AIDS Lifecycle Day 7: 61 miles Ventura to Los Angeles

On the last day of the ride I got out early on the road to enjoy the last 60 miles into L.A.

Saturday:
All week when I spoke to you, I told you what happened that day at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation because you rode today. Today – this exultant, glorious day at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, all of us – clients, volunteers, staff and Board – are grateful to you. Because you rode, because you roadied, because you stood on the side of a highway and cheered – because of you, we’re ready to return home and face the challenges of another year fighting HIV and AIDS.

This was my favorite stretch of the ride - biking along the Pacific with the Santa Monica Mountains towering overhead.

Strong salty breezes came off the ocean as we continued to get closer to our goal. Very few people were out on the road this Saturday morning.

As we got closer to Malibu, more and more surfers, climbers, runners, and triathletes could be seen along the route.

Once into Malibu, it was a survival test to avoid the traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The traffic and population density got worse as we made our way through Malibu and into L.A.

One last climb finished off the ride as we made our way to the VA Medical Center in L.A. I purposely started early on this last day so I could meet up with some fellow Peace Corps Volunteers in L.A. for lunch.

Dana, a fellow PCV, drove up from San Diego to see me finish and meet up with another PCV and myself for lunch. This AIDS Lifecycle / California trip turned into a West Coast Peace Corps Reunion Tour for me. After the ride, I spent another week in San Diego and Los Angeles visiting a couple of PCVs.

Jim and I standing near the finish as the last riders were coming in.

This was the scene as the last riders were finishing. Motorcycles usually escorted the last riders finishing each day. This last day was no exception. They roared their engines as they coasted in, but the roar of the crowd was a bit louder.

The closing ceremonies involved rolling our bikes into a parking lot as spectators, fans, family, and friends circled the area. Dance music was pumped into the party, riders raised bikes in celebration, videos of the ride were played up on a big screen - it was a jubilant scene!

There were a few speeches about the ride and what raising $11 million dollars as a group meant to the HIV+ and AIDS community, but overall it was kept short as everyone was spent from the week of riding. The final moments were engulfed in music and crowd cheering.

I've done a lot of enduance events, but none of them compared to this trip. Never have I experienced a place and time where such a large and diverse group of people came together, took care of each other, and worked toward such a large goal. It's the kind of environment I want to strive for and live in. So, one last time, Thank You again for supporting me to do this ride. I plan on doing this ride again next year, and I encourage anyone who is thinking about doing it to not think twice about it. You won't regret it!

Thanks for reading my AIDS Lifecycle journey. I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Take care of yourself,

Nathan

AIDS Lifecycle Day 6: 84 miles Lompoc to Ventura

It was another amazing day as we returned to the Pacific for the final time.

Friday:

Today, because you rode, you made it possible for 1,000 men, women, and children to receive AIDS care and medications in rural villages in China, South Africa, and Rwanda through the work of the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation.

Pangaea is part of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Pangaea’s staff knows what it takes to prepare a country for HIV because they learned it in the US – by pioneering syringe exchange, by advocating for lower-priced drugs, by taking a firm stance about HIV prevention and education.

The first dozen or so miles took us out of Lompoc through rolling hills and smooth roads. We encountered no major hills as Jim, my tentmate (left in red and black), and I made our way to the first rest stop. I can't recall the theme of this stop, because it was early and I didn't spend much time here.

A view from the first rest stop of Day 6. A short climb after this rest stop, the route dived down into the Gaviota Pass where Hwy 1 and Hwy 101 meet and flow down toward the ocean. It was a steep decent all the way to sea level.

Jim and I at rest stop 2 on the Pacific after Gaviota Pass.

They held us up at rest stop 2 before opening up one of the highway lanes across a narrow bridge. Once the clock struck 9am, everyone rushed out of the rest stop as if it was a race. Competitive juices flowing, I gave chace.

