 This
morning, AIDS/LifeCycle participants hopped out of bed (or perhaps they were too excited to sleep)
to get to the University of San Francisco by 5am. In the dawn light, they gave their gear to volunteers
in trucks and walked to the university’s baseball field for the brief opening ceremony.
After the Cyclists stretched, they heard from representatives
from USF, the L.A. Gay
& Lesbian Center, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
The profound emotional center of the event was displayed by the Positive Pedalers, who carried
a pair of bicycle wheels in honor of people we’ve
lost to this epidemic. With the cut of a ribbon, the route officially opened.
 Much
of the morning ride through San Francisco and the Peninsula was enshrouded
in fog, creating a surreal cycling experience. The sensation of unreality was particularly
strong on the 280 highway overpass, where the roads below were invisible. Two major hills faced
Cyclists in the first part of the day: Trousdale Avenue and Skyline Boulevard. The eight-mile
journey on Skyline was a seemingly never-ending climb through redwood trees that dripped fog from
every leaf. But the reward on the other side was a screaming downhill.
 After
lunch at San Gregorio beach, the route took Cyclists down
mercifully gentle Highway 1 and treated them to a tailwind along with exhilarating views
of the Pacific. Volunteers held out Red Vines to Cyclists to grab as they passed. Cherry and
strawberry stands from local growers beckoned. The Rest Stop crews created endless fun for us:
Rest Stop 2 was the “airport,” Rest Stop 3
featured horror movie starlets, while Rest Stop 4 was graced
by the presence of faux “Hooter’s” girls.
Santa Cruz opened its arms to AIDS/LifeCycle and our tents
are now covering Harvey West Park. After dinner, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus entertained
participants. Now folks are tucked into their sleeping bags and re-energizing for the 100 miles
of Day 2.
-- Jeff Brock, AIDS/LifeCycle Webmaster & Cyclist #5410
Reporting from Santa Cruz
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