The week of potato chips is over

I joke that I do the AIDS ride for the potato chips. Of course, that's just a joke, but it is the only week of the year that I eat potato chips almost every single day.

I'm still a little brain dead from the ordeal, but over the next few days I will try to gather my thoughts and write about this most amazing week.

Day Zero
Last Saturday seems like a lifetime ago. It's the day Jerry and I hauled our Tandem Trike-- our friend Hunter named it Jack Triker, after a porn star (guess it has something to do with the trike's huge size)-- to the Cow Palace to park it and then get in endless lines to watch a safety video, get a tent assignment, turn in the rest of our donations, pick up Pos Ped Supporter jerseys and to kiss and hug numerous friends.

After a couple of hours of getting wrist bands and our tent number on a disk on a chain to hang around our neck, we headed home to finish packing. We totally geek out on the ride. We dress alike every day; that's not unusual for tandem riders, but it is pretty unusual on the AIDS ride, especially considering there were only five tandems this year. We packed two-gallon plastic bags and then sat on them to squeeze out as much air as possible, then stacked them vertically in the suitcase in order of days. It's amazing how much easier that makes camp life. Grab a bag and go.

After we packed and had dinner, we headed over to our friends Tom and Jeff's, who live in Daly City, just minutes from the Cow Palace. This is the second year they have hosted us, and it makes a world of difference getting to sleep until 4:45, as opposed to 2:30 a.m., especially considering we will be riding lots of miles and climbing lots of hills the next day.

We chatted a bit, but went to bed quite early, filled with anticipation.

Day 1
I think no matter how many times I do this ride, I will never get over the thrill of rideout. We do some stretching, eat some banana bread, and then the Positive Pedalers carry banners, followed by the Riderless Bike, symbolizing all of those we have lost to AIDS. This year, one of the people who accompanied the bicycle was Joe, a rider who would not be riding this year because he broke his kneecap. I did that years ago, and it's painful, but I know it was even more painful for Joe because he raised a lot of money, is very active in the community and was so looking forward to the ride.

After the ceremony, we headed to our bikes. The Positive Pedalers rode out first and then the rest of us followed. The adrenaline that takes over is incredible, egged on by the friends who line the beginning of the route, cheering, ringing cow bells and holding signs. Despite the cold and dense fog, I couldn't stop smiling. At least for the first mile or so.

Then we began to climb. and climb. and climb. On a 60-pound trike that will only go so fast up hills. The frustration with the trike began on that day when all we had were our quads and calves to get us up those hills. No upper body at all. No standing to use body weight. Just those quads pumping and pumping and pumping. Ironically, it wasn't difficult; just slow and tedious and tiring.
More later. Jerry and I are going to the movies.