists. Events like this one were happened all around the world today.  This disease which has only been around in my lifetime must be stopped. I am determined to help in whatever small way I can to raise awareness and funds so future generations don't have to deal with its affects.

To end this rather lengthy blog, I just want to thank Ryan for taking me on this journey. It is so nice to have someone to share this experience with and guide me through the unknown cycling world.  You are loved my friend. Thanks for this memorable day.

Venice Canals

A couple of weeks ago on a Saturday morning, Ryan and I went for a ride from Brentwood to Santa Monica beach down to the Venice canals and back. We had a great time and got a chance to talk a lot a long the way. We also stopped at Performance Bicycle and I found my first jersey. It was $15 on clearance and red, white and black which seemed appropriate. SOLD! :)

This was also my first "clip" trip. I wasn't having any troubles and even was feeling pretty proud of myself that I had no major mishaps....until....

We approached a stop light to make a left hand turn in Venice. Granted, it was on a slight slope, but I swear I have no idea why I lost my balance and started to topple.  I had left my left foot still in the clip....you can imagine what happened next. Yep, I fell right into Ryan and his bike which just happened to be in the path of destruction. One minute I was queen of the road, the next I was down on the asphalt with one bike under me and one bike on top of me. I felt ridiculous!!  Of course I brushed it off and we made the light. However, on the other side I noticed the seat was askew, the handle bars were off and it was making a crazy noise.  Thankfully there was no long-term damage, but from then on I was A LOT more careful I had my balance before coming to a complete stop.  Rookie mistake.  Ah well....the walkers got a good laugh. :)

Birthday Ride

Missy and I went for a quick ride today around Griffith Park.  Even though we haven't seen each other since last June where we were water stop roadies together at ALC8, we picked right back up where we left off and had a great time catching up. Although, I do hate that she looks better in her spandex than me. ha! MOTIVATION!!!  I am looking forward to many more rides together as we train for the ride.

Bike Loot

Due to the generosity of family and friends I have accumulated a bunch of biking loot for my birthday. I aquired everything I need (minus a jersey because i just can't decide on one!!) to go out and ride. I am so grateful for the support people have shown me.  I couldn't do it alone! YEA for birthday loot!! :)

Spandex Saturday

Kick-off Ride

Today was the training ride kick-off starting at Helen’s cycles near Manhattan Beach. Ryan and I arrived at 7:30 am (still half asleep, but excited) along with 400 other riders. I was intimidated—very cindee. This was the first ride I have done with more than one other person. It was strange riding with so many people around me. It was comforting from a safety standpoint, but it was also, well…annoying to have so many other people surrounding me. Keep in mind that the actual ride will have approximately 3,000 riders. This is something I will need to get use to!!


Ryan taught me a few tricks, which by the end of the ride I had mastered.

1) Get out early and ahead of the pack – this will give you some space to ride at your own pace

2) When stopping at stop signs, use the curb which allows you to not get off your bike fully, yet you are still coming to a complete stop

3) Down shift, down shift, down shift on those hills and if your chain falls off, keep shifting and riding and it usually corrects itself

4) Fold your route map on top and bottom to avoid it falling off (oops – today I littered unintentionally because I didn’t follow this tip correctly – sorry beloved CA)

5) You can park your bike on the curb by aligning the pedal correctly (hard to explain, but genius when I figured it out)

6) Call out all obstacles ---- and HOT surfers

Things didn’t go quiet as planned; we got off the route a bit. However, all in all this was a fantastic day riding in southern California. Ryan and I had interesting conversation about “bears” and I did three unexpected hills and survived them without complaining. Overall we went about 25 miles (a guess) and I felt really good.

Jersey

Jersey shopping…. Why is it that the women’s jerseys are all “girlie” and men’s jerseys are just cool? I am having a hard time finding anything that isn’t $80 and pink. Here are a couple of sites that I find acceptable (for anyone in the same predicament as me):


http://www.teamestrogen.com/
http://www.retroimageapparel.com/

I am considering these two jerseys… I might have to get both!

A New Silver Bullet

I just bought my bike and helmet. OMG! I’m freaking out a bit, but on the flip side I can’t stop smiling. The bike is a Cannondale with flat black paint and silver handlebars, the helmet a Bell. It was funny; as I was paying for the bike I gave Melinda the sales clerk my card and instantly felt a wave of panic. It felt similar to the time I bought a fishing pole and then proceeded to use it…one time. Doubt started to flood my mind: Am I setting myself up for another failed hobby? Am I investing in an extracurricular activity that will eventually prove to be my downfall? The answer is a resounding…NO! Let’s get this straight universe…I am committed. From this moment on I am a “rider” and I will complete the 545 mile ride from SFO to LA.

I can’t wait to start my weekly training rides….on my new silver bullet.

ALC9 Registration

I signed up for ALC9 (AIDS Lifecycle) this morning. First thing before I could change my mind, like the countless number of times I had over the past few weeks. There are a number of things to keep me from this huge challenge like the $3,000 minimum fundraising amount, the fact that I have never rode more than 14 miles consecutively in my life, the fact that I have no bike, gear or knowledge of how to ride on the roads….but today I did it. Not on a whim, but with purpose. This is a cause I believe in, and not only do I want to push myself physically, but I want to help the countless people who are affected by this disease. WOO! I am officially a “rider”.