Kathy Vencill's
I'm Riding to End AIDS--AGAIN!!!From June 1-7, 2008, I'm bicycling in AIDS/LifeCycle for the fifth time. It's a 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make an impact in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS. This Ride brings awareness to communities around California (and hopefully beyond) and raises much needed funds for life-sustaining resources. I'm still riding for Brad Evans (10/10/77-1/28/01)* who inspired me to join this cause and finally participate in AIDS LifeCycle (ALC) beginning June of 2003. I think Brad would be proud to know how much momentum we have gained in his honor... In 2004, I found company: my mother (Mary) became a Roadie (an ALL-IMPORTANT SUPPORT ROLE to riders) and my dear friends Daniel Emmett (who had met me at the finish line in 2003) and Henri joined me on the ride. The next summer, in 2005, my mom decided to participate as a CYCLIST (such bravery given she was battling Breast Cancer and had never cycled seriously in her life--in fact, she hadn't even owned a bike since the early 70's...WOW...she never ceases to utterly amaze!). Daniel and Henri were there as well and my brother (Frank) volunteered as a ROADIE. Since then my father (Dan) has gotten involved as a ROADIE--last year he was promoted to Captain of the Water & Ice team--and this year will be his third year participating. AND...three years ago my mom trained to become a TRAINING RIDE LEADER--TRL (!!!) to prove that anyone could participate and enjoy this ride of a lifetime. Since then she has been a TRL for ALC 5, 6, and now 7, inspiring riders all over the Bay Area! This summer of 2008 will be the first time my whole family has done the ride together, including an appearance from my cousin (John) who will fly in from Kentucky to join us!! This event is so important to me--simply stated, it is the most beautiful and meaningful week of my year. I feel extremely dedicated to keeping Brad's spirit alive and to fundraising for this vital cause. Please help me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation by giving what you can. I (and We) will keep riding until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past--because, as we like to say on the ride, "If one of us is living with AIDS, WE ALL ARE!" Thank you so very much for your support and for helping me to participate in something extraordinary! Sincerely, *Brad Evans and How I Got Involved with AIDS LifeCycle: In June 2003, I participated in one of the most phenomenal experiences of my life – AIDS LifeCycle 2. As a group of 1,011 riders, we cycled 585 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles and raised 4.1 million dollars to benefit those affected by HIV and AIDS. It was a particularly emotional journey for me as I often thought about why I chose to do the ride – I had been inspired by an amazing young man, a beloved Zachary's co-worker Brad Evans, who was tragically killed in a house fire in Oakland on January 28, 2001. Brad himself had completed the AIDS Ride in the summer of 2000 and to me this gesture represented the strength of his character and spirit with which he lived his life. He had a warm compassionate heart and translated his sense of social justice into action. I wanted to honor his memory by doing this ride. And to cap a beautiful trip, it also meant the world to me that his parents, Paul and Scottia Evans, were kind enough to greet me at the finish line in Los Angeles. Each year I have participated in this ride, my friends, family members, and I have done so with Brad in mind. Our goal is to keep his legacy alive and this year we plan to design and wear TEAM BRAD cycling jerseys!
Brad graduated from Corona del Mar High School in 1996 where he was an academic letterman, an editor of the school newspaper, and a starting guard and co-captain of the varsity basketball team. He was admitted to the University of California at Berkeley as a Regent's and Chancellor's Scholar. Brad embraced life. He traveled in Europe, South America (where he hiked the Inca trail), and across the United States. He spoke fluent Spanish and played bass guitar in a rock band, Fillup Phil. He died just four months before he was to graduate from UC Berkeley. His parents, Paul and Scottia Evans, have established a foundation in his name that awards scholarships to UC Berkeley-bound High School students and that supports people and causes for which Brad was passionate. The Brad Evans Foundation was recently honored by the Orange County Community Foundation with an Excellence in Philantrophy - Legacy of a Lifetime Award. If you are interested in learning more or making a donation, please visit: www.BradEvansFoundation.org Other facts and reasons why I do this ride:
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Kathy's latest blog entry:
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 
AIDS LifeCycle 2006--Riding with my mom, friends Dan & Henri, the Sonneborn clan, and with my dad as a Roadie
Kathy's Goal: $5,000.00
Current Total: $1,975.00 |
Kathy's LinksSan Francisco AIDS Foundation
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 2007
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Kathy's BlogWednesday, May 7, 20082:45 PM20 Miles up Empire Grade...Not much to write about today, but did a fairly challenging 10 mile climb up Empire Grade in Santa Cruz to keep Scenery around here is always beautiful--redwoods, fields of tall dry grasses blowing in the wind, and views from the Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, April 29, 200811:00 AM40 Miles with Mom--We conquered South Park Drive!!
