Day 7: Ventura to Santa Monica

The final day of the ride took us out of Ventura and down the Pacific Coast Highway into Santa Monica. It was a beautiful day, and there were plenty of other folks out enjoying the beach. Total riding for the day was 67 miles. My legs felt a little strange after the rest day, but I made it and had fun riding next to the ocean.

Here are the photos.

Rest Stop 1 at the beginning of the PCH.

Malibu has some NICE houses.

This is Alex, taking it easy at lunch.

And this is everybody else taking it easy at lunch, across the highway from Pepperdine University.

The finish line was an incredible place. Tons of people, lots of noise. Very cool.

Everybody turned out, even this bulldog named Ella.

Day 6: Lompoc to Ventura

Today was a first for ALC: the first rain-out in its 16-year history.


Rain came early to Lompoc. About 1 a.m., I bolted awake to water droplets on my face and the stiff pelting sound of raindrops on the tent (we forgot to put up the rainfly). At 3:45 a.m., I awoke with cold, wet feet—inside my sleeping bag—but the rain had stopped. At 4:05 a.m., I realized my legs were getting wet up to the knees…and it was raining again.



I was coherent enough to conclude that it’d be better to get wet standing the in breakfast line, than to get wet lying in my tent. Actually the breakfast line was mercifully short. Consequently I was, for the only time this week, ready to ride out with the first group at 6:30 a.m. We were some hearty souls, ready to brave the driving rain for a 15-mile uphill climb on Highway 1.

Riding in the rain isn’t awful. It is more dangerous, but the human senses are most perceptive of change and exception. Once you’re thoroughly soaked (and that doesn’t take long at 15 mph) it stops being new and you just deal with it.

Unfortunately the conditions also made driving very sketchy. Just past Rest Stop 1, there was a very serious car accident. It happened before any riders were present. I was among the first few riders into the rest stop. We were refueling and hydrating quickly, trying to retain as much body heat in the rain and light breeze. Some riders went to leave but were held back; for safety the CHP had closed the route. That’s when the survival blankets came out.

With some 900 riders out of camp, and the course limited to only 15 miles, the ALC staff cancelled the rest of the day’s ride. This was absolutely the right call. The steep descent to Highway 101 would have been very treacherous. Given the number of riders, even those of us who know what we’re doing, a fall was inevitable and only pure chance would keep that down rider out of traffic. So instead, I spent about an hour huddled under a canopy, wrapped tightly in a mylar blanket, avoiding hypothermia. It wasn’t easy.

The rain did let up and the clouds parted. Our direction was to ride back to camp and await buses to Ventura. Going back was very nice (since the scenery was obscured by precipitation on the way up), and generating body heat wasn’t a problem.

So for several hours we killed time in increasingly creative ways. The weather held in Lompoc, but looked threatening.

In Ventura, it was gorgeous. Everybody immediately set up and starting drying out.

Some of the gear was a little worse for the wear.

And the equipment, too. But for the final day’s ride into L.A., everything looks good!

Day 5: Santa Maria to Lompoc

Day Five is called “Dress in Red Day,” because red is the color of HIV/AIDS awareness. With this crowd, however, that designation is transmuted to “Red Dress Day.” And boy is it ever. Red cheerleader dresses, red wedding dresses, red firemen outfits, red grandmothers, red divas. On and on and on, and every single one of them on a bicycle.

This year’s route was new; normally the trip from Santa Maria to Lompoc is a quick, direct 45-mile route. This year Vandenburg Air Force base could not (would not, depending on who you hear tell the story) grant the encroachment permit for the ride.
Instead, we did a 68-mile backwards “C” route, breaking for lunch in Solvang. That town really did not know what to make of red dress day. Let’s get to the photos, and you’ll see what I mean.

ALC takes up the left turn lane as we depart Santa Maria.

I rode with these lady bugs for a while to get my legs warmed up.

The Tour of California this ain't, honey. See you next year, Solvang!

The poppies were out at Sanford Winery outside Lompoc, where we had a quick water stop


By now you’re probably wondering what I wore for Red Dress Day. Email me.

