Day 1: San Francisco to Santa Cruz, 79 miles

Today started very, very early. And it almost ended very early for me, after crashing only 20 miles in.

The weather went from wet fog to bright sun, then light crosswinds to strong tailwinds. We finished under a hot sun rolling through side streets in Santa Cruz. Tonight we sleep with bellies full of chicken parmesan, Caesar salad, and cheesecake. And it will be so nice.

Like I said. It was a very early morning.

Jess and me only 15 minutes later. Dressed, packed, and ready to meet our ride to San Francisco.

Unfortunately, we arrived with the first wave of volunteers around 4 AM, but the doors weren’t open for cyclists until 5. So we grabbed a little sleep.

Opening ceremonies are a must for your first AIDS/Lifecycle. It’s a tremendous reminder of the human suffering caused by the virus, and how vital the ride is.

This is Jess fixing her first flat tire of the day. Nice form with that frame pump, babe.

Rest Stop 1 was crowded. The weather had turned sunny, so we stopped to shed some layers and refill water bottles. Note to future participants: do not drink the yellow Powerade unless it’s diluted 1:1 with water!!!

Another PG&E Power Pedaler was in the rest stop. Here’s Diane Runyan (Sr. Director’s Assistant, IT Infrastructure, SF GO) !

I hesistated posting this picture. It’s a whole lot of my leg. And it's ugly. But it’s a reminder that things can go wrong. If you’re not prepared, then a serious fall can cause major injuries or fatalities. I walked away with a big road rash, and some swelling around my hip. But I rode the whole rest of the day. Helmets. Gloves. A good pair of shorts. PPE comes in many different forms. USE IT!
The other downside of crashing--besides the pain--is showing your injuries to your parents and grandparents who came out to celebrate Day 1. My mom’s holding my beautiful Trek Madone. The right shifter needed an adjustment, and there’s a tiny scratch on my seat, but it was totally roadworthy.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

Waddel State Beach. I took this same picture last year. So beautiful.

There are two schools of thought on setting up the tent. Everybody agrees you first park your bike and head for the gear trucks. Some people say head for your campsite and get the tent set up, then go grab a shower. Others say to leave your bag in the luggage pile, but grab your strategically-packed toiletries kit and run as fast as you can to get in line for a shower. I handled the tent. Jess got the first shower.

My new solar-powered Blackberry. Let’s green this city. We can do this.

The porta potty bank. Another visit will be in order shortly….

Moto safety patrol. There are 30 volunteers on their motorbikes throughout the route, directing traffic and keeping us safe around road hazards.

DINNER!!!! Two lines for meat-eater. One line with ZERO waiting for veg/vegen/gluten free. If you can forgo the chicken and meatballs, the veg line will saves major time. Only pre-registered veggies with their green wristbands are allowed, though.

Or as I call it, The House of Chocolate Milk.

She ate pretty much the whole plate, too. That’s David Haya (Building Mechanic, 1919 Webster) on the left. David’s usually our top fundraiser (over $8K!) and is on his third ALC.

Stan and Ben. Both looking happy and ready for bed. This picture was taken at 6:45 PM.

Team Capitan Jackie Udin was last into camp. Way to go Jackie! You can see that Jessica’s one sleeping bag away from being asleep.