Summer in Sydney

My new programme said: 120km ride on Sunday. Friends said: Let's do the 4 gorges . That seemed to fit together - even if it added an extra 10km. But the weather was a bit challenging: 27degreesC (80F) at 5.15am. Most of the morning it was 37C (99F), with my computer registering 44 (112) at one stage. That meant LOTS of liquid - 6 bidons at 600ml (?20 oz), plus an extra litre of water at a stop, and 3 glasses once I got home (oh, and no stopping behind a bush!). But happy to report that for the entire ride I only lost 500g in weight, easily replenished.

New training Programme - Yippee

Is there something wrong with me - I delight in the new Training Programme from my coach. It starts with a mere 350km in the first week, with multiple sessions on numerous days. But it gives me structure - I know that with Peter's help, I can finish RAAM. So off I go this morning - 6 hill repeats at low cadence and steady power output. Happy? Yes! Then this afternoon, theoretically a 90 minute E2 ride which became a 90 minute Tempo ride. But it felt sooo gooood!

Our New Yorkers can ride again

After all the snow, the blizzards and the freezing conditions, Jim finally got to ride outside in New York. Clearly he needed to resolve a lot of pen-up frustration about having had to ride indoors on the trainer. But hey - a 8 1/4 hours ride!? Wow! My mere 3 3/4 was pathetic in comparison. And I suspect that it was still below freezing (or much too close to that!). Good on you Jim! PS - the Garmin also shows you have a heart - we know that!

Thank you San Francisco !

After nearly 2 weeks in Northern California, it's time to go home. I feel that we have dramatically ramped up our preparation for RAAM, I've been riding, made new friends, and spread the word. On top of Mt Tamalpais I meet up with a journalist Alastair. He inquires why riders for RAAM would come to train in Marin County north of SFO. It's obvious - see the photo of Mt Tam. I've done Mt Tam and the Alpine Road 6 times whilst I've been here (110km, 1500m climbing, at 5-9%). Greast scenery, great climbing, great descents, (and good coffee in Fairfax!).

In the last 6 days, I've ridden 723km - solid effort, but still only 57% of my share of RAAM. I feel good. We will complete!

Alpine in the winter?

They call it the Alpine Ride: Mt Tamalpais and then past Alpine Dam, to Fairfax and home. 110km, with 1500m climbing. Weather glorious! 22 degrees - is this really winter? I feel sorry for Jim and Cisco in New York: snowed in and below freezing.

Here, the climbing is steady - just keep going up. The gradients are higher than around Sydney, but the scenery fantastic. I took it easy - as can be seen from the attached extract from my iBike power software. NP= 204/287 up Mt Tam. It's all too good! To be repeated tomorrow and Monday.

schoolboy error - I get a reprieve

An email from my doctor in Sydney: go get meds. He suggests SF Gen Hospital, and gives me some names. I'm there first thing.

The first question I am asked at the hospital is whether I have a valid visa. Now that people with HIV can enter USA just like anyone else, yes I do have a valid visa (but this schoolboy error would have been a major problem before the visa change!)

I get helped, I get new meds, I burst into tears: I am so conscious of the benefits of the medication - it's the only reason I can live my life to the full, and why we can do RAAM.

But the cost of the meds is huge - $25 per tablet (and I take 2 per day) - unaffordable for most people on Earth. One of the reasons why we're riding.

A schoolboy's error with my medication

So I'm having a great time in San Francisco. The Crew Seminar was fantastic - the riding is superb. One of the solo riders has invited me to ride with him south of SFO tomorrow. Yes Please!

So I clean my bike, and in the evening, I clean my teeth, and take my tablets. I count them: there's not enough to last me for my stay here! I will run out on Saturday, but I won't get back to Sydney until Thursday.

I won't take the risk. I've cancelled tomorrow's ride, and instead I will go hunting for AIDS meds. Only thereafter will I ride (and sleep) easily.

Crew Seminar and Riding in San Francisco

I came to California to do the RAAM Crew Seminar in Sacramento on Jan 29th. It was fantastic!! We all learnt so much, and we all got ## scared! But also we all got much more motivated to do and complete the Race. Anyone involved in RAAM should make sure they attend a RAAM seminar.

If it is possible to summarise (and that's real hard!), the message