Read The Daily Spin, AIDS/LifeCycle's camp newsletter

Each morning in camp, as participants load up on carbs and scrambled eggs to prepare for a long day of riding, they can also read The Daily Spin, our camp newsletter. It covers highlights from the previous day, tells Cyclists and Roadies what they can expect on the route, and features profiles of their fellow participants. Get a taste of ALC life with these PDFs:

• Orientation Day (Saturday) edition [1.1 MB]
• Day 1 (Sunday) edition [700K]

Our bloggers post their Day 1 adventures

AIDS/LifeCycle's four participant bloggers have started sharing their journeys, with posts from Day 1 (Sunday):

• Cyclist Annette tells how Opening Ceremonies made her think of her brother, who died of AIDS in 1994. "We arrived just in time for the presenting of the Riderless bike and for a moment of silence.  We all held hands and I thought of my brother Chris and how much I missed him.  But I didn’t cry, I felt a calm settle over me and I felt better.  I knew Chris was with me and I would be fine."
• Cyclist Bart, who lives in Amsterdam, is basking in the Golden State's beauty: "Cycling through California is an event in itself. My lord, have I enjoyed the scenery, ranging from woods with skyhigh trees and replenishing scents, to the Pacific coastline with its thundering waves."
• Roadie Erin is getting the hang of her Gear and Tent tasks: "I learned to ask people if they forgot anything before they hand over their packs. This is a key question because one cyclist today had one truck team unload half the truck because he forgot his cycling shoes. "
• Cyclist James reflects on how the ride has affected him and his partner:  "If it was not for this ride, David and I would not be as close as we are now. The training and our common need to help others has brought us together in a way I never thought possible."

AIDS/LifeCycle 6 Podcast - Day One

Download the Day One Podcast (18:45 min, 12MB, .mp3)

The cyclists finish their first day - 90 miles from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Listen to highlights of Opening Ceremonies and a recap of the day. Paul Serchia, Positive Peddlars Board Member, shares why he rides in AIDS/LifeCycle and first-year Cyclist Andy Samwick talks about what it's like to finally be here on the ride and his ambitious goal for the week.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the name of the episode in the ALC Podcast Player in the left hand column of this page or download it by right-clicking on the direct link above and saving it to your hard drive.

Day 1 photos

After an exhilarating and exhausting first day, our Cyclists and Roadies made it into their first campsite, at Santa Cruz. Check out our gallery of photos capturing Day 1.

AIDS/LifeCycle 6 raises a record $11 million to fight AIDS

A record 2,300 cyclists from 10 countries and 43 states rode exuberantly from the Cow Palace this morning as they began AIDS/LifeCycle, a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The riders and nearly 450 "roadie" volunteers raised a record $11 million this year -- surpassing last year's total by nearly $3 million.

Read more about ALC's most successful year yet.

ALC 6 Preview Podcast

ALC 6 Preview Podcast (2 min, 3MB, .mp3)

A brief overview of the upcoming web coverage for AIDS/LifeCycle 6 at http://aidslifecycle.typepad.com/alc6/. You can download the podcast episodes directly or listen to them in our podcast player on the web site in the left column on any page by clicking on the episode you'd like to hear.

AIDS/LifeCycle 6 Photo Gallery

Photography by Jeff Brock Studio.

Looking for more ALC6 photos? Check out:

• Old Soul Photos by Kristopher Azevedo. Kristopher shot the entire week.
• Hodes Photography by cyclist Brian Black Hodes. Brian photographed the Teams on Day 5, as well as Quadbuster on Day 3.

AIDS/LifeCycle Photo Archive

• AIDS/LifeCycle 5 (2006)
• AIDS/LifeCycle 4 (2005)
• AIDS/LifeCycle 3 (2004)
• AIDS/LifeCycle 2 (2003)
• AIDS/LifeCycle 1 (2002)

AIDS/LifeCycle 6 Route Map

For a more detailed map and information about Opening and Closing Ceremonies locations and camp sites, please visit the ALC Travel Planner's Interactive Map.