ALC ReCap

Hi  friends!

Wow! What an amazing ride, experience, and challenge. First - check this out: Together we raised nearly $6,000 for people living with HIV and AIDS. That's just so touching to me - that you all stood up and tossed your dollars in the jar for people who don't know (and for me, who you do).

The ride was about 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles over 7 days. California is huge. It just keeps going and going. I saw cities, towns, tiny little blips that I assume might show up on a map, hills (lots of them), coastlines, mountains, strawberries and grape vines, cliffs, bridges, and so. many. people. 

There were people everywhere. About 2400 of them were on bikes. 600 of them were working so hard to support the riders and more or less carry a small city down the coast of California. Every day they set up camp, work all day, greet the cyclists as they return, cook meals, massage, doctor up people and bikes, sleep for a while, then get up and tear down the small city to bring it to the next town. All we had to do was ride.

I'm going to try to give you a quick synapsis (we'll see if that works). 

Day 0:

Mindy brought me down to SF to meet my buddy for the next 7 days Jane Anne, and Julie, who had a lot of tips for us from her last ALC and who was everso helpful.

Then we went to learn the Way of the ALC by immersion - that is, standing in lines and learning to be patient.

Mindy Lou all smiles.

Me Mindy and Jane Anne on Day 0

Julie so happy and helpful!

Hundreds holding up cells phones (a reminder to turn off
noise) at safety presentation. Where we met Buck.

All checked in and ready to go!

After a safety speech, checking in, and buying some schwag, we headed out to a lovely Afghani restaurant (I want to eat whatever that pumpkin dish is every day now) and tried hard to sleep and be ready for a 3:30 wake up.

I am safe, I am vegetarian, I am ALC.

Bikes everywhere. 

And people. Did I mention the people?
This is the day 1 coffee line. Thank you PEET'S!

Vampire bunny guarding Truck D.

Day 1. San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Dropped off bags with Gear Truck D (those girls work HARD).  The opening ceremony was a tear-jerker. Rider-less bike to commemorate for whom we ride. A big display showing we'd raised over $16 million. Then to find our bikes among the sea of bikes. . .  

A gagillion people and their anxiety.

Other than the hilly terrain, getting used to riding with 2400 other cyclists, alternating between hot and drizzly, the hardest part was getting out of San Francisco. Stoplights, frustrated cars, hilly starts and stops. But eventually, we got beyond the city to make our way south - and down, up and down. 

Camp was nestled into a park push up against a hill in Santa Cruz. Redwood covered tent city.

Mileage: 80.6

Day one - pulled over for a coastal shot.

Waiting at a rest stop for Jane Anne and communing
with the local critters (the sign behind me says "please do not feed the animals").

Jane Anne coming up the hill! All smiles.

Day 2

Santa Cruz to King City. A long long day.  They said this day is "flat" and if you're comparing it to the next two days, that might be true, If you compare it to something that is actually flat, it is not true at all. Getting out of Santa Cruz by bike requires one to ride up "Sea Cliff." As the name implies, it is more or less a wall that someone paved and called it a road. Lots of people walked (I did not), and lots of people cruised up it (I did not), and lots of people were cursing as they went (I might have). More or less, the day had otter pops, smells of strawberries, a lot of heat and sun, and demoralizing length. At mile 102, my chain broke. Just snapped as I was pedaling away from a stop sign. For the first time in any of these rides, I got a ride to camp - about 3.5 miles (I texted Melissa and she told me I had to get in the car because I'm getting old. Thanks, kid). Left my bike with the bike techs, bought a chain, and crossed my fingers.

Mileage 102.5 (of approx 106).

Lunch - so pretty, but I don't think I captured that.

Team Colorado!

Hurray! Orange day (safety) in our Edible Pedal Jerseys.
Just outside of Santa Cruz.

Construction-themed rest stop. Oh those boys.

Otter pop stop!

The end of my day. Chain down. Less than 4 miles to go!

Day 3

One must have standards.

King City to Paso Robles. When they name the hills, you know you're in trouble. Day 3 has "Quadbuster" - a hill that had me gripping my handlebars so as not to slide back off my saddle. Jane Anne and I slogged through it and pulled off with many others into a driveway about 2/3 of the way up the hill. At this point, we started seeing the many riders who were coming down the hill to do hill repeats. I don't want to talk about them.  Lunch at Bradley was hosted by the entire town who sell a BBQ lunch, t-shirts, buttons, etc etc to raise money for their school. They raised $46,000 from ALC'ers that day. The final rest stop was a rock show by Gem & the Holograms (or a bunch of guys dressed as ...). Remember them?

Mileage: 64.5

Still smiling after quadbuster.

Gem and the Holograms!

The best part about cycling is the hot tan lines.

Day 4

Paso Robles to Santa Maria. At mile 17, we hit the halfway point. Pretty exciting and a fantastic photo op. Big hills up to about mile 22 and then a sweet sweet downhill (if you could stay away from cars and other cyclists, then it was sweet). Other than being another 90-mile day, it was pretty nice. The last rest stop had a book of mormon theme. I sort of lost it for a while. Tired, hurting, starting to cry and then deciding that was a bad idea, wondering what the heck I was doing. It helps to remind myself that I am healthy and strong and have no debilitating diseases. Shut up mind, you don't get to ruin this one.

Jane Anne had gone in early, and when I got to camp, my tent was up and she fetched me a coconut water. I could have kissed her (but I didn't, Julie).

