DM & SB Training Ride: South Mountain and Bacon Brownies

Well, we've completed another fruitful morning on South Mountain... Scotty and I had a great ride this morning, although we have observed that Fall is on the way as the sun has been rising later and later each week. It was relatively dark for the first part of our ride, where we normally have quite a bit of sunlight from the start.

Scotty goofing off, as per usual

We anticipated that we would see more wildlife on the ride with the later sunrise, but didn't really see much at all. We did see some rattlesnake roadkill and some rabbits, but that was it today. No roadrunners or quail, no coyotes or "chupacabra"...

We did have some stunning, beautiful cloud formations, though - including large storm clouds and lighting to the West.

Thunderstorms forming in the West Valley (now dumping rain on Tempe as I post)

Rays of sunlight breaking through the cloud cover over the East Valley

After our ride, I dragged Scotty with me to Royal Coffee at the Market at the Phoenix Public Market - a cool, locally sourced market downtown, for those of you not in the know. I had heard a little rumor last week that they bake "bacon brownies" on Fridays (yeah, only on Fridays) and was a little curious to try this concoction. Royal Coffee brews each cup of coffee individually, to order... It was delicious. And with a side of bacon-packed brownie, I had the perfect start to the day. AND, while we were at the market we met a former ALC rider who had done the ride twice in the past. How cool is that?!

Coffee: CHECK. Bacon Brownie: CHECK.

So that was our Friday ride... A little more going on in there this morning than usual. Blame the bacon.

TONIGHT, Scotty and I are going to see fellow ALC Team PHX cyclist Ian Christiansen in Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens! Check it out - the show runs for a couple more weeks!

And TOMORROW, if the stars are all aligned... I'm planning a 70-90 mile ride from Sedona through Jerome and to the TOP of Mingus Mountain... With a crazy 12-mile climb topping over 4,000 feet of ascent. You'd better believe I'll be blogging that.

Working on some fundraising materials for ALC 10... This took some time!

 

It's amazing what you can do with computers these days... I took this photo of myself riding somewhere else altogether (along Tempe Town Lake), cropped myself out, pasted myself onto a new background (a photo I took of South Mountain), and made it pretty.

.

I'm thinking about having this made into a postcard or poster.

Cliff is going to take some additional photos of me out at South Mountain soon, too. I'm going to do everything I can to raise $11,000 this season - That's literally ONE CENT for every American diagnosed with AIDS since the start of the epidemic 30 years ago.

DM and CR Training Ride: Cruz Conquers South Mountain: Part One!

 South Mountain summit at sunrise from the final mile

This morning, Cruz and I got up really early to get in a training ride on South Mountain. Cruz had never driven up South Mountain let alone pedaled up the mountain on a bicycle... So, today was a first for Cruz.

Cruz and I are among approximately 50 cyclists participating in the Baby Dragon 180 Ride in California. The Baby Dragon 180 Ride supports the mental health, crystal meth addiction recovery, and LGBTQ homeless youth programs of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. I've kept up my training since AIDS LifeCycle, getting in around 2-4 rides a week... Most of them on South Mountain. Cruz only purchased a bicycle a few short weeks ago, but he's taken to it quite well!

 Cruz climbing the last half mile with the sun rising on the horizon

Cruz did an excellent job on the mountain today! Not that I ever doubted him. He kept a good pace on the climb and didn't look like he wanted to kill me at the summit. He even kept up as we both sped back down the mountain together - often one of the scariest parts for newer cyclists. I clocked us at a maximum speed of 39 mph... But don't tell the ranger.

All in all, we had a great ride! 16 miles and over 1,500 total feet of climb. Cruz conquered South Mountain for the first time, we both got in a good training ride, and we both got to go about the rest of our day with the satisfaction of having done something pretty amazing before most people we know were even out of bed.

No rider's first summit on South Mountain with me goes without a victory photo! Here's Cruz and me at the top of South Mountain showing off a little...

Cruz is still raising money for the Baby Dragon 180 Ride! If you would like to sponsor him, check out his fundraising site at http://www.lagaycenter.org/site/TR/Events/BabyDragon180Ride?pxfid=3580&fr_id=1160&pg=fund today!

And, per Peter Geissler's request... The elevation profile from this morning!

You never know who you'll reach on the road...

On more than one occasion this weekend, I thought about a very discrete experience I had at a grocery store in Fountain Hills on a training ride the previous weekend.

