Please Consider Donating to AIDS Lifecycle 2022
Saturday June 8: Day 7 of the big ride
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
Ventura to Los Angeles
70 miles
2,225 ft. elevation gain
Words of the day: No words can describe this feeling
WE MADE IT! We rode all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We rode every mile except for 10 miles on Day3. More than either of us expected to do. We are a great team.
When we got to our bikes every one of them had a present from the chicken lady. Chicken lady is a long time rider who leaves easter eggs with messages of inspiration along the way. Every rider got a note today! The ride was a sunny and gorgeous as we passed through Ventura, Oxnard, Point Hueneme and Malibu. Surfers and beachgoers all along the way. Southern California at it finest!
One of the many things that makes this ride so amazing is that on every single day we would ride past people who would come to the route to cheer us on. They would hold signs, clap, cheer, thank, and encourage us. It is really special to see this every single day, sometimes in the middle of no where sometimes in the main parts of a town. This morning as we rode through point Hueneme we saw a little boy about 5-6 years old in a gap t-shirt. He was high fiving each of us as we rode by. The magic, love, and good energy we felt today was beyond words. So grateful.
Soon in the distance we could see the Santa Monica pier. A landmark as it is the last spot on the coast as we turned inland and headed to West Hollywood and the finish line. The last stretch of the ride took us through the LA pride festival. Cheering crowd on both sides. Eric and I broke the ride single file rule and rode side by side through the crowds.
Words cant describe the feeling of riding that last stretch and over the finish to the sounds and sights of everyone else who came out to see us make it. Our hearts are full, the power of the ALC love bubble is in full force. The support and love we have felt on this journey is unmatched. We leave today’s event better in so many ways.
Farewell ALC 2019, you have been everything we thought you would be and so much more.
Here is a link to the official ALC2019 wrap up video, a great way to get a sense of the amazing experience
AIDS LIFECYCLE 2019: We did it!
We send our love, warmth, and light to all of you our friends and family for supporting and encouraging us on this journey. Our hearts are full.
Aloha
Friday June 7: Day 6 of the big ride 2
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
Lompoc to Ventura
88 miles
3,574 ft. elevation gain
Words of the day: Practically Perfect In Every Way
Eric had told the story of Day 6 as being his favorite day from last year. All we can say is wow, just wow.
As we left Lompoc we were all told to be very careful on the descent to highway 101 and gaviota pass. Very steep, 7% grade, lots of drainage grates, and narrow shoulder. We both had fun zooming down to the ocean.
Back on the spectacular coast. Watching the surf, the channel islands off in the distance. The channel islands are a national park with over 2000 plant and animal species, 145 of them are found no where else in the world. Seals, sea lions, island foxes, pelicans, and falcons are all here. We moved along the ocean at our side, blue sky above and 3000 riders and roadies making it just perfect.
As we approached Santa Barbara we came over a hill and the Santa Barbara beach was spread out below. It was so beautiful to see. The feeling of gratitude is overwhelming! Soon after rest stop 3 we came to what is called Paradise pit. For many years the resisdents of Santa Barbara come down the route and host an ice cream sundae party for the riders. It was so nice. They make us all feel like super heroes. The ice cream was yummy Got to remember that we can’t eat like this next week when we are not riding bikes all day long!
The last rest stop (rest stop 4) was a dance party. Even though we were tired from riding the music was pumping and the party was hopping. Eric and I stopped, rested, watched the fun, watched the surf and gave thanks for a perfect day.
Tonight a candlelight vigil was held on the beach next to our camp. A somber and beautiful tribute to all those lost to AIDS and to those living with HIV. This terrible disease has caused so much loss. We are strong together and we are going to end HIV and AIDS.
Thursday June 6: Day 5 of the big ride
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
Santa Maria to Lompoc
43 miles
1,1719 ft. elevation gain
Words of the day: On Day 5 we wear red
Today is Red Dress day. This has been a tradition for many years. Everyone is encouraged to wear their best red dress. Fun part is that everyone has a very creative take on this. The dresses and costumes are fantastic. When we climb the switch backs wearing red we create the image of a long beautiful red ribbon, the universal symbol of awareness and support for those living with HIV.
