Most of the team is already registered for next year, you too can be part of this great experience. If you have questions, contact one of us.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
More photos, Roadie Volunteers
Jan blogging today. Thank you to Lori & Nicolas for their excellent blogs and insights to our week on the road. If you are interested in joining us next year, for this fun filled week of adult summer camp, but aren’t a rider, please consider being a Roadie. 550 Roadies are needed to support the cyclists. This year there were 2,225 of those smiling, pedaling, fundraising, spirited cyclists, who are all very appreciative of the Roadies.
Chris Echavia, in her sweep mobile.
Sweeps help move riders to the next rest stop
for help with bicycle or medical issues.
Day 2, Lunch, before the hard rain hit. Pink Princess theme,
Jan with 5 year lunch buddy, Drew
Jan with 5 year lunch buddy, Drew
Lunch Roadies, Emilia is on the right. Cowboy theme at Questa Jr. College. Costumes are not required, but Roadie teams have different themes each day and many dress up to boost enthusiasm and see even more cyclist's smiles.
Jan, Emilia & Vinny, day 7 lunch, yes, USO/Camo theme.
Nicolas, ROADIE Simon, Ben Ly and Lori, day 7.
Simon worked Traffic, at the exit and entrance to camp each day.
Michael and David picking up their bikes at the Cow Palace Monday.
They decided to ship them home.....some folks do ride home...not many though.
To see more photos on the web, click here:
Experience AIDS/LifeCycle
To see more photos on the web, click here:
Experience AIDS/LifeCycle
Friday, June 8, 2012
Day 6 - Almost to LA!!!
Today was (in my opinion) the most beautiful day of the ride. We had sweeping views of the beach as we headed south on 101 from Lompoc, through Santa Barbara and into Ventura. Captain's log? 84.4 miles.
Here are some ALC 11 fun facts:
- Oldest participant: 83
- Youngest participant: 18
- # of states represented: 44
- # of countries represented: 16
- Avg. calories burned daily: 3,410
- # of eggs: 44,600
- pounds of pasta: 1,200
- gallons of water: 18,800
- # of portable toilets: 1,055
- packets of "butt butter": 18,000
And then here are some photos from today:
Squirrel! It's so hard to think about a sore bum when there are so many distractions to keep us smiling :)
Our (retired) PG&E team member, Diane Runyan!
Rest stop 2... Doesn't this make you want to join us next year? Say yes.
Ninja, Ben Ly.
Helmet 3-hawk looks like this!
Tomothy the tiger, with a touch of attitude during the lunch stop.
Julio's response.
(It's Day 6... delirium is setting in.)
Santa Barbara's (unofficial) Paradise Pit stop... A local ice cream store in Santa Barbara has made it a tradition to serve ice cream, fruit and baked goods every year as we pass through town. Gotta admit, we were a little bit giddy.
See what I mean?
Rest stop 4, a beach party with a Thunderdome theme. Of course!
They didn't even notice the camera.... Nom nom nom ;)
Can't wait for a flushing toilet. See some of you tomorrow!
- Lori C.
Here are some ALC 11 fun facts:
- Oldest participant: 83
- Youngest participant: 18
- # of states represented: 44
- # of countries represented: 16
- Avg. calories burned daily: 3,410
- # of eggs: 44,600
- pounds of pasta: 1,200
- gallons of water: 18,800
- # of portable toilets: 1,055
- packets of "butt butter": 18,000
And then here are some photos from today:
Squirrel! It's so hard to think about a sore bum when there are so many distractions to keep us smiling :)
Our (retired) PG&E team member, Diane Runyan!
Rest stop 2... Doesn't this make you want to join us next year? Say yes.
Ninja, Ben Ly.
Helmet 3-hawk looks like this!
Tomothy the tiger, with a touch of attitude during the lunch stop.
Julio's response.
(It's Day 6... delirium is setting in.)
Santa Barbara's (unofficial) Paradise Pit stop... A local ice cream store in Santa Barbara has made it a tradition to serve ice cream, fruit and baked goods every year as we pass through town. Gotta admit, we were a little bit giddy.
