I must apologize for being so terrible at keeping this blog up to date.  One of my new year’s resolutions is to do better about keeping this blog up to date - so I vow to update at least once a week!

 I will post a longer update in the next several days…hard to believe it is already training season for the Lifecycle - seems just yesterday I was writing about our trek in June!

 Anyway - hope you are well and will post more soon!

 Jen and Alvin

Alvin and I woke up around 7am in our fabulous suite at the W in Westwood - and what a fabulous suite it was.  Even better - we were just a few blocks from a Peets Coffee - which we had been without every morning since the weekend before - so you know that we were jonesing for a cup of coffee!  So we thew on some clothes and head out to the valet parking dudes to get walking directions to Peets.  It was actually quite funny - and very clear that people in LA do not walk anywhere!  When Alvin and I asked how to walk to Peets the valet dudes looked at us as if we were crazy.  They literally answered - “that is like a 10 minute walk”  lol as if that is like SOOOO long!  lol  So we found out where the Peets was and made our way down the block.

Dudes - It was like a 5 minute walk!!!  And a really nice FLAT walk too.  And worth every step - even on our  tired legs.  I swear - walking into Peets that morning was like fantastic - it was like I could hear music playing as they made my Americano!  lol….and man did it taste good!!  It actually was almost a perfect way to start the morning.   We had such a nice walk to Peets and a fanastic walk back.  Then we hung out in our room until we were meeting the rest of the gang, Tym, Becca, Kyle and Dan in the lobby for breakfast. 

We finally made out way out around 10:15 and WALKED (to the shagrin of everyone around) to a local breakfast place in Westwood - Jerry’s Deli.  It was really good and just what we needed.  We should have known what the day was going to be like when all of the adults enjoyed adult drinks with their breakfast orders…..most of us partook in a Bloody Mary and Tym decided on a Mimosa.  This is how the day started - so any of you who know us well can only imagine how the day continued…..

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We did our morning routine of porta potty stop, breakfast and camp breakdown.  We turned in our gear and said our goodbyes to our Gear Roadies - who had taken such great care of us all week.  We then made our way to pick up our bikes and hit the road for our trek to the VA Center in Los Angeles.  Dan and Alvin were going to ride together and I wanted to ride with David on the last day.   I said my later on’s to Alvin and Dan and went to go meet David so we could ride out together.

We made our way through Ventura - made a quick stop at a do-nut shop and then were on our way towards the Pacific Coast Highway - otherwise known as the PCH.   The PCH is quite beautiful - you are literally riding right next to the beach as you make your way South torwards Los Angeles.   It really was a great ride - the weather was beautiful and the winds were working with us as the headwinds were not that bad.  We were making good time as we passed through the different  communities along the PCH - including Malibu.

How big is Malibu!  I could not get over how long we were riding through Malibu - Malibu is actually like 27 miles of the PCH - which was crazy to me - but it is what it is.  The homes in Malibu are crazy - including Cher’s home which was perched on top of this huge cliff and surrounded by Palm Trees and a guard post..lol.

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When we finally got all of our stuff ready we hit the road.  It was actually funny - because the route map for the day showed a 15 mile climb on the way out of camp - and everyone was really stressed about it - which is probably why everyone was up so early.  Not only that but as we were camping in Ventura - those who live in the Southern California area actually had friends and family visiting them at the camp that evening.

So - Dan and I made our way out of camp along with everyone else.  We actually were doing quite well trying to get past the massive crowds climbing this first 15 miles - and it indeed was a climb - a gradual climb - but still a fricken climb.  We made a quick stop at the first rest stop and then made our way to the top of the hill to the descent.  Ok - I know I have talked about some scary downhills on this ride but none of them and I mean NONE of them compare to this one.  OMG - this was probably the scariest fricken hill I have ever gone down before.  The descent is soooo steep and long and you are on a highway and so cars are flying by you - and since I go down as a granny I also had bikers flying by me.  I think I had about 300 bikers pass me screaming ON YOUR LEFT as they went flying by me.  Poor Dan - I know he was probably waiting at hte bottom of that hill for me forEVER.

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The rest of Thursday was quite lovely.  Dan, Alvin and I all kind of did our own thing around camp until meeting up for dinner that evening.   After dinner all three of us actually did it - we went over to the registration tent and all of us signed up to do the ride again next year!   After signing up for the ride we partially listened to the evening announcements and then decided to go to bed early.  There was actually a talent show which would be taking place that evening - but we were all so tired that we just wanted to go to bed.

So - Alvin and I get back to our tent and start to get settled for our evening of rest.  As soon as we got to our tent we realized that our tent was near the fricken snorer once again - GREAT - if you recall I had barely slept the night before becaue of the snoring man.  The fact that he was near us again did not please me - but what the heck was I gonna do about it??  Nothing.    Snoring dude was actually in the tent right behind the tent right next to us.