A shorter ride today, 43 miles. We rode through Vanderberg Airforce base The short day gave us a chance to soak in the “love bubble” the term we all use for the feeling we share with our other 3000 riders, roadies, and volunteers. Sharing this experience together brings us all closer and reminds us of how important it is that we care for one another every day of our lives. We are sharing some love bubble with all of you today. Thanks for making this ride possible.
Wednesday June 5: Day 4 of the big ride
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
Paso Robles to Santa Maria
91 miles
4,745 ft. elevation gain
Words of the day: HALF WAY TO LA
Leaving Paso Robles we ride back toward the coast. On the way we passed the 805 brewing company and got to smell the hops brewing in the plant. Really nice. A right turn away from highway 101 and we were off to another ALC favorite hill climb, THE EVIL TWINS . Climb, climb climb, and then just when you think the hill is done, abother climb! But the best part of the day… HALFWAY TO LA. Pictures pictures and more pictures! The ALC roadies had us line line up to leave the half way to LA spot and sent us down the hill in groups of 10. A good idea as the downhill is a 6% grade and it went on for miles. Nice to coast for a while. Soon we found ourselves back on highway 1.
Soon we arrived at another beautiful CA spot, Pismo Beach. When Mike Drives to and from LA for work, Pismo is a favorite spot. The views here are gorgeous. ALC tradition is to stop at the old west cinnamon roll for a roll slathered in cream cheese frosting. Alas, Eric and I arrived just as the caboose was coming around the corner. Off we went but vowed to stop there for a roll on the drive home on Sunday.
Again at each rest stop Eric and I would check in with each other to see how we felt and again today we felt fine so we kept on peddling and finished every mile. As we got closer to camp there was a lot of backed up car traffic on the road. We realized that the caboose was stuck in traffic! Woo Hoo, the caboose could not chase us out of the rest stop today. We had fun at rest stop 4, had snow cones and watched a wizard of oz number. The rest stop 4 team always puts on the best show of the day.
We arrived in Santa Maria in time for a nice evening. The camp here is really nice. We had dinner with our training friends Chris and Prianka. We also found out that Eric’s first instagram post every was selected to be in the daily spin, the ALC newsletter. He tagged #ridecrush and it was a photo of him kissing me on the cheek. We are ALC celebs now. Another great day.
Tuesday June 4: Day 3 of the big ride
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
King City to Paso Robles
63 miles
4,498 ft. elevation gain
Words of the day: Too Hot and two other century marks
Still feeling so proud of our accomplishments from yesterday we pack up and got ready for Day 3. There is a routine in the morning. We get up, stand in line for the potty, get dressed, get breakfast, pack, take down the tent, load the suitcases in the truck, visit sports med to get knees and other part ready for they day and then to the bikes! We did all of this and then got in a long line to leave camp. There is a sandy bumpy path that we have to walk through before getting on the road but at last we were off.
We are travelling down El Camino Real (The royal road). This is a 600 mile road connecting 21 misssions from San Diego to Sonoma. On the way today we experienced Quad Buster! The top of this hill is at 1500 feet and the steepest part of the ride is an 800 foot climb, ouch! We both made it up all they way without stopping. All that hill training in Marin paid off. Some of the riders zoom back down and repeat riding up over and over, not us we hit the crest and coasted down the back side!
Another AIDS Lifecycle tradition is the $100 burger! (a century burger?) The students, teachers, parents, and volunteers from Bradley School in the town of Bradley, CA host a BBQ lunch for the riders. This is a fundraiser for the school (a fundraiser within a fundraiser). Another secret about this stop is that after purchasing your burger the school let us use their bathrooms! AHHHH a real toilet, and running water. Nice break from the portapotties at camp! These kids and teachers are amazing. They raised $70,000 today from all of us. The kids made pictures about the ALC and had hung them around the room. It was so wonderful.