Cruz and I had stopped to refuel and I had gone in to purchase fruit, water, power bars, and the like. There was only one lane open, but another employee quickly offered to open a nearby register to help me. She was very friendly, which is always a plus after you've climbed a few hills on the way into town. As she handed me by grocery bag, I caught a glimpse of the red ribbon tattooed on her forearm.

I didn't comment on it until I got outside, but I had an AIDS LifeCycle "RIDE TO END AIDS" jersey on and can't help but think that the way she turned her arm showing her tattoo and the smile on her face might have been a subtle way of saying "thank you for riding for me" or "thank you for riding for my loved one".

You don't always know who you will reach when you're out on the road, but our presence on hundreds of miles of training rides and during the week of AIDS LifeCycle helps to remind the world that we are all living with HIV and AIDS, that we care deeply about lending our voices and bodies to eliminating stigma, and that we continue to seek an end to this disease.

DM and SB Training Ride: Sunrise on South Mountain

No CHUPACABRA today... But we were on the lookout for that massive coyote from last week.

Scotty and I drove over to South Mountain this morning for another Friday morning ride to the summit. There were a handful of other cyclists, hikers, and joggers out on the road. Not a lot of wildlife today... I saw some quail, chipmunks and ground squirrels, and rock pigeons. Nothing too exciting.

There was some awful stench riding up the first and second climbs... It smelled like dumpster, which is strange since there are no dumpsters or garbage trucks on the mountain. As foul as it was, I had a good laugh about it. Some of my friends out in LA go out for Thursday morning rides - and often weekend rides, too - on Garbage Truck Hill in Griffith Park. On a few occasions, I've given them a hard time about that wimpy little hill, posting something like, "Out to climb South Mountain... No GARBAGE TRUCKS HERE!"

I'm kind of concerned this might be some sort of karmic revenge for picking on them. We never determined the source of that horrible smell. Weird.

When we hit the last segment of road to the summit, I decided to have us split off to the Buena Vista overlook before climbing the final mile. The spur road was only about a half mile long, but I must say... Truth in advertising! That was one BUENA VISTA! Beautiful views of the central valley! I think I found a good spot to take my ALC 10 fundraising photos, too!

After hanging back, we hit the final stretch to the summit.

Scotty climbing the final half mile of South Mountain

We made it up to the top, took a quick break and sped back down to the bottom!

Scotty took this photo of me. I didn't have the energy or foresight to match my jersey and socks... But gave a little shout out to my Anglo heritage with the Union Jacks!

Goofing off atop South Mountain... And showing off my tattoo.

Finally, a little shout out to the Garbage Truck Hill folks, in hopes that I can bring peace and balance to our little universe. Track 8 from the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has some lyrics that are almost appropriate for it to be the theme song for Garbage Truck Hill rides... And it's called Garbage Truck! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txEkMAreDuc

DM Training Ride with Cruz Ramirez: Tempe to Fountain Hills via the Greenbelt and Back on the Beeline

J.R. Billings at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center put me in touch with another Baby Dragon 180 Ride cyclist at ASU a few weeks ago. After a few weeks of messages back and forth and his purchase of a bike, Cruz Ramirez and I finally got out on the road together this morning for his second ride ever.

Cruz and I met at the Starbucks at Rural Road and the Loop 202 around 5:00am this morning for a ride up the Greenbelt, into Fountain Hills, and back down via the Beeline Highway. The ride was roughly 50 miles with a good climb in the middle from North Scottsdale up into Fountain Hills. Cruz is in pretty good shape, so I wasn't worried about him completing this ride and it gave us a chance to work on his cycling endurance and gear shifting. He also got a lesson in how to change a tube!

Cruz climbs one of the many short, steep hills on the way into Fountain Hills

We had a little break at Safeway to refuel, fill up water bottles, relax, and discovered Cruz had a slow leak in his front tire. It was a good opportunity to show him how to change a tire - and a lesson that even a TINY little piece of sharp debris can trash a tube. Cruz had a very small cactus spine sticking through the tire. It was just enough to pierce the tube.

We rode out past Fountain Park. Sadly, it was too early for the fountain to be on. Cruz has never seen it up close.

The ride back out down the Beeline Highway was beautiful, but we were catching a little wind and it was warming up. AND I was trying to make it back to the car to make it to home to shower for church (I DID make it!).

We had a great ride today! Good workout, good training for both of us, and good practice for Cruz. I'm glad to have another riding partner in the area!

Here's today's elevation profile!

Out on the Road with Cruz

Cruz Ramirez and I are out for a 50 mile ride from Tempe to Fountain Hills and back to train for the Baby Dragon 180 Ride. It's a beautiful - but WARM - morning out on the road.

