Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 3 (2004)

Day by Day Coverage: Day 1 - San Francisco to Aptos

Sweetums’es! Aunt Blabby here with yer Road Report. What a wonderful way to start our seven days (well, eight if you include all the fun we had at Orientation). The Riderless Bike always smears my mascara, then Miz Lorri Jean (CEO of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center) and Mizter Mark McCormick (board chair of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation) roused us from our bleariness with their words. And my loves, watching the cyclists line up and hit the road turned me into Aunt Blubbery.

We had 1203 folks ride out yesterday; yer Auntie expects that we’ll have 1203 ride into Dodger Stadium on Saturday. That’s why we put safety above EVERYTHING else on this event. Every cyclist, roadie and staff member watches a safety video within two days of leaving. Cyclists are reminded throughout the week of the Road Rules and Roadies are reminded of safe work habits.

Today I passed along some important words from our hard-working Med and Sports Med mavens:

• Hydrate. Take that water with a Gatorade (or other sports drink) chaser. We’ll be heading into warmer weather soon and you’ll lose more liquids. If ya ain’t peein’, ya ain’t hydratin’ enuf.
• Stay outta the shrubbery around rest stops and campsites. It’s not only respectful to the folks who let us use their areas for rest stops, a few folks have already been afflicted by poison oak on their, um, various body parts.
• When you pedal, make sure your knees are over your ankles, not stickin’ out.
• Use sunscreen wisely! Make sure you apply it to the back of your neck, the top of your ears and under helmet vent slots.
• Word o’ the Day – IT Bands. They’re the areas down the side of your legs attachin’ to the knee (which is connected to shin bone, shin…). If they start to hurt, stretch the muscle on the side of the hip to stretch ‘em. Questions? See the fabuloso Sports Med crew!

Till tomorrow, sweet things …

Check out today's photos!

Read today's journal entries from:

• Donna
• Gilbert
• Harper
• Roman
• Tom