There and Back

If you've read my blog, you know that the month before the Aids Ride was very intense ... and not related to the ride (bought a house, sold a house, sprained my ankle, agreed to a 20 day escrow). Since I got back from LA on June 11, I have been doing nothing but moving out of my shop and studio. And now, in about an hour, we are driving down to Emeryville to catch a train to New York.

All that is by way of apology for not sharing with you, in a more timely fashion, my experience on the ride. I have literally collapsed every evening. So this will be brief.

Memories of the ride:

The diversity of riders – the oldest was 78, the youngest 16. There were couples of all gender pairings, pairs of all familial relationships - brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, sisters, mothers and sons, etc. And the reasons for participating were wide ranging also, and the specific stories that motivated individuals were quite moving.

Thursday was called “red-dress day.” Nearly every rider was wearing red, mostly dresses.

My training was more than adequate – there was no day where I thought I would die, give up, or wonder about a masochistic gene. The longest day was 105 miles, the shortest 65. But riding every day for seven days was an all consuming task. No sitting around the campfire toasting marshmallows. In bed by 10, up by 5, on the road by 7! The routine was dominated by eating, sleeping, and riding. Showering came next, and socializing when not moving, came last. Especially for individuals riding alone.

Getting a tentmate randomly assigned was fine. Matt is a pre-school teacher in San Francisco. It was the second time he rode, and he was riding to honor a friend. About 34 years younger, he was faster than I and comfortable sleeping in … so I only had to set up the tent once and tear it down once!

I actually suffered a very sore knee the first day … a long cold climb up Skyline Boulevard out of San Francisco did me in. I decided I would stop at every rest stop, ice my knees, take the maximum allowed quantity of ibuprofen, and just keep on. Every rest stop had a medical service and they always had ice. So every 20-30 miles I took a break for about 30 minutes. By Thursday afternoon my knee felt better and I didn’t ice at all on Friday or Saturday.

The scale of the ride is very difficult to conceive. 2300 riders, 480 roadies supporting us. A community of almost 3000 people in a different place every night! The technology for doing this evolved from emergency response activities. The 6 - 18 wheel trailers and tractors that were the shower houses are apparently the same vehicles used by large fire fighting crews across the west. Setting up to feed 2800 people in a different place every 24 hours also requires fantastic logistics. The kitchens are also rolling facilities!

In 7 days, in this wild community of diverse motive and background, inclination and orientation, I didn’t hear one bitchy comment. Not one! As the director of the Gay and Lesbian Center of Los Angeles said during the “news” one evening, the community we were making found ‘differences’ interesting not frightening!

Preparing for the ride, I learned a lot about my body, its needs for food and water and electrolytes. It was surprising how many people suffered from dehydration … and we had cool weather … not too hot, not too cold. In places where it has been as hot as 105 degrees, it was under 80! So stopping to care for my knees also meant I had a banana, and some water, and some peanuts. Protein, potassium, water, sugar … all necessary in large quantities.

I think I ate the equivalent of two breakfasts and two dinners almost every day! The food was better than dorm food and quite varied and satisfying. There were some complaints that there wasn’t enough fiber, but there certainly was enough protein and carbs.

As you might guess it was a deeply moving experience and energizing. I already signed up to ride next year. We raised, together, a record $11,000,000 dollars.

I learned about some of the projects that are possible because of these funds. One in particular struck me as particularly significant. The San Francisco Aids Foundation has a subsidiary, the Pangaea Global Aids Foundation which has supported a clinical program of drug therapy for HIV in China for 4 years - 110,000 HIV positive individuals were treated and their viral load was reduced to “undetectable.” The protocol has been adopted by the Chinese government.

Well, now I have to say goodnight, I mean good morning.

Thank you again for your support of my small role in this effort.

Richard
Was rider #5589

On the Launching Pad

Sitting in Heasldsburg, getting ready to leave for San Francisco and Orientation. There is a Safety Video to watch (can't ride without getting signed off on that!) and then I drop my bike off to return to the Cow Palace Sunday morning at 5:30 AM for the Opening Ceremony at 6:00 and then Ride Out.

Last month was dominated by concerns far away from cycling. My first Century (100 miles) on May 5th was almost a pleasure. I rode with a friend from training, Alkarim Jina, and we just cruised through, averaging about 15 mph for the ride. It was just another long ride, but a little longer. I felt fine afterward and had no residual aches or pains! I was amazed at what a focused and disciplined training program can do!

