We're all lounging around on the lawn of a KOA Campground in Ely, Nevada, enjoying a rest after getting off the road early. The Ride has been quite eventful thus far, lots of mileage and beautiful country, some small bike calamities, and moments of extreme elation. I'll do my best to summarize the adventure thus far.
6/19
We dipped our tires in the ocean, and with a cluster of supporters cheering us on, we set out for 67 days of the best bike trip of my life (and, yes, the only bike trip of my life). The road out of San Francisco took us over the Golden Gate Bridge. Each time we rounded one of the giant bridge supports we were hit by tremendous gusts of wind, which could easily knock an unprepared cyclist to the ground. I was lucky enough to be the lead rider across the bridge, drafting off a bridge patrol vehicle and pleased to begin the Ride with such a spectacular experience. The day was quite long, 103 miles of travel through Marin, up and down rolling hills, and finally to Fairfield. Our slow start in the morning, and a long lunch meant the ride took much longer than we had expected. A long slow hill climb at dusk led to a quick descent on fresh pavement as darkness settled in. I dug deep at the end of the day up the final tiny hill to the driveway of our generous host Blair. Once inside, I went straight for the lasagna, bread, salad, and of course, beer. This was the beginning of what I expect will be several months of eating like a champion.
6/20
A filling breakfast (note emphasis on food) from our host Blair, a few moments with her boys and a show and tell with their bikes, tiny compared to our fleet of fancy rides, and we were off to Folsom, CA. Another long day, with miles of country road, through farmland near Davis, lunch plus a chocolate milkshake, then some miles along a busy arterial with a bike lane. A group of us stopped at a bar for some water, and I was pleased to find, not for the first time, that people were supportive of the Ride. We fell into conversation with several women at the bar who were really interested in the Ride. It's great to hear that what we're doing (slowly, pedal stroke by pedal stroke) is inspiring people, reminding them that HIV/AIDS is still affecting people in Rwanda, the US, and worldwide. We shared info on AIDS Lifecycle, and FACE AIDS, and got back on the road with bottles full of ice water. As we neared Folsom, we got onto a tiny, charming bike path that wound through green space with trees and creeks. When we rolled into our host for the night, Andrew and Karin, we were met again with cold Mexican beer, and delicious tacos, guacamole, and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. The tremendous effort of hosting 19 cyclists, and feeding them after a hard day of riding is considerable, and I have been continually amazed by the generosity of our hosts in sharing their homes with us, and by their commitment to the cause of FACE AIDS, and to healthcare equality in general. The day was long, and we knew we had another long haul ahead of us.
6/21
After not nearly enough sleep, but with good food in the belly, we dodged and weaved out of Folsom. We began on bike paths, then got on country roads, ascending toward the mountains. Traveling through the beginnings of the western Sierra, we stopped in Placerville for lattes and pastries, then began the very long climb. I'd been told that the day was the hardest of the Ride, that I'd be ill advised to ride it with only a compact (very limited gearing), that it was basically straight up. All those things may be true, but it was also one of those days you remember forever. Out of Placerville, we rode along bike paths that wound upward in the shade, finishing with a brief stretch of gravel road. We then got on Route 50, a busy road that follows the South Fork of the American River up the western slope of the Sierra to Lake Tahoe. The grind in the hot sun along 50 was difficult, but also beautiful. We passed swimming holes, rapids and open Ponderosa forest. As we rose past several small mountain towns, met some lovely people, many who interested in the Ride, and some who saw the sheer ridiculousness of spending a day riding 98 miles almost entirely uphill. My buddy Sam and I eventually became a wolf pack of two, encouraging each other through the exhaustion. Each time we rounded a corner, we hoped for a downhill, or even a flat, but as our hopes were continually crushed, we took satisfaction in simply continuing, riding slowly thousands of feet up. When we passed the last town on the western side of the Sierra, we were elated. When we reached Echo Summit, at 7,382 feet, we were buzzing with the long term endorphins that set in when you've been moving your body for hours an hours, when you consider quitting and decide to go on, with the knowledge that we could bike, us who had never ridden over 100 miles at a stretch before. The winding descent into Tahoe was awesome, 45 MPH down a winding road amidst granite outcroppings. The views of the lake combined with the rock reminded me of why I love the Sierra and the high mountains. I would have loved to linger in Tahoe for another few days, climbing, wandering, exploring. The day was over 90 miles, and by the time we got to Tahoe, I could see the crystalline sweat beginning to build up on my skin. When we got in that night, we stayed in a host's empty house, had a quick shower and some food, followed by a night's sleep on their deck. The long physical and mental struggle to get over the mountains, shared with Sam and my fellow riders, led to a perfect day.
6/22
A short ride past Lake Tahoe led to another small pass, then a blissful descent into Carson City. I could tell we'd crossed into Nevada when I saw the first casino, literally sitting inches over the border from California. When we rolled into Carson City it was genuinely hot, and we were early. Our host for the night, Amy, wasn't expecting us for a few hours, so we went to a diner, had m,milkshakes, then decided we'd see how fast we could do the descent into Carson City (for the second time). Several of us saddled up and pointed it downhill. I've never gone faster on a bicycle. In the miles long descent, I never braked, but I felt completely at home on my bike. I'll never know how fast I went because my bike computer decided to stop working, but I do know that I wasn't being passed by many cars. Our host for the night was again incredibly gracious. She is a physician in Carson City, and it was interesting to hear her perspective on medicine, as well as about her family's experiences at Burning Man in the California Desert. Trips to the bike shop, dinner, conversation, and sleep.
6/23
Each of us takes a turn driving the vans, and this was my day to deliver water and food to the riders along the route, as well as buy groceries and pick up stranded riders. After only several miles outside of town, my teammate Audrey broke a spoke, so we scooped her up and went to Costco to stock up on food for the days ahead. When we arrived in Fallon, NV, our teammates were lounging around after a meal and milkshakes. We headed to meet our hosts for the weekend. Again (theme?), our hosts were incredibly welcoming. The 18 of us stayed in five different houses with five amazing families. The first night we had a giant potluck, and each of us shared the reason behind our commitment to healthcare equality, youth activism, and HIV/AIDS. There were many powerful moments. Though I've heard my teammates stories before, with each telling, I feel I understand them better. I also appreciated learning a bit about why our hosts would volunteer to take in 18 people they had never met before, and feed and house us for several days. After not nearly enough sleep for many nights in a row, I slept amazingly well, with no alarm necessary thanks to our first rest day.
I certainly owe you more at this point, but I'm going to grab a shower, a spoon of nutella, and a pillow. More soon (including photos)...