See what I mean?
Rest stop 4, a beach party with a Thunderdome theme. Of course!
They didn't even notice the camera.... Nom nom nom ;)
Can't wait for a flushing toilet. See some of you tomorrow!
- Lori C.
Location:E Harbor Blvd,Ventura,United States
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Day 5 - Red Dress Day
What is Red Dress Day?
Red Dress Day...
- is a day everybody wears red!
Okok, I can do better.
Red Dress Day...
- is a day everybody takes a little bit longer in the morning to get fabulously red and beautiful; and getting chased by the caboose (sag wagon) later is totally worth it
- is the shortest day (42 miles) on the ride and the day we climb and climb and cliiiiiiimb our way from Santa Maria to Lompoc
- is a day we raise awareness by forming a human "red ribbon" on the switchbacks of CA-1
- is a day we get honked at and stared at the most by other drivers on the road. And rightfully so, allow me to explain.
At 6am, I opened my tent doors to this lovely sight...
Brian and Michael, wishing the world a good morning.
And then it just continued...
You can trust us to fight your crime, we're professionals. Tom, Brian, Ben, Nick and Lori - superheroes!
Ben Ly striking a pose while waiting for a red light.
Lunchtime entertainment was a creative rendition of "The Voice".
Lori and Nick get CPR training during lunch! We're hoping this satisfies the mandatory training requirement.
Red red red, as far as the eye could see.
Back at camp, at the official teeth brushing tree.
Nick showcases how he keeps warm each night.
Also, not to confuse the matter, but here are some photos from previous days and other phones and cameras. Thanks Jan!
Emilia and Vinnie, our awesome Lunchie Roadies who tell us where to go, where to park, where to sanitize our hands, what's for lunch, and on occasion.... even help charge our phones in their trucks during the day (a HOT commodity on the ride).
Team Mom (Jan) finally gets a break!
How many PG&E-ers does it take to....
I know! It's a lot!
Good night! Now where are my ear plugs?
Red Dress Day...
- is a day everybody wears red!
Okok, I can do better.
Red Dress Day...
- is a day everybody takes a little bit longer in the morning to get fabulously red and beautiful; and getting chased by the caboose (sag wagon) later is totally worth it
- is the shortest day (42 miles) on the ride and the day we climb and climb and cliiiiiiimb our way from Santa Maria to Lompoc
- is a day we raise awareness by forming a human "red ribbon" on the switchbacks of CA-1
- is a day we get honked at and stared at the most by other drivers on the road. And rightfully so, allow me to explain.
At 6am, I opened my tent doors to this lovely sight...
Brian and Michael, wishing the world a good morning.
And then it just continued...
You can trust us to fight your crime, we're professionals. Tom, Brian, Ben, Nick and Lori - superheroes!
Ben Ly striking a pose while waiting for a red light.
Lunchtime entertainment was a creative rendition of "The Voice".
Lori and Nick get CPR training during lunch! We're hoping this satisfies the mandatory training requirement.
Red red red, as far as the eye could see.
Back at camp, at the official teeth brushing tree.
Nick showcases how he keeps warm each night.
Also, not to confuse the matter, but here are some photos from previous days and other phones and cameras. Thanks Jan!
Emilia and Vinnie, our awesome Lunchie Roadies who tell us where to go, where to park, where to sanitize our hands, what's for lunch, and on occasion.... even help charge our phones in their trucks during the day (a HOT commodity on the ride).
Team Mom (Jan) finally gets a break!
How many PG&E-ers does it take to....
I know! It's a lot!
Good night! Now where are my ear plugs?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Day 4 - 97 miles from Paso Robles to Santa Maria
Hello from Santa Maria! We are going to have to go with the Cliff Notes version of a blog today due to the following:
The route was a beautiful 97 mile day which included the infamous "Evil Twin" hills, the halfway to LA mark and some gnarly cross-wind threatening to knock us over for a good stretch of the way...
