Marin Metric Century

I was unsure whether I'd be up to riding 62 miles today since I'd been recovering all week from the SF Marathon, not to mention the fact I hadn't been on my bike in three weeks! Michael said to me earlier in the week, " c'mon out anyway- you can always turn around if it gets to be too much". (famous last words) So- I figured what the heck, I like riding and I liked all the people who were planning to be there to ride with us so how could it not be enjoyable?

We (MB, Mark,Mo,Michael,Em2,me,Kas,& Nicole) met at 6:45 and attempted to ride out at 7, which of course meant we rode out around 7:20. I was a little winded at the beginning of the climb up to Big Rock on Lucas Valley Road but chatting with Kas and Nicole made it so much more enjoyable and more importantly, do- able!

Kas & Nicole before ride out...

My legs felt strong, but my lungs felt tired so I tried not to push it too hard even though I knew my legs could push harder. We rolled down Lucas Valley and on thru Nicasio and up "le alpe du fromage" (remember that?) to the cheese factory where we decided we'd use the restroom instead of standing in line at the next official rest stop on Hick's Valley Road. At the Cheese Factory we ran into Chris, who had arrived late and basically hammered to catch up with us. We also saw Bob Katz, Raybel and Paul ride by, but figured we'd see them at the rest stop soon after anyway.

From the Cheese Factory we headed over to the Hicks Valley rest stop for a pbj and some fruit. It was here we realized how many ALC'ers were out on the ride. We also paused for a pic in our ALC Jerseys, just after we ran into Doreen Gonzales, another CAR and ALC rider.

Rest Stop 1:
Em2,Mark, Mo, Michael, Kas, Doreen,Nicole,MB, me, Bob and Chris

Soon we were back on our bikes and headed toward Wilson Hill. Chris and I rode along and I realized- hey there are a couple of hills on the way to Wilson Hill! Anyhow, we climbed the climb and suddenly I heard my name- it was Jeff Swanson busting his way up the hill and descending it with us. Also along the climb I ran into Dion Coakley- another ALC'er and chatted a bit before hitting the top of the hill and then the descent.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, which was nice. The next rest stop was run by AIDS Lifecycle and was themed and roomy and they made sure that they handed you food, instead of having you grab food with your gross gloved hands! LOL! I'm sure other non-alc riders didn't realize how easy it is to contract gastro-intestinal problems when you don't eat with clean hands...eeeewwww!!

We rolled into the last neighborhood mile, where we saw a nice little lemonade stand being run by a little girl and her brothers. We stopped to give them some business and enjoy some yummy lemonade, then headed on to the finish line.

All of us after some yummy lemonade

All in all it was a great day of riding, and the weather could not have been better. Warm and sunny with no major wind but just great company. It was a nice reminder of how fun it is to ride with fellow AIDS Lifecyclers!