Spring Training

We are just 3 weeks out from our week long adventure. This year has been a hard one for training because of all the rain.
Ike Onwurah is our newest team member.

 Jason, Ike, Jan, Valerie and Sally before we rode out.             

 Valerie, Ike and Jan in Livermore on a team training ride in April.

Valerie & Ike coming up hills. Easy to catch a photo when they are going slower.

Fall training team training rides

Three new team members this year (so far)

On the right, Valerie and Jamie, 1st training ride with other PG&Ers.

AM sweep team from 2018, 4 PG&E team members.

Mike, another new team member & Jan, San Ramon training ride.

Wheels for Meals, PG&E & familia

Our 7th year doing this ride with friends, family and co-workers.
14 riders -17 miles
14 riders -40 miles
1 rider -65 miles
3 volunteers
Raised >$8,500!

Back row: David, Jerry, Rick, Nancy, Zoe, Stephanie, Kevin, Jason
Front row: Jan, Laurie, Kyla

I was hoping the pro photographers would post the shots

of our team that I know they took. But they never appeared.

Here are some of the ones that did though.

Neeru, Rick, Jason, Julie, Lloyd, Jan

Lloyd & Julie, their 1st Wheels ride

Neeru before the ride. She rode >40 miles, longest of her life so far.

David rode with the 17 milers, the only one to get a finish photo.
I love their kabobs, always so yummy & I got extra too.

Canary Challenge

We only had 3 riders from PG&E this year. Hoping for more next year. Lot of perks with this event. Free stuff including photos from professional photographers. Hot breakfast & food truck tickets for lunch. Free coffee truck, all the bottled drinks you can imagine, well stocked rest stops and SAG support. Canary Challenge is the world's first nonprofit dedicated solely to the funding, discovery and development of test for early cancer detection.
for early cancer

great finish photos - thank you Knarl Stuart

 Isabelle

 Jan, Julio, Tom

Jan, Laura, Julio, Tom

Brandon & another happy cyclist 

Day 7, Ventura - Los Angeles, 77 miles & finish!

Day 7 is all about the excitement of going over the finish line. The route was changed and the finish was at City Hall, so even veterans, especially those not from LA didn't know what to expect. This can be good, as it's nice to have a change, but also frustrating at the same time, not knowing what to expect.

On the way to Rest Stop 1 is a pull out with a mini outdoor museum of Navy planes. Tom & Isabelle found each other there and rode together the rest of the day. We all had a nice surprise in the repaved road most of the first 15 miles which used to be a mess.

Isabelle got so excited at the slight downhill, she flew ahead of the rest of us to finish.

First time we've had 5 finish together. Jan, Laura, Julio & Tom all crossed together.

As we crossed we were announced as the PG&E team with tidbits of info about us.

Or so we were told. I don't think most of us heard it in the excitement and cheering, but our families did.

Mary & Larry, who worked as Minion Sweeps all week crossed about the same time (by sheer coincidence) in the Roadie shute.

David & Emilia crossed right behind them.

Day 6, Lompoc to Ventura, 88+ miles

Day 6 is a favorite day for many. We've accomplished so much we are almost done. We ride on "The 101" a little as well as bike paths by the ocean.

This is Emilia, retiree David Haya's daughter. They work as a Sweep Team, one of 28 cars on the road all week picking up distressed cyclists and boosting them to the next rest stop for self, medical, or mechanical evaluation or repair.

Same Sweep Team got a short break at the same time as Jan, Julio and Isabelle and joined us in a beautiful park in Goleta for lunch.

Julio enjoying the beach later in the route.

The photos of the bike path aren't of any of our team but show the lovely parks we ride through on our way to Paradise Pit.

The bike paths are shared by pedestrians as well and everyone is excited to see the cyclists.

Flat smooth pavement is such a pleasure to zip by with the ocean in view.

Paradise Pit is an unofficial stop with lots of ice cream, home baked goods and fresh fruit. It's held on a small patch of city park land in Santa Barbara with lots of volunteers from there. (Not ALC volunteers)

Rest Stop 4 is on the beach and has a dance party that some cyclists stay and dance at for an hour.  Isabelle is posing with some of the Roadies working the stop. I'm not sure what the theme was, maybe sheep?

Occasionally we all or most of us, manage to find each other (through texts) to eat together for dinner. The food is usually over the top with choices and quantities. Some cyclists even gain weight by enjoying a little too many desserts.

The Candlelight Vigil is a tradition where family and friends are invited to join in camp and walk to the beach. The vigil is done in almost complete silence with participants being handed special safety candles to carry as they think of loved ones they've lost to AIDS/HIV. It is a very emotional time for many who attend.

The moments are personal even though they are shared by the entire group.