DM and SB Training Ride: Dodging Coyotes on South Mountain

Scotty and I set out at the crack of dawn this morning to conquer South Mountain before work... We were out on the road around 5:40 this morning and started our climb to the summit. The weather was beautiful. Light clouds, a cool breeze... You can't ask for better than that in Phoenix in the Summer!

South Mountain just after the first major climb, turning toward the second climb

In the last mile or so to the summit, we encountered a HUGE coyote... This thing was all CHUPACABRA - A lot larger than the other coyotes I've seen on the mountain recently. He ducked into the brush pretty quickly and Scotty didn't get a good look at him, but I kept my eyes peeled on the way back down. I wasn't going to be breakfast and Kerry Castillo can tell you that Dan Maxey will kick a coyote in the face!

We did see lots of other wildlife: Lizards, road runners, rabbits, quail... One LONELY millipede.

Approaching the DREADED final half mile up to the TV towers

Whenever I ride up with someone, I try to get photos at the summit! We both got great shots this morning! I really like the shot of Scotty! He looks like he's standing as tall as the TV towers!

In conclusion, we had a GREAT ride. What a way to kick off a Friday!!!

DM Solo Training Ride: Up South Mountain for Kerry Castillo!

Kerry Castillo is one of the most amazing people I know. Kerry is one of the incredibly dedicated Cyclist Representatives at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. I got to spend a few hours with Kerry last weekend training to be an AIDS LifeCycle Training Ride Leader so that I can "officially" take our new Phoenix recruits out on the road and make sure they are properly trained for the BIG RIDE.

The first stretch of the road. The sky was BEAUTIFUL!

If it weren't enough that Kerry works for AIDS LifeCycle, this year she has committed to join all of the cyclists on the ride in fundraising! She's going to be asking for contributions from friends and family just like the rest of us. I'm so incredibly proud of her for doing this. I was even more proud to be one of her first supporters!

A view of the TV towers at the summit of South Mountain

That wasn't enough, though. So I dedicated Wednesday morning's climb to the summit of South Mountain to Kerry Castillo. 

So, Kerry... These 1,500 feet of climb were for YOU!

I love you, Wonder Woman. You're amazing.

DM Training in Los Angeles: Baby Dragon 180 Training Ride at Malaga Cove and 67 miles with Leo

Last weekend, I drove out to Los Angeles for a few days chock-full of Baby Dragon and AIDS LifeCycle fun! I was so looking forward to getting out of Phoenix - the HOT SANDBOX - for a long weekend for training rides, ALC Training Ride Leader certification, and time with some of my very favorite people in LA.

I drove out Friday afternoon and evening and had some time to hang out with Julie Friday night. We had to go to bed at a decent hour as we both had training rides Saturday morning - her's with Team Ventura and mine with the Baby Dragon 180 crew.

Saturday morning I drove down to Culver City to meet the gang. Eric Kamm and I were the first ones there and I had a great time getting to know Eric, who I had only met on Facebook, while we waited for the others. We had a great ride along Bologna Creek, Malaga Cove, the beach, and Palos Verdes. It was a gorgeous day and I had so much fun in the company of the baby dragons. The hill climbs were actually fun and very little work after so much training on South Mountain! We got in about 45 miles of beautiful Southern California. I was in heaven. And it was so good to spend some time with J.R., Scotticus, Jackie, Veronica, Eric, and Justin.

Geeking out at the sight of the Pacific Ocean... We don't have water in Phoenix.

With Justin and J.R. on a Baby Dragon 180 Training Ride

After the ride, I dropped off a trunk full of clothes I had gathered from friends and my closet at the Jeff Griffith Youth Center. Several of the clients of the Center came out to help carry bags in... The look of excitement on their faces was enough to make the whole weekend worth it. I was so happy that I could bring some clothes out to them and I am so happy to be riding for them in the Baby Dragon 180 Ride in September.

The Jeff Griffith Youth Center in Los Angeles

Sunday, I had a full day of training to be certified as a Training Ride Leader for AIDS LifeCycle. I'm not going to dwell on this much, but it was great to be among some amazing people for the whole day! Enough said.

Monday morning Leo and I went on a GREAT 67 mile ride across Los Angeles. We started in Highland Park and rode through Silver Lake, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and up to Malibu... Then back. It was such a beautiful day and a great ride. Leo and I kept a very brisk pace. At one point we were asked if we were training for a triathlon. That was nice.

Leo on the Pacific Coast Highway

Dancing with sheep at the Malibu Country Mart

Leo riding in LA... It was his birthday!

Great weekend with amazing friends! I can't wait for my next visit!