After passing a bunch of people, and finding out who could hang and who couldn't, a pack of riders suddenly formed. But, only myself and four other guys were willing to ride at the front of a group of 25 riders. An hour later of the hardest, fastest riding of the week, we finally encountered a major hill that blew apart the group of riders into many fragments. I didn't look back as I charged up the hill to stay with the lead group of six riders. We worked together to finish the last 5 miles before heading into lunch. Exhausted, I ate my lunch in the shade and told myself to take it easy the rest of the day.

After lunch, I headed out alone and toward Santa Barbara. I wasn't alone for long as another group of about five riders formed and we pushed hard into town. So much for taking it easy! Santa Barbara was the first city that had local people out cheering on the riders, and I got a sense this was going to be a good time to take in the hospitalities of the people. How? I had no idea.

Rest stop 3 in Santa Barbara(left). With palm trees and white sandy beachs everywhere, I took my time taking in the So Cal sun biking along the beaches. The route turned off the beach and onto a bike trail that went inland a few blocks.

I was alone and gliding along the bike path when suddenly I heard screaming coming from ahead. I looked around wondering what was all the commotion. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't screaming but cheering. Cheering for me! The clouds parted and down came the heavens to deliver...

...Paradise Pit! I suddenly found myself surrounded by women spraying me down with cool mist, taking my bike and helmet, and leading me to the massage table. Organized by Paul Mitchell Salon and Spa to support the AIDS Lifecycle, this place was an oasis with massages, ice cream, music, and plenty of shade!

Where the loud cheers were coming from!

Reluctantly, I left the Paradise Pit and headed south out of Santa Barbara toward Ventura.

On the night of Day 6, there was a candlelight vigil to remember those that have died of AIDS and for hope for the future. It was a powerful scene as we all walked onto the beach and formed a gigantic rectangle in silence. After a few moments, each person walked to the water's edge and doused out their candle.

Although Day 7 was a celebration of completing the ride, Day 6 was the most complete day. It had amazing scenery but also addressed the meaning of the ride in a unique way.

AIDS Lifecycle Day 5: 45 miles Santa Maria to Lompoc

After four days of riding hard, I was looking forward to today's ride - a short 45 mile ride.

Thursday:
Because you rode, today in San Francisco – and all over the world, 40,000 people will receive BETA: The Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS. Published three times a year in English and in Spanish, BETA is widely regarded as one of the ways we learn about new treatments for HIV in the pipeline, and new biomedical interventions that prevent HIV transmission.

Day 5 was "Dress In Red Day" to create a trail of red along the route, as in the red ribbon signifying the fight against AIDS. The name, not surprisingly, was unofficially changed to "Red Dress Day."

I took a few pictures right from my tent...


This guy (notice he's smoking a cirgarette) had bolted clips on the bottom of his platform, high heel, leather boots to clip into his bike pedals. That's dedication!









I don't think this guy's shoes go with his outfit.














Morning yoga...






Since it was a short day of riding, I left camp at the latest time possible - 8:30am. The route looped out of and back into Santa Maria before the first rest stop. At the first stop, I sat and iced both achilles at the medical tent. While resting, I overheard the Physical Therapist talking about volunteering in Nicaragua last summer. Of course, I immediately struck up a conversation with her. Then, a guy who had just sat down next to me said he had volunteered north of Managua, Nicaragua for six months in 2005. To add another level of small worldness, another guy!!! sat down and overhead us talking about Nicaragua. He jumped into our conversation and said his parents were from Nandaime, a town about 10 miles from where I lived while in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Before anymore Nica connections appeared, I decided it was time to get going.

Heading out of Santa Maria, the route turned into a series of short, steep climbs in the California sun out of the Santa Maria River Valley. At the bottom of each climb, you could see a stream of riders all in red, and indeed, it did look like one long red ribbon. But with the climbs it was quickly turning into a tough day of riding.

I thought these were the most creative outfits of the day.


Rolling into Lompoc, I felt like I needed to sleep in a normal bed for just one night. So, I decided to walk into town and "princess it" for the night. I was asleep by 4pm.

