Adrienne Houle's AIDS/LifeCycle Blog

Day 6 & 7

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:39:00 PST

Day 6: Lompoc to Ventura. Gorgeous day! I was tired but really anxious to be getting closer to home in some weird way. My butt was killing me!!! So i sent my faithful roadie, Morna, into Santa Barbara to pick up a gel filled slip cover for my all too thin bike saddle - the edge of the saddle ... need I go on? So, Morna LITERALLY saved my ass and brought me the slipcover at lunch. It worked and I didn't care if it looked a bit stupid - it allowed me to keep riding. After lunch we did a ride up the 101 Freeway. Yes. The Freeway. It was very scary. It made me ride in a very tension filled state that left me exhausted at the break. It is really freaky to ride on a Freeway a foot and a half away from a car that is passing you at 70 miles per hour. I did not enjoy this. We landed in Ventura, had something to eat and then went to the candle light vigil on the beach. This was beautiful. Everyone was silent and all you could see were thousands of candles forming a huge circle. It was really something and reminded me of why I was here doing this ride in a very subtle but strong way... It was the best way to end the day.

Day 7: Ventura to Los Angeles. Awoke to the alarm at 5 am followed by my good friend (?) Albert calling our room from the lobby at 5:15 am!!!! I was so pissed off! Every moment of even being bleary eyed and not quite awake is so precious at that time in the morning! I took a deep breath and report that no blood was shed, but, Ugh! There will be revenge. The route from Ventura to L.A. was pretty smooth sailing apart from seeing the aftermath of a very bad accident with a rider being attended to by EMT's... I wish him all the best. My knee was playing up on the way back and I got a flat tire just before rest stop 2, but it was no big deal. I fixed the tire and iced my knee and continued pedaling into L.A.! When we got to the end, at the VA Center in Brentwood, things got a bit congested. It was terrific to see so many people out and supporting the event but I think they should consult some "crowd experts"! For me, being funneled into an area, in the sun, with no room to move is a really bad idea. I do not like crowded crowds, if that makes any sense. I saw a chance to get through a break in the barrier and went for it! Two people helped me through with my bike and said, "I don't blame you! I'd leave if I could too!"... It was really too many people for me. Some people really love that kind of situation... but not me! My family and Morna and Rob, my really good friend from the East Coast, were there to greet me - how great that made me feel!!!! I saw them as I rode in and they saw me make a break for it and luckily, we met up and then made a bee-line to our place to pop a few corks! My Brother and Rob had done so much shopping - they had a celebratory feast in store for me! We had a wonderful evening!!!

P.S. Day 8: Went out for brunch with Morna and Rob, then stayed out late with Rob... home very late. ugh...

P.P.S. Day 9: Stayed in today because of "out late with Rob"... but worth every second!!!!

P.S.P.S. Day 10: Now functioning somewhat normally, however, have to keep reminding myself that it is o.k. not to be on a bicycle....

Day 5

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:10:00 PST

Day 5: Santa Maria to Lompoc. Today was "Red Dress Day" - literally! Most of the riders and roadies all wore some form of a red dress to symbolize the red AIDS ribbon. There was some fabulous apparel being donned for the occasion, including that worn by yours truely!!! I will include some photos of the day in an email when I get back. The route today was short but had some really big climbs - lower in elevation but equal in grade to those of the " evil twins"... I climbed them today with not too much complaining from my knee. Tommorrow we are off to Santa Barbara and then stay in Ventura for the night. Civilzation is on the horizon!

Day 2, 3 & 4

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:10:00 PST

Hurray! Finally a wi-fi connection that works with iPhone!!! I will make this brief but informative.

Day 2: Santa Cruz to King Ciy. This was going to be a long day, and prefaced with a lie of, "predominately flat". I know now to believe the opposite of what they tell us! There were hills and some really nasty sidewinds. What was supposed to be a 105 mile ride turned into a 111.8 mile ride because I and a few other riders missed a badly posted turn sign. I was so pissed off! Our little detour was filled with headwinds and sidewinds that were really freaking me out - I thought I would tip over! Not fun and really difficult to ride in. Eventually, we came through some wine country which was beautiful and then inland, for more fun in the wind and dust. On the way back I started having a very bad feeling on the left side of my knee. I went to sports med at camp and I have strained my I.T. Band. After an excruciating kneading session with the Doc, I was told to ice and rest and see how it was in the morning.