Day 4: Paso Robles to Santa Maria

There’s a concept on the AIDS ride known as the “me day.” This usually means a day you take it easy, stop at all the rest areas, enjoy the scenery, and generally let your body recover.

Well for me, the concept worked a little differently. I took off early, hit the big hills hard, found some other fast riders and hung with them all the way to camp. The upshot is very few photos and very little extra energy to write creatively. Also, please forgive the typos and funky formatting in all these posts. I’m working as quickly as possible to save batteries; the cell modem sucks juice like no other.

I really enjoyed the ride, though, which is what it’s all about. Today also took us past the halfway point on the ride.

Our route was another long one, 95 miles, including the “Evil Twin” hills of Highway 46. The day started early in Paso Robles, went past my favorite small winery, Zin Alley, and over the aforementioned twins. Then it was down to Highway 1, which we followed through Cayucos and Morro Bay to Ceusta College for lunch. We skirted around the edge of San Luis Obispo, buzzed through the fog in Pismo Beach and the other Five Cities before hanging a left at Guadalupe to finish with a strong tailwind pushing us into Santa Maria.

Here are the few shots I got.


Alright, so most of these are actually pictures of me, taken by others. Call it another twist on the “me-day” concept.

Left to right, this is Justin, Carol, Lynne, me, and Sean. Lynne and Carol both earn a living as personal trainers, so hanging with them for the rest of the day took a lot of effort.

Me at the PG&E Community Center in Avila Beach. This was the site of Rest Stop 3 (the theme was “wild west”), but we only stopped long enough for the photo.


Rest Stop 4, always a fan favorite, was staffed by a dozen Mrs. See lookalikes. Only one free sample per rider!

In this plugged-in world, power scavenging is a major endeavor at the different camps.

Day 3: King City to Paso Robles

Our third day of riding is in the books. Tonight we camp in Paso Robles, just over 250 miles from the Cow Palace.

The route was a short 63.4 miles (after doing an 80-miler and a century back-to-back, it’s very short) from King City, down Jolon Road and over the 1.3-mile climb known ominously as “Quadbuster,” then past the US Army base at Fort Hunter-Ligget and into the little village of Bradley. Maybe you’ve seen the sign on Highway 101: BRADLEY – Exit 1 Mile. I’ve seen it dozens of times driving to and from Cal Poly, but I’d never been there. Of course, ALC is all about new experiences…like chamois butter and visiting towns practically forgotten since the interstate was constructed.

The small school there puts on a barbeque to raise money. I obliged by gorging myself on a double-cheese burger and picking up several postcards (special note to my fantastic donors: watch your mail boxes!)

Let’s see some photos, shall we?

The first mile of today’s ride was down a hard dirt path leaving San Lorenzo Park and over bridge across the Salinas River.




This is Meredith. She came out from Manhattan by herself to ride ALC8. We’ve made her an unofficial member of the Power Pedalers. How many times have I used the word “unofficial” on this blog? A dozen? You’d think this was a big party where everybody’s wearing colorful Spandex and eating as much food as humanly possible.

QUADBUSTER looms in the distance. It's time to wolf down half a ClifBar and take a few squirts of water, the road is about to go UP.

Coasting into Rest Stop 2.

The line for hamburgers in Bradley. In a town of 150 people, it takes some outside help to make a line around the block. Last year the Bradley Bulldogs made about $8,000 selling food and souvenirs to the riders.



BBQ!

Day 2: Santa Cruz to King City

There are a lot of ways to describe today. “Long” is probably the most apt. Here’s a shot of my bike computer, just after pulling into San Lorenzo County Park in King City. That’s right: 108 miles.

It was actually a huge amount of fun. After leaving Santa Cruz around 6:45AM, we wound through Soquel and Aptos, then past field after field of lettuce and artichokes into Moss Landing. We traveled south into Marina, before turning inland for Salinas. After lunch, the route turned south and entered the very windy Salinas valley. Fortunately (and this is what made the day so fun), the wind was entirely at our backs. Cruising at 30 mph on flat ground is awesome; it really makes the miles go. There were rest stops at Mission Soledad and in Greenfield.