AIDS Lifecycle Day 4: 94.7 miles Paso Robles to Santa Maria

At breakfast, I read this in the daily flyer.

Wednesday:
Today at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, you helped our Black Brothers Esteem program serve more than 100 people. Because you rode, you made it possible for the Brothers of Black Brothers Esteem to become empowered to demand better healthcare for themselves and their partners, to speak up about HIV and AIDS, and to come together in fellowship to celebrate themselves and their sexuality. THANK YOU!

This was the best day so far in the AIDS Lifecycle! We climbed out of Paso Robles with two big climbs during the first 20 miles. Looking back at the top of the second climb (above), I felt excited about reaching the half way point of the ride and seeing the ocean again. The salty breezes were just ahead.

Once over the top, this was the view of the Pacific. We had about a seven mile decent to the ocean on smooth roads.

My Fuji Ma, retro Formaggio jersey, and I at the half way point. I bought arm guards after the first day due to the cool weather in the morning. Most days, I ended up wearing them the entire day to avoid additional sunburn. I should've worn ear guards too, because despite applying spf30 at every rest stop, by the end of the week I had second degree burns on them. Lovely!

Once at sea level, I joined up with fellow rider Annabel from San Francisco (actually she is British but living in SF) taking turns drafting as we went from coastal town to coastal town. I wanted to stop and jump in the ocean, but riding in wet, salty bike shorts was not something I wanted to experience.

After a quick rest stop, I decided to push on ahead to try and join a group of about 15 riders I saw fly by as I was filling my water bottles. Close to ten miles later, I caught up to them as the route turned inland and up about a mile climb over a ridge. Just as I caught them, the group blew up into a few fragments. Exhausted from trying to catch them, I stayed with the slower climbers until the top. Once over the ridge, I pushed on ahead dragging a couple riders with me. Three or four miles later, I caught the lead group. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to draft and rest a bit, because a mile or so later we were flying down a long hill into the Santa Maria River Valley. The strong winds on the valley floor were strong enough to flip you over, similar to Day 2. But some rest and humor were just ahead...

...the Spa Rest Stop! Enough said!

I spent some time in the shade icing my achilles tendon before heading out ahead of the other riders I came in with. There were just 10 miles to Santa Maria, and as luck would have it, there was a strong tailwind! Flying down this busy road with a wide shoulder felt great as cars weren't passing me as fast.

I collapsed at camp and took an afternoon nap for two hours before heading to the sports medicine tent. They taped my leg up a bit, and I remained on ice for a good part of the rest of the day. Of course, I had three full plates of food and seven or eight cartons of chocolate milk. Day 5 was going to be a short and easy day......or at least I thought.

AIDS Lifecycle Day 3: 77 miles King City to Paso Robles

Every morning at breakfast, there were flyers handed out with motivational stories and reasons for riding. The flyers also gave information about how we were able to help out back at the Foundation.


Sunday:
"Today, because you rode, your support helped us provide 380 people living with HIV/AIDS with subsidized housing and support services. THANK YOU!"

Monday:
"Today —and tonight – because you rode, you made it possible for 190 anonymous callers to reach out to the California AIDS Hotline for up-to-date information, referrals and support about HIV/AIDS. Our hotline takes calls from all over the state. Perhaps in Aptos, or Salinas or right here in King City, a 15-year-old boy will call tonight with a question about his first sexual experience. And HIV. THANK YOU!"

And today, Tuesday:
"Because you rode, today at San Francisco City Hall and in Sacramento and in Washington, DC, you helped the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center work alongside elected officials to ensure adequate funding to for housing, medical care and mental health for people living with HIV and AIDS. THANK YOU!"

I will continue with more motivational bits tomorrow, but I just want to say thank you, yet again, to all who supported me so we could all help others.

Day 3
Dry and dusty are two words to describe Day 3's route. To offset this not-as-exciting route, the volunteers/Roadies took it upon themselves to design some humorous rest stops. It was a day of tumbleweeds and crossdressed rest stop volunteers.

