Day 4, NorCal AIDS Challenge 2009

May 17, 2009
Mileage: 52.48
Total: 335.56
Camp: N/A. Arrive at State Capitol!

Whew. What a ride. This year was my 3rd time riding and for the third time, the 4th day was the best (riding) day. It's not because it's only 50 miles. Not because I know it's about to be over (that part is actually a little sad). Hmm. Maybe it IS because it's only 50 miles.
Here's what happened on Day 4. Get up in the a.m. at our deluxe accommodations, eat lots of breakfast because after 3 days of this, the hunger starts piling up, but not too much because I still have to ride without puking (ideally), pack up for the last time, and start lining up. Joaquin talked about the route (wherein, we would be staring at Sacramento for a while that morning, about 12 miles from where we were standing, but would ride for 50 miles before we were through), and then told us to gab with our neighbors (something we're good at) about what the most meaningful part of the ride had been thus far.

My neighbor happened to be Jon, who had gotten up to speak on the first night about services he receives from CARES. Most memorable/meaningful for me was not climbing table mountain, or crying at lunch on Day 2, or even the victory of making it to Woodland on Day 3 without crying (something I cannot say for last year). This year it was listening to Jon and Clyde and Dr. Flamm speak on the first night. Holy smokes. We are taking action that touches lives. We might not be a huge piece of these organizations' budgets, but we are touching lives all the same. More than any other service I've provided via this ride and whatever else I happen to do, sitting there listening to the daily reality of someone living with AIDS was a big wake up for me. There but for the grace of God go I.

Anyway. This post is about Day 4. Jon's most memorable was the friends he'd made and the 'family' feelings and the many types of accomplishment associated.

So we start riding and I decide I'm going to ride with Roger -- whatever it takes. Roger is all muscle. I think even his hair is made of muscle. People line up for days to take his spin classes and then they crawl out of them, dripping with sweat. But, yeah. I'm going to ride with him.

Roger is riding with Jason and Ed. Jason, Ed, Roger, and me riding (into the wind) from Woodland to Winters. They ride fast. They don't call him "Fast Eddie" for nothin'. Jason and Ed took turns pulling and Roger and I, more or less, hid behind them as a wind-block and tried to keep up. Cycling 20-25mph (varied) for 50 miles has never been my strong suit but I had last-day excitement, motivation to keep up or ride alone in the wind, and ego on my side.

I apologized later for not offering to pull, but I am sure that I would have been pulling around 12mph which is more of a drag than a pull.

Even with driving through towns, stopping at rest stops, slowing for trains, etc, I averaged 18.5mph that day. Not too shabby.

On to the photabulousness.

So KC and Bronwyn look all cute and ready to go, and I am to' up. There are a million photos I won't even attach here because of my to'-up-ed-ness. Puffy eyes, puffy everything, sleeping outside, yadda yadda. Ouch.

I think this is the 'getting ready to go' phase and listening to Joaquin. I like it for two reasons: I put my sunglasses back on so the puffy eyes are hidden, and I'm still smiling after 3+ days.

Riders doing what they do. Though I don't know why they are doing it two-abreast.

I like this photo. Another of KC's (a lot of these are, as I was too busy chasing boys to take pictures).

I didn't get many photos of this little scene, but here's what happened. We're pulling out of Davis, and we get stuck at the railroad tracks by a train that's going about 8 miles an hour, pulling forward, stopping, and then reversing. People started talking about going around by going through town the other way. I wasn't really down with that, but everyone seemed to be hanging out waiting anyway.

As we're standing there, a bride and groom and photographer come out of nowhere. Seriously -- all that's on that corner is a hardware store and a lumber yard. Where did they come from? Who gets married in a lumber yard? Some riders called them over and had the photographer take photos of the happy couple (at least for now) surrounded by red and yellow jerseys. I didn't play along. Newlyweds scare me.

May as well take a self-portrait as long as I'm waiting around, though.

A few photos of riders that are either on the Davis-side of the causeway or just after the causeway. Just after the causeway, in West Sacramento (6 miles from my house. aye), were a gaggle of crew members pulled over the side of the road. They gave us 'five' as we road by -- so some of these shots are not just of one-handed riding, but action shots of a high-five in progress.

Coral, still going strong: Ron. You know what I like about Ron? He's rather understated (to which I can relate), he gets big grins when he's excited about something, and he gets big grins over NCAC. He was one of the first people to sign up 2010. I sort of think this ride changed something in him. I don't know that for sure though. It seems like over these 4 days (plus, maybe several months of training), he grew very very large and enveloped the Ride, the Challenge, the people, all within this huge space he'd created. It's really something else.
Mindy-Lou! Mindy told me she doesn't see good pictures of herself. I told her I don't see bad ones. Look at this smile! Look how happy she is after 4 days on the bike. This photo would really capture Mindy if at the same time, you could hear her laugh, feel her compassion, be reminded of her undying thoughtfulness, and get a hug.

Jana and Amber. Jana mows down the NCAC like she's got something to prove. Maybe she does, but I think it's mostly to herself. Part of what she proved this year was how much amazing progress she'd made since last year.
Harry. Seriously Jeff, do you have any other expression? I don't think so. And the good-natured exuberance to go along with it.
Here's Roger and Me! Still keeping up.
Here's the park where we secretly all gather so we can ride in together to Capitol steps. What's great about this photo is that all these people are 1) men and

2) waiting for the bathroom.

How often do you see a huge group of guys lined up for the bathrooms?

Me and Clyde! What a sweetheart. You remember him from the first night? Well, he did it!

Coral, Kelly, and Me. I thought I was puffy-eyed. Ha. Coral had some sort of reaction to something or other in Davis and her eyes swelled up and she had to take benedryl. How she made it from Davis to Sacramento while on that potent sleep-elixir, I'll never know.
Jana, Jen, Me. The West Sac girls.
Me and Emily. Emily crewed fabulously this year. I think she was even more tired than I was come Sunday.
Roger and Me! How cute is he? It's nice to be seeing his face, here, after staring at his backside all day (though that wasn't so bad either).
Tara and her boy, ready to ride in. That little guy got all the glory with none of the pain.
And here it is.

Doug riding in with the "Memory Wheel." All those slips of paper are folks remembering loved ones we've lost to HIV/AIDS or sharing why they are doing this ride. If you ever have a chance to spend a few minutes with this wheel, bring your tissue. Excitedly coming in.

Lining up. Listening (sort of) to Joaquin talk.Impressive, no?

Listening intently.
Bronwyn, Me, Emily. The sad thing about Day 4 is that it's all over. Four days together, on the road, at camp, sharing stories, getting close, and then . . . time to go home.
Me and my mom! I was just saying I don't have any recent photos of us together. My mom, her husband John, and my sister Karen came out for the final ride-in. I was a little nervous to ride in and see them all -- I suppose mostly because they hadn't been to the end before and it was a huge deal for me, but I wasn't sure whether it would be for them, or if they would wish they hadn't made the trip. As it turned out, it was a pretty big deal for them too -- or they faked it on my behalf.

Then we went to the Famous Sugarmill for a little vino! Karen told everyone that I had just ridden 330 miles in the past 4 days. She started most conversations that way, actually.

Wow. Another year over. And we're already getting ready for next year. I am still adjusting to the idea that this will be my 4th year riding . . . provided I make it that far. Many thanks to all of you supporters -- for all the various kinds of support you give. I really don't think I could do it without you. And I'd rather not find out.