Next along the way was Camp Roberts, California’s largest National Guard training facility. The temperature was rising! By the time we hit lunch it was 101 out, (a century heat wave?). After lunch at Camp Roberts it was even hotter. So hot that the water in our bottles was hot to drink. At the rest stop and lunch they had run out of ice. We decided to ride till we had completed at least 50 miles and then call it. Soon after we passed mile 50 for the day a sweep car came by. This one had a big inflated pineapple on the top, they called themselves the pineapple express. The host of the sweep car is from Honolulu. It was a sign for us to stop riding and be safe. The sweep car took us to rest stop 4 and we caught the bus to camp. We rode all but about 10 miles today but the heat was just too much.
We made another decision during the heat of the day. We made a reservation at a hotel in Paso Robles. This is called “princes sing” when you ride all day and instead of camping you go to a hotel for the night. We were happy to be princesses. Our evening in Paso Robles was perfect.
Monday June 3: Day 2 of the big ride
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
Santa Cruz to King City
109 miles
2,933 ft. elevation gain
Word of the day: CENTURY!
Setting out from Santa Cruz and realizing we had a big mile day ahead, Eric and I decided we would take the morning slow. We took our time eating and getting ready and were one of the last few folks to leave camp. We figured we would get on the bus at lunch and not push through the 109 miles, boy were we in for a fun surprise!
Traveling south along the coast of Santa Cruz, past the boardwalk and on to Capitola, a favorite town. We stopped at a pull out for coffee from a wonderful friend of the ride who set up a free coffee and doughnut stand for us. He told us he has been doing this for years.
Onward to Salinas valley. This is California’s most productive agricultural area. Strawberries, almonds, spinach, broccoli, and artichokes as far as the eye can see. There is something very special about seeing where our food comes from. These beautiful farms, the hard work it takes to harvest, and how vital it is was very striking. Also, there is a very specific and wonderful smell around the farms. You can sense the connection we all have the land, air, water, and sunshine.
We wanted to get to another stop where fried artichokes were being served. We found a little cafe that was serving them so we stopped and enjoyed. It was there we learned of the caboose. The caboose is a truck that follows all the riders through the day. No one is allowed to ride behind the caboose. If they get to you and you are not riding you have to get on a bus and get taken to camp. The caboose chased us most of the rest of the day.
We made it to lunch and both felt great so we decide to keep riding, and ride we did. We ended up riding every mile of the day. We hit the 100 mile or century mark (roadies on the side of the road cheering as we passed). We then made it to camp and were the very last two to ride in. They closed the route after we arrived. We were both so proud. Our first century ride (and we did it together) and another personal best for us both. What a day!
Mahalo nui loa.
Mike and Eric
Sunday June 2: Day 1 of the big ride
Mike and Eric's Big Adventure
San Francisco to Santa Cruz
82 miles
4,718 ft. elevation gain
Words of the day: Flying into the wind
The alarm went off early and we grabbed our Lyft to the Cow Palace. Sleepy, excited, nervous, and so ready to ride!
The opening ceremony was outstanding, this year the riders, roadies, and everyone else raised:
$16,755,967
WOW just WOW
We saddled up and rode out to cheering and waving crowds. Very emotional morning, excited, anxious, teary eyed, and hearts full as we left and hit the road.
Today we experienced stunning coastal views as we rode down CA Highway 1. Passing through Pacifica and Montera where we take our doggies every weekend to run and play. Lunch at San Gregorio beach, what a place! So beautiful! At Devils slide we were greeted with strawberries from the sisters of perpetual indulgence, yummy.
We had head winds all the way today. Made even riding down hills hard. Gorgeous day otherwise but the wind put us to the test. We made it all the way to Santa Cruz. Both of us a little surprised that we were able to ride so far. This was Mike’s personal best for miles ridden in one day. Felt great.
Our first day done, camp set up and we are so proud to be a part of this amazing event.
Love
Mike and Eric