Here Chris at the first rest stop, Manresa State Beach, pumping some iron…I mean, air. Pumping some air.



This is Jackie, mastermind of the G.O. bakesales, doing some hamstring stretches overlooking the Pacific.



Riding through the artichoke fields. Maybe it’s because I work for PG&E, but I really think those joint poles make a great backdrop for this photo.


Here’s some more PG&E infrastructure for you GT&D folks. This pipeline blaze is somewhere along San Andreas, or maybe Thurwacher Rd, north of Moss Landing.

The lunch crowd in Salinas Central Park.

This was my lunch. A chicken and brown rice wrap, baby carrots, string cheese, sea salt and vinegar chips (I’m told to eat these early in the week, before my lips get chapped and cracked), chocolate chip cookie, and a white peach. Like every meal so far, this was the best food I have ever eaten. Ever.

All the lunch breaks and rest stops have themes. The staff get all dressed up and really get into it. It’s a lot of fun. Yesterday’s lunch was “rock’n’roll,” which is why Jan is wearing a poodle skirt in her Day 1 photo. Today’s lunch was “barnyard.” This rest stop is “dancing bears.” Why that’s funny is left as an exercise for the reader.

Stop sign near Arroyo Seco, looking east towards Pinnacles.


Today featured another unofficial rest stop. Instead of pie, we got cookies and milk. This is the Cookie Lady’s dog. Her name is Ronda. The dog is named Ronda, not the cookie lady. Ronda looks mean in this picture, but she was very friendly.

As I rolled into camp I could hear occasional cheering off in the distance. This was the source: a group of campers “scoring” us riders as we walked past to collect our luggage and tent. Good times.

Day 1: San Francisco to Santa Cruz

Today started early and I am betting it's going to end pretty early, too. I am exhausted. Exhilarated, but exhausted. Since my wife, Jessica, dropped me at Cow Palace at 5:15 AM until this moment sitting here Santa Cruz's in Harvey West Park, every minute has been an absolute blast.

We rode out Skyline Boulevard through San Francisco, eventually up and over Highway 92 into Half Moon Bay, and then along the Highway 1 all the way to Santa Cruz. Officially the distance is 79.4 miles; I clocked in at 82.5 miles with the loops in and out of rest stops.

And now for the photos!

The gear trucks lined up this morning at the Cow Palace. Lettered A through M, each contains luggage and tents for 150 participants.

Safety first! Look at all those reflectors this morning at bike parking.

Opening Ceremonies with the CEO of the SF AIDS Foundation. The announced participation for ALC8 was 2180 riders, 550 roadie providing support, and over $10,500,000 raised. For all of you who donated: THANK YOU! What a huge difference a group of people can make!

MOOOO! The herd of cyclists waiting to ride out and get under way. (Herd...moo...it's the COW PALACE, cut me some slack!)

The line of riders passing under a bridge on Alemany Blvd in San Francisco

Riding through the fog at the top of Skyline in Pacifica.

My parents came out from Pleasanton and met me at Rest Stop 2 in Half Moon Bay. Hi Mom! Hey Dad!

Jan Wexner, co-captain of the PG&E Power Pedalers. Jan is a roadie handling the lunch stops all week long. here she directs cyclists into bike parking at San Gregario State Beach.

Riding down Highway 1 towards Pescadero.

Our other co-captain: David Haya!

The route drops down to Waddell State Beach. After a foggy and overcast morning, the sun came out on the southern part of the route. Cloudy weather is great for biking, but it takes sun to make the landscape shots look good.

There's an unofficial rest stop called "The Pie Lady." It's just after Davenport, near the end of the route. They have a simple policy: one free slice of pie for every rider that stops.

Ooh man, after 75 miles of biking, nothing tastes better than a slice of free pie. What you don't get from this picture is the boom box blaring out Rick James' "Superfreak." Free pie and some atmosphere!

Here's the tent city at Harvey West Park. I got in around 2 PM, so it's still pretty empty. By 6 PM it will be row after row of nylon and fiberglass. And freshly-showered cyclists sated on all-you-can eat chicken parmesan.