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Franz and I signed up for next years AIDS LifeCycle ride at the Abbot Kinney Festival, and I thought we should get a thread going early for the 08 Ride. I know there are others who are going, and some who are considering it as well. If we can get enough people going this year, maybe we can organize a Ridazz team and help fund raise and train together.
Gary, how did you get a lower number than me and i signed up a couple of weeks ago? I'm 6001.
Markedge, Reg is $75 but you can usually find a deal to get a discount of $20. Each person needs to raise or pay $2500 for the ride, as its fully supported. 7 days, 550 miles. SF to LA.
I paid the discounted registration rate by signing up at their booth at the Abbot Kinney festival. I'm assuming any other events where they do on site registration they probably give this discount as well.
I'm training with a non-MR group that is mostly ALC Veterans. Richie to the IE did it last year and i'm sure will be happy to chime in and interject an 'awesome' here and there. He also shot some beautiful photographs from the trip. You can find them here and on the message board for ALC:
I was/am part of team100, we hit up companies that we do business with for partnerships/sponsorships as a group you have an advantage over a single individual asking for support. Also we as a group can have garage sales, bike wash, bake sales? and PARTIES! It's much easier to do this as a group. The funds will be divied-uped equally to those in the group. I really good Idea is to sell Real Estate. Our TEAM Issue Jersey would have our sponsors on the front and back an we can ask them to donate % or cash to have their logo on our jersey, that would insure advertising and our patronage big time.
Being part of TEAM100 helped me out big time. I signed up in March and made by fund raising by June 1 the start date.
I joined Team 100 this year. I've been riding/training with Shifting Gears (Team 100 came out of there) since the end of June after my friend inspired me to take on the challenge. Did you happen to see if you were in any of the pictures i took on San Vicente? I have several shots of Team 100 people.
On the last day I was taking it easy cause I didn't want it to end. I'm looking forward to doing it again. Either we set up a team or can we all join team 100? They are great people and I couldn't have done it without them.
Team 100 is allowing more than 100 members again. They (as i'm sure you knew) raised almost 500,000 last year. This year they hope to get to $1m. I believe they are already designing new shirts and one member is even arranging for a coach to take some of the riders to and from hotel and cow palace for reg and start so you don't have to deal with taxis or other kinds of transpo issues.
I believe you need to register for the ride first then you can join Team 100. I'm not on their board or anythng but i think they are just about to launch the new - redesigned website, etc.
You could email Beth B. for further info and/or discount on registering. I know if you mention Shifting Gears you also get the $20 price break. She's the head of SG cycling and is one of the main organizers of Team 100.
Here email addy is:
bhbrown@ca.rr.com
I'm sure she can give a ton of info. And do check out the message board link that was previously posted. Lots of good info.
For fundraising, I always thought i'd try the ol' "could you sponsor me a buck per mile?" trick. As a kid when we had a charity walk or ride it was like 10 miles or something like that. You know, a buck a mile, doesn't sound like much. I just need to figure out how to get them to commit before they find out its 550 miles.
We should have a pre-sign up informational MR-Team group discussion, I could talk to my cycle buddie and see if he is available so he can answer all of our questions about setting up a team MR.
Hey Danny,
Sure, I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
Let me see if I can cover the basics for you. Some of our participants DO choose to participate as a member of a team. This varies greatly from group to group with some groups training, planning and fundraising together while other groups only fundraise together and any combination in between. Some teams are formed from corporate alliances such as a group of folks who all work for the same company and form the team to collectively fundraises while other teams are merely the two person variety formed perhaps by a couple or father daughter combination. The only real involvement ALC has with teams is that we will create a team homepage very similar to your individual homepage which allows the team to express its team philosophy or more actively promote a corporate sponsor they are involved with. The team homepage will list all the individual team members with direct link to their individual pages. Donations to the team aggregate total are made through individual member’s homepages. An aggregate total will appear on the team homepage. If you would like to set up a team all you need to do is pick a team Capt and have one other member to begin with. The team Capt is the one who will call or email me and request a team homepage. Once the homepage is live there is a button link on there that says something like: “Join Team XYZ†A potential team member clicks on that link and fills in their info. The info will then be forward to the team Capt. If the team Capt decides that they DO want that individual on their team they will forward to info to me and I will then place that person on the team roster and add them to the team homepage. I hope that answers at least a few of your questions. If you have any additional questions or would like me to create a team homepage for your group, please feel free to contact me!
