"Hug a TRL! "

A TRL or "Training Ride Leader" is a person who has gone thru the trauma and the drama of what you are about to embark upon, remembers it well and wants to help you get through it all.

Really. That's about it.

We remember the fear of the unknown, the fear of falling, the fear of knowing no one and the fear of the fear.

Julie, Donald, Ronnie, Annette

We are collectively, over 200 strong-- both in Southern California, Northern California and across the United States.

Erin, L.A.

We're here to calm your nerves, to tell you stories, to teach you a little bit of determination (and patience), and to make sure you understand why we have such picky Safety Rules.

Kurt, Bob Katz & Annette

Mostly we're here to keep you safe.... many times that means keeping you safe from yourself... and ALSO, and just as important-- to help protect the future of the AIDS Lifecycle Ride.

So the next time you see your TRLs... give them a hug and say "Thank You".

They are all volunteers who have spent hundreds of hours in the saddle since October of 2007. Keeping you safe, managing their patience, and protecting the future of the Ride.

They have managed to avoid showing you when they are cranky (ok well most of them have), and they have managed to prove to you that you can ride a bike... even over a mountain. They have managed to believe in you, even when they didn't know you and even when you didn't believe in yourself.

They are a force to be reckoned with....