Northern California Kick-off Rides

We are riding safe and being safe and more importantly we #RideLoveLive #SFtoLA to #EndAIDS #7days545miles. 

#aidslifecycle Northern California kick-off rides are happening this Saturday. Find a ride by clicking on the link below.

If you aren't ready to ride, join us to meet other riders waiting to include you in our love bubble.

Amazing! This weekend is all about riding bikes, coming together, and  celebrating the start of AIDS/LifeCycle’s training season!  Come join us if you're ready to train or to see what this  Love Bubble is all about. Which ride(s) will you be at? Saturday, October 21st San Francisco Orinda Sunnyvale Sacramento  Sunday, October 22nd Marin Saturday, October 28th North Bay Sunday, October 29th East Bay Indoor Cycling Kickoff

We did it!

Well, we did it. WE cycled 7 days / 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Some days were difficult riding through pain, but nobody said saving lives is easy. Thank you so much for being part of contributing over $35k to the $15.1M raised by 2226 riders and 683 roadies.

As soon as donations were received, they could be used immediately for the life saving resources that the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center provde. They provide these services if not free, at little costs to those in need.

I had problems updating my blog, so if you were not following me on Facebook, the following links provide an overview of each day along with pictures (you do not need a Facebook account to view):

Day 0: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208127589301495

Day 1: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208133281803804

Day 2: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208140166575919

Day 3: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208146498654217

Day 4: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208153043697839

Day 5 (Red Dress Day): https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208159048767962

Day 6: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208165913059565

Day 7: https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208170877023661

With love,

Art

Day 3

Here is the link https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208146498654217

Day 2

Here is the link https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208140166575919

Day 1

Click on the link for day 1 https://www.facebook.com/art.desuyo/posts/10208133281803804

Day 0 2017

We had a not so early day, 9am meet time, for Orientation and Safety. Safety is a core value of AIDS/LifeCycle. We all want to come back in one piece. After Orientation, our group registered to get our tent assignment, and helmet/bike number. Folks were excited, apprehensive, and every other emotion that could be had. The next 7 days, we'll be up at about 4/4:30 a.m. to start each day to complete the 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles to help end HIV/AIDS.

I volunteered with Registration until my 2pm meeting with Media. I am ecstatic to announce that I am one of 13 AIDS/LifeCycle Media Ambassadors. We'll be talking to reporters and have live interviews with local news stations - how exciting.

So this is what our day looked like from my perspective in no particular order.

Less Than 5 Days Left

The Windmills of Your Mind

A fantastic training ride ...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1902783600004931.1073741882.1594003214216306&type=3

3 Bears - Pig Farm - Mt. Diablo

EBW to Mt. Diablo - train, train, train

The Hills are Alive with ALC in the Presidio

East Bay Wildcats Training Orinda and Two Bridges

$10k Celebration

50-miles busts my behind today

nuun - my electrolyte of choice

Since I started AIDS/LifeCycle (ALC) on February 2014, I learned more about cycling, and what we needed to have on each ALC training ride. February 2014 is when I purchased a road bicycle. When Richard from Tip Top Bike Shop asked me how much I wanted to spend, I responded with "Maybe $500." Those of you who know the cost of road bikes scoff at me, but I digress.

I became aware of electrolytes because of ALC's guide to training.

These are the required items needed to participate in an official AIDS/LifeCycle training ride:

• Bicycle (mechanically safe and in good working order)
• Helmet (ASTM, Snell, ANSI or CPSC approved)
• 2 Water bottles (one filled with an electrolyte replacement drink) OR 1 hydration pack (like a Camelbak), plus a bottle filled with an electrolyte replacement drink.
• Bike frame pump or CO2 cartridges
• Patch kit or spare tube that will fit your tire size.
• Tire Irons

For my first year of training mostly in the East Bay and the 7-day 545-mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, I used Gatorade and Powerade. For me, these drinks were much to sugary and on one of my many visits (shopping sprees) to REI, I discovered "nuun." Well, more like, I saw this hunk, Bobby Mack, marketing dreamboat for nuun. Bobby shared with me the virtues of nuun including its ingredients at 10 calories per tablet per 473 ml / 16 oz bottle:

• 10 calories
• sodium: 360 mg
• potassium: 100 mg
• magnesium: 25 mg
• calcium: 13 mg
• vitamin c: 38 mg
• 10 calories
• 1 g of sugar
• other ingredients include:
• plant based sweetener monk fruit and a touch of stevia leaf extract to provide a crisp and light sweetness
• non-gmo sourced dextrose to increase the speed of absorption and hydrate you faster
• avocado oil for clean, plant-based production

After tasting and really not hearing anything Bobby said, I did purchase a tube of nuun Active and nuun energy. I was hooked and since the fall of 2014, my electrolyte of choice is nuun.

As a volunteer ALC Training Ride Leader, I'll be sharing nuun Active with fellow riders on each ALC training ride. I'll let you know their response.

Please note this post is not an advertisement or that I am not being paid to share this information.

With your help, get us to Zero HIV Transmission

Click on this link if you're ready to donate to AIDS/LifeCycle

Planning to cycle 44 miles after 5 weeks off ...