Michael does

AIDS LifeCycle 8

A 545 Mile Adventure - May 31 - June 6, 2009

Holy Sore Butt Batman, Michael is Doing the LifeCycle!

From May 31-June 6, 2009, I'm bicycling in the AIDS LifeCycle - a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to help men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS.

Please help me support people living with HIV and AIDS by making any donation. Your contribution goes to help people in need and support two non-profit organizations in California.  You and I will never know who receives your donation, how it helps or means to them.  We do know it will go those in genuine need.

I have to raise $3000 in order to go on the Ride. ANY contribution is very much appreciated as are your words of support.

With much love and gratitude,

Michael

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Today was the first AIDS Life Cycle (ALC) training ride. We rode from Hillcrest (the city where I live) to Coronado and took the boat fairy back to the main San Diego Harbor and I rode back home - a total of 30.25 miles. I have never ridden that far in one day. I'm sore and excited. There were about 20 people all ages, shapes, sizes and orientations. Most knew each other from a previous ALC; but, I was instantly welcomed and felt as if I belonged to the group. That alone was a wonderful experience.

I can't describe how happy I was while riding. Another rider said to me, "You look so happy." And I was. I had such a big smile on my face. This ride  was an incredible experience. There I was with 20 other people beginning an odyssey. And I knew it. I savored the natural beauty.  I played and made

On Coronado with downtown San Diego

in the background

"vvvrrruuummm" sounds when I sped up. When we got to Coronado and waited for the boat fairy, my legs, butt, neck and shoulders were sore and tired. This will be quite a physical challenge! Some how I'm not afraid I can't do it...

As I sit here writing this - contemplating and reviewing the day (it took over 5 hours to ride the 30 miles) - I now know this will be far more of a profound life experience than I had thought or more accurately could have conceived before today.

I wonder how will I change as a person.

What I like:

1) There is such beauty to enjoy during the rides! I strive to look for beauty everyday and riding 10 to 14 hours a week gives me so many opportunities. The vast beaches, harbors, hills and California chaparral around San Diego and the city itself gives me a lot of opportunity to see and savor many types of natural beauty. Riding along the coast enjoying the ocean, the salt water smell, the sound of the waves, the eye candy; riding inland and looking at wild flowers, grasses and trees; the beautiful sky and clouds... I'm going to create a webpage with photos from the rides. I'll post the info when I do.

2) My legs! I got out of the shower the other day and I have to say my legs are looking good! I'm really enjoying pushing myself physically. If you've known me for more than an hour, you know I'm not much of an athlete and yet here I am, riding for hours at a time and every couple of weeks increasing the average distances I'm riding. It's a very good feeling and I'm very proud of myself.

What I don't like:

1) Holy crap it takes a long time to ride 30 miles! A good cruising speed is 14-16 miles per hour. Uphill can be as slow as 4 mph and when there's a head wind, God it becomes painful! I can do a burst of speed up to 28 mph on flat ground. All this adds up to it taking about an hour to ride 10 miles. Now that I'm riding 30-40 miles three times a week, you can figure out how long it's taking. I had no idea training was going to be a part-time job!

2) All the snot. Yeah, you read it correctly, "snot." My nose runs a lot when I ride. This is common with other riders; but, mine really runs. I've taken to carrying a bandanna for a handkerchief because the manufactures of Kleenex couldn't conceive of my nose's output and I'm not willing to do "snot rockets" if the name doesn't tell you what those are, I'm not going to.

Second Rest Stop - Tour de Palm Springs

The day started with the potential to be incredibly beautiful and it only got better. It had rained the night before and the morning was bright and sunny with a crystal blue desert sky and big puffy clouds. For the first 10 miles there was a piercing bitter cold headwind with a lot of up hill riding. My normal cruising speed on flat ground is ~15 mph. Mostly because of the headwind, my average speed was 4-9 mph and literally hundreds of other riders were passing me. It was a long demoralizing 10 miles... Then the course changed and there was a long downhill ride with now a light tailwind. In no time I was going 28 mph and it was wonderful! The composition of the road was a rough aggregate that made the front end of the bike vibrate and wobble - the higher the speed, the greater the vibration. I knew there was a possibility of losing control; and I just peddled faster. After a miserable 10 miles to be zooming down a hill at that speed was exhilarating.

The first rest stop was at 19 miles. I stopped, ate and drank. I was feeling good. At this point in my training 20 mile rides are easy for me. The second leg began with a very long gradual uphill. I started riding harder than I was on the first leg and shortly started to pass other riders. I felt strong and I rode harder passing more and more riders. The tendons on the outside of both my knees started to hurt and I only rode harder. It was incredible. "On your left," I said as I passed another rider. The course was now long rolling hills and I rode harder and harder faster and faster. "On your left." I'm averaging 20 mph and often hitting 29 mph which is really fast for my bike. I only wanted to ride harder and faster. "On your left." The pain in my knees was there; I only wanted to go faster. I took advantage of every downhill to ride faster and push myself harder on the uphills - always looking how to go faster. "On your left."

