Alc 2009

[Trek420]

I am really in awe of anybody riding over 500 miles!

Clock

Clockwork, yes it's quite the ride. The thing about ALC (or any multi day tour) is not so much the distance and climbing although there is that but what I call the back to back to backness.

Do a century, sleep in a tent, get up and do another, try to find the porta potty in the night, do another, pitch a tent and take it down, do another ...

We have us some hills here and the climbing is significant. I don't know for sure but have heard figures of about 27-28,000 feet of climbing. And since they'll start and end at sea level there's equal amount of descending

Yet as California rides go it's not the hardest. There are doubles that V and others here do that have almost as much climbing in one day. don't even think about the Death Ride

But on most doubles or rides like T.D. R. one can take a rest day the next day This one you can't and that makes it tough but also rewarding

[ClockworkOrange]

Cheers Trek for explaining.

I am now in even more 'aweness' than I was before, in fact I must increase the amount I was going to sponsor her for.

Like so many others, I wish I had discovered riding many, many years ago.

Thanks again Trek.

Clock

[Trek420]

Is "aweness" a word? Well it is now

Everything I know that let me to do this ride before I learned right here on TE Yeah, there were club rides and official ALC training rides and I even led training rides one year ...

But the stuff that really made it work ... right here on TE. This is still the best place in cyberspace for women (and some men) cyclists.

Long live TE. Other than UK & Dr. Duck is there anyone else on the board doing the ride this year and are we gonna have a TE tent section?

[ClockworkOrange]

Is "aweness" a word? Well it is now ...............

Awê-ness noun. The name of an annual charitable awareness-campaign of which the highlight is a youth-rock festival


And I thought I had introduced the word into the English language.............

Clock

[ACG]

I am riding, I am number 1220. This is my fourth ride. I am riding with a very good friend who has wanted to do this ride for a long time now.

I just wrote a great request for donation letter. I'm doing a mass mailing now. I even got the aids lifecycle, watermark on the paper! I'm so excited to do this again. Best of luck to all in the TE family

Here is my letter:

At some point in your life you realize there is more than your little circle of the world. This is why I ride. I ride the AIDS lifecycle, 454 miles, to see outside my circle. I ride across a desert to know there is more to life. I ride behind my friends to feel a semblance of togetherness. I ride in the morning to see my home in a new light. I ride at my age to show my daughters that someone over 45 can do anything they can do. I ride every day to keep something familiar in this ever changing world. I ride on holidays to feel the freedom of an empty street. I ride with extra tubes to know that if I fall I can ride again. I ride and I ride and I ride. And if I could do anything right now, I’d be ridding. I ride to breathe deep. I ride to stand tall. I ride to fall hard and I get back up to prove that I can. I ride because one day I felt like seeing the world. And I continue ridding because I haven’t seen it all yet. With two wheels moving fast and my legs pedaling hard, I ride to experience something more than myself. I ride to live.I will ride the Aidslifecycle ride from May 31 to June 6 so that people with Aids, people of all colors, all religions, all ages can live with Aids. Please donate to my Aidslifecycle ride. You may use the website link highlighted on the form attached or use the form and mail it in.If nothing else wish me good thoughts and prayers May 31 to June 6, while I ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
With much love, Audrey Urquidi

[Trek420]

So there will be a TE tent section, yes? We have 3 on the ride so far.

[uk elephant]

Hi ACG! What a great letter! Inspirational! Hope to meet you on the ride...

I have finally gotten back into training. December was a bit of a wash-out with Crohn's problems and then the Christmas chest cold. The chest has still not recovered, but the rest of me has so I thought I had better get started. Cycling to work every day and now that I have moved to Wales that means 4 miles each way with a killer hill on the way to work. And with all this rain, it is turning almost into a triathlon event as the path is flooded in one bit and if the water rises any more I'll have to swim across it! I have also joined the gym here at work and have been for a swim every morning (since yesterday ). Also planning to join the pilates class tonight and the yoga class monday nights. And I may alternate swimming with gym work some days. Longer bike rides will have to be week-ends for now until it gets lighter out so I can see where I'm going when I explore new roads.