Victor Solanoy

I actually did it! I rode my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles, less 40 miles (more on that later).

“Overwhelming” and “impressive” are the words I have to describe my experience on ALC 7. The people are incredible, the staff was incredible, the roadies were all lifesavers… and what I didn’t anticipate is how close everyone got during 7 days that really tested my endurance and dedication to this cause. I could feel the sense of community during the first day, but as day 7 approached and went, there was a sense of community that I’ve never felt short of my own family. Everyone was so incredible supportive – on the last few days, it was so easy to simply quit and board a sweep vehicle, I didn’t because of the support of every rider I came across.

In short, not only did every rider and roadie contribute over 11.4 millions dollars to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, we all increased the awareness of the cause to those who donated.

Some of the fun highlights are:

• My bike cost me $540 dollars – that’s $1 for every mile I rode
• My cyclist number was 1545 – get it?
• Longest single distance travelled – 90 miles from Lompoc to Ventura
• Fastest downhill speed – 47 miles per hour
• I don’t like camping, and I really don’t like porta-potties
• Hill training is essential for the ride — particularly long, drawn out ones. Flat, level land might as well be hills because I was always working at moving.
• I really started to like hills, because at some point, there’s a downhill somewhere along the lines
• California countryroads are incredible by bike (not the motorized kind)
• My slowest speed – 2.5 miles per hour up Quadbuster

Since I was on my bike for anywhere between 8 and 10 hours, there’s a lot of time to think. At some point, I was wondering what a superhero must feel like — my conclusion to that question was that being a cyclist or a roadie is the closest most people will ever get to experiencing that feeling. Why? Most of the cyclists and roadies were there knowing that we were all doing something altruistic. We raised money for an incredible cause, and we were riding our bicycles or helping cyclists who were increasing not just the awareness of the cause, but helping communities along the way,  but directly and indirectly.

I’m ready to do it all again, but next time, I’ll train a lot harder than I did. Given I only got sagged once (day 2), I did pretty well. Also, given that I’m willing to do it again and recovered within a few days… I just need to work harder to improve my overall performance, particularly on hills.

Thanks to everyone that supported me financially and spiritually on this ride — you folks are the ones that made it possible for me to do this.

If all goes as planned, I’m planning to be riding for ALC8!

Again, thanks to everyone who has helped support me through this incredible journey. If I haven’t said it enough, AIDS/Lifecycle 7 starts this weekend. As a start assembling everything I’m going to bring on this incredible ride, I started thinking about how much I have changed in the months leading to this incredible event.

If you asked me a year ago whether I could ride 50-miles for fun… I would have said you were crazy! If you asked me whether I could raise at least $2500 for charity, I would have said you were crazy!

Guess what… those things happened, among many other terrific things in my life. As I prepare to embark on this crazy ride, it’s hard to believe how quickly time has gone by. I’ve met so many incredible people along the way, both those who have supported me as well as those who work or volunteer for the AIDS/Lifecycle as well as the various participants I’ve met over the past year or so.

I really want to recognize how much my family and my kids have supported me on this, and the support and encouragement from faces from the past, friends I haven’t talked to or seen for years, co-workers, and complete strangers who are now good friends. It’s incredible how news spreads!

On Saturday, I will attend the ALC Orientation at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with my riding partner (not really because he rides a lot faster than me ) and tent mate, Al Milan (#1488).

Thanks to my parents, my son will be following me down to each city we will camp at – I hope my son will learn as much as I have about taking part and how terrific it is to take part in something incredible. My wife, daughter and my sister won’t be able to follow me down to Los Angeles, but they will be meeting me in Los Angeles for the closing ceremonies.

Sunday, June 1st is here and I’ll be there ready to ride….

If you want to see where I’ll be cycling, check this map out…

http://www.aidslifecycle.org/about/travel/map.html�

• Saturday, May 31st - Orientation Day - The Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA 94104
• Sunday, June 1st - Opening Ceremonies - The Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA 94104

• June 1 – Camp One: Harvey West Park, Santa Cruz, 326 Evergreen Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 - 79.3 miles
• June 2 – Camp Two: San Lorenzo County Park, King City - 1160 Broadway, King City, CA 93930 - 105.4 miles
• June 3 – Camp Three: Mid State Fairgrounds, Paso Robles - 2198 Riverside Avenue, Paso Robles, CA 93447 - 77.3 miles
• June 4 – Camp Four: Preisker Park, Santa Maria - 2301 Preisker Lane, Santa Maria, CA 93458 - 97.7 miles
• June 5 – Camp Five: River Park, Lompoc - Sweeney Road & Highway 246, Lompoc, CA 93436 - 42.5 miles
• June 6 – Camp Six: San Buenaventura State Beach, Ventura - 901 San Pedro Street, Ventura, CA 93001 - 85.5 miles

• Saturday, June 7th – Closing Ceremonies – VA Center, 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025 - 61.5 miles