Mileage: 90.3

The CHP made us wait at a rest stop. And wait. And wait. I think we were there
about 40 minutes. Jane Anne took the time to get cuter and cuter.

Standing in line to take our halfway photo.

I shoved my Team Caddie shirt in my jersey pocket all day and put
it on for the photo.  Team Caddie halfway to LA!

Me and Jane Anne halfway! Pretty amazing feeling.
Even though we still had the same amount of miles to
go that we'd already ridden.

After the killer downhill, we were back on the coast.
I hung to wait for Jane Anne and watched for whales.

Rest stop 4 is always the most fun.
Book of mormon theme.

All painted up ready for Red Dress day!

Day 5

Santa Maria to Lompoc. Red Dress day. I didn't wear a red dress, but my new friend Keaton did and he rocked it. 

Keaton the lady killer.

Some of the guys in their really
quite questionable outfits.

You can see how I'm barely able to smile at this point.
My face is wind and sun burned and so dry it hurts.
But I'm trying.

Oooo la la.

Some of the guys wore read speedos and nothing else.  Shoes, helmet, speedos. The hills were called the Evil Twins. And I do believe they have been reproducing since their naming - I counted octuplets.

It was a surprisingly difficult 40+ miles, and it was cold and windy much of the day. At lunch, they handed out space blankets. But the afternoon at camp was long, and there was plenty of time for showers and food and warming up (brrrr!!). 

Mileage: 42.4

If someone asked to take their picture, they immediately hid.
But I found Waldo.

 

Day 6

Lompoc to Ventura. Such anticipation on this day. It was the last full day. The last night of camping. And I was surrounded people who were already building the last 5 days into their nostalgic memories (I did not). It was nothing short of breathtaking to come up over (yet another) hill and see the ocean stretched out in front of us. 

Team Colorado!

Whoops. This actually the day they held us forever.
Jane Anne is still cute though 

Chicken lady - riding for 20 years.

Day 6 had ice cream, gladiators, a dance party (yeah - the guys got off their bikes, took their shirts off, and tore it up like it was Saturday night in a club and they hadn't just ridden 450 miles), and a couple miles from camp, Jane Anne's Julie showed up with cheers and signs and smiles. I was happy to see her, and happy for Jane Anne that Julie surprised her, but I just needed to get to camp. And off my bike. Where I was greeted by my dear dear friend Judy (who lives a stone's throw from camp and offered me a real live shower) and my dad, who had come out to join us for dinner and then meet me at the end. I choked up when I saw them and enjoyed a foggy-headed evening of chatting with my dad and his cousins and reconnecting with Judy. I was only sad that it was so short and I would be riding away in the morning. We trudged out to the beach for a silent candlelight vigil. I stayed until I felt like I couldn't stand up anymore.

Mileage: 87.6

When I was a kid we used to go to Carpinteria Beach.
This was the only photo I was able to get - I was stopped at a red light.

Near the recent oil spill. Ugh.

I got to rest stop 4 and immediately brought my bike to the bike tech.
He worked on my bike a LOT over the week. It was clicking or ticking in a maddening way. 

My face is more or less burned and dried in place. Like fruit leather.

Latest trip to the bike doctor. I'm pretty
sure this visit is what did the trick.

So Eron pretty much took it apart and wiped
down then lubed every last piece.

Jane Anne waited in the most comfy chair - made of bike tubes.

Day 7

Painful last day photo. Jane Anne
still looking annoyingly cute.

 Ventura to Los Angeles. Wow. So much excitement. A gorgeous ride along the coast, fighting traffic on one side, parked/parking cars on the other, and trying not to get distracted by the views of dolphin pods and one whale and the sounds of ambulance sirens (these make me pray, though I am out of practice and only hope there is Someone to hear me). My dad had pulled over to cheer us on (twice) I stopped for a hug and to shed a layer. We turned our backs to the coast and made our way through the final few miles (under the street in a pedestrian tunnel, up a hill that felt rather rude after all the others before it, through well-manicured LA neighborhood, and eventually up to the Veterans Memorial center/park in downtown Los Angeles where hundreds and hundreds of people were waiting for us. Julie with her signs, my dad wearing his NCAC shirt.

Mileage: 61.7

Angel blessings on the bikes as we rolled out.

I used to point this sign out as a kid. I wanted to live there.

Last lunch

View leaving lunch (I had time because it was one of those days
where Jane Anne had parked her bike and couldn't find it again. I had plenty of those days.)

Dad parked on the side to cheer.

Jane Anne.

Keaton photo finish.

And me. That's all!

Julie and one of her signs.  :)

And just like that, it was over. No more motorcycles telling us where to go. No more people coming out of their homes to spend hours sitting on a corner to cheer and thank us for riding. No more buffets twice a day and lunch handed too us. No more Butt Clinic (yes, that's a thing). No more tired bodies and bleary heads coming together to congratulate, commiserate, and charge up our phones with hugs and smiles and knowing looks. No more sitting down gingerly to decrease the impact of backside to hard surface. But what does remain is this feeling of accomplishment, camaraderie, community, and fading saddle sores.

I went to go watch my gram watch baseball.

And Jane Anne went to meet Lil Bub.

If you added that up real quick, you'll notice it was "only" 529.6 miles. That's all.

So thank you again. So much. I couldn't do all this without you, nor would I want to.
So much love - right from my heart to yours.