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Long story short - there is a hairpin turn in the route today - and the thought was that if everyone was wearing red - it would look like a red AIDS ribbon - so wearing red - turned into everyone wearing Red Dresses….Well - not everyone - but if you can imagine - even if 50% of the riders wore red dresses - what a sight that would be??

Camp this morning was nuts. EVERYONE was in either a red dress, or in some sort of red outfit.  Even the people serving us breakfast at 5am and the gear crew were in red - it was hysterical.  Alvin, Dan and I were dressed as lifeguards (along with the group we are camping with) and we got our stuff together and hit the road by 7am.  The first portion of the ride was not bad at all - fairly flat with winds which weren’t too bad. 

Everyone thinks today is easy - as it is only 40 miles - crap - the reason it is only 40 miles is because at least half of it is climbing!!!  WTF!!!  So after the first rest stop we make our way towards rest stop two in in a small town called Casmalia - which blocks off their main street for the ALCers and literally turns it into a dance party - with everyone in their red dresses…..HOWEVER - in order to get to Casmalia you have to climb a fricken mountain.  So we get there - and because we got out so early the party was not in full gear yet - so we decided to keep going to get ahead of the crowd.

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So - we were up very early - for breakfast, preparation and camp breakdown.   Alvin was really anxious to get out of camp early so he left and I waited for Dan and David to head off for our biking day.  Today was a long day and included several key points of interest - a large portion of the beginning of the ride was a fairly large climb - known as the Evil Twins -, the halfway point to Los Angeles - where we cross from Northern Cal to Southern Cal -  and terrible side winds in the Central Valley.

Dan, David and I got of camp fairly late - and before we were even out of Paso Robles, we stopped at a coffee shop to enjoy a latte and a treat.  Once we enjoyed that we were on our way to take on the Evil Twins - which to be honest - should be called the fricken evil family because there were more than 2 hills to climb - it was like non stop climbing!!  But what an accomplishment to reach the top….

And - just after the top of the Evil Twins is when you come across the halfway point to Los Angeles - where there is an AMAZING view of the ocean from the top of the mountain and there are lines of bikers waiting to take their photos to show their loved ones they have made it half way.  Of course, we stood in line as well - and I must admit - when I came around the corner and saw the lines of people and the view and the indication that I had made it halfway to LA - I lost it.  I was just so overwhelmed with emotions that I was doing this ride and have actually made it halfway - it really was a bit too much for me to take in!

Once I calmed down I gathered with my friends and the friends I have made along the ride and waited to take my photo.  I was also enjoying homeade brownies from a women who bakes brownies for the riders and hands them out at this halfway point.  I was also so taken by emotion as I saw loved ones of riders who had shown up to take photos of their friends/sons/daughers etc and show their support - it really shows what this ride is all about.   Over and over again I see this type of love and acceptance and it really is unbelievable.

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I am now in Lompoc…so will update you on the past few days.

When we last “spoke” we were in Paso and dinner was opening up….as we were really close to an actual town we decided we would walk into town to enjoy some dinner at an establishment other than the dining tent at camp.  Not that the food isn’t good - as I am sure you can imagine - it gets a bit much after a few days.

So Dan, Alvin, David and I walked into town and ended up at this BBQ restaurant in downdown Paso Robles - with a mechanical bull and all.  We actually were also joined by David’s friend Jim - who happens to have a lake home very close to Paso. 

Dinner was a lot of fun - not only was the food great but we were entertained by several other riders who were also there (The ALCers pretty much had taken over the restaurant) who chose to ride the mechanical bull.  I don’t know how in the hell they were doing it - without being too graphic - sitting in the fricken restaurant chair was hard enough for me after being on my bike for 3 days let alone getting on a rocking bull - but I digress.

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Today was the infamous “Quadbuster Day” - a day which includes a 1.5 mile climb known as “Quadbuster” as it is really steep and known to be the toughest climb of the ride.  I was soooo nervous about it!  We started the ride - and mind you - Quadbuster is at around mile 12 - now - the first 11 or so miles is a gradual climb - so you are climbing gradually then all of sudden - BOOM =- you are climbing a fricken mountain.  It was nuts.    Imagine all of the riders trudging up this hill - all at once….it was insanity.  Some people were singing, others were crying.  I have climbed a lot of hills in my biking - and this was one fricken hill.  BUT - I made it up- and what a party it is at the top of the hill!  Woo hoo - I was so glad to have made it - Of course Dan beat my ass to the top of the hill but he waited for me (as you can imagine, Alvin was long gone) and we then made our way the rest of the route.

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