Touring.
That's what I've been up to.
You probably know that already though.
Los Angeles.
San Francisco.
Palm Springs.
(And more to come very, very soon!)
If you know me, you know travel is my thing. I'm a vagabond. A nomad. A classic character from Kerouac's On The Road. I jump at the chance to dash off somewhere and this past weekend it was to Palm Springs... just 36 hours after returning from the big AIDS/LifeCycle events in San Francisco (I didn't even unpack - just took the same suitcase!). My primary purpose was to participate in the Tour de Palm Springs... but, like so many of my travels, the weekend brought me oh so much more.
Let's talk about road trips first. One of my favorite hobbies. I've traveled across this country many (many!) times in many (many!) cars. I love the open road. Love the adventure. The excitement of what awaits me. The surprises at each stop. The unexpected experiences. And even though Palm Springs is only a few hours away, it didn't disappoint on any level.
Leaving Las Vegas, whether in a plane or a car, is always exhilarating for me. There's so much I love about this town but, after almost seven years, I've got roots here and roots aren't really my thing. That open road... that's my passion (and part of why I've grown to love cycling!).
But the road proved a true adventure with high winds and flying tumbleweed as I left Vegas. The winds tried again and again to push me off the road... and quite a few tumbleweed got stuck in my grill. But, if you know Vegas, high winds are pretty common. Another thing that's common - but we often forget - is how small this town is. Early on during this road trip I was reminded of that when I stopped at the first rest stop across the California border. As I was walking out of the restroom, I bumped into a guy.... we both did a double take and I realized it was Damian. A friend from Vegas. He and his wife Lisa were traveling to Anaheim for a conference and here we were in the middle of nowhere running into each other. So I snuck up to their car and surprised Lisa and the three of us had a great little chat but watched the clock because, y'know, we were road tripping and had schedules to adhere to!
So yeah, that's a little weird. And then, a hundred miles later I drove right into a torrential downpour. No biggie. Driving in the rain. Part of a road trip. Turn onto the I-10 in the LA area and the first sign I see warns me of an accident ahead. Three of four lanes closed. Argh!
Oh, but that's classic LA. Los Angeles never fails to turn a freeway into a parking lot. I. Mean. Never. 10 a.m. 8 p.m. Or three in the morning. Their freeways... well, they just plain suck if you're in a hurry.
The surprise came when I was crossing the pass from LA into Palm Springs.
Blizzard.
Seriously?
Ok. Wind.
Rain.
 |
| Yes, palm trees covered in snow. |
And now snow?
You're kidding me, right? This is only a four hour drive and I'd now hit three seasons along the way.
Didn't get a good pic of the snow but as you can see from this it was falling and sticking. To my surprise, the LA drivers didn't really freak out about the snow and traffic kept up at a decent pace. Which I was happy to see since I was less than an hour from my destination and wanted nothing to slow me down.
When I arrived in Palm Springs, the first thing I encountered was a detour sign. Quickly realized the main street was closed for the Tour de Palm Springs Expo so I parked and went to visit Jim, Marni and Mary, all AIDS/LifeCycle staffers, at their booth. There they were out in the rain and cold working to spread the word about this cause and recruit new riders. Dedication. Real dedication. Because it was really cold.
Left the booth, swung by my friend (and ride sponsor) Marty's place for a quick catch up, then it was time to check into the hotel.
That first night we had a mixer hosted by Positive Pedalers - a group of HIV-positive cyclists and their supporters, many which participate in the ALC event. My friend Jonathan from San Francisco stopped by as well since he was visiting PS. I had the chance to meet some experienced cyclists, get some tips and info about the big ride the next day and some great ideas for fundraising. But most exciting for me was the opportunity to meet two of my teammates, Jonathan and Erik, in-person for the first time. Erik, also a top fundraiser and member of the 10K Club, has been with the team since the beginning. And from everything I've seen these past months, this guy's gonna rock this ride. He's recruited quite a few friends and family to join us on the ride, has made amazing strides in fundraising and I'd heard (and saw firsthand the next day) he's a beast on the bike. Jonathan is a new team member (brought on board by Erik) and is already closing in on his first thousand dollars in contributions.
Big hugs and "See you in the morning" all the way around then we all went to get a good night's rest before the big ride on Saturday.