DM Solo Training Ride: South Mountain San Juan Sucker Punch

The entrance to the Mountain Preserves and South Mountain Park

I wasn't going to ride this morning since I'll be spending six hours in the car today driving out to Los Angeles for Baby Dragon 180 training rides and AIDS LifeCycle Training Ride Leader certification... But I only got in one other morning ride this week and wanted to try to get in another.

So, I trucked myself out to South Mountain this morning, but when I got there I decided to do a different route today. Instead of riding the Summit Road, I split to the West and rode the San Juan Road. San Juan rolls through some of the foothills of South Mountain in the direction of Estrella Mountain, ending at a beautiful overlook of downtown Phoenix and Piestewa Peak.

Decisions, decisions... Summit or San Juan?

I hadn't done San Juan in awhile and sort of forgot what the terrain was like. It's about 6 or so miles one way... And when you set out on the San Juan stretch from the main road, it's a lot of downhill. So I was picking up like 30-35 mph without trying, rolling along sort of forgetting that I was turning around and riding back up all of this. That's why I call this the San Juan Sucker Punch. The scenery is SO beautiful on San Juan. You get a totally different view of things... The western end of South Mountain, the foothills, the flats of the Gila River Indian Community, and majestic Estrella Mountain to the West. The view is so pretty that you forget that you have to turn around and ride back up!

The view heading West along the San Juan Road

The ride back "up" isn't so bad, really... There's about 700-800 feet of climb over the final six miles. It's just not as fun as the ride out!

A view of the sun over the summit of South Mountain and the TV towers from San Juan Road

So, anyway... Great ride this morning. Looking forward to getting in some training rides in California this weekend and will be sure to post everything here! Happy Friday!

Welcoming Our NEWEST Team Members!

Throughout the past few weeks, ALC Team PHX has nearly tripled in size! We want to take a moment to recognize our newest members and welcome them to the AIDS LifeCycle community!

Alex Gannon

Tracy Geiger

Shannon Sesterhenn

Cynthia Snapp

Ian Christiansen

Adam Pinti

They're all writing their segments for the "Meet the Team" page. Check back soon for more!

WELCOME!

DM Solo Training Ride: Another Morning on the Mountain

So, I used to put off South Mountain... Like REALLY put off South Mountain. And I still do a little, but bear with me.

When we start talking about the hills on AIDS LifeCycle, I tell all of our new cyclists that if you can handle South Mountain, you can easily conquer any of the big hills on the ride - Quadbuster, Evil Twins, ANY ALC hill. So as I've trained with Tyler and Scott for the past two AIDS LifeCycle rides, I've always said something along the lines of, "We really need to make sure that we get South Mountain in at least once a month."

But really, we usually only get South Mountain in a couple times.

The sun rising over South Mountain

South Mountain isn't so fierce that it just can't be climbed... Really, it's not that bad. But it's no picnic, either. Why go climb 1,500+ feet over 7.5 miles on South Mountain when you could take a leisurely ride on the Greenbelt, through Fountain Hills and down the beautiful Beeline Highway? South Mountain just doesn't exactly scream "RIDE ME!" most mornings.

Maybe my perspective on climbing this mountain has changed. I don't know. I have climbed South Mountain three times in the last week and a half... And I'm kind of beginning to love it. The mountain and I are developing a sort of kinship or familiarity. The mountain is a lot more interesting in the morning: coyotes, quail, HUNDREDS of millipedes (a little gross, but they cross the road at their own peril), roadrunners, cactus wrens, and rabbits. You don't see all these things later in the day when there are more hikers and cars around.

One of my FAVORITE views of Phoenix, nestled between two parts of South Mountain

And the views of metro Phoenix - a city that sometimes just can't help how ugly it is - from the ride up and back down South Mountain are breathtaking. The sharp ridge line drops into rolling foot hills and out into the flat land of the valley. You can see all of the surrounding mountain ranges, sometimes with great clarity and for a long distance.

Anyway, I could swoon over South Mountain for a long time right now and you'd all stop reading the blog. So I'll stop.

I had a GREAT ride this morning. I meant to get up the past two mornings to ride South Mountain and it just didn't happen. We were reunited this morning and it was glorious, although a little warmer than prior mornings. I made it from the front gate to the summit and back in an hour, so pretty good on time. There weren't very many people out on the road jogging and cycling today... The mountain and I had a lot of alone time, so I'm happy.

And when it did come time to drive in to work this morning, as I rounded a turn on AZ-51 and saw South Mountain rise on the horizon it made the whole thing worthwhile.