6am at the Cow Palace with 2500 riders, 500 crew and hundreds of friends and family.
Opening Ceremony for AIDS Life/Cycle 10.
Most moving: the Riderless Bicycle, wheeled in in somber procession to honor those we’ve lost to AIDS. A deep silence in the giant hall. Tears.
How do you get 2500 cyclists on their bikes and on the road in an orderly fashion? Slowly. Hundreds of cheering well wishers lined the path out of the parking lot. After months of training and fundraising, days of frantic packing and fretting over rain, and a damn early morning cup of coffee and bowl of oat meal, we we were finally on our way.
It felt like being part of something so much bigger than me.
7 miles of road were closed as the crowd thinned and we made our way West and then South. By 10:30a we were at Rest Stop 2 in Half MoonBay. Lunch some miles later at Geronimo Beach on the Coast. Some riders ride with photos of loved ones they’ve lost on their bikes. There was a commemorative exhibit at the lunch stop reflecting on 30 years of AIDS.
Rain stayed away. Some headwind on Hwy 1. And by 4p, after 82.5 miles, I rolled into Santa Cruz and to our first camp. Parked Tara in bike parking. Got luggage from the gear truck. Set up the tent on a sports field. Hit the shower trucks. Dinner. And soon to sleep.
The organization of this enterprise is inspiring. Sinage and volunteers spotted the route in key areas. Each rest stop complete with food, bike mechanics, hydration, porta potties, music, and high spirit. And each camp, a veritable touring village, is set up and torn down each day as we ride down the coast.
The sense of community is strong. The knowledge of common purpose remarkable.
I think I’m a little tired. It’s 8 o’clock.
Good night.
Stories and Reflections 