A DAY ZERO PRIMER: WELCOME TO AIDS LIFECYCLE!

Tyler, Scott, and I want to thank all of you - our sponsors and supporters - for your contributions and messages of support over the last several months. Last year, Tyler and I kept a very active blog to help you experience AIDS LifeCycle as closely to way we experience it on the road.

Here it is again! While we've been blogging during our training, you're going to start to notice some changes in the way we post. Here's a little primer to the blog as you'll see it over the next few days.

Daily Route Summaries: Early each day, we'll post a route summary that offers a short description of the route, sometimes a photo or two, highlights for that day, and the total projected distance.

Gabcasts: Usually once or twice a day, we'll post an audio message that can be played through our blog. This is a chance to actually hear our voices and get a little bit of a quick update from the road.

Text Message Posts: We will post A LOT of short messages from the road in the form of text messages or short emails. These will be SHORT and SWEET, but will help give you an idea of what we're up to on the ride.

Photos and Videos: We will try to take some photos and video and post them from the road. You won't see too many of these, but we usually take a few and upload them. It's a pretty safe bet you'll see one the morning of Day Four when we hoist our bikes over our heads atop THE EVIL TWINS at the HALFWAY TO L.A. POINT.

Now, here's some overview information about the Route:

One of the many things that makes AIDS/LifeCycle such a unique and special event is the scenic route that takes us through the heart of California. Stunning views, historic destinations, and even the chance to spot dolphins frolicking off the coast are followed by a hero's welcome in the City of Angels. Although the route has been largely the same since the very first AIDS/LifeCycle, there are typically some changes from year to year.

There are seven days of riding, and each day is different. We’ll ride an average of 80 miles a day, over varying terrain. One day, we’ll be riding a flat route along the coast or through artichoke and strawberry fields, the next we might be riding through fog banks and foothills. The course is designed to be challenging but completely doable.

The starting points and destinations for each day are as follows:

DAY ONE: San Francisco to Santa Cruz
DAY TWO: Santa Cruz to King City
DAY THREE: King City to Paso Robles
DAY FOUR: Paso Robles to Santa Maria
DAY FIVE: Santa Maria to Lompoc
DAY SIX: Lompoc to Ventura
DAY SEVEN: Ventura to Los Angeles

Today is DAY ZERO (yeah, we really call it that)! We're in Orientation today, squaring away some final business and getting ready to hit the road! Keep checking in these next few days for new posts!