The following week was very stressful, as we negotiated to buy the house next door to where we live (yielding an unshared driveway, second bathroom, and closer workspaces). Reaching a successful agreement with our neighbor meant we had to turn around and sell our studio/office property - another house in Healdsburg. (Very cute farmhouse, built in 1856!) I put it on Craig's list May 6, and we accepted an offer on May 10. We closed yesterday and the buyers are moving in as I write. For those of you who know Linda and I and our thing-ness - we emptied the house last Thursday. (But I have the right to empty the garage over the next 60 days - two letterpresses, a cutter, and much miscellaneous collage and assemblage materials.)

All of that negotiating and real estate activity was further complicated by my spraining my ankle on Monday, May 14 as I was moving the first load of boxes out of the studio. Five days off the bike, lots of ice and elevation, etc. I rode again on Saturday the 19th. Ankle fine on bike, sore on foot! But I definitely slowed down for the last two weeks.

So not a stellar month for mileage, but I am feeling strong, lean, and ready. I am writing this 2 hours after our planned departure from Healdsburg, but I know some of you have been checking this occassionally and I wanted you to know I am fine, well prepared and very excited.

I don't think I will be posting while gone, unless I meet a laptop I can wrangle. However, there is a supported site which will have updates, pictures, and will take messages of support from interested parties. Feel free to send me your energy, all forms of calories accepted! (Green too...! )

Here is the summary of my training for the last month:

Weekly Goals for May......... Results Week of (5/7)
125-175 mi ............................... 114
14-16 hrs .................................. 7
55-75 longest ............................ 48

Weekly Goals for May......... Results Week of (5/14)
125-175 mi ............................... 130
14-16 hrs .................................. 9
55-75 longest ............................ 70

Weekly Goals for May......... Results Week of (5/21)
125-175 mi ............................... 80
14-16 hrs .................................. 7
55-75 longest ............................ 65

And imminently, 7 in a row for 545 miles.

The Home Stretch

Only 24 days left until the rideout from the Cow Palace in San Francisco at 6:00 am on June 3. My total training mileage is over 2200, with over 98,000 feet of climbing. More than 70 people have made donations and I have raised over $7,700 toward my goal of $10,000.

Since I last wrote in this blog, I rode a simulated Day on the Ride out of the Presidio in San Francisco. It was exciting to be with 600 other people who have also been preparing for June 3. We went out to Nicasio and the Marin Cheese Factory and then back. It was a very high spirited group. People really looked out for one another and were very conscious of safe riding practices.

That was in sharp contrast with some parts of a ride I did last Saturday. The Wine Country Century is a supported ride sponsored by the Santa Rosa Cycling Club. A year ago I never would have believed I would be riding 100 miles in a day. But my focus on steady increases in mileage (since the disastrous week in March where I over-reached) and consistent care of my knees made Saturday a notably unextraordinary experience – for me. But the very idea of a century was outrageous last summer!

In this image I am really enjoying a curve on Westside Road, just north of Porter Creek. I was really feeling good - there's a short descent in the shadows just before this - I'm just flying with the momentum from that downhill leg! This is mile 52, at 11:45 am. Lunch was 18 miles away at Warm Springs Dam!

The experience was very different than the rides scheduled by the AIDS Lifecycle Team! There were a total of 2500 riders doing 4 different courses (35 mi, 100 km [62 mi], 100 mi, and 200 km [124 mi]). At times where there were a lot of bikes in sight. What was disconcerting was the number of riders who were just not thinking. Some failed to move right for a car behind them and others rode abreast in pairs or triples. Many riders behaved in ways that increased the danger for those around them. There were even a few riders with iPods or Bluetooth phone earpieces.

This was the first time that I actually felt that riding alone might be safer!

Lee asked me last night what I thought about while riding. Frequently there is a conversation with the rider ahead or behind, about almost anything. Over the last 4 months, the group that has been going on training rides in Sonoma County have gotten to know one another pretty well. So there are conversations about kids, travel, other rides, bicycles, the wildflowers, the weather, the hill, and the distance to lunch!

