This is me in LA after the ride in 2008

This is me, Ben, and Ginger Brewlay on Day 5 in 2008

This is me in LA after the ride in 2007:

This is me with my adorable tentmate Russ on Day 1 in 2006:

This is me at the Lifecycle finish in 2005 with super hot Michael Petty:

This is me at the halfway point in 2004:

This is me in a pool

This is me in “mature woman drag” (I’m on the left):

This is me holding my dog Mimi.

Here are all three of my dogs together.  From left, Mimi, Ashley Jr., and Rufus:

This is my partner Jeffery. Hello gorgeous!

You do not need to be registered for the Lifecycle to attend our ride. All riders will have to sign a waiver and will be expected to follow the ALC’s code of conduct. You can read about it here:

ALC Code of Conduct

This is the link to register for the ride:

Register for ALC9

The Sunday Cat2 series is once again sponsored by the Positive Pedelers. Here is the link to the site:

Positive Pedelers Website

We’ll have a training ride every Sunday until the Lifecycle except for Sunday, January 24th. That day is the kickoff party for the event and we’re hoping that everybody can attend it. It’s going to be lots of fun and there are prizes and discounted registration is available which is pretty nice. Here is the link for that:

ALC9 Kickoff Party

My name is Joseph and this will be my sixth time doing the Lifecycle and I’m very excited and honored to be training with you.  I’ll be facilitating many of the rides this season and in addition I’ll be writing the newsletter and also blogging about how much fun we’re having. You can e-mail me at Joseph_J_Collins@yahoo.com if you have any questions I can help you with. See you on the road!

So I expected the torches and pitchforks to come out for me when everyone got back, but a very strange thing happened. The signout sheet was full of positive comments. What, no cursing? No whining? And then I remembered, oh yeah, these are LifeCyclists. You’re made of sterner stuff, forged strong by your dedicated months of training. And as Erin reminded us before ride-out, we’re doing this for a higher purpose than convenience and comfort. The whole point of ALC is to push ourselves, to set a challenge beyond our comfort zone, to make sacrifices on behalf of those we love, those we’ve lost, and those we will never even know but whose lives we are responsible for saving. Whenever we feel like giving up, it’s that profound truth that drives us on, week after week, from here to L.A., and beyond.

So I congratulate all of you for your perseverance, the generosity of your spirit, and your ability to keep smiling even when you have to grit your teeth against the weather, against flat tires, or against the next big climb (or all of the above at once!). And especially to those intrepid riders who stuck it out with me to Nicasio, and the handful who even pressed on to finish the entire 88 miles, I am so damn proud. So what’s stopping you from signing up as a Training Ride Leader next year, hmm?

That was the last big ride I’ll be on with most of you, and while I hope to see you for margaritas on May 23rd, I just want to take a moment now to share my gratitude. Thank you for a wonderful training season. Thank you for being safe. Thank you for listening. Thank you for taking care of each other. And most of all, thank you for the millions of dollars you’ve helped raise for the SFAF and LAGLC. I’ve had a blast. It’s been great getting to know many of you, and I wish I could have gotten to know all the rest. Every year I’m touched and inspired by this ALC community, and I hope we’ve given back some of that inspiration to you as well.

And since it’s been going through my mind as I write this, I can’t help but leave you with the familiar words of John F. Kennedy:

“We choose to … do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

One day we will find a cure for HIV/AIDS. Until then, we ride.

–JP

The Lifecycle is only a month away!  You should be riding back to back rides on the weekend by now.  Remember that the Lifecycle is seven days and that more experience with multi day riding before the event means a better time on the ride.

This weekend is the Jonathon Pon ride.  This ride is a two day up Russian River and back.  This ride is an excellent way to prepare yourself for the Lifecycle.  Follow this link for the details:

http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/Calendar/1660387409?view=Detail&id=119121

If you aren’t doing the Jonathon Pon ride then the CAT2 Sunday ride is going to Olema Valley this week.  This ride is very difficult with a lot of climbing but it has jaw dropping views and is one of my favorites.  Meet time is at 7:15.  It’s going to be a lot of fun.

• Vlaixeivnaip Mp3
• Rapakno Download
• Kyhauplyw Mp3
• Izeimatroo Ringtone
• Igouhlas Ringtone
• Uzlevovnoos Ringtone
• Yfreikvaudla Mp3
• Udreiheigneb Download
• Chaubegauz Ringtone
• Yhroufainy Sound

Stefano kicked ass!  I hardly saw him all day!  Here he is in Fairfax:

Buz gave me the best pic of the day:

We climbed and climbed and climbed and then dropped into Alpine Dam Lake.  I loves it there.  So pretty.  Our riders were pretty proud of themselves.  As they should be:

Then a lot more climbing.  First to the top of the valley and then rolling hills along the ridge of Mr. Tam.  So beautifu.  Here’s the gang at the top:

The fabulous view down to Bolinas Lagoon.  We’ll be there next week:

Me and my legs and the view:

We made our way to Pan Toll Station.  It’s all downhill to Mill Valley from there.  We were all pretty happy about that.  It was a long day:

Then we headed down to Mill Valley and had lunch at Cafe Del Soul restaurant where I openly ogled the cute hippy that was serving us.  Don’t judge.   All of our riders were really proud of themselves.  They should be.