Seven a.m. meetup. Thankfully we had decided to meet at a coffee house away from all the craziness.... because it was truly crazy. Cyclists and spectators and marching bands and flag corps and the mayor and vendors and volunteers and closed roads and balloon arches and... wow, this was our first experience in a cycling event like this and it was huge!
Although five of us from Manning Up Allstars were participating in the 55 mile route for this event, Duke was riding with his partner so wasn't going to ride with us. And our friend Brendan, a twelve year AIDS/LifeCycle participant, who was supposed to join us had come down with the flu and couldn't make the trip. So it was just the four of us at the starting line: Jonathan, Erik, me and Molly. Met Molly's wife for the first time too - wonderful woman.
More craziness. Surrounded by extreme cyclists just blowing past us and recreational riders inexperienced in riding in groups. Heading out of town required a lot of concentration to avoid an accident as we were all bunched together for the first couple miles and there were red lights and stop signs and auto traffic. Wasn't long before we hit the open road though... and the first big climb... and the head/side winds. I think the first 15 miles of the ride were the most difficult. None of us had ridden in a group like this. The hill was a steady challenge. The wind shifted from pushing us back to trying to push us off the side of the road. But we did it together. Accepted and overcame all challenges. We didn't ride side by side but we stuck together with nothing more than about a hundred yards separating any of us. There were moments we doubled up... Jonathan & Erik pushing each other, Molly & I chatting, Jonathan & Molly taking the lead, then handing it off to Molly. Pulling into the first rest stop, Erik & Jonathan arrived first... I was fifty feet behind them and Molly was just seconds behind me. We'd not only completed 15 miles but all kept up with each other. I think that really worked to bind us together as a team and feel the shared experience together.
The next 45 miles (yes, we later realized we'd ridden a total of 60 miles!) was more of the same. Riding solo, taking the lead, doubling up, falling back, but always together as a team. We met up at each rest stop just minutes apart from each other, refueled, hydrated, hit the port-a-potties, then set off together again. Jonathan with his soccer legs climbed past us on hills and Erik and I, a little more experienced, blew past the others on downhills (our top speed nearing 40 miles per hour). After the last rest stop, we entered the city again with more of the craziness from the beginning and Molly got stopped at a red light so when she wasn't with us when Erik, Jonathan & I crossed the finish line together. But she had her wife waiting for her there. After finishing, we went to the AIDS/LifeCycle booth to share our experience with the staff and our teammate Duke rode up just a few minutes later. We'd done it. And done it well. But most importantly, we did it together.
They called this a Recovery Ride. How a 26 mile ride was recovering from anything, I'm not sure. But this ALC sanctioned training ride gave me more experience, more time in the saddle, more friends and the opportunity to ride with Harold for the first time. It was a beautiful day... much warmer than the previous morning. And a great reminder after the previous day that ALC trains great cyclists. Courteous. Law abiding. Rule following. Communicating. Cyclists. Nothing like the day before. We stopped at stop signs. We used our hand signals. Called out obstacles in the road. Helped each other along because AIDS/LifeCycle really is about community.
The ride was almost casual after the previous day. Like a recreational tour through the park. No headwinds. No big hills. And a nice steady pace. I learned what they meant by recovery... stretch the legs... keep the muscles active... cool down, wind down. Just what we needed after 60 miles the day before. Plus I had the opportunity for a safety & rule refresher and got to meet some new folks and ride with some new friends I'd made over the weekend.
Finishing the ride, I checked out of the hotel, then met up with my friend Cary for a wonderful brunch at Tropicale. The day, and weekend, wasn't long enough though and I had to leave far too soon. But those sixty hours in Palm Springs will forever rank as one of my many grand, wonderful life experiences. As I posted on Facebook as I was driving out of town, "Living life may take a lot of energy but if you do it right it's never tiring."
Left the booth, swung by my friend (and ride sponsor) Marty's place for a quick catch up, then it was time to check into the hotel.
 |
| Recruitment Manager Jim, Teammates Erik & Jonathan, Me, Cyclist Rep Marni, Recruitment Coordinator Mary and Erik's friend Joseph. |
Big hugs and "See you in the morning" all the way around then we all went to get a good night's rest before the big ride on Saturday.
Seven a.m. meetup. Thankfully we had decided to meet at a coffee house away from all the craziness.... because it was truly crazy. Cyclists and spectators and marching bands and flag corps and the mayor and vendors and volunteers and closed roads and balloon arches and... wow, this was our first experience in a cycling event like this and it was huge!
Although five of us from Manning Up Allstars were participating in the 55 mile route for this event, Duke was riding with his partner so wasn't going to ride with us. And our friend Brendan, a twelve year AIDS/LifeCycle participant, who was supposed to join us had come down with the flu and couldn't make the trip. So it was just the four of us at the starting line: Jonathan, Erik, me and Molly. Met Molly's wife for the first time too - wonderful woman.
And then we were off!
More craziness. Surrounded by extreme cyclists just blowing past us and recreational riders inexperienced in riding in groups. Heading out of town required a lot of concentration to avoid an accident as we were all bunched together for the first couple miles and there were red lights and stop signs and auto traffic. Wasn't long before we hit the open road though... and the first big climb... and the head/side winds. I think the first 15 miles of the ride were the most difficult. None of us had ridden in a group like this. The hill was a steady challenge. The wind shifted from pushing us back to trying to push us off the side of the road. But we did it together. Accepted and overcame all challenges. We didn't ride side by side but we stuck together with nothing more than about a hundred yards separating any of us. There were moments we doubled up... Jonathan & Erik pushing each other, Molly & I chatting, Jonathan & Molly taking the lead, then handing it off to Molly. Pulling into the first rest stop, Erik & Jonathan arrived first... I was fifty feet behind them and Molly was just seconds behind me. We'd not only completed 15 miles but all kept up with each other. I think that really worked to bind us together as a team and feel the shared experience together.The next 45 miles (yes, we later realized we'd ridden a total of 60 miles!) was more of the same. Riding solo, taking the lead, doubling up, falling back, but always together as a team. We met up at each rest stop just minutes apart from each other, refueled, hydrated, hit the port-a-potties, then set off together again. Jonathan with his soccer legs climbed past us on hills and Erik and I, a little more experienced, blew past the others on downhills (our top speed nearing 40 miles per hour). After the last rest stop, we entered the city again with more of the craziness from the beginning and Molly got stopped at a red light so when she wasn't with us when Erik, Jonathan & I crossed the finish line together. But she had her wife waiting for her there. After finishing, we went to the AIDS/LifeCycle booth to share our experience with the staff and our teammate Duke rode up just a few minutes later. We'd done it. And done it well. But most importantly, we did it together.
Not sure how the others felt afterward but my endorphins had me a little pumped. Yes, I was a little tired but not worn out. We posted our maps and pics and status updates about this accomplishment. And I know a couple of us took a nap because the weekend wasn't over yet....
That evening Jonathan, Erik and I met up again at an AIDS/LifeCycle BBQ & Potluck. There we all got to meet our Palm Springs teammate Harold for the first time. Was a wonderful way to wrap up the day... sharing our experiences, chatting with ALC staffers and participants, learning more and making new friends. Around 9:30, the day had caught up with me though and I had to say my goodbyes. Because I had another ride scheduled Sunday morning.
They called this a Recovery Ride. How a 26 mile ride was recovering from anything, I'm not sure. But this ALC sanctioned training ride gave me more experience, more time in the saddle, more friends and the opportunity to ride with Harold for the first time. It was a beautiful day... much warmer than the previous morning. And a great reminder after the previous day that ALC trains great cyclists. Courteous. Law abiding. Rule following. Communicating. Cyclists. Nothing like the day before. We stopped at stop signs. We used our hand signals. Called out obstacles in the road. Helped each other along because AIDS/LifeCycle really is about community.The ride was almost casual after the previous day. Like a recreational tour through the park. No headwinds. No big hills. And a nice steady pace. I learned what they meant by recovery... stretch the legs... keep the muscles active... cool down, wind down. Just what we needed after 60 miles the day before. Plus I had the opportunity for a safety & rule refresher and got to meet some new folks and ride with some new friends I'd made over the weekend.Finishing the ride, I checked out of the hotel, then met up with my friend Cary for a wonderful brunch at Tropicale. The day, and weekend, wasn't long enough though and I had to leave far too soon. But those sixty hours in Palm Springs will forever rank as one of my many grand, wonderful life experiences. As I posted on Facebook as I was driving out of town, "Living life may take a lot of energy but if you do it right it's never tiring."
Thank you AIDS/LifeCycle for everything you've given us.
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