Day 3: King City to Paseo Robles. I woke up with a sore but somewhat better feeling knee and set out to ride. This was the day I had been looking forward to for months, the infamous, "quadbuster" hill climb. By the time I got to rest stop 1 my knee was in agony. There was no way I could ride another inch let alone quadbuster. I had to stop and be picked up by my faithful roadie. I was so dissapointed and angry. But there was nothing I could do. I went back to sports med and they taped me up and said that the only thing to do was stay off of it and let it rest otherwise it could get really bad and perhaps cost me the entire ride. I rested and iced. This was not a good day for me in many ways.

Day 4: Paseo Robles to Santa Maria. I woke up this morning and my knee was feeling better. When we looked at the route map for today my heart sank again. It was the "evil twins" hill ride that I had also been looking forward to doing. I had been training so much up in the hills of Palos Verdes in order to be able to get up these stupid hills!!! Both Morna and Al told me not to do the hills and to just get dropped at the second rest stop and finish the route from that point on. Had they not been with there to talk some sense into me... I would probably be not be walking without crutches today! As much as I regreted having to do so, I listened to them. I did just under 70 miles today without any major pain. It started to flare up a bit towards the end but I will be ok to ride tomorrow and most importantly, to complete the ride! So here we are in Santa Maria... We rode through a wind tunnel from a dust bowl town called Guadelupe to get here - the worst winds yet. This ride is extremely challenging!!!! And now, I am off to bed...

Day 1

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:48:00 PST

Today we began the ride!!! At 6 am everyone gathered at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. 2500 riders, 700 roadies and lots of family, friends and suporters filled the stadium floor. After inspiring speeches at the Opening Ceremony, we set off for Santa Cruz! The route was just over 80 miles and filled with spectacular views of the coast as well as alot of uphill climbs. If one must climb hills it help having some gorgeous costal vistas to focus on rather than concentrating on how badly my butt was aching! The weather started out somewhat chilly in the morning with a cold northern wind and some clouds and then by mid day, the closer we came to Santa Cruz, the sunnier and warmer it became. A very beautiful day. The support from everyone on the ride has been tremendous - from the roadies to the people who come out just to cheer us on - the vibe is so positive... so incredibly different from life in L.A.!!! I am writing this on a public computer in the hotel because my iphone isn't cooperating other than as a phone for the most part. I hope to keep posting a blog but it will be a bit hit and miss... But keep checking back anyway!

100 Miles... Extreme Heat...

Sat, 17 May 2008 20:59:00 PST

Today was the last chance to get in a 100 mile ride before the actual RIDE begins in two weeks. It was 95 degrees today. I went, I rode, I finished 100 miles. I will never by choice ride such distance in that kind of heat again. It was awful. Oh, and did I mention the hills...

OWWWW! My Aching Butt!!!

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:26:00 PST

My Butt is so sore!!! Yesterday was the 80 mile "Day On The Ride" - a fully supported training ride that gives an idea of what it will be like on the actual ride.

80 miles is the longest that I have ever ridden in my entire life! I was really tired afterwards but felt really good at having accomplished this and it gave me confidence that I will be able to do the ride.

This morning I went on a 45 mile ride to Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes. I was a bit sore all over when I woke up and thought seriously about staying in bed and having a lazy sunday... but then thought better and went out for a ride!

I feel much better after riding but my butt is even more sore than it was yesterday ...

HOT! HOT! HOT!!!!

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:20:00 PST

Today was supposed to be a 75 mile training ride in Calabasas, but due to the extreme heat, the ride leaders decided to do a 50 mile course instead because the loop for the additional 25 miles did not have any services along the route - not good if heat exhaustion became an issue. At first I was a bit disappointed but when it got over 100 degrees by mid-day I was really glad to be doing only the 50! It was the first time I had ever ridden in such heat and was really tired by the end.

Next Saturday, April 19th is the, "Day On The Ride". It is an 85 mile ride that is fully supported with pit stops, sweep vehicles, etc... and is set up to give riders an idea of what it will be like on the actual ride. I am really looking forward to this. It will be the longest distance that I will have ridden to date and I am excited for the challenge!

Half Century

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:33:00 PST

Today was my first "Half Century" (50 mile ride). The ride was out in the HILLS of Calabasas. It was a long and challenging ride with really beautiful scenery along the way. This was the hardest and longest ride I have done so far... I have never done so many hills in a single ride. I feel like I really accomplished something today.

Benedict Canyon

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:48:00 PST

And then there was Benedict... Canyon. Probably the best thing I could have done today was this f#%*! ride... Santa Monica to the top of Mullonad Drive.... I was informed that I will learn to love hills....