Please don't get me wrong when I say this day was not- as-exciting as the others. Each day of this ride was incredible and uplifting biking through this beautiful country for such a great cause.

The steepest climb of the week came about 20 miles into today's route. Quad Buster is the name of the 1.5 mile mountain pass we went over. And at the top of the climb was Ginger (left). Honestly, I don't know Ginger's story and/or background, but he, or she?, was out cheering everyday wearing the most colorful outfits you've ever seen.


Over the top of Quad Buster and down a gradual 10 mile decent, riders came upon the Fantasy Rest Stop. Most of the volunteers were dressed in pixie and butterfly outfits. Being in the middle of cowboy country and a dry valley, this sight was so out of place, which made me smile and had me laughing for the next stretch.

Unfortuntely, I didn't take any pictures of the Santa's Village Rest Stop. But maybe that's a good thing, since Santa was in all leather.

Lunch was in the small town of Bradley, population less than 200 people. The local K-12 school was having a BBQ fundraiser to raise money for books, materials, and suppies. Their academic year depends on lunch sales to the AIDS riders. Although riders were offered a free lunch by the AIDS event, most chose to buy food from the school BBQ. Later in camp, the school principal came to thank us for a successful event.

After lunch, there was a long stretch of biking along a dry river bed and onto Hwy101. The last rest stop of the day was the...


...Dreamgirls Rest Stop! Every 15 minutes or so, the "dreamgirls" would perform a show on the little stage they had set up. Too funny!

By the time I got into Paso Robles, I was in a good amount of pain. I had pushed myself on a lot of the miles so far on the ride, but now my right achilles tendon had flared up to noticable proportions. I spent the rest of the afternoon with ice bags around my ankles and trying not to walk. I was going to have to be careful.

AIDS Lifecycle Day 2: 105 miles Santa Cruz to King City

With a century ride ahead of you, it's always good to get out early to avoid as much heat as possible. This 105 mile stretch of road took us through the argicultural land of the Salinas Valley and hugged the base of a few mountain ranges as we headed south. It was a day of survival on a long and relatively flat course.

I stumbled out of our tent around 5am and noticed my right achilles tendon was a bit sore. Ignoring the pain, I got ready for the day's ride by following a schedule I would repeat every morning - eat breakfast, check on my bike, dress in bike gear, pack up, drop off my bags, and head out on the road.

It took about a 1/2 hour of riding to get out of Santa Cruz before coming upon the endless strawberry and artichoke fields. Farm laborers were out in abundance on this cool morning, some stopping to watch and wave as we passed along the poorly paved, back country roads. Just before entering the Salinas Valley, riders came upon...


...Sesame Street Rest Stop! It was great to see Big Bird wearing the latest pair of Nike crosstrainers.

Rest stops provided Gatorade, water, salty and sugar snacks, Clif Bars, fruit, medical services, and bike techs.







Just after lunch outside of the town of Salinas, I stopped to take a couple of pictures. As I was slowing, my tube on my front wheel blew. Too much air in the tube along with the California heat caused it to blow. A couple of riders, Roland and Annabel, who I would end up riding with a lot over the rest of the week, stopped to help. This was the beauty of the AIDS Lifecycle. If ever you had a problem, within seconds two or three riders would appear to help out and provide humor.


Long story short, I blew two more tubes before discoverying my tire had a small rip in it. Luckily, a sag wagon was heading back to the lunch area and was able to give me a ride back. Oh! Did I mention the drivers were dressed as pirates with skull & crossbone decorations all over their large pickup? An hour or so later, I had a new front tire and was passing the same area. Yes, it was turning into a 110 mile ride for me.

The rest of the day was blazing speeds south along the valley floor, as a strong tailwind made holding speeds in the high 20 mph on flat roads easy. Our first siting of wine grapes (above) came just northwest of Greenfield as our route headed eastward. Turning eastward and sideways into the wind was a challenge. You had to lean hard to stay upright. Later in camp, stories were being told about a few inexperienced riders flipping over due to the strong crosswinds.

