Finish Line!

We did it! We're finally in LA!

Thank goodness for Bruce, who picked up the ball on posting images from the ride. While the ride is not a race, it was definitely a race for time. There are 3,000 of us. Between getting in line for the bathroom, getting in line for the showers, getting in line for food, getting in line for sports med and trying to fit in a decent 7 hours of sleep before the next day, I had no idea how to fit in time for blogging.

But here I am in LA.... no more excuses. Here are Days 3, 4 and 5.

Day 3 - Bustin up the Quadbuster

As many of the first time riders found out along the ride, there are plenty of ALC traditions to distract us from the endless miles and our aching knees. Today was a looooong and hot 99-mile day with plenty of distractions to choose from: taking a dip in a creek, bustin up the quadbuster hill to a street party at the top, a cookie lady, and a beauty pageant at Rest Stop 4.

Riders climbing a hill while others swim down below.

Cookie stop!

Posing with a Miss ALC7 contender...



Day 4 - Evil Twin Day, a tour of PG&E and Halfway to LA!

Today's route took us past the front entrance of the PG&E Service Center in San Luis Obispo, as well as straight into the PG&E Community Center for Rest Stop 3. Somewhere along the way, we also hit the "Halfway to LA" mark!

Evil Twins? That's what the 2 large hills we climbed between the quaint Paso Robles and Santa Maria were called. The route was mainly along the coast with beautiful ocean views.

Joyce stretching by Pismo Beach.

Porta-potties at a rest stop.

Bike techs working their magic.

Holding up morning traffic...

Our tent-ville.

In our cozy home... getting ready for bed.

Day 5 - Red Dress Day

Today was shorter in distance, but huge in hill-climbing and sight seeing. There are no words to describe Red Dress Day.... good thing I was camera-happy on the entire ride! Apparently, from afar we were supposed to look like one large red ribbon zig-zagging up a mountain. I thought we looked more like a festive parade of fire ants.

Climbing in style.

Long lines to the bathroom.

Rest stop takes over a street.

Ralph and Jen's real day job.

Day 5 Lompoc

Team PG&E Power Pedalers

Lori and Joyce

Don't know what the sings mean but they are extremly happy they made it to Lompoc

Bruce and Ben joking as usual

All smiles, Jennifer and Ralph

3rd and 4th Days

Max in Morro Bay


Smile Diane!!

Dave, Max and Ben leaving the Mid State Fairgrounds in Paso Robles on the 4th day of the ride.


At the rest stop in San Miguel we had some entertainment (did I say cheap entertainment?)

Cooking up lunch in Bradley!

After a steep hill ride up quad-buster hill we were ready for some food. The tasty barbecue was put on by the good people of Bradley to help raise money for the only school in town. Bradley is a town in southern Monterey County of 120 residents and the barbecue is a major yearly fund raiser.

Santa Cruz Camping ALC Style!

Bruce and Ben getting ready to leave Santa Cruz

(pic courtesy of Marcia, Bruce's sister)


Our "hood"

Dave, Bruce and Ben

Where did I leave my bike?

Another look at tent city and the bike area

Day 3 - We're Back!

Yes, we are alive! After suffering technical difficulties (or lack of technology) from the first 2 campsites, all 3,000 of us are now in the lovely Paso Robles fairgrounds for Day 3 of the Aids Life Cycle.

Here's a quick pic of some of the PG&E Power Pedalers during Orientation Day (the day before Day 1 of the ride). From left to right starting at the top: Bruce, Max, Jan, Dave, Lori, Joyce, Ben!

I'm going to put this blog on fastforward Tivo-style so you can all get caught up on how the ride is going, and so I can give everyone else a chance at the one outlet stand we've managed to find at our campgrounds. So here we go...

A Map to Start us off:

Click to enlarge.

Day 1 - A Foggy Roll into Santa Cruz

The first stay began with a persistant 330am alarm clock buzz and quickl into 2,500 shivering riders chowing on bananas and bagels at the Cow Palace with the sun barely up at 5am. The Opening Ceremony was inspirational and a chance to refocus on why the money raised through donations was critical for those living with HIV and AIDS. Plus, David Hasselhoff was there.

Attempts were made for the PG&E team to roll out together, but as chaos would have it - it was a far harder thing to coordinate when the rush was on to get out the gates at Roll Out. By the end of the day, we realized it would have been a lost cause for the rest of us to catch up with folks like speed monster Dave Haya. We were happy to play Spot the PG&E-er along the way everyday instead.

The ride into Santa Cruz was foggy, windy and freezing! The morning was full of rolling hills, and the afternoon was a scenic coastline ride with plenty of wind. But that's not to say it wasn't everything I imagined! (In a good way.) There were 4 rest stops spaced throughout the 76+ miles, and each one had its own theme party going on to greet tired and sore riders. The coordination efforts by the Volunteer Roadies were amazing. There was always plenty of snacks, fruit, water, Powerade and a mini-pharmacy for everyone's aches and complaints. While on the road, I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of people with signs, cheering and bringing morale up every few miles.

Some visual aides while I still have battery life and to tell the rest of the story:

A Rest Stop:

Bruce Easton sporting the PG&E jersey:

Relaxing at the lunch stop:

Day 2 - Happy Camper Rides 105 Miles

Pardon the sarcasm. I'll admit, this is my first time camping and I had no idea what to pack or bring. I made the mistake of trusting my trusty AeroBed to survive the trip and woke up in the morning with a deflated air mattress and a very unhappy neck. But, the bed was graciously lent to me by my cube neighbor, so I can't complaint too much! The name of the game every night and for the rest of the trip is to fall asleep faster than the bed deflates. It's working so far, considering the entire camp is konked out at 9:30pm.

Day 2 was our Century Day. We hit the 100 mile mark and certainly felt every mile in our bodies once we got back into camp. Thankfully, most of the terrain was flat and there was a GREAT tail wind helping out our tail-ends for most of the ride. The weather was great, the ride felt good and the foam rollers were greatly appreciated when we arrived at our second campsite in King City. I'm certainly developing a new respect for sports med!

Day 3 - Bustin' up the Quadbuster

Will be updated when I find another campsite with an outlet source! Good night and thanks for stopping by. I'm off to battle the Aerobed.

Lori

Welcome!

You've found yourself at the PG&E Power Pedalers' blog. This is where you'll be able to follow the AIDS LifeCycle through the eyes of Bruce Easton and the words of Lori Chen.

The AIDS LifeCycle is a 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The event covers 545-miles of beautiful California coast and will begin at the Cow Palace in San Francisco on June 1st, 2008 and end in downtown Los Angeles on June 7th, 2008.

Quick Facts about the PG&E Power Pedalers:

• We are 15 employees of Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
• We are Cyclists and Volunteer Roadies on the AIDS LifeCycle ride.
• Most of us have been preparing and training rigorously for the past few months.
• Many of us will be meeting eachother for the first time on Day 1 of the ride.
• We will all be traveling for 545 miles from SF to LA over a course of 7 days.
• We have each raised atleast $2500 towards ending AIDS.
• Our team website can be found at: http://aidslifecycle.org/150

Tomorrow is Orientation Day, where we'll be watching safety videos, assigning tent locations, getting lost amongst 3,000 anxious riders and leaving our bikes overnight for ride out at 6am on Sunday!

More to come...

Lori