Bundy & Mandeville

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:39:00 PST

Today was a gorgeous Sunday morning and I road a total of 46 miles with some of those mile being hills! We had the option of going up Bundy and Mandeville Canyon. I had just been getting over the stomach flu last week and thought that I would only go up Bundy. I had no problem with that climb so I thought I'd go up Mandeville. I was doing o.k. and then I could feel my energy start to drain. I kept on going thanks to Steve, a former class 1 rider, but then at the last 200 yards of the hill where it gets really steep I had to get off my bike. My energy just completely crashed and I didn't think that I could keep up enough momentum to get up the last part of the hill without tipping over - literally. So I walked up the last 200 yards of the hill and felt like an idiot. The next time I do this climb I will not stop until I am at the top!!! I did learn a lot today about climbing. I need to pace myself better, save some gears for the end, and definitely eat a really good breakfast before I leave in the morning.

Malaga Cove Ride

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:16:00 PST

Today was my longest ride so far. 38 miles from Santa Monica to Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes, and then an extra 3 miles riding back home, so 41 miles total. I am a bit tired. Malaga Cove had a very challenging hill, under a mile long but quite steep with a stop sign half way up the hill... yucky. Riding a hill in Spin Class is not the same as riding a real hill on a real bike!

World AIDS Day Ride

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:52:00 PST

Today was a very special ride. It is World AIDS Day and in countries all over the world people set off at 8 a.m. on their bikes to honor those whose lives were lost to AIDS and to those now so courageously living with HIV and AIDS.

The ride here in L.A. was dedicated to Caleb, a little 3 year old boy from Alabama who was born HIV positive. Earlier this year when his foster parents took him on a vacation, he was refused the right to swim in the pool or use the public shower. This fear which stems from ignorance must stop.

There were perhaps 150 of us riding, all of us wearing red jersey's and it was really a cool sight to see. A long red line of cyclists all riding with one common goal - to create awareness about HIV and AIDS.

All the riders signed a cycle jersey for Caleb and he will be honored at the closing ceremony of AIDS/LifeCycle 7 On June 7, 2008 here in L.A..

At the pit stop on the bluffs of Ocean Ave in Santa Monica all the riders gathered around and the names of those who have died from AIDS were spoken. It was very moving and very sad and yet at the same time there was such a clear and positive sense of hope. I am very honored to be a part of this.

Another 30

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:05:00 PST

I did another 30 mile ride today. The training ride was under that but I rode home so that added a few extra miles. The ride today had some short but rather steep hills. I need a lot of practice in this area! I am still getting used to the gear shifting...

30 Miles

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:29:00 PST

Today I rode 30 miles! I feel very good because I could have rode for even longer - how much longer I'm not sure, but probably another 10 miles or so... of course I say this now after I'm off the bike! I did have a minor glitch... I had to come to an abrupt stop and wasn't able to un-clip from the pedal - Boom! The only thing that really got hurt was my ego. It is a rather humbling experience...

First Training Ride

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:58:00 PST

This morning I went to the ALC Kick Off Training Ride. I was so happy to be there not only because of the event but because I had food poisoning a day and a half before and was still feeling funky on friday night. Today I was feeling much better and actually did the intermediate course - 22 miles. I ended up doing 25 miles because myself and four people from my course group were given wrong directions from someone in the 36 mile course group! I was going the right way and was literally told very firmly that I was going the wrong way. As it was my first ride I turned around and went with the other people from my course group. When we got to the top of a hill and worked out the mileage based on the map, everyone agreed that we we going the wrong way so we turned anround and ended up taking the turn that I was originally going to take in the first place! It didn't really matter because I met some very nice people and we had a laugh about it. One thing that was so great about the ride was that everyone there was so positive and friendlly not to mention very encouraging. This is a very cool thing to be involved in and I'm glad I'm in it!

First Ride

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:34:00 PST

I thought I had adjusted the tension on my pedal clips to an easy release - Wrong!!! I fell over on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Corinth at a stop light! So embarrassing!!!

I re-adjusted the clips and have got my head around the fact that I need to un-clip before stopping... I went for a short ride with no further falling incidents and took my bruised ego home!

The Bike

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:42:00 PST

Today I went out and purchased a bycycle! I haven't been on a bike for years, apart from the Spin Cycles at the gym! I was fortunate to be able to get a higher end bike that was on sale and I am really excited to go for a ride tomorrow!