Early in 2015 I got the crazy idea to ride a road bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the AIDS LifeCycle™ event. It took a year to train and a week to execute but it changed my relationship with cycling forever. Now I ride to stay mentally and physically balanced. It's my therapy and my meditation.
Here is a list of some of my most memorable days in the saddle.
2018 Honolulu Century
For the first time I wanted to compete with my fellow riders in a 100 mile event. I trained for months, lost weight, and got my power up. What I was not ready for was the afternoon heat. I took the KOM for the first half but lost time chasing water and ice during the second half. In the end I took 5th on the day. It's a result I'm proud of.
2017 Prudential Ride London - Surrey
What a day! My first time in London and it lived up to every expectation. It rained just enough to let me know I was in the UK and then the sun came out for most of the day. Had a single flat that bit off some time but came in about six minutes over goal. Not too bad.
2016 AIDS LifeCycle™ Day 6
Yes, the entire week was hard! That sixth day, though. We'd had sweltering heat for most of the ride and coming into Santa Barbara promised more sun but with some much appreciated ocean breeze. What did we get? A full blown rain storm for most of the day drenched the entire group. It was cinematically epic as we huddled into coffee shops along the way to warm up.
Hours later, pulling into Los Angeles, there was not a cloud in site. 🤷🏽♂️