DAY 1 San Francisco to Santa Cruz, 79.4 miles* I managed to crash on the first day. I pulled a "rookie" move and tucked my jacket into my waist band. The sleeves apparently weren't tucked in far enough and got caught in my rear tire. Fortunately for me I was able to keep enough control to land myself just in time on a sand dune.
* I purchased a Positive Pedalers wind vest. I absolutely loved the colors. Through out the day people seemed to be giving me extra attention and one person came to me sharing his story about being a first time Positive Pedaler. I realized then that something was not "quite right". Someone finally explained to me that the vest I was wearing stated that I was positive for HIV. Apparently there were other jackets available that read Positive Pedaler Supporter that I should of purchased instead. Its the same as wearing a shirt that says you have cancer when you don't.
* I have never been on a cycling venue of this magnitude before. Safety was of the upmost importance. Whenever passing someone, the person should always shout out, "On your left". Well with 2500 riders that can get very old, very quickly. That night I swore I was going to dream about me shouting out "On your left" but instead I shouted out.. "glass"!
* The day started out foggy and misty but then turned into a sunny day. Saw old friends that I did not realize were doing the Ride.
Stops on the side of the road included: Pie, Strawberries, Candles.
Favorite joke of the day: "Someone once said that a black man would become president when pigs flew. One hundred days after President Obahma took office, we had Swine Flu.
Day 2 Santa Cruz to King City, 107.6 miles* Lots of crosswinds occurred. At some points it took all my efforts to keep my bike and myself from blowing sideways across the road.
* I had fried artichokes for the first time.. yummmm
* I saw the most beautiful rainbow
* A girl came up to me to tell me I had great arms. That has NEVER happened before.. so I was completely flattered.
* I went skinny dipping for the first time ever in my life and with complete strangers. It was amazing and empowering all at once.
Day 3 King City to Paso Robles, 63.4 miles* We road on the shoulder of 101 for part of the ride. It was the worst road you could ever imagine to ride your bike on. There was no passing allowed and to avoid the really deep cracks you actually had to ride the white line. By the time we exited 101 we all had developed tension headaches and pains in our necks and shoulders from all the jostling around. It was both quite scary and very dangerous.
* A man was dressed up like a pill on the side of the road and it read on his costume, "You are my Viagra". As you passed him he would tell you, "You keep me up".
* There were just kind people all around.
* New motto: "Make your life count"
* When we returned to camp each rider received a personal hand written note from a child wishing them luck on their ride. My note was very sweet and endearing.
* We were told of a rider that was so inspired by the ALC Ride that she went back to China to pilot her own version. It was The Equality Ride (or something similar) and only had 17 riders signed up. It took very courageous people to commit to such a ride in China. It brought tears to my eyes.
* I befriended one of the roadies, Virgil at dinner one evening. He was making little brown bear ears for the helmets and hats of his good group of friends. He was nice enough to make me a set of ears for my helmet. He also shared with me that he had been living with HIV for many years. He was a very sweet soul.
Day 4 Paso Robles to Santa Maria, 94.1 miles* I didn't sleep very well and my morning started off with everything seemingly going wrong.
* I managed to get some sort of "buzzing" bug caught in my sunglasses while I was riding. Fortunately for me I was able to remain calm enough to remove my sunglasses to set it free before I could get stung.
* I conquered a hill that had a 21% grade. It was not mentioned on the route sheet. I guess that was a good thing because I would of worried about it all day long.
* I had the best cinnamon bun EVER
* This day was my most challenging day. By the time I got to rest stop 3 I was spent. As I went through the snack line I ran into Jenny. She always handed out snacks at this rest stop. She could tell I wasn't myself. She stopped what she was doing and came around to the front of the table to give me a big, long hug. She whispered in my ear that grandmas give the best hugs. I guess it got to me because I started crying. I felt better soon after I let some of the emotions out.
* The announcement at dinner that Obahma declared that June was officially LGBT month and asked the people of the United States to reverse discrimination. Everyone clapped and cheered and some cried for such an important milestone... including myself.