The last rest stop of the day was the mock California DMV Rest Stop. The volunteers working this stop were in character, acting quite smug and grumpy. This stop also had a photo opp (left). I'm sporting the latest trend: the tri-hawk hairstyle.

The last ten miles into King City ran along a railroad bed. Rolling into camp, it felt great to have this long, hot day behind me. I went straight to the massage tent for my first of two alloted massages.

AIDS Lifecycle Day 1: 89.9 miles - San Francisco to Santa Cruz

The number 545 was my first thought as I rolled out of Rethans' hide-a-bed in the early hours of Sunday morning. As I went about readying myself for the journey ahead, I had to laugh, for I had yet again put myself in a position to complete some silly amount of mileage on my own power. Thus is the life of a sockmonkey...

After saying goodbye to Rethans, a fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I headed into the Cow Palace, our launching point for the AIDS Lifecycle. Thousands packed this agricultural expo center for the Opening Ceremonies and last words of encouragement. An hour or so later, with all my "important parts" covered in bodyglide, I was on my bike at the starting line next to my tentmate Jim, who I had just met the day before.

A fog and a crowd of spectators saw all 2300 riders off as we left the Cow Palace and climbed out of San Francisco. The going was slow as we climbed small hill after small hill, eventually making our way out of the urban setting. One thing I noticed immediately was how courteous the riders were out on the road. "On Your Left!" was something you'ld say and/or hear a lot throughout the week. This simple comment defined the AIDS Lifecycle a "ride" and not a "race."

Day 1 provided the hardest climb of the week. After rest stop 1 at mile 20, the route finally broke out of the fog, and with it a 2500 foot climb over 11 miles! Powering up the winding Skyline Blvd brought spectacular views of the Bay Area off to the east and an inverted cloud cover over the ocean to the west. Rest stop 2 was conveniently located at the top of the climb. A quick fill of my water bottles and off I went down the 12 mile decent through beautiful forests and canyons.

Fuji-Ma, my steel frame Fuji road bike, at the bottom of the decent.









The fog returned as the route pushed toward the ocean and our lunch break! The route continued up the hill (on the left side of the picture) - part of coastal Highway 1. We would see much of Hwy 1, along with Hwy 101, and the Pacific Coast Hwy throughout the week.



After lunch, the route hugged the coastline along Hwy 1. Rolling hills and beautiful, open skies provided much the backdrop for the rest of Day 1. I let the feeling of being free out on the open road wash over me. Then, I came upon this...




...dancing monkeys from the Wizard of Oz! Huh?

Each rest stop had a theme to it, and provided a little humor to keep you going. I found myself curious and excited to see what each up and coming rest stop would be. I made sure to stop at each rest stop, at least for a minute, to see what production and decorations were up. More rest stop pictures to come...


Day 1 ended in Santa Cruz where our campsite was located in the outfield of a baseball park. To the left, you can see the row of Budget Rental trucks used to carry our gear from camp to camp. This daily logistical challenge was carried out each day by Roadies - a group of volunteers who also each raised the minimum $2500 to participate.


Camp life was like no other camp I had ever been to. Semi-trucks with hot water showers, massage tent, dedication tent, hand laundry area, medical/chiro/sports medicine tent, information tent, breakfast and dinner tent, morning stretching, yoga, an organized grid of personal sleeping tents, port-a-pots with an endless supply of hand sanitizer, bike techs, protected bike area - it was essentially a moving town.


Area B/Spot 45 was where Jim, my tentmate from Los Angeles, and I shared a tent. Although Jim hardly snored, earplugs are a good idea to have while trying to sleep at night - snorefest!


Of course if you decided not to stay in camp, you could also go the route of what people were calling "princessing it." As in, I'm going to princess it tonight and stay at the Days Inn.