Golden Gate Bridge

21 miles - avg 12.4 mph

ALC (Aids Lifecycle) organized the first "official" training ride today. There were three options: 8 mile ride, 20 mile ride and 40 mile ride. I was thinking of doing the 40 mile ride but I chickened out at the last minute and went for the 20 mile ride. It was a fairly large group, maybe about 35-40 people. We left from parking lot of Sports Basement at Marina, went over Golden Gate Bridge, down to Sausalito, rode by the bay (beautiful!), went up to Mill Valley and returned. It's a very different experience when you ride with a group of people in traffic. Makes me nervous, but support from other riders is amazing. I met a lot of nice people. Some have personal reasons in doing this ride, some are like me, just want to help people in some way. I don't know anyone that has HIV, but I don't care. I will still do this ride, this is the least I can do.

Veloswap

I went to Veloswap today in San Francisco, a sports expo for bikers. Lots of good deals! I got a few pairs of shorts, jerseys, socks, and a chain cleaner. A chain cleaner that I paid $20 for, and it's worth every penny ;-)

Time for change: Coyote Creek trail

20 miles - avg 13.0 mph

Finally riding somewhere other than Los Gatos Creek trail! I tried Coyote Creek trail today. This is a much nicer trail, and would be even nicer if I was able to complete the 30 mile round-trip but I got a flat tire :-( With no pump or tools to fix the tire, I stopped other riders asking for help. Seems like nobody in this trail likes to carry a pump! My friend Ersin picked me up and gave a ride back to my car. Now I wonder if I got this flat tire because of the tube change from two days ago or I was just unlucky...

Los Gatos Creek trail once more

18 miles - avg 12.6 mph

I was going to try a new trail today but I got nervous about the inner tube change I accomplished last night. I decided to stick to my good old route: Los Gatos Creek trail of course. To my surprise (and pride) I completed the 18 mile ride without any tire problems. Tomorrow I can try a new trail.

First tire change - not easy!

Using the hand pump to blow air in my tire, I managed to break the valve, #@&%^! Unfortunately I can't just change the valve, I have to replace the whole inner tube. So I got a new tube, and after spending a good 2-3 hours I managed to replace the old tube with the new one. It's true, you never forget your first!

$1000

Today my fundraising total reached $1000!

$765 in one week

My fundraising total reached $765 today, only one week after I announced my bike ride! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.

First group ride

I met a few other ALC participants from South Bay and we went for a bike ride today. Los Gatos Creek trail again. I know every part of this trail by heart now! This group had a few experienced riders. They participated in ALC (Aids LifeCycle) in the past years. I got some tips from them and a demo of a flat tire change. They made it look so simple!

Word is OUT

...and the announcement time! About 150 people got an email from me today announcing my bike ride to LA and asking for their support. First I completed my ALC website, then sent a mass e-mail. Literally within minutes I received the first donation from... Istanbul, Turkey! My brother made a generous donation. Needless to say, I had a very emotional moment.

Los Gatos Creek trail again

18 miles - avg 12.3 mph

It's very convenient to live close to Los Gatos Creek trail. I completed my second training ride today. 18 miles again, but this time a little faster and with less time to rest.