* Some slogans:"Drink, Pee or get an IV"
"An AIDS LifeCycle banner on a church that read, "You can't stumble if you're on your knees"
Day 5 Santa Maria to Lonpoc, 67.7 miles* Head winds from hell. At some point I would say, "Passing on your left...ummm Well maybe ..ummm Nevermind..I seem to be going backwards now."
* I ate A LOT of bugs.. It was a very buggy day.
* Today was Red Dress Day. I opted not to wear a dress but just a simple tee and rainbow colored socks. The costumes were unreal on this day. We were a sea of 2500 riders with the color red on. It was a spectacular sight to see.
* I found a little bbq joint and had the best tri tip bbq sandwich ever.
* Hills, hills, hills, hills, hills, hills.. Need I say more?
* I went to bed very early this night.
*Some slogans:"Keep it safe, Keep it sexy, Keep it shhhhhh"
"Hydrate, Pee and Repeat"
Day 6 Lompoc to Ventura, 85.5 miles* We woke up to puddles of water in our tents from the rainstorm during the night.
* My clothes were just about dry finally but then were soaked again from the unexpected rain. I wore wet clothes shorts and sports bra.
* I was one of the early birds and managed to get on the road even though we were still getting pummeled with rain.
The first rest stop was 15 miles away. I decided that since my knees were still sore from yesterdays ride, that I would take my time today. My motto this day was, "Wet is wet".... so I forged through. At one point a semi came along and pushed a tidal wave of water onto a group of us.
* By the time I got to rest stop 1 it was announced that no one was allowed to go any further. Apparently a mud slide had occurred further ahead as well as a fatal car accident. CHP shut the ALC Ride down for the rest of the day. Everyone at rest stop one had the choice of riding back 15 miles to camp and jumping on a bus to Ventura or immediately getting on a bus at rest stop 1 leaving your bike behind to be sagged later to Ventura. I was lucky enough to get on one of the first buses to Ventura. There were only 7 buses available with a maximum of 50 seats available to transport 2500 riders... You do the math.
* I arrived in Ventura soaking wet and with no gear. The camp wasn't going to be open or set up for another 3 or 4 hours. A group of us decided to hitch hike it into downtown Ventura to a thrift store. We all purchased dry outfits to change into for the day. My outfit only cost $4.95 including flip flops.
* Ventura was sunny and beautiful and right by the ocean. Myself and Renate decided to go for a nice cold swim. It was great for the achey quads that I had.
* A candle light vigil was held on the beach under the evening stars. It was both beautiful and symbolic to see so many people gathered, each with a candle.
Day 7 Ventura to Los Angeles, 61.5 miles* It was an absolutely beautiful day
* The route was fairly flat and fast paced
* Going through Malibu was a bit stressful because the cars were parked along the the highway and there were also a lot of surfers with surf boards. Most times the surfers weren't paying attention and you had to watch out for ends of surfboards possibly taking you out. You also had to be aware of car doors opening suddenly as you passed as well as the traffic to your left.
* A few of us stopped for coffee and I noticed how everyone that lived in the area seemed to be "hollywood" gorgeous. It was ridiculous how beautiful people were.
The ride this day was bitter sweet. We were all tired and ready to sleep in our own beds but we knew that this would be our last ride. This week we lived in a world that was ideal. Everyone was equal.. Everyone was kind and giving... No one was judgemental or had a mean word or thought to convey. Honesty was shown repeatedly. My tentmate lost her wallet on day 3. It was returned by the days end with nothing missing. Another individual lost $250 in cash and retrieved it at lost and found later that same evening. Strangers would volunteer to help pitch each others tents or to transport heavy gear for someone who was too tired. There were always smiling faces, kind words and new connections to be made. I joked that I was once told that this event was "life changing".. by "life changing" I thought I would automatically awaken at 4:30 am and want to ride my bike anywhere from 60 to 107 miles routinely... As well as consume 3 square meals and snack every 15 miles or so. The truth is... I was shown that love, honesty, compassion and equality can exist on a daily basis. I have been changed because I now know that it is POSSIBLE. Thank you to everyone who helped me reached such a remarkable goal.
*Collectively the ALC Riders raised 10.2 million dollars towards AIDS Research and funding for medicines and much needed programs.