Two weeks ago the bike was in for service and with a trip to LA I wasn't able to ride for 10 days. I was surprised how disappointed I felt to not be able to ride for so long and how much my body missed the training. It's quite remarkable how all this training is part of my life.

So what do I do for hours and hours on the bike? I play a lot - the bike is a ship, I'm the captain, there's a crew and a few scenarios I play out - like... well...the nerds know where I'm going with this. I do sprints and push myself until my legs burn. I sing out loud - usually one small piece of song over and over and over and over and seriously, over again. I guess at distances from point to point. I curse headwinds and smoky cars. I lament work I'm not getting done. I savor the staggering beauty around me and there's SO much within a 50 mile radius of San Diego. I think how lucky I am to be able to do this much training.

Who do I ride with? I have a ride buddy, Daniel, and we usually ride one or two days a week. Every weekend there is at least one ALC training ride with five to sixteen riders and I do a lot of solo rides. Even when I'm riding with others, most of the time I'm alone. We all have our own pace and meet up at specific points. For example, today there was an ALC training ride around Chula Vista and Otay Lake (60 miles). There was a route/direction sheet with meet up points. Most of the riders are much faster than I am and they raced each other. I enjoy the solitude and the knowledge that I'll be meeting up with them.  Some

Self Portrait - Otay Lake

(Ya, gotta love cell phones!)

On the way home we stopped in at the bike shop where Daniel bought his bike because he wanted to show me the next bike he thought I should get.  It was a beautiful fire engine red road bike.  It pretty much was love at first sight.  I foolishly took it out for a spin.  Road bikes are much faster and can turn much tighter than my bike.  We were riding in a large empty parking lot and I turned too tightly and you guessed it, down I went for the third time.  We took the bike back and discovered I had cosmetically damaged the shifters. The price to replace them was $350 or $1300 for the bike.  I know; tough call.  It is the perfect next bike for the type of riding I’m really enjoying doing.  So what did I do?  I’ll tell you at the end of the story.

As for my left hand, I hoped it was only banged up and nothing more.  For the next few days I kept icing it and taking Motrin.  By the forth day it really wasn’t getting better and I knew it needed to be x-rayed; and yep, I broke the bone in between my wrist and thumb.  The cast will be on for between 4 and 8 weeks.  Worse yet, the doctor said I couldn’t ride again for 12 weeks (that would be mid-June) two weeks after the LifeCycle ended. 

Things were not looking good for our hero!

Remember that, “Never say die” expression I don’t usually use?  With the road bike I crashed, the body position is leaning forward and at times with a good part of my upper body weight right on the broken bone.  But, my bike’s body position is more upright and I can safely ride it without stressing the broken bone at all.  So as of right now, I should be able to go on the Ride.  Because of the break in my training I probably won’t be able to ride every mile.  But, that’s ok.  I’m going to do the best I can and it’s not over!  Stay tuned!!

This is the second cast and yes, it is bubble gum pink.  The first one was royal blue. When I found out I'd only have to have the second cast on for less than 3 weeks, I wanted to go for a color that was subtle. 

The weather was typical for San Diego – perfect.  It was sunny and there was a nice breeze and after about 7 miles I was feeling good and more comfortable riding the bike. There are many places I repeatedly ride to or around because there is little traffic and/or they’re particularly pretty.  Such is the case with the 3 mile stretch that runs along the 8 freeway out to the beach.  This is an especially beautiful ride because it starts along a fresh water stream that transitions into salt water from the ocean.  All along are beautiful wild flowers.  In no time I was smiling and enjoying riding again. That happy feeling I had felt so many times before began to return.  There was a cold head wind from the ocean and I didn’t care.  I rode faster than I would have thought into a head wind smiling and savoring the scenery. I wasn’t pushing myself, my legs and the bike just felt like going faster.  The ride only got better from there as I continued on to other similar pathways that run along the winding bay coastline. 

What I hoped to be a 25 mile ride turned into 43 glorious miles.  I got home feeling great, surprised how easily I rode 43 miles and not sore at all. 

The bike was having some difficulty shifting so at the end of the ride I took it in to be checked out.  A few days later I got the diagnosis – the frame is bent from one of the falls.  Unfortunately, it isn’t repairable.  It is safe to ride; it will just be a little finicky

The route along the 8 freeway out to the beach.

This is the view from top of Soledad Mountain Road -

that 3 mile hill.  Pretty cool, huh?

I found another local group that was doing a fairly easy 30 mile ride on Sunday – or so the description said…  It turned into 50 miles with a number of hills including one that is 3 miles.  It was incredible.  I certainly am not as strong as I was before but I was kicking a$$ and taking names! 

But wait there’s one more ride to tell.  Today Tuesday the 21^st I did another 53 miles of hard fast riding.  I’m back to averaging a speed of 16 miles an hour again.  And yes I did the 3 mile hill again!  It is unbelievable to me how hard and fast I’m riding.  Am I sore? No, not really.  I’m not forcing myself as much as you might think.  My body wants to do this!

So if you’re keeping track, in 9 days I’ve done 4 rides totaling 196 miles!  I’m back to riding every other day.  Thursday I’m planning a longer easier ride to Coronado and back (~65 miles).

