Day One
Day One dawned bright and early…all riders had to check in at 5am, which was probably the hardest part of the ride. We pedaled 96.1 miles on Day One, including a brutal uphill climb on Trousdale Ave. in Burlingame, and over 2500′ of climbing up Skyline, including a short bit on Route 92.
Day 1 ended in Santa Cruz, which was wonderful–I stopped by my favorite chocolate shop, Donnelly Chocolates, for a chocolate gelato and some bonbons. Did I feel guilty? Not at all. According to my heartrate monitor, I burned 3,800 calories on Day One!!
Day Two
Day Two was long, our first century ride…100.3 miles. (Yeah, like 96.1 miles on Day 1 wasn’t a century.) But, it was blessedly flat after Day 1’s brutal hills, which made it almost a rest day…inasmuch as any day including the words “bike 100.3 miles” can be called a “rest day”.
I was on the road for 11 hours on Day Two…I left at 8am and arrived in camp at 7:15pm. 3,080 calories.
Day Three
Day 3 was brutally hot and hilly. It was short at “only” 75 miles long, but with 1800+ feet of vertical climb, it was the second hilliest day after Day One. And, after riding 200 miles in as many days, it was really the hardest day of Lifecycle. I was wobbling between overhydration, dehydration, and just plain overheating all day–towards the end of the day, I almost ran off the road twice due to sheer exhaustion. It was a brute of a day.
Day Four
Day Four was relatively easy after Day 3, despite being another 100+ mile day…it was mostly flat, and blessedly cool for almost the entire day. After damn near getting heat exhaustion on Day 3, it was nice to be cool for awhile.
We passed the halfway point on Day 3, so I got a great photo for my Xmas cards…
Hey, is that hair or what??
There were lots of celebrities on Lifecycle...Tinky Winky stopped by.
One of the early pit stops was a beautiful place by the beach...
...and click for a closer view of this banner, put on by the Montana Angels.
Tutu of the Day...fetching in white skirt with silver sparkles, giant red AIDS ribbons, red roses, and red-white-and-blue helmet stars.
I was riding with Ben on Day Two...Ben is a Positive Pedaler (HIV+ rider) who was one of last year's Lifecycle journal cyclists--unfortunately he was too ill to ride this year, so Team Apocalypse had him "ride" with many different riders and roadies. I was honored to carry Ben on Day Two.
Me and the Cookie Woman...she bakes us homemade chocolate chip cookies every year. Homemade cookies for over 1,000 cyclists!! Now that's dedication. Not to mention delicious...
It doesn't show up well in the photo, but her Troop Number is 069, and her merit badges are for things like drinking, drugs, and other sins. :-)
Me and the fabulous transvestite Ginger, who turned up in a different outfit every day, cheering the riders on.
This is Robert, one of the Positive Pedalers and a really, really cool guy. He had another helmet with fruit all over it, and a red tutu. He and I have already agreed to go "accessorizing" together next year...
A better shot of Robert, hangin' out with a half-asleep Edna.
Ginger likes to hang out at the tops of really steep hills, so cyclists struggling up the hill get a nice reward once they finish...this was at the top of Quadbuster, a really brutal hill. I had to walk up part of it...I was worried about my knees.
A closer look at the fabulous Ginger...
Tutu of the Day! Pink with blue tutu, and pink roses...and two very cute sailor guys. (Robert, as you can tell, is just suffering in this photo.)
The pit crews like to dress up in cool outfits, to keep the riders entertained...I got caught by the Pilgrims, who promptly put me in the stocks. :-)
....of course, they caught Chicken Lady, too....
A brief word on Ken, the Chicken Lady: "She" has ridden every California AIDS Ride except one, and (I'm told) rode all five for three years in a row. She's really an inspiration for all of us riders...her bike broke this year, so the riders chipped in to buy her a new one.
...I look forward to the new custom Chicken Bike next year...I think Gary Fisher offered to make her one. Woo!
Here is Chicken Lady with Team Pig. Notice her fantastic chicken handbag, chicken helmet, and rainbow skirt!
Me on the bike, at the top of the Evil Twins, halfway to LA. It was a wonderful five-mile downhill from there...lots of fun.
...and, of course, the fabulous Ginger, looking gorgeous as always in her pink bubble-wrap dress...
...yes, take a closer look, this dress is sewn from pink bubble-wrap! It's a custom piece from a designer friend.
And here is me with Stephen Cadby, assistant director of AIDS Lifecycle 2, but more importantly, my last year's Cycle Buddy, and an all-around great guy. He was hanging out in Crisis/Dispatch, so I stopped by every day to show them the Tutu of the Day.