Which means we got back a little later (6:30pm) than usual....
Which also means we are all dead tired....
Plus, most of camp is sleeping and I think the guy in the tent behind me is trying to start a lawn mower... every 5 seconds.
Time for ear plugs and photos!
Lori, Ben, Julio, Tom and Nick!
Brian, once again had to text this one to us! :)
Dude! Where's my bike?
Bike tech support continues to save us!
Baby solar cape, Big solar cape!
There's more food than we know what to do with!
Team PG&E!
Good night! Tomorrow is Red Dress Day, the veterans are SO excited and the newbies have no idea what they're in for....
- Lori C.
The route was a beautiful 97 mile day which included the infamous "Evil Twin" hills, the halfway to LA mark and some gnarly cross-wind threatening to knock us over for a good stretch of the way...
Which means we got back a little later (6:30pm) than usual....
Which also means we are all dead tired....
Plus, most of camp is sleeping and I think the guy in the tent behind me is trying to start a lawn mower... every 5 seconds.
Time for ear plugs and photos!
Lori, Ben, Julio, Tom and Nick!
Brian, once again had to text this one to us! :)
Dude! Where's my bike?
Bike tech support continues to save us!
Baby solar cape, Big solar cape!
There's more food than we know what to do with!
Team PG&E!
Good night! Tomorrow is Red Dress Day, the veterans are SO excited and the newbies have no idea what they're in for....
- Lori C.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Day Three, and Very Happy
Hello World,
We decided to switch up the author for today's updates, so bare with me as this is my first ever blog posting.
Today, we woke up with no confidence in weather forecasts and headed out well fed to meet the road ahead of us. What we found was partly sunny skies, beautiful rolling vineyards, & a hill they call "quadbuster"! I have no idea how long or how high of a climb it was, but every rider was challenged. Really strong riders actually leaned over and pushed struggling strangers up the hill.
The other side of the summit provided long fast descents mixed with crosswinds and semi trucks that nearly blew you over as they passed. All of this happened early in the day and soon we found ourselves at rest stop three with the sun out, plenty of Gatorade, and lots of smiling friends around :)
Beauty school dropout theme.
With the wind at our backs now, it was a quick jaunt along Highway 101 into the small town of Bradley for lunch. Jan, super roadie and also our team mom, was there to greet us for lunch.
This very small town opens its streets to ALC every year and holds a barbecue to raise money for the students. The dollars raised from this single hot lunch will fund their field trips and after school programs for the entire year!
The team was fast today, we were safe and followed the rules of the road. The closer we got to Paso Robles, the hotter and windier it was. Once in camp, we enjoyed the amenities we have already grown accustomed to: warm showers, plenty of food, and a lot of skilled volunteers keeping everybody going. Lori and I even received some very unique therapy for sore joints.
We aren't exactly sure what tomorrow's adventure will look like, but we will be tackling all 97 miles of it as a team! If you find yourself on the highway between Paso Robles and Santa Maria, keep an out for a bunch of cyclists in PG&E Blue jerseys.
- Nicolas V.
We decided to switch up the author for today's updates, so bare with me as this is my first ever blog posting.
Today, we woke up with no confidence in weather forecasts and headed out well fed to meet the road ahead of us. What we found was partly sunny skies, beautiful rolling vineyards, & a hill they call "quadbuster"! I have no idea how long or how high of a climb it was, but every rider was challenged. Really strong riders actually leaned over and pushed struggling strangers up the hill.
The other side of the summit provided long fast descents mixed with crosswinds and semi trucks that nearly blew you over as they passed. All of this happened early in the day and soon we found ourselves at rest stop three with the sun out, plenty of Gatorade, and lots of smiling friends around :)
Beauty school dropout theme.
With the wind at our backs now, it was a quick jaunt along Highway 101 into the small town of Bradley for lunch. Jan, super roadie and also our team mom, was there to greet us for lunch.
This very small town opens its streets to ALC every year and holds a barbecue to raise money for the students. The dollars raised from this single hot lunch will fund their field trips and after school programs for the entire year!
