Our bloggers tackle Day 3 (Tuesday)
- Roadie Erin is gathering a collection of bruises on her legs from her volunteer work on the Gear and Tent team. "Some onlookers might find them unsightly, but I wear them with pride. See this green one here, I got that from lugging that lumpy brown bag over there. See this yellowish mark on my knee, that was from Day 1, sigh. Mind you, I don’t like getting bruises, but I like how they make me look tough – so I can point to a new shiner on my arm to the cyclists, and say seeee, I’ve been working hard, too." Read more about Erin's heavy lifting.
- Cyclist Annette takes on the big hill of the day -- Quadbuster. "As you approach Quadbuster it looks very long and turns a bit to the left and with the lighting from the sky it looked quit ominous. I just took my time and worked the grannies like no tomorrow. There were times when I was barely hitting 2mph. I just kept cranking away. At one point I passed my sister who was ahead of me. I asked if she was okay. She said yes and then told me to keep going. So I did. I wasn’t about to stop anyway…well not unless I saw blood." Find out whether Annette conquers the hill.
- One of the highlights of cyclist James' day is the lunch stop in the tiny town of Bradley. "What is great about this stop is the symbiotic relationship AIDS/LifeCycle has with the local school. It is my understanding that it is a K-12 school whose academic year depends on the money made from the lunch sales in front of their campus to the riders. The money funds their field trips and enabled them to build a much needed computer lab for their students. So, they need their funds and we need to get fed. Perfect combination." Catch more of the highs and lows of James' day.
- Cyclist Bart tells of a discussion he had about a rider who almost died of AIDS when he lost his medical insurance in 2005. "Through the help of the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center he got the help he needed. Today he can participate in AIDS/LifeCycle. Now, for me as a European this is not easy to understand. In a lot of European countries anybody who needs medical care can get it, whether you are insured or not." Read more of Bart's observations about the United States.