After spending the weekend in Oakland for Day On The Ride and to host a baby shower/bbq for good friends Ann & David, I was able to squeeze in one last ride with my mom (and initially with her friend, Erin who is super nice) on Monday. Hurray! We had stunning weather too! We climbed up Old Tunnel Road--a peaceful, relatively car less, and gentle sloping hill. We headed to Skyline, dropped down Pinehurst, and cycled through the tucked-away community of the Canyons. Hard to believe it was warm even under the shade of all the redwoods--that's how we knew we were in for a warm one...(We biked to Moraga then on to Orinda where we had a tasty snack of Falafel and grilled Greek veggies. Yummm! Then back on the bikes to head toward Briones Regional Park and the Three Bears. I was a little short on time, so we decided to head back after we climbed Papa Bear (sorry Mama Bear & Baby Bear--next time). (We had a fast and fun descent back down Papa Bear--nice wide smooth road--a bikers dream! Then had one last push up Goldilocks... As a short cut we headed up Wildcat Canyon eventually up to Inspiration Point and Tilden Park. I really wanted to beat rush hour traffic back to Santa Cruz and so I, perhaps foolishly, suggested we climb South Park Drive instead of the normal routes that lead to North Berkeley. It had been years since I biked that hill. I remembered it being painful and wasn't sure if mom would have my head at the end of it. Man did this hill HURT--it was NO JOKE and much steeper and longer than I had remembered. Mom fought like a champion and we somehow both managed to make it to the top without stopping. At the time it felt like an incredible feat and we stopped to snap photos and celebrate under the South Park sign once we reached the top. WOO HOO!! AND DANG MY MOM IS A STUD!!!! After the challenge of that hill, the ride home was a cakewalk. Perhaps that's why it's worth it to do those hills--anything that follows is a cinch!(GREAT DAY, GREAT RIDE, GREAT COMPANY! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Saturday, April 26, 20085:45 AM85-90 Miles for "Day On The Ride"--SIMPLY GORGEOUS!!!!!Woke up at 4:45 in the morning (ouch!) at a friend's apartment in SF (after celebrating two dear friends' birthdays the night before--hurray Michelle & Helen--and staying up rather late...). I cycled over to Golden Gate Park to meet up with my mom and 600 other riders for our big practice ride before the main event on June 1st. It was a picture perfect day and my mom and I shared an incredible daylong journey on our bikes! We rode through the city and the Presidio, crossed the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge (where we saw the aftermath of a gnarly ankle-breaking bike accident) into Marin County, then cycled through the waterfront town of Sausalito (with spectacular views of the Bay, SF and the East Bay), Marin City, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax; along Sir Francis Drake Blvd and over the infamously challenging White's Hill to San Geronimo where we turned onto Nicasio Valley Road. As we rode along Nicasio Valley Road we passed the lovely Nicasio Reservoir with surrounding green grasslands, wildflowers, and cows. We turned up Point Reyes-Petaluma Road for a little more climbing before we reached our lunch spot at the Cheese Factory (Marin French Cheese Co.) along side a little lake in Petaluma. (40 miles total at this point) Mom and I found a wonderfully shady spot under a tree and gobbled our peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwiches with our fellow riders. Our ride home was equally gorgeous--we fought a little bit of head winds as we cruised back down Point Reyes-Petaluma Road and got to see the back side of the Nicasio Reservoir before heading into the Golden Gate National Recreational Area and the Samuel P. Taylor State Park. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY and an extremely rough road! No shoulder and completely potted, holey pavement. Definitely a two-handed riding operation--a.k.a. no water breaks without risking one's life... The road finally got nice again once we reached the adorable little town of Lagunitas just outside the park. There's a charming little store in town and I had to resist the temptation to stop for goodies. As is our typical style, mom and I were riding at the back of the pack and had little time for dilly-dallying... We also had to get back to White's Hill to climb the other side. So, we traveled back through San Geronimo along Sir Francis Drake Blvd and attacked that hill! We did our best to control our speed on the descent as we had been duly warned of its dangers. Unfortunately we later heard there were 4 separate wipeouts at this spot by our fellow cyclists. :-( Hate to hear that! We retraced our steps through Fairfax (where the Positive Pedalers generously and cheerfully volunteered to run our rest stop, serving us watermelon, other fresh fruit and snacks, water, and