How’s the bike doing?  Surprisingly well.  Considering that the frame is bent it only occasionally has shifting problems and they aren’t that bad.

How’s my hand doing?  Every day it’s a little better.  That first ride I did on the Monday the 13^th, bumps in the road jarred the hand enough to cause a good bit of pain.  Now a week later that rarely happens.  Unfortunately, my left thumb still isn’t

I started riding the new road bike on May 8; her full name is The Red Rocket (or Red for short).  The bike is named after her attributes.  The acceleration and handling are amazing compared to my other bike.  To use a car analogy, my hybrid bike is a 1972 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon (with fake wood paneling on the side) and the road bike is a new Porsche.  The perfect line from a movie to describe Red would be from The Philadelphia Story, “My she is yar.”  (Katharine Hepburn’s character described a sail boat as “Yar” - meaning quick to the helm and fast.)  And the Red Rocket sure is. 

In other news, last week I started training two days on and one day off and until May 13, the farthest I had ever ridden at one time was 64 miles and on the 13^th, I rode 84 miles.  It took all day, but I did it!  That week I rode the most miles I’ve ever ridden in one week – 350 miles.  For the last few weeks I had been averaging around 200 miles per week.  I could really feel the extra 150 miles.  Not that I was sore; but, more my legs and butt muscles were tight and would go into spasm occasionally. 

Meet The Red Rocket!

A Few Training Statistics:

• Started training in October 2008

• Total miles ridden: 2100

• Miles ridden since February 1, 2009: 1500 (I didn’t ride from March 12 to April 9 because of the broken bone in my hand)

• Most miles ridden in one week: 350

• Farthest single day ride: 84 miles

• Last week’s average single day ride: 70 miles

• The LifeCycle Ride is over 550 miles in seven days

  • The shortest day’s ride is 63 miles and the longest is 107

My goal remains to ride every mile.  Given the above statistics and my physical reaction to the 150 mile increase in a week, the goal would seem very difficult to achieve.

So what’s my strategy?  There will be 4 full rest stops with food, drinks, bike support, toilets etc and a lunch stop – 5 stops in all.  My plan is simple, to ride from rest stop to rest stop and not look at the day’s ride in total.  Take long breaks 20-30 minutes at each.  Stretch often.  And most of all, take my time.  I’m planning on being on the road by 7:30am and riding, if needed, until the route closes at 6:30pm.   My training rides are usually fast enough to push myself continually. During the LifeCycle Ride, I will intentionally slow down, savor the beauty of the road, take my time and not push myself to go faster.  I have nothing else I need to do except ride the bike.

Do I think I will make my goal?  Eryn, the owner of my bike shop said, “Don’t come back until you’ve ridden every mile.”  So I guess I’m going to have to… :-)

I’m in LA getting ready for the Ride.  Yesterday I bought a lot of things for it – decorations for the bike, the tent and me.  For example: Day five on the Ride is Red Dress Day and at Target I found a great skirt.  I bought red silk flowers to put in my helmet.  I got pinwheels to put out in front of the tent and battery operated Chinese lantern.  I’ll make sure to get a lot of pictures.  I’m getting excited as it becomes more real.  I’ve arranged a carpool up to San Francisco with 3 other people (2 riders and 1 roadie).  No one knows any one.  Last year I hitched a ride up with a couple and had a blast!  Based on how fun the emails with the 3 other people have been I know the ride to SF will be a fun adventure too.

Yesterday, I road from Woodland Hills to Burbank - a total of 53 miles.  I averaged 19 miles/hour, which is a pretty darn good cruising speed.   Just a few months ago the farthest I’d ridden was 36 miles and was averaging 12 miles/hour.  In total I’ve ridden ~2200 miles.  The number blows me away.  I’m very proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished. 

While I was riding yesterday, I started singing and feeling happy and strong and I thought how lucky I am to have this experience.  My mood and strength yesterday bodes very well for the Ride.  

I look forward to sharing some wonderful stories with you.

After all the months of training, part of me can’t believe it’s finally here.  I’m excited and very much looking forward to this adventure.  I have some ideas of what I’m in for from being a roadie last year.  There will be a lot of firsts for me: riding 550 miles in one week, riding 107 miles on day two and riding 7 days in a row.  This isn’t a race and my only goal is ride every mile and each day I will have about 11 hours to complete the day’s ride.  I’ll have lots of support and 550 miles of spandex clad butts to keep me going. ;-)

My concerns are: 1) My knees.  On and off I’ve had problems mostly with my left knee. 2) How my body will deal with riding every day for 7 days in a row.  On a road bike like Red, I feel every bump in the road and bad roads can be very jarring to the hands, head, neck, shoulders and back side.

I’ll let you know how it all turns out… In just hours, I will be off for an adventure!!  Wa-Hoo!!!

I want to thank you all again for your generous donations and words of support. 

Orientation and Ride Out were at the Cow Palace in Daily City.  Note: the row of 18 Budget trucks for our gear. 

Opening Ceremonies

Believe it or not there were about 5000 people all together.

Red and me at Ride Out.

2100 riders all leaving at once.  Probably took 45 minutes for everyone to get on the way.