The "Day on the Ride" is an AIDS/LifeCycle supported ride, just like any day on the ride. It is a great opportunity for a fully supported training ride and gives new riders an idea about how the ride works. Jane, Janice & Sunil participated in "Day on the Ride" today in San Francisco. Thomas completed the LA "Day on the Ride" last weekend. He had a blast and met fellow riders from the LA area. Our stint began Friday evening, in a mad rush to clean the house, pack and get bike gear together for Jane. Janice and Sunil escaped early from work, Jane did too but a bit earlier. She was cleaning, packing and getting her bike gear ready when Janice and Sunil arrived and helped finish up. Sunil even helped vacuum! He is so sweet. This was all done to ensure Theresa would be comfortable while house & pet sitting for us overnight. We had everything together by 6pm and we left for San Francisco in heavy "Kings" traffic on HW50 until we passed the I5. After arriving in SF, we checked into our motel on Lombard Street and found a restaurant (Askew Grill) and had dinner. Then showers and straight to bed at 10pm as we had to be up at 3:15am to be at Crissy Field at 4am. Ahhhh!!! None of us slept well but we still got up and were at the Sports Basement at 4:20am after getting lost on the Presidio for a bit (in the dark foggy mist). Janice and Sunil checked in as volunteers and Jane tried to sleep in the car until 5am when she could check in as a rider. Janice and Sunil were in the food tent cutting up fruit and handing out bagels, fruit and coffee. After a few Z's in the car, Jane checked in at 5:30am and got her number and then went back to the car for another nap. At 6:15 she put her bike together and checked it in. Then back to the car to put in contacts, and pack herself up with bike stuff to accommodate a 75 mile ride (water, Kleenex, eyedrops, sunscreen, plus patch kits, a spare tube etc.) We stretched as a group, got focused on why we do it, and then began to ride. The hills kicked Jane's butt and she's now determined to focus on leg strength and hills. The 75 miles were fine, another 25 was very do-able. But "stronger on the hills" is her goal prior to June 2!!! Sunil and Janice finished their shift at 9am and were able to get a nap back at the motel before checkout. Then they went back to Crissy Field to await Jane who arrived at exactly 3:45pm. (I am really tired as I write this and I probably sound geeky. The top picture is of the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge which was the start of the ride. We went north into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and on to Sausalito, Marin City, Mill Valley, Larkspur etc... The second picture is one of my favorite parts of the ride. The "Cross Marin Trail." Little blue flowers covered the ground on both sides of the trial and it was just beautiful. I need to sleep now.) :-)
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