Thirteen-days until AIDS/LifeCycle 2013

Just 13-days until AIDS/LifeCycle, the biggest ride of my life! What have I been doing? Trying to maintain composure as I deal with life issues. In April, I lost Ruby, the sweetest black lab in the world. Over a month has passed and I still miss her to pieces.

As the days fly by, I’m coming to terms with the idea of camping the 6-nights of AIDS/LifeCycle. I don’t remember the last time I camped. At least there aren’t ticks or mosquitoes in California, right?

The cold Spring finally ended in Kansas City in early-May. I’ve been riding my bike at every chance. I learned of a new Wednesday group ride, the Martini Corner ride. This was exciting, because I didn’t have a Wednesday ride. The ride starts out in Midtown, then goes through both the East and West Bottoms of Kansas City before returning to Midtown.

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Last-minute items for AIDS/LifeCycle packing list

California US Hwy 101Here are a few last-minute items for your AIDS/LifeCycle packing list. It’s my first time doing AIDS/LifeCycle and after speaking to my ALC rep and a few other riders, these are some must-have items that weren’t on my list.

AIDS/LifeCycle 2013, a recap and details about of my first ALC ride. (June 26, 2013)

UPDATE: I found a few really detailed AIDS/LifeCycle packing lists.

Did I miss something? Post it in the comments.

Seattle, AIDS/LifeCycle, and UX Immersion 2013

UX Immersion Conference: April 21-24, 2013 in Seattle

On Friday, April 19, I depart for one of my favorite cities, Seattle, Washington, to attend the UX Immersion Conference. UX Immersion is put on by Jared Spool, and the fine folks at UIE.

AIDS/LifeCycle and Seattle-based Team of One

I added a weekend to the trip, so I can ride and socialize with Seattle-based AIDS/LifeCycle participants. Many Seattle AIDS/LifeCycle riders are members of Team of One. Lately I’ve felt disconnected not knowing many other AIDS/LifeCycle participants. I’m hopeful that meeting other participants prior to the ride will help make the experience more comfortable.

On my trip to Los Angeles in February, I was able to meet our team, The Pork Pedalers, captain-extraordinaire, Brendan Hooley and some members of Team Cynergy, but others from my team were unable to make it out.

How many miles will I ride each day of AIDS/LifeCycle 2013

AIDSLifeCycle Route MapThis is one of the more common questions I am asked when I tell people I’m participating in AIDS/LifeCycle 2013. Here’s a recap of the day-by-day miles and start/finish cities.

  • Day 1: 83 miles – Daly City (SF) to Santa Cruz
  • Day 2: 109 miles – Santa Cruz to King City
  • Day 3: 67 miles – King City to Paso Robles
  • Day 4: 98 miles – Paso Robles to Santa Maria
  • Day 5: 42 miles – Santa Maria to Lompoc
  • Day 6: 84 miles – Lompoc to Ventura
  • Day 7: 61 miles – Ventura to Los Angeles

Total miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles: 544

Trip to Los Angeles – February 2013

Garrett and Brendan on Team Cynergy AIDSLifeCycle ride

On Thursday, February 21, I escaped the big snow storm and flew out of Kansas City at 6 am.

The best part of Los Angeles had to be the weather. The second and equally good part was meeting up with Brendan Hooley, one of my team captains. On Saturday, Brendan and I joined Team Cynergy for a ride along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.

Tweets from the trip