My own reveries tend to be about things ... in particular ... things on the road. For years I have always picked up rusty washers, bolts, lock hasps, flattened cans, distressed sheet metal parts of unknown origin. For a while in the City I took pictures of the random collections of debris that formed in the eddy's of street intersections. But while riding I am rarely willing to stop and pick something up. I do lust for the some wonderful sightings ... a tow chain with hooks, a beautiful hubcap, or a clevis pin from a big towing hitch. This has led me to consider taking things from my own collections and returning them to the wild! Releasing them from my imagined uses (assemblage, collage, sculpture). Probably won't happen. There isn't a 'catch and release' program for road finds! Besides, I wouldn't want to create hazards for others.

Frequently, especially when alone, I think of the real goal and all the ways that HIV and AIDS have crossed my life in the last few decades. People who were lost, friends with siblings that died, or families with members who were infected. And the changes in relationships this disease created among those connected to infected individuals. A somber mood results from these reflections. And a renewal of my commitment.

Here is a brief summary of my training results for the last month:

Weekly Goals for Apr......... Results Week of (4/9)
125-150 mi ............................... 168
12-14 hrs .................................. 11
55-75 longest ............................ 73

Weekly Goals for Apr......... Results Week of (4/16)
125-150 mi ...............................161
12-14 hrs .................................. 23
55-75 longest ............................ 13

Weekly Goals for Apr......... Results Week of (4/23)
125-150 mi ............................... 238
12-14 hrs .................................. 20
55-75 longest ............................ 78

Weekly Goals for May......... Results Week of (4/30)
125-175 mi ............................... 152
14-16 hrs .................................. 11
55-75 longest ............................ 100

April Showers bring Flowers

This is a ride that I did with some of the group I have been training with out of Santa Rosa. Three of us made this ride. You can find a route slip on the Santa Rosa Cycle club's webs site. This was the "C" ride on February 17:




This is the top of Coleman Valley Road. We approached from the Coast Highway. You can see the route of the whole ride above.

We started in Santa Rosa, rode to Tomales, then to Bodega Bay. From there we followed the route of Stage One of the AMGEN Tour of California, held in February.

Linda and I watched the three circuits of that race in Santa Rosa and it was pretty exciting. 130 bicycles bearing down on a corner at over 30 mph, inches apart. In a moment they are past and you can only see the back of their jerseys!

I don't think I'll be in that peleton anytime soon!

But it is good to know I can still learn from my own excesses! After that first week in March and noticeable pain in my knees, I have refrained from acting the jock. My training hours and miles got reduced, plus one week I had a terrible cold! More modest progress, week by week has been good to my body. I have learned about taking better care of my knees too. After every ride, I ice my knees with compression and elevate them. Plus I am stretching more conscientously at the end of every ride.

One of the regular riders on the AIDS/6 training rides here in Sonoma County is an ER doc with a similar history of knee soreness. We have compared notes and experiences. The RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) and NSAIDs have made a difference. But there are no conclusive answers. I have had multiple conversations about the differences between naproxin (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil), and asprin. And no firm answers: which one? before? during? after? I am also trying tumeric - an herbal NSAID.

First major mechanical failure on the road - broken chain! Fortunately one of the riders had a chain tool and we removed the broken link and put the chain together. There's a chain tool in my tool kit now! Being 25 miles from home and having to walk (no cell reception!) makes for a long day!!! First flat on the road too. Sheet rock screws are incredibly sharp.

There are 53 days left until the ride. I've now riden over 1450 training miles, with over 60,000 feet of climbing. My first email pitch for support went out March 18 and 46 people have made donations, from $15 to $500! I made the $2500 I needed to go on the ride in less than a week. I am halfway to my goal of $10,000! Thank you to everyone who has responded!

The weekly goals for April are bumped up from March. It seems easily accomplished, given my success so far.

Weekly Goals for Mar......... Results Week of (3/26)
75-125 mi ................................ 205
10-12 hrs ..................................16
45-55 longest .......................... 52

Weekly Goals for Apr......... Results Week of (4/2)
125-150 mi ............................... 133
12-14 hrs .................................. 11
55-75 longest ............................ 73

Weekly Goals for Apr......... Results Week of (4/9) thru 4/11
125-150 mi ............................... 111
12-14 hrs .................................. 8
55-75 longest ............................ 73

Acting My Age

(This was taken on a hill outside Tomales.)