electrolyte water--they are THE BEST!). We rode back through San Anselmo and Ross, through darling neighborhoods, and past sweet little homes with little kids selling lemonade on several street corners--awwwwww! Otherwise, again, we continued to retrace our morning route through Larkspur, Corte Madera, and Marin--when we reached Sausalito, we somehow decided it was a fine time to do a little shopping. Mike's Bikes (great store!) was having a big sale and we couldn't resist. Mom bought a fancy bike-mounted bike pump and we both bought matching ultra-padded gloves. DON'T MIND IF WE DO..... We knew we were getting close to home base, so we fought up the hills to return to the Golden Gate Bridge and took a beautiful, but rather circuitous route through the Presidio to get back to Arguello Blvd (good city bike lane) to take us to GG Park. WE MADE IT AND WERE CHEERED IN BY KIND PEPPY GROUP--We MUST have been some of the last riders to cross the finish line. But, MAN, did our victory spaghetti dinner taste delicious! I was also happy to bump into my high school buddy, Rob Brandt, who had volunteered to break down the AIDS LifeCyle setup. What a good guy! AND WHAT A STUNNING DAY RIDING WITH MY #1 HERO--MY MOM ROCKS!
Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Thursday, April 24, 20081:00 PM50 (Tough But Beautiful) Miles in Santa CruzToday was a solo ride--no fun groups, but it's always a nice time to reflect and think when you ride alone... I started at my house and rode along the coast to the ocean-side village of Capitola and then onto Aptos Village and up Trout Gulch Road--this is where the climbing kicked in (roughy the next 20 miles!). The scenery definitely helped-- wildflowers, redwoods, apple orchards, grasslands, farm houses with white fences, babbling creeks, and at the top a sweeping view of a forested canyon. I biked to Freedom and Corralitos where the climb got steep--10 miles up up up up an old (now dead-end) road with very little car traffic--Eureka Canyon Road. Very peaceful. Saw only one friendly biker as he passed me and an hour later as I neared the top, he was on his descent and offered me words of encouragement: "You're almost there!" Love that biker camaraderie! I rode to the Summit (to Summit Road, for those of you who are familiar with Hwy 17) and my thighs were BURNING--way more so than usual! (Perhaps an indicator that I haven't been training as much as I should be??). Luckily the majority of the remaining 20 miles were down hill, so I just enjoyed the descent. A hot bath at the end of it all saved my quads! :-) This Saturday is our "Day on the Ride" (an 80-mile day that mirrors a day in the life of the actual ride on AIDS LifeCycle) and I hope I'm ready! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, April 6, 20087:30 AM40 Miles in Santa Cruz CountyIt was so wonderful to meet fellow Santa Cruz riders participating in this year's AIDS LifeCycle event! There was a group who called themselves "the SLUGS"--they were all folks who work on campus at UC Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful day and a gorgeous (mostly rural) ride with orchards of Apple Trees in full blossom. We often rode along side a babbling creek on a quiet old carless road, beneath the overhang of green green trees. We started in Corralitos and rode up Eureka Canyon Road--a 9 mile climb--behind the forest of Nisene Marks State Park to Summit Road off of Highway 17 where we stopped for a sunny lunch. We did a fun (cautiously) fast descent down Soquel-Old San Jose Road into Soquel Village, then through Capitola Village and followed the coastline to Aptos, through Aptos Village, climbed the Aptos Hills (up Trout Gulgh Road, Valencia Road, Day Valley Road to Freedom Blvd) and did a last steep climb back into Corralitos. What a day! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Wednesday, March 26, 200812:30 PMLong steep Climb up Empire Grade, Santa CruzNot much mileage today, but did a long challenging climb up Empire Grade to get those quads ready! Stopped at Kelly's French Bakery for a late lunch and met a fellow cyclist who offered tips about other great local rides. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Saturday, March 22, 20087:30 AM70 miles in the East Bay!This weekend I was lucky enough to have my mom as my fearless training ride leader for my longest ride yet. She leads the East Bay Cat 1 series out of Orinda and man, does she prepare us well for the hills! It was a beautiful ride from Orinda through the Berkeley hills to El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Tara Hills, Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, Crockett, past the Carquinez Straight Regional Shoreline, then through Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, and back to Orinda. Whew! My mom kicked my butt! Great first big ride... Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb |
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