AIDS/LifeCycle 6, June, 2007
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You can navigate to the pictures of my trip by clicking on the thumbnails in the narrative.
Overview of the Route
Day 1: San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Click here for my photos from day 1.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 1, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
Day 2: Santa Cruz to King City
Click here for my photos from day 2.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 2, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
Day 3: King City to Paso Robles
Click here for my photos from day 3.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 3, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
Day 4: Paso Robles to Santa Maria
Click here for my photos from day 4.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 4, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
Day 5: Santa Maria to Lompoc (Red Dress Day)
Click here for my photos from day 5.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 5, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
Day 6: Lompoc to Ventura
Click here for my photos from day 6.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 6, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
Day 7: Ventura to Los Angeles
Click here for my photos from day 7.
Click here for a detailed route map (4 MB download, PDF format).
Click here for official ALC coverage of day 7, including the daily newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and a lot more pictures.
A Little About Why I Rode and How I Prepared
AIDS/LifeCycle is a 545 mile bicycle ride that is a fundraising vehicle for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and AIDS programs at the LA Lesbian and Gay Center. The ride starts in San Francisco and ends in Los Angeles. 2300 riders and 500 roadies - support volunteers - participated in AIDS/LifeCycle 6, which was held from June 3 through June 9, 2007. The event raised 11 million dollars for the two organizations.
I decided to do AIDS/LifeCycle 6 in late October of 2006. Although I was involved in AIDS activism through volunteer work in the late 80's and early 90's, I had become "the guy who writes the check" since then. I wanted to do something and AIDS/LifeCycle seemed like a great thing to do for a number of reasons:
- It gave me a way to help out by raising money for a great cause, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation
- It gave me a way to honor those who have passed on and those who are living with the disease
- It gave me a way to re-engage with the HIV community
- Having had a big bicycle accident in 2005, it was a way to work through some fears
- It would be good for my health
- It would be a non-trivial effort
- I'd meet some new people
- It would be different from anything I had ever done before
- It would be a stretch
- I would get to see parts of the Bay Area I didn't even know existed
I trained for the ride starting from summer of 2006. My friend Dan kicked my butt up and down Mt. Tam all summer, at a point in my cycling career when I had no experience on hills whatsoever. By the end of the summer, I was able to make it up to Pan Toll Station 1500 feet up Mt. Tam. Dan had back surgery in the fall, but I continued to ride on ALC training rides, which were invaluable in preparing for the event. I especially want to thank Chris Thomas, Julie Brown, and Ben Armstrong who led most of the training rides that I went on.