Actually, it is about my body acting its age. As you can see below, I cut back my mileage after the first week of March. I was definitely pushing too hard! Two long rides that first week were unbelievably delightful experiences, but my body wasn't ready to increase total distance so fast. Going from Healdsburg to Tomales and back was exhilarating. It is always satisfying riding to a place that feels so far away ...

Last week I did two Training Rides with the Sonoma County group I met through the ALC/6 site. The organized rides set more modest goals, accomodating a wider range of experience and preparation among the riders who show up. It is clear that this turtle doesn't need to chase the hare.

Weekly Goals for Mar......... Results Week of (3/5)
75-125 mi ................................ 206
10-12 hrs ..................................15
45-55 longest .......................... 84

Weekly Goals for Mar......... Results Week of (3/12)
75-125 mi ................................ 92
10-12 hrs .................................. 8
45-55 longest .......................... 56


Weekly Goals for Mar......... Results Week of (3/19)
75-125 mi ................................ 125
10-12 hrs .................................. 6
45-55 longest .......................... 56

Spring Up Little Mustard

This week, with the rain finally abating, the mustard in the vineyard rows is tall, reaching for the trellises. The fields are aglow with the drama: spring is coming. And today, I saw the orange promise of California poppies. Wet and then sunny and warm and then wet. All that sleeping energy stirs.

Last Friday I re-visited my personal "progress measuring tool" - Pine Flat Road. This road, about 7 miles from Healdsburg, goes into the Mayacamas Mountains – 11 miles in and 3100 feet up. I've been trying to find the end for a couple of months, attacking once a week or so. Each time I've gotten a little further, 6 miles in mid-January, then 9, finally 11 a few weeks ago. But I never saw the gate at the end – until last Friday. While there was snow on the side of the road up there, and snow scattered across the north face of Mt. Saint Helena, it was a crisp, beautiful day, well above freezing. But there was sand left on the road too - road crews responding to ice. A source for a little tension on the descent, but no ice in the shadows! The gate is actually at the edge of the Geysers steam field and the view east is of northern Napa County. It felt like a major milestone to get there.

(I did walk 400 yards of the last mile! The grade is about 14% and that was just too much for my legs. Next time!)

Needless to say it is a thrilling descent with opportunities for really scary moments. I had to check my exuberance on the upper portion because of the sand, but all in all it was a beautiful afternoon. Feeling good, loving being out, finding strength as I think about all the reasons to do the AIDS ride ... I can't think of a more motivating set of benefits.

Please consider making a donation and sponsoring my efforts to support AIDS/HIV services in Northern California.

Weekly Goals for Feb......... Results (3/4)
75-100 mi ................................ 58
8-10 hrs .................................. 6
25-40 longest .......................... 52

(Goals are from the ALC/6 training guide.)

[And thanks to Pink Martini's "Hang on Little Tomato"...]

Summer Idle in Winter

Although there was a bit of wind, Sunday was a beautiful early summer day - in February. Not beastly hot, warm in the sun and cool in the shade. The ground, baking in the sun, exuded the rich fragrance of new life.

Started a bit late Sunday afternoon and rode out West Dry Creek and then to the base of the dam at Lake Sonoma. [Realized then that I need to add images to this journal to make it a stronger visual record of my rides.] Then, remembering a beautiful drive to the end of Rock Pile with a friend, I decided to do the climb. After I got to the bridge over the lake I realized I was going to run out of daylight and turned around.

The end of Rockpile Road is about 12 miles further. Its one of my targets for a good workout - with hills. Coming back, I took Canyon Road to Geyserville and then straight to Healdsburg. Took Chiquita to avoid the rough road and late Sunday traffic on Healdsburg Avenue.

All in all, I felt very strong and pleased with myself.

Weekly Goals ................... Results
75-100 mi ......................... 133
8-10 hrs ............................ 10
25-40 longest ................... 52


(Goals are from the ALC/6 training guide.)

Becoming Vulnerable

It has taken me a while to create and begin this journal. Not because the technology is unfamiliar. As I prepare to do the ALC/6 ride, I wanted to record my experience. And, although I love groups and I like to talk, I was worried the dialogue in my head might be too raw for daylight.

So, it has taken me a while to get here, ready to share some of what happens when I am out on the road. I'm jumping into the icy lake. I'll let you know how it feels.