The campus’s 28-member Cal Team is now back home from last week’s AIDS LifeCycle. What was it like to bicycle 545 miles (S.F. to L.A.) with 3,000 others and a common cause — raising funds for HIV/AIDS services and awareness? Twenty-two ALC 2011 vets offer up their very final (and very pithy) reactions to the ride.
“It was great being a roadie, but I’m so being a rider next time.” — Celeste Roschuni
“It was tons of fun and I’m glad I did it.” — Hilary Bush
Follow the ride:
- Intro: As AIDS turns 30, Bears saddle up
- Day 1: A poignant AIDS milestone day (and a dry ride!)
- Day 2: Fried artichokes, a flat tire, high spirits
- Day 3: Quad-busting climb, Lycra-clad chorus
- Day 4: Halfway to L.A., there’s no turning back
- Day 5: Riders and ground support go rouge
- Day 6: Stranded on a sag bus, moved by a memorial
- Day 7: Behind the scenes, a septuagenarian rider, final thoughts
“This is my third time finishing the ride. Definitely, the third time is the charm.” — Kit Donovan
“I’m so glad my daughter, a Cal student, invited me to come along and have this great experience.” — Michael Bush
“Riding in Speedos is really, really cold.” — Wes Lazara
“Such a great week, full of lots of fun and lots of laugh. I wish it could last.” — Lindsay Bergstrom
“Everything hurts.” — Chathu Abeyrathna
“Enjoyed life to the fullest.” — Margaret Chester
“Wow, what a ride!” — Daryl Mathews
“My week on the ride is the most fun I have all year.” — Anita Liboff
“This is my second ALC ride and I’m definitely doing it again next year; it’s such an awesome thing to do.” — Chris Goff
“This has been the most remarkable week of my life.” — Jesse Dill
“Everything just changed.” — Natasha de Lange
“I can’t wait to come back next year.” — Hari Phatak
“This ride has been awesome. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing for a week.” — Abby VanMuijen
“Best week of the whole year.” — Evan Kerr
“This ride was even better than last year.” — Josh Schoenfled
“This was the best experience of my life and I’m going to do it again next year.” — Jonathan Goodrich
“That was an epic ride.” — Joanne Yeung
“The best week ever.“ — Araba Nti
“It was like bicycle-riding utopia.” — Ellie Bozmarov
“It’s an amazing experience to focus on one goal for seven days. It’s simultaneously exhausting and exhilarating to be so single-minded, 24/7, with 3000 other new friends.” — Caitlin Brostrom