The team was fast today, we were safe and followed the rules of the road. The closer we got to Paso Robles, the hotter and windier it was. Once in camp, we enjoyed the amenities we have already grown accustomed to: warm showers, plenty of food, and a lot of skilled volunteers keeping everybody going. Lori and I even received some very unique therapy for sore joints.
We aren't exactly sure what tomorrow's adventure will look like, but we will be tackling all 97 miles of it as a team! If you find yourself on the highway between Paso Robles and Santa Maria, keep an out for a bunch of cyclists in PG&E Blue jerseys.
- Nicolas V.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Really sexy people in warm shiny Mylar
Day 2 - King City
The Plan: Wake up at 4:50am, have breakfast and roll out by 6:30am. Ride from Santa Cruz to King City. Log 109 miles.
The Reality: Woke up at 4:50am, had breakfast and rolled out by 6:30am. Rode 50 miles with a gradual weather change from misty fog to light showers to rain to what the heck? side-wind rain?!
Again, here is our photo log for your enjoyment. :)
It was a deceptively warm and dry morning in Santa Cruz.
Julio and Tomothy stand in tent city after a good night's rest, discussing the weather over a cup of coffee. "We better bring rain jackets."
While 2 doors down, Ben, Lori and Nick were having a completely different conversation. "It's not gonna rain is it?". "Nah, it's so warm out!"
Bag and tent drop-off in the morning. "Do you have everything. Sunglasses? Sunscreen? Helmet? Gloves?". Ben Ly benefits from the reminder. :)
Mile 16, Rest stop 1. Getting misty...!
Drowned rats by the time we get to Mile 40 at Rest Stop 2...
But we decided to tough it through and head to lunch!
10 miles later, the route closes at the Lunch Stop... Mylar blankets and black trash bags stop the shivers and soon inspire an impromptu fashion show on the "best" way to wear Mylar! Gotta love this ride. :D
We were then ushered (or corralled) to a local college student center where we waited for the buses.
A few hours later we were grateful and warm... Heading to King City. :)
The (+) sides: No one got sunburned today. Three of our Power Pedalers (Rockstars Brian Ellis, Dave Haya and Mike) managed to stay ahead of the crowd and bike all 109 miles! And it was one heck of an exciting day.
We just finished stuffing our happy faces and are turning in for the night. Cheers!
The Plan: Wake up at 4:50am, have breakfast and roll out by 6:30am. Ride from Santa Cruz to King City. Log 109 miles.
The Reality: Woke up at 4:50am, had breakfast and rolled out by 6:30am. Rode 50 miles with a gradual weather change from misty fog to light showers to rain to what the heck? side-wind rain?!
Again, here is our photo log for your enjoyment. :)
It was a deceptively warm and dry morning in Santa Cruz.
Julio and Tomothy stand in tent city after a good night's rest, discussing the weather over a cup of coffee. "We better bring rain jackets."
While 2 doors down, Ben, Lori and Nick were having a completely different conversation. "It's not gonna rain is it?". "Nah, it's so warm out!"
Bag and tent drop-off in the morning. "Do you have everything. Sunglasses? Sunscreen? Helmet? Gloves?". Ben Ly benefits from the reminder. :)
Mile 16, Rest stop 1. Getting misty...!
Drowned rats by the time we get to Mile 40 at Rest Stop 2...
But we decided to tough it through and head to lunch!
10 miles later, the route closes at the Lunch Stop... Mylar blankets and black trash bags stop the shivers and soon inspire an impromptu fashion show on the "best" way to wear Mylar! Gotta love this ride. :D
We were then ushered (or corralled) to a local college student center where we waited for the buses.
A few hours later we were grateful and warm... Heading to King City. :)
The (+) sides: No one got sunburned today. Three of our Power Pedalers (Rockstars Brian Ellis, Dave Haya and Mike) managed to stay ahead of the crowd and bike all 109 miles! And it was one heck of an exciting day.
We just finished stuffing our happy faces and are turning in for the night. Cheers!
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