Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 2 (2003)

Day by Day Coverage: Orientation Day

Gearing Up!

After months of preparation, miles of training, and a ton of fundraising letters, the participants of AIDS/LifeCycle 2 are finally ending one phase of their journey and beginning the next. Today at the University of San Francisco more than 1,300 Cyclists & Roadies gathered from throughout California and the world for ALC’s Orientation Day.

Like last year, USF was a gracious host today. ALC participants covered the school’s gymnasium and surrounding areas, gliding from one line to the next. The buzz inside the gym was palpable. Cyclists who had known each other only from messages on the list serve marveled at meeting in person. Veteran Cyclists traded stories of past rides. At the camp store, where merchandise sales support the event’s beneficiaries, the brand-new AIDS/LifeCycle bike jersey was a hot seller.

Staff picked up their walkie-talkies and headsets. Smiling volunteers stood at every corner, pointing the way for busy participants. Some cyclists dropped off last-minute donations at the Pledge Office. All cyclists wheeled their bikes into bike parking, which was divided into “countries” so they can easily remember where their ride is tomorrow morning.

Since safety is the organizers’ top concern, all participants were required to view a home-produced safety video inside USF’s gorgeous auditorium. Participants’ wrists are becoming multicolored – neon orange wristbands to indicate they’ve watched the safety video, hot pink for cyclists to get food service. Then there’s the neck chain with the tags for tents, gear trucks …

From this first-time cyclist’s perspective, it’s an incredibly well-oiled machine (like a smooth-riding carbon-fiber bike, perhaps?). It’ll be hard to get much sleep tonight since we’re looking forward to the emotional first day. Tomorrow at USF at 6:25am, we hit the road for L.A. We’ll carry with us the hopes and dreams of many thousands of people living with HIV.

-- Jeff Brock, AIDS/LifeCycle Webmaster & Cyclist #5410
Reporting from San Francisco

Check out today's photos!