Athena AIDS Lifecycle 2015 Training and Event Adventure
 

I'm super excited!!! I reached the minimum fundraising requirement today! Woo Hoo! I started seriously getting my behind in gear training beginning last week. I have a ways to go to be ready but I think the riding I am planning on doing will get me ready.

Back story: I am riding to honor my older brother Scott who passed away in 2006 at age 43 (a month shy of his 44th birthday) due to complications related to HIV/AIDS. He was my inspiration for going back to school and obtaining my BA. I have been wanting to do the AIDS Lifecycle in his honor/memory but timing was never quite right. So last summer I decided 2015 was it and I signed up when they opened registration for the 2015 ride just after the 2014 ride ended. I decided 2015 was the year. Why? Because I turn 50 (April) and so it is a milestone year for me personally but it is also a milestone my brother did not get to meet *(nor did my mother who died at 49 due to breast cancer...I did the SGK 3day in 2008 for her).

I have made my travel plans (flight, hotel and bike shipping). Still have other logistics to get handled but at least now the worry of not meeting the fundraising minimum is gone.

I will post my training so far once I get home and have access to stuff. This will be my accountability thread. NOTE: I'm not asking for donations

I am taking the Madone for this ride as it has a more forgiving 30 tooth granny gear. :thumb:

Kudos for you for taking on such an adventure in honor of your brother. A multi day bike ride is something you'll never forget. I've done Cycle Oregon the last two years and just signed up for my 3rd. Last year was 7 days, 473 miles and 31,000 feet of climbing with 2000 of my fellow cyclists. It will be tough at times but you're going enjoy every minute of it, I gaurantee it.

"Q. Do I have to have a tentmate?
A. Yes. Due to space limitations each participant must share a tent with one other participant."

Yowza! Will you be sharing with someone you don't know? Bring ear plugs either way. You will be camping next to the same people every night. Some of them could be really loud snorers even if your tent mate is not. Try not to over pack. A 7'x7' tent is not that large for two large adults and two large duffel bags. 3.5' of width per person.

BTW...A quick read makes it sounds like the donations go towards charitable organizations. Is that correct? I ask because back in the 90s there was a guy organizing "AIDS rides" in various parts of the country. Much of the net money raised went to for-profit companies doing research. Of course, the production company got their profit first. There was also a lot of wasteful overhead. The Philly to D.C. AIDS ride ended raising little if anything for the organizations that were supposed to benefit.

Sounds like it will be a great adventure for a worthy cause. Have a great time!

Congrats to you!

I've learned a ton about this ride in the last few months. My girlfriend is doing the same ride in memory of a friend of hers that passed away in 2013. She's about $1200 away from meeting the minimum and we're still trying to find her donations.

I do have a tent mate. One of my TUC cycling pals is also doing it and we have decided to share tent if they allow us to pick each other. The AIDS Lifecycle has been an ongoing charity ride since some point in the 1990's and it benefits an organization in SF and one in LA that help those dealing with HIV and AIDS. Definitely a legitimate deal.

I did the Susan G Komen 3 day in 2008 and slept like a baby. So am not concerned about noise from nearby tents and such.

I will be bringing a fresh kit to wear each day. Thank goodness I have enough cycling clothing now. Going to add a couple good bibs thru TUC and wear them in training before the event.

So far I know my kits will be these 5 jerseys and bibs:

1. AIDS Lifecycle 2015 jersey and generic black bibs.
2. TUC Jersey and Bibs (White/Celeste jersey and matching bibs)
3. TUC Jersey and Bibs (Black/Gray/Celeste Jersey and matching bibs)
4. TUC Jersey and Bibs (Black/Blue/Orange jersey and matching bibs)
5. Clydesdale/Athena Jersey and generic black bibs for RED day. (I bought the Palm Springs Century jersey because it had red in it to use for this ride and I may use it instead of the C/A one due to lack of full zip in the C/A jersey plus I get told the C/A jersey looks orange.

That takes care of 5 of the 7 days. I have another TUC Black/Gray/Celeste that I could wear but another team bib to go with it. That set of bibs is on order and Hincapie is not known for speedy delivery. So doubt I will have in time.

Might have a second of the new TUC kit I wore in Palm Springs in time and that kit was comfortable so if that gets here, may do that kit 2x on the ride.

I want to use my best bibs with the most comfortable chamois on the longer rides. Day 2 is 109 miles. :eek:

So Saturday was a "Day on the Ride" up in the Valley. Not exactly a fun or nice route. Streets were not all that nice. Lack of bike lanes in spots. A little too much MUP for my tastes. But was fun to meet others who are doing the ALC. The route was 65 miles. Average speed a bit low...tough to go fast at times due to rider congestion and where we were riding.

https://www.strava.com/activities/284037683

Yesterday (Sunday) as part of my training I did a 60 mile ride. Starting to ride back to back lengthy rides as part of my training. I chose to go have breakfast with the hubby tho before riding. KNOWING full well that the later it got, the windier it would get. I rode to the Santa Fe Dam and then turned around and headed south to Seal Beach and then heading back north to home. I fought a head wind from the SFD all the way to Seal Beach. The closer to the beach it got, the worse the wind got. :notamused:

I saw Omar at the SFD and tho I haven't ridden up that far in over a year...he remembered me and remarked on my new Domane. I was offered pizza too. He and some other cyclists were just starting to dig into a pizza.