Good Luck!
Kerry Castillo
Cycle Buddy
AIDS/LifeCycle
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90038-1212
If you sign up Spook, that would make 3 confirmed Cubbies. Woot!!! Come on Ridazz, lets get this thing rollin. Perhaps some fine chaps from the Wolfpack might be interested, nudge nudge.
Danny, you should give us a comparison how the Evil Twins, Quad Busters and that 9 mile climb on day 1 you had to do last year compares with some of the hills in the city that we've encountered. I'll see if i can find the link to ALC's route sheets from ALC 5 that included elevation changes but i'd be curious what your thoughts were.
And btw, i think there are actually only 2 cycle buddies for the Southern Cali area. Now figureing that we had approx 2400 riders last year, and most are from LA or SF, that's a shit load of people these 2 people have to manage. My hats off to them!
Per Kerry's email:
Fabulous!! Thanks for spreading the word about ALC!! If your other friends would like to register, please feel free to have them call me here in the office and I can give them the $20 discount on their registration! Just tell them to drop your name when they call!! Hey…it pays to know the right people, right!
The day one climb is a mo-fo but just when you're ready to throw in the towel you're reminded why you are doing the ALC and you start hearing things like drums and people on the side of the road cheering you on like your Lance f-ing armstrong climbing on the TDF. You somehow find the will to keep going.And then downhill with hair pin turns and it's non stop with majestic Redwoods all around you.
If you are not planning on riding ALC you can still participate as a Roadie. There are so many things they need volunteers for you can be a food service, traffic, clean up, rest stops, safety, bike wrench list goes on and on.
Roadies Rock and I'm told it's much MUCH harder than riding a bike!
Danny, i believe that first day's climb was an anomaly as there was road construction and that big climb was not supposed to be part of the regular route. But glad you were able to power through it.
I'm assuming most of the MR folks aren't aware of RDD. But then, after the underrides they've had, i'm guessing this shouldn't be a problem. And they'll get to meet Chicken Lady (a guy).
Wow, I lov it and I am checkin my calendar allways want it to do this adding the fact that some MR are coming to this event is gigantic, what do I need got get what to do, trainn, bike yes and more trainning...
I haven't yet recieved an email from ALC about a page, but I have a bag of money hanging from the wall at Bikerowave. So when I get back hopefully I will have raised a good 16 dollars.
Here's the PDF link to ALC 5's Daily Route Sheets. As i understand it, the route's are almost identical every year (with the exception of day 1 last year due to construction). So this should give you an idea of what the trip will look like:
So I just posted a Training Kickoff Mini Pre-Ride for Saturday Oct. 27. Meeting point is the Sunset/Vermont Metro station. The Training Kick-off event starts at 8am in Griffith Park so I figure if people meet up around 7 at the metro station, that should give us plenty of time to grab a coffee or whatever and roll into the park.
I am so stoked that other Cubbies have decided to do this ride.
When Richie laft, and came back from this ride last year I was so inspired. Glad to hear your doing it, I would love to join this team raise funds collectively. Let's chat at the Cub Dinner.
Franz, your LifeCycle page is online, you probably just didn't get an email about it. I received my number in a packet that was mailed to me, along with a guide for the event and a t-shirt. What did you give them for an address?
Remember that's the day after the Halloween ride so looks like I'll be pulling an all nighter, Again. Lets go to the Halloween ride, then to a cafe sleep then meet at the metro and then go to the training ride!
I got around to realising that I can't think of any reason NOT to do this ride, any more. I mean the big aids ride. I think I'm gonna do it. Holy shit.
Ben, You've been talking about getting a new bike anyway, now you have a legitimate reason. Go for it. Whether you hang with Shifting Gears/Team 100 or the MR's you'll be surrounded by good peeps.
I'm down with being captain. Lets rock this Ridazz!! Woooo!! First it was the Hollywood sign, then we conquer California, then the world!! Muhahaha!!
I'll look into how to form a team and all that soon, but it's been a busy week for me so far. Not sure how company policy works on these things, but I will see what I can do about getting sponsorship from Sony.