All the hotties were all smiles at the Cheese Factory:

I was pointing.  Again!  I know, who knew??  I was parked at the turn at the base of Wilson Hill.  It was so hot there.  No wind.  Nothing.  Yuck.  This is why I moved away from Louisiana, sugar.   Here’s one of our riders comin’ round the bend:

Me.  There was a little toplessness.  Don’t judge:

Sooner or later the sweeps came by.  We were all hot and very uncomfortable.  Wilson hill is a veery long hill and the heat wasn’t helping us at all.  Matthew and Beau look like they’re about done near the top:

Buz didn’t seem as bothered by it:

Me showing a little boobage:

We limped into Petaluma and had our lunch.  We ate at this cute place on the river.  Adorable:

We slowly made it back to San Francisco.  Feeling the marine layer when we hit the bridge was about the best thing I’ve ever felt.  Here’s we are smiling back at the Sports Basement.

Next week:  Mt Tam!

I was on pointing duty again.  This time at Sir Francis Drake and Nicasio Valley Road.  Here I am there trying to look cool (fail):

We made our way up to the Cheese Factory only to find that it was closed for Easter.  D’oh!  Then we made our way down to Point Reyes Station where we realized that one of the riders had lost his helmet (don’t ask).  While we waited for ride leader directrix Julie Brown to bring him a spare I found out that my poor husband had fallen off the lawn chair he was standing on while watering plants and had to go to the emergency room.  I left the last two riders in Point Reyes Station and hauled ass to Fairfax where I was picked up  by some friends and then off to hospital to collect my husband.  He’s gonna be fine but he won’t be standing on rickety chairs for a while.   Long day.

We’re now at the point in the season where you should be thinking about doing back to back rides on Saturday and Sunday if you aren’t doing them already.  I know it’s not easy to commit an entire weekend to riding your bike, but you need to spend as much time in the saddle between now and the Lifecycle as you can.  The more time you spend training for the ride will translate to more comfortable days on the ride and you will definitely have more fun.

This is also a good time in the season to give all of your equipment a good once over.  We’ve been riding for about three months and you bike might need some maintenance.  It’s very frustrating when worn tires or worn out drive train components make your ride more about changing flats and putting your chain back on and less about riding your bike.  If you are planning on getting a new seat, I would do that pretty soon because you need to break it in.  A seven day ride on a brand new seat is not a good idea.  If you’re planning on making the switch to clipless pedals I would do that soon as well.  There’s a learning curve for them and you need to be familiar with them before the ride if you’re planning on using them.  Mountain pedals are much easier to get used to than road pedals and would be a good choice for the novice.  The shoes are a lot easier to walk in as well.

This Sunday we’re off to the Cheese Factory.  It’s a little longer than last week’s ride with a little more climbing.  This ride is a favorite of mine and I hope you’ll enjoy it.  Meet time is at 6:15.  I hope to see you there.

A rider named Molly is currently short a coffee mug that she left at the Sports Basement Parking lot that is of great sentimental value to her and she would really appreciate it’s return.  Please let me know if you found it.

We made it into Point Reyes Station pretty early.  The hotness was everywhere:

Bob is a paid soft drink spokesperson:

We made it back in reasonably early.  I’m already looking forward to next week!

We had an extremely early start Sunday because they were closing the bridge bike lane for a race.  Nevertheless a bunch of people showed up at 5:45 to ride up to Lucas Valley.  The weather was cool and breezy but gorgeous.  Training this season has pretty much been a disaster because of all of the rain and the route was very challenging for a number of the riders.  If the ride just about killed you, don’t panic.  There’s still two months until the Lifecycle and you have a lot of time to train but you really need to be spending as much time on the bike as you can.  For the training rides, keep these things in mind:

•  Be Prepared for the weather.  A couple of our riders were cold pretty much all day.  That isn’t fun.  Make sure that you are prepared for cool weather and rain if it’s in the forecast.  Don’t forget sunscreen even if it’s overcast.  You should always wear sunscreen.
• Keep eating and drinking.  You’re going to make a tough day even tougher if you aren’t eating and drinking enough.  Take time at the rest stops to make sure that you are hydrated and fed.  Don’t worry about keeping the ride leaders waiting.  We don’t mind.
• Know your limits.  There’s no shame in opting for a shorter ride if it means that you’ll be able to complete it comfortably and safely.  There’s no point in pushing yourself to the point of possible injury to complete a route you aren’t prepared for.  It isn’t fun and you could end up with an injury that could sideline you for weeks.  Ask a ride leader if you think you want a shorter day and we can help you pick one.

Next week we’re off to Point Reyes Station.  It’s another gorgeous ride and there’s quite a bit of climbing.  See you on the road!