As for SGRT. OMG it was TRASHY and DISGUSTING in the section between the 5 fwy and the crossover to get to Whittier Narrows Dam by the Pico Rivera Golf course. On the way back I had intended to take a picture of one particularly junky area but when I got to that spot...there were three homeless looking folks and I did not want an issue.

Thought I did pretty well pushing thru the wind considering I had ridden a metric + the day before. :thumb:

https://www.strava.com/activities/284380725

Best of luck on the ride, looks like a well supported tour.:thumb:

Ha! I rode on SGRT from Beverly almost to the dam and back, but later in the afternoon... you know, when the wind is really fully developed.

I must be developing a tolerance for wind because it was a near head wind on the return leg and I wasn't really cussing much.

I left my house at 12:30pm. And was returning from SFD about 2:20pm....and the head wind got worse and worse the closer I got to the beach. I only really started to really struggle with it after 183Rd.

Some pictures taken on the Day on the Ride event:

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...ge.jpg15_1.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...ge.jpg14_1.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...age.jpg9_1.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...age.jpg7_1.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...age.jpg3_1.jpg

So today I did an event called The Boob Ride. One of my teammates began this event in 2010 to raise money for the breast cancer 3 day. The event has grown and today there were three routes...30, 60 and 90 miles..affectionately referred to as the B, C and D cup routes.

Her ride has a website The Boob Ride | Funding the Cure ? 1 Mile at a Time and there is even a second event happening across the country on East Coast.

I did the C cup.

https://www.strava.com/activities/288065741

i rode the Domane again today. There was a bit more wind today and so parts of ride were more challenging than two weeks ago when the C/A gang rolled thru the same spots.

The post ride gathering was at another place not Pizza Port. It was fun...she had raffle prizes and they gave awards to "top" riders.

A few few of my teammates are breast cancer survivors with recent battles. One made these awesome treats:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...image.jpg2.jpg

Those were delicious at third pit stop in Carlsbad.

My teammate and I stopped in to Piza Port for Growlers to take on train. Of course a photo was a must.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...image.jpg4.jpg

I also saw Mrs @iTrek and I loved seeing a familiar face!

The two Unlikely Cyclist teammates I rode with yesterday with me at the Carlsbad pit stop.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...age.jpg1_1.jpg

I reached the $5K fundraising mark and have earned the special jersey for raising $5K! I will be wearing that jersey on Day 7 coming into LA.

I now have my kits lined up.

Day 1 - AIDS Lifecycle Registration Jersey
Day 2 - 3 Feet Please (think this is Safety Day)
Day 3 - The Unlikely Cyclist Kit #1
Day 4 - The Unlikely Cyclist Kit #2
Day 5 - Clydesdale / Athena Forum jersey
Day 6 - The Unlikely Cyclist Kit #3
Day 7 - AIDS Lifecycle 5K$ Fundraiser Jersey

Rode GMR to the shack solo. Had both friends beg off due to not feeling well. I was already halfway to Glendora when I found out both were out. So I decided to just do it. So I rode solo.

I made it from gate to shack with only two stops to stretch my back. Got many PR's

http://https://www.strava.com/activities/297472246

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...5455C3D5BC.jpg

So am a few days from flying to San Francisco! Dropped my bike off in Costa Mesa for shipping to SF today. I'm mostly packed. I am trying to determine what I can truly live without...as my bag is super full. I don't want the roadies on my gear truck to hate me. Excited and nervous.

So I went on a microbeer tour Sunday - we started in Long beach (Beachwood Brewing - :thumb:) and I randomly sat next to this lady friend of a friend... we were talking about cycling tours and she said she did the AIDs lifecycle ride a few years ago.

Anyway - good luck!

We're leaving Friday on our own vacation and I'm gathering everything I think I need and probably a lot more. Final cuts occur tomorrow. :lol:

Have a great trip. Looking forward to the report.

It's end of Day 3 and we are in Paso Robles (home of the Great Western Bike Rally).

Today we had a climb called "Quadbusters" and it was about 1.5 miles of about 10% or more which on fresh legs would be tough but not killer. On legs that did over 200 miles and about 8000 feet of climbing in the preceding 2 days and your suffering goes up. I had to stop twice but I did not walk.

Can't upload Garmin data until I get home. Yesterday my Garmin died. It was on too long and the mileage yesterday was about 108. Each pit stop takes forever with this large of a group. Thus it was on "paused" while I was not moving. Thankfully I could use Strava ony phone to capture the last bit.

There are many iconic things to experience. I got an egg from the Chicken Lady. Had otter pop and a cookie lady cookie. Today was lunch put on by the town of Bradley where we pay for lunch as a fundraiser for their school. It was super hot today and I took advantage of the $100 burger club where I got to sit down in a tent with shade and be waited ony the school kids rather than stand in the extremely long line. Meant I was out of the lunch stop faster too!

Will post more details and pics later.

I was just wondering about your ride as I was clicking on BF. Thanks for the update, congratulations on making it to Paso. Good luck on the remainder!

I called and talked to my girlfriend last night. She was telling me about the quadbuster today. Sounded like a tough climb.

She's loving the rides, not so much on the camping. She's already working on me to do the princess package with her next year :)

She sent me a few pics:
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-1.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-3.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-5.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-2.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-8.jpg

http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-6.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-7.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-9.jpg
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-10.jpg

My girlfriend said this was the scene at the top of the "Evil Twins" today:
http://jhinds7.com/images/bike/alc/ALC-11.jpg
Apparently, it is the half way point of the ride between LA and SF.

Looks like there's lots of people queuing up to brake Rule #95 . ;)