Se7ven DAYS of fun filled rides, campin out, great food and good people, I can't wait to see some of the people I've met on this years ride. This is going to be Epic!
Not to mention we are doing this for a good cause.
My friends Eddie Brown is HIV + and I'm doing this for him!
AGAIN and again until there is a cure.
dudes, dudets,
i figure i'm a few days away from deciding to do this, assuming i decide to do it, which i'm really leaning towards, ya'll got room for one more on the team?
and hey what up urbody, i finally got on this godforsaken site.
Team is all inclusive so long as you have the dedication for the miles and the fund raising. The more the merrier, I'd love to see a big Ridazz presence come next June.
Call me a Traitor, but i had previously joined Team 100 and have been training with Shifting Gears/Team 100 since July. However, on the ride you can hang with whomever you want.
I first heared about this ride while watching the 11oClock news about 4 years ago.
It stoked some inspiration in me, but at the time, cycling also seemed far off my "to-do" list.
Now that it's been regularly infused, I'm going to make an effort to get to this thing as well, even if it means taking time off from whatever supports me around that time of the year.
I'd really like to join y'all on team CubCamp , seeing as how I rode with most of y'all in PDX, and caught the tail-end of one of your regular rides a month or so ago.
I was also thinking of starting up a team DesertRatz, but I'm weary of all the weekend-warriors where I reside.
Last, but not least, fundraising could be dealt with by the last means resort of saving money from a few 2500 mile loads.
Sign myself up and designate myself as team "HPD".
Then I'll simply act as a MR rover of sorts.
I know it's a supported ride but my best long-distance bike is an 80s steel loaded touring bike. It's somewhat light (around 23 pounds unloaded). Would I be able to keep up on this bike?
cabhauler - i haven't done the ride myself, but from what i've read about it, i'm sure you'd be able to keep up as it's not a race of any kind. seems like you just go at your own pace i think.
as long as the bike is in good working order right?
cabhauler, 80 miles is impressive, you should be ok and remember they are fully stocked with volunteer sweep vehicles, bike mechanics, sports med, chiropractor and medics at your disposal and trust me you'll come to love them.
cabhauler- as already mentioned, it's not a race, so most important thing is how comfortable you are on your bike for long stretches of time, more so then how fast you are going. If you've done any mostly all day kind of riding before, then you should be able to handle it fine. My biggest advice for training for this kind of ride is spending more time with your ass on the saddle, at any pace. Come on everybody, ass time!!!
Cab, I'm fine with a long day of riding as i think most of us are. But the real question comes with how you handle multiple days in a row of long seat-time. I've been trying to do back to back days of riding just to see how my body does without a day off to recover. The ALC ride is on average 80 miles per day, some longer, some shorter.
There are a number of training websites that layout a plan to get you ready for centuries and other long distance riding.
One is here:
http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=54755
If you can, maybe try 3 days in a row of 30-40 mile rides as an experiment. They don't have to be hammerfests, just time in the saddle.
you can also spin at home if you dont commute on a regular basis, that help me train my ass for this ride, and I wouldn't worry. It's not like you'll be the only one walking funny.
Another thing i've Gleaned from the Vets (like Danny) is that there are rest stops every 15 miles or so, so if you break it down like that, it seems much more manageable. But the key is to not spend too much time there so you can get into camp early and beat the long lines for the showers, etc.
i've been trying to call/email Kerry and so far no reply...I might just register w/out the discount just to get the ball rollin and start raising some $$.
Also as a reminder, there will be registration booths at the upcoming training ride on the 27th, and the $20 discount will be in effect for the event. This particular training ride is open to all, and registration is not mandatory to participate.
Its incredibly hard to get to Kerry since she is the 'buddy' for every LA rider 1000+ so emails and calls take a wicked long time to get back to. I had sent an email 4 days ago and had just gotten a response. I don't envy her one bit.
And frankly, it seems pretty easy for everyone to get the $55 registration deal. They have many opportunities to grab that price.
If there's blue berries I'm there for sure. 101 was a nice little dinner, with a surprising selection of veggie friendly dishes, I would be down for going back.
i posted a mini-ride to the training kickoff starting at sunset/vermont but we can change it to 101 cafe if yalls are really gonna be up that friggin early!
Details on the upcoming ALC training ride are below. Being registered is not required, it is open to all. Discounted registration for ALC will be provided at the event if you want to make the leap and sign up. RSVP is not required to attend, but doing so will help organizers anticipate number of riders.
Yes, this is early in the morning after The Haunted Ride!!!!, which I know will be discouraging for some, but lets show people our Midnight Ridazz, sleep deprived but still riding bad assness!!!
===========================
Special Event:
Saturday, 10/27/07: ALC 7 Training Ride Kick Off
Start Time: 7:30 AM
Address: Griffith Park Crystal Springs picnic area. Follow Park directions for for the Merry-go-Round at the Crystal Springs Ranger Station located in Park Center between the Los Angeles Zoo and the Los Feliz Blvd. Look for ALC signage and the big orange AIDS/LifeCycle tents for check in and ride out (veterans please note we are in a different location than last year). Free parking in the lot for the Crystal Springs picnic area. Driving Directions to Griffith Park: Griffith Park lies just west of the Golden State Freeway (I-5), roughly between Los Feliz Boulevard on the south and the Ventura Freeway (SR 134) on the north. Freeway off-ramps leading to the park from I-5 are Los Feliz Blvd., Griffith Park and Zoo Drive. Approaching the park on SR 134 eastbound, take either the Forest Lawn Drive or Victory Blvd. offramps. From SR 134 westbound, take Zoo Drive or Forest Lawn Drive, After leaving the freeways, follow the signs into the park and then follow signs for the Merry-go-Round. If arriving from the 134, turn LEFT at the Ranger Station. If arriving via Los Feliz Blvd. you will turn RIGHT at the Ranger Station.
4730 Crystal Springs Drive [map]
City: Los Angeles
Description: Join us to kick off the ALC 7 training season! We'll offer three different routes of varying distance and terrain, so there's something for everyone! Our amazing certified Training Ride Leaders will be out on the road with you giving you hints and tips (and generally taking care of you) throughout your Ride.
Beginner - 12 miles Haven't been on your bike in a long while? Longest ride so far under 10 miles? This is the ride for you. We'll ride through Griffith Park to Travel Town, pass in front of Mt. Sinai and Forest Lawn, circle the Warner Bros. studios and come back into the park to end our ride where we started our morning. Mostly flat, some inclines, no long hill climbing. We'll roll between 8 and 12 mph.
Intermediate - 24 miles Ridden more than 15 miles in one day? Have definitely been on your bike since 4th of July, but don't want to do any hill climbing? Then join the intermediate group. We'll travel the same route as the beginners, but we'll do it twice. We'll roll between 10 and 14 mph.
Advanced - 36 miles You can ride 35 or more miles in one day. You may not like it, but you can climb long hills. This is your ride. We'll follow the same route as the beginner and intermediate riders, except instead of coming back into the park, we'll continue on and climb up Sonora and Kenneth Ave. making our way to an unofficial rest stop at Sunland Produce and then heading up our 5 mile climb over La Tuna, finally coming back down to Griffith Park where we'll end our day where we started in the morning. We'll roll along between 12 and 18 mph.
Don't join a longer or faster ride than you are used to. We all start our training somewhere - the important thing is that you are up and out and on your bike!! You'll have plenty of opportunity through the training season to increase your mileage, speed and hill climbing abilities.
Bring your bike in good working order, a helmet, water bottles, and your enthusiasm. All are welcome, so whether you're registered already or still thinking about it, come on out! Meet and ride with hundreds of ALC cyclists and find out what we mean when we say this is an incredible community of incredible people!
Unlike other training rides throughout the year, we'll have some light snacks and water and Gatorade at the start point. Remember: eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty. Keep your body fueled!
Mandatory safety speech at 8:30am. Please allow yourself enough time to check in and be ready for the safety speech by 8:30am.
*RAIN CANCELS*
RSVP/Contact: James Ray, jray@aidslifecycle.org 323.993.7647
Hmm, I've been considering doing the ALC '08...
I have no clue as to where I will be living or whatnot then, or where I'll be working, but I have a perty good feeling i'm going to be able to do this...
I've toured before, it's fun as hell, expecially with a rowdy mob like MR on top...
And its supported... which is even better... however, remember, get used to still carrying what you would on a regular mr ride... you can still get flats...
I'm pretty down to do a big ol ride.. so I guess this is me saying sign me up.
That would be great FuzzBeast, more Ridazz = more fun! Let me know if you decide for sure, and there will be discounted registration at the upcoming training ride on the 27th if you're interested in signing up soon.
Also, progress toward getting teams officially formed has commenced. I received an e-mail back from ALC Cycle Buddy Kerry, with details on the team forming process. I wrote her back with our team name and roster of Ridazz currently registered. I'll let you all know when it goes online.
Fuzz, as one vet of the ALC ride told me last week, its one week where you really don't need any money at all. From soup to nuts the ride is supported. Sure you should carry tools, tubes, etc, but there are stops every 15 miles or so where you can fuel up and grab stuff for the road as well as support vehicles follow along in case you do need mechanical assistance. Now if you need a can of Joose (or two, or three, etc.) at the end of the day, then yes, you might need a couple of hundred dollars.
And Trekkie, i'll be there for pancakes and sweat potatoe french fries at 6:30a.
We want to make sure that everyone knows everyone is invited to join us, this ride is a bad ass mo-fo and registering early allows you to start fundraising early and will be a heck of allot easier to make our goals. If you have any ?s about this email Gary or myself. Meet us for pancakes of the blueberry kind at CAFE 101 Saturday 10/27/07 at 6 A.M. yes that's AM or 0600 hours.
Like I said, I've done tours before, both supported and unsupported. I know how they work. Sure you can go the entire week spending pretty much nothing, but it really is good practice to have a couple hundred bucks with you/available/whatever you may want a meal or something that ISNT provided for you (particularly if you have unusual eating habits), or a souvenir... or a beer at that gas station or whatever, or maybe it starts raining and you run into a store and grab something dry to put on, whatever. Having some cash on hand is a damn good idea, although not entirely necessary.
I've done this stuff before, never the ALC, but other similar events many times, I know what I'm doing. I wasn't complaining about needing money in all manner anyway, I was just stating that I know that come June of next year, I have no clue as to what my situation is going to be (I finish grad school in April/May, but I think I'm going to do my damnedest to be ready.
Gotcha Fuzz, I never read your post as a complaint (damn these lack-of-emotion-facial-expression-forums!), just as an observation to those who may not have realized where some of the money raised gets put towards.
It's a good Idea to have some cash and or a credit card with you on this ride, not allot just enough to buy some things or do laundry or get a bite to eat if you see a restaurant you like.
We need to come up with our custom message, and when we have our first meet up for the training ride, we'll get some team photos going. Yay, exciting!!!
Looks like there are some kinks to be worked out with new pages going online. Currently our page team title is displaying the wrong name, even though Midnight Ridazz comes up under the search result.
Also there are two people added that I'm unfamiliar with and did not submit: Christopher Cramer & Ric Iverson, whom I'm assuming are not with our group. If you are, let me know.
I'm sure this will all get worked out soon, I know it is a very small team setting all this up, and I'm sure things just got jumbled in the dash to get team pages up and running.
Team page issues look to be sorted out now. Apparently SF ALC office started posting info to same listing and things got criss crossed. Cycle buddy Kerry e-mailed me back and has since corrected the issue. So correct roster and team name are back, Yay!!!
A thought I just had - once we get everyone all registered and everything...what if we all pledged like $25 or something to each other to get the fundraising kicked off and boost the team total a bit?
I'm really excited to hear so many people are jumping on board. This is awesome!! It will be a serious commitment, but it's going to so much fun with such a big MR presence. Woooo!!
I think plan was to push pancakes to 6:30 to allow a wee bit more time for many of us who will be out at the Halloween ride. Mandatory Safety speech is at 8:30 and cafe 101 is not very far from the Park, so I think that will still give us time to check in at the start after eats.
Thanks to Stevo for pointing out Cafe 101 depressingly does not open until 7:00am and word on the street from someone who lives near by, is that they don't open promptly at 7 either. I would rather us go else where then risk us not having time to check in before mandatory speech.
Alternative plan is to go to Fred 62's which is actually a little closer to the our destination, and is open 24/7. They have a pretty wide selection on the menu, and if your feeling like stocking up on calories, their fried mac cheese balls are quite a guilty pleasure.
Meet up is still planned for 6:30 and Fred 62's is in a similar areas at Franklin & Vermont.
Yum, Fred 62! I'll try to be there for pancakes, if I can wake up in time. I'm already registered (rider #5456), and I'm already on a team.. 'Team Yeah...no.' But maybe I'll throw some MR spoke cards on my wheelz for the heck of it.
There is usually parking behind the movie theatre just East of Vermont and meters on the streets. Yes, parking can suck in the evenings but i think zero dark early should be fine.
And yes, they are prepared for credit cards at the event.
A reminder to those going to the training ride, ALC takes it's safety policy pretty seriously, so don't forget to bring a brain bucket.
Also keep in mind this is a daytime event, yes that crazy expanse of time with sunlight. So if you're like me, have pale skin and vampiric tendencies, sunscreen is advisable. Also be sure to bring a water bottle or two, from my observation I go through almost twice as much water during the day for the same mileage at night.
And I.Martins and a few other sponsors will be there. I believe they will be selling some stuff and there will be some snacks/drinks for us (for free) This is not how most of the trainings will be but because its the Kick-off event they are doing a little more for everyone.
Won't be able to make it to this, but would encourage anyone who this is convenient for to check it out. Proper nutrition and hydration are absolutely essential aspects of long distance cycling.
Don't fret too much if you miss this, we will as a team go over this sort of information. Also, I have an excellent book on the medical science of bicycling, and anyone interested in borrowing it at some point is more then welcome to. I'll also take some key notes from the book to share with the team.
==================================
Greetings from the AIDS/LifeCycle office!
Please join us for this week's AIDS/LifeCycle workshops.
TONIGHT!!!!
Basic Nutrition and Hydration
7:00 pm
ALC Office
1125 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles
Join us to discuss the importance of proper hydration and nutrition while riding. This workshop is designed to give you the basics of keeping yourself functioning healthily and happily while riding. We'll talk about what and how much to drink and eat before, during, and after your ride. We'll have visual aids and maybe some samples!
This is the perfect workshop to come to if you're new to endurance cycling or if you want to avoid issues like headaches, unusual fatigue, or cramping. We'll talk through it all and get you feeling great!
Remember, what you put IN your body is just as important as what you put your body on!
RSVP: Sarah Sypniewski, 323.993.7626 or ssypniewski@aidslifecycle.org
I'll do it with you if you want. I'm going to do the long one again and also the sunday Sepulveda climb as well. (Coming back is actually easier than riding to the valley on Sepulveda).
Woo!!! More folks getting officialized!! I've forwarded Kerry with all the new rider numbers, and they will get added to the team page soon.
And yes we were all decked out in brain bucket glory. I feel much more confidant about drafting mini-vans downhill with a brain bucket atop the noggin. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
One in particular is the thread about electronics on the ride. There really isn't much opportunity to recharge bateries unless you stay in a hotel, etc. and internet access is basically non-existant on the ride but someone posted a link about the Solio Solar charging system. Seems pretty cool. While your riding your bike, you are recharging your batteries or the unit.
To help organize things and distribute information outside of the forum I'd like to get everyones e-mail addresses. Some I have already but some I don't yet. Just to make sure I have everything straight, please include real name, Ridazz name, rider # if you have one.
If you aren't registered yet but are considering signing up, maybe throw in you assuredness. Such as I am certain I'm going to sign up soon, or I'd like to do it, but apprehensive because fill in the blank. If your serious about wanting to join up, but something is holding you back or you have fears, concerns, we might be able to allay some issues, don't be afraid to ask.
So shoot me an e-mail at:
7 p i x e l s @ g m a i l . com
I just learned about this ride.
I didn't read the entire board so tell me if this is a dumb question.
What can I do (and when) to train for this ride. I have no problem doing 40 miles a day in 3-4 hours at my pace on a fixie.
Any advice?
Stuart
There are official training rides for ALC, first of which was last weekend and there will be a re-ride of same route this Saturday. We will also start organizing some of our training rides soon as well. Best advice for prepping for something like this is riding as much as you can, for fun, to work out, for commuting, as much as you can get in. Good nutrition is also very important.
About the fixie thing, I'm not experienced personally with riding fixie, but you'll want to make sure you can handle long stretches of climbing. We had a 5 mile climb for the advanced course on the first ALC training ride. Spook as of last speaking with him, is intending to sign up and ride fixed. Also, some days will be 40 or miles but there are a couple 100 mile days in there, so training for and completing a century would be a good idea for getting ready for this.
Also the ride isn't till next June, so there is time to get in shape for it, and I don't expect everyone to be at the level to handle this ride right now, we can build to that. If you have any more questions or concerns feel free to ask.
Just wanted to let everyone know who recently registered, I had informed ALC buddy Kerry about adding you all to the team page, but it seemed to have been delayed from how quickly requests had gone up before. I also had sent a reminder recently and got an auto response that she's out of town and returning on Tuesday. Hopefully you all will be added very soon.
I just got back in town this evening. Did anyone go for the training re-ride, how did it go?
If anyone is interested, there is another Saturday Training ride this weekend during the day if anyone is interested (i'll be there). Its a 40 miler (mostly flat, no La Tuna climbs) and rides from Weho to Hermosa Beach and back, then free Pizza (i'm pushing for Mulberry Street). Its the usual 8a meet, 8:30a leave. Everyone welcome.
There is also a daytime Training Ride on Sunday too that i'll be at
Date, time, place, route, all in the air at the moment, but I'm planning on cooking up a metric century (100 km aprox 62 miles) training ride for us soon. Intention is to keep it relatively flat most of the way and be more about building endurance then power or speed. From what I've seen I think everyone on the team, paced out well, with plenty of water and snacks, should be able to handle a metric.
I feel it would be a good stepping stone toward doing full century rides for those who've not yet attempted one, which come next summer, we'll be able to eat centuries for breakfast with hills sprinkled all over for flavor and texture. Yummmm, breakfast....
Also for those who feel their legs are ready to go the distance, and don't mind feeling dead the following Friday, next Thursdays Cubcamp 5th week ride will be 99 miles.
Hey Gary that metric century ride sounds like a plan and a half! Longest ride I've done so far is a fifty so I reckon a 70 will be a good stepping stone to a century, for real. I was thinking about routes too, how about downtown to venice to marina del rey to redondo beach to long beach or something?
Hey everyone, there are a couple different smaller scheduled ALC training rides hosted by different groups this weekend, so be sure to check the calendar page every so often. I might do one of the Santa Monica ones on Sat or Sun, not sure yet.
Also a metric century, 100 km, ride is still in the works to be hosted by Team Midnight Ridazz. It will be kept fairly flat and should be a good opportunity to stretch mileage to longer distances for those who need to build up to being able to take on full centuries. It will include a long stretch down the LA River, which has gradual elevation apart from little steep drops/climbs at under passes. The lack of cross traffic is nice for getting used to going down long stretches of road with no stop and go like we are used to in the city.
Was thinking it should be a weekend am ride early to mid december. If anyone has some weekend time commitments that would like to do the ride let me know, would like to schedule time that most people could make.
Also, for anyone who didn't receive the postcard, There is a photography exhibit featuring work by riders from last year, documenting the ride. Richie Thomassen, Midnight Rida in last years ALC, will have photography in the show. I encourage anyone who can, to come out and check it out. Should be insightful and inspirational to see.
Wah! I know i'm a Team 100 guy but i was hoping it would be a Saturday since Shifting Gears usually trains on Sunday. Maybe you can do another metric in the future on a Saturday.
Crap. I really wanted to do that Metric Century ride but Dec 9th I'm hosting a baby shower. I need to get myself on some long rides so I can build up the courage to register for ALC. I bought some padded-ass pants today and everything!
Currently a lot of our discussion for organizing ideas for our AIDS Life Cycle team is being handled through a google group mailing list & some google documents. If you are someone who hasn't joined yet, but are planning on it, thinking about, maybe dreaming of it at night, and would like to be kept in the loop on what we're up to, for training, fundraising and such, shoot me an e-mail @ 7 p i x e l s @ g m a i l . c o m.
We will continue to post information to the MR Forum for all to see, but some of the more particulars and back and forth will be handled internally within the group.
The jersey better be badass I'll accept nothing less from my team, remember you have Franz on your side, you need to step up. I may not chime in, but I'm watching everything you do and say everywhere you do it, you've been warned!
It kind of felt like that the other night at Richie's. We left the video conference with Franz on while everyone continued on partying and doing other stuff. And i'd notice that he's just there in the background watching us through the computer. A bit surreal. But nice having him around.
Gary, I want to sign up and be a part of this team this weekend. Can you direct me to where I should do this?
Also, are you guys doing the World AIDS day ride tomorrow morning? Looks like fun. The map, though, seems to show a different route than the one planned.
Gary & I will be there in the morning for the Aids ride tomorrow. Not sure who else from the Team will be there. Maybe Ephemerae. But it is open to all riders regardless if you've signed up or not. They just ask that you where something red.
I'll be there for the ride tomorrow too... I still haven't registered for ALC yet because I'm waiting for my work to approve the vacation... but I'm confident it'll work out.
This page has links to all the details about the ride, and how to register online. Sometimes they have registration booths at events, in which case they give a $20 discount on registration fee (normally $75). I'm not sure that they are doing that for the World AIDS ride though, or when the next time they are doing it is. I registered at the Abbot Kinney Festival, and they had a booth set up. Most of the team signed up at their big training ride kick off.
This page has links to the home pages of all the members of the team where donations can be made online. We will also in the coming months be hosting fundraising events where we will be taking donations in person.
This page also has a link to join the team, which you can use once you are registered. It will send me an e-mail, which I approve and forward to the LA office where they will officially add you to the roster.
Also for those of you who planning to sign up, but haven't yet, if you'd like to be in the loop on our planning for fundraising and training, send me an e-mail with your real name, and MR screen name, and I'll add you to our mailing list and shared google documents.
World AIDS ride Los Angeles went really well this morning. A chill ultra safety conscience ride every once in a while is a nice change of pace for me. There was a big turnout, everyone wearing red which made for quite a sight moving through the city. Great to see you out there canadienne, I hope you can secure that time off to go on the big ride with us.
Ok, Two sets of pictures from the World Aids Day ride today and also the ALC 6 Photo Exhibit the other night, featuring one of our Cubbies Richie T who rode last year.
Btw, the Photo exhibit will be up til some time in January if you want to see what the ride is all about. Really nice work by all the photographers.
Cool, thanks for posting those Stevo.I wasn't able to make it out for the opening but definitely want to check out the photo exhibit. If anyone else is interested, maybe we could plan a little group visit. And Richie, love that you wore your cycling clothes for the gallery opening, awesome.
Really good ride today. Lots of hills and good climbing. Nice to see Karla make it all the way on her fixie. Way to go! And its always fun riding through gridlock traffic on bikes. Maybe someday the motorist's will get it. Thanks Danny.
I'd have been there, but the bike porn festivities on friday night messed with my sleep schedule and there was no way i was draggin' my ass out of bed this morning after going to bed at 4am for the 2nd night in a row.
1-6-08
sunday morning training ride posted, we meet at same place BK, ride out at 8 am give or take a few mins, short but sweet ride, heavy rain cancels ride,
Danny I have not read the thread above b/c it's super long but what's the route like for this ride...and do you have an estimate of what time we'd be back by ?
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Ridazz Roulette!
in that case Trekie ALC is all flat no hills and tail winds all the way down to LA,
Wow, I lov it and I am checkin my calendar allways want it to do this adding the fact that some MR are coming to this event is gigantic, what do I need got get what to do, trainn, bike yes and more trainning...
So I just posted a Training Kickoff Mini Pre-Ride for Saturday Oct. 27. Meeting point is the Sunset/Vermont Metro station. The Training Kick-off event starts at 8am in Griffith Park so I figure if people meet up around 7 at the metro station, that should give us plenty of time to grab a coffee or whatever and roll into the park.
I got around to realising that I can't think of any reason NOT to do this ride, any more. I mean the big aids ride. I think I'm gonna do it. Holy shit.
set it up Gary
roster:
U Gents and Gems are freaking AWSOME..I will be attempting to convince a few to Attend, for the intermediate….?
Sooooo....6 AM @ 101 is that correct?
anybody know how good/bad parking is around freddys? i recall several late-night post-concert hour-long parking spot quests.
youre asses are begging for my sweet sweet italian chamois.
we are at 10 and a couple more cubs may sign up, I think by the end we'll hit at least 20,
I just learned about this ride.
high-end cycling clothes for hit and run fundraiser.........
BMX? Real core elite uber status cyclists complete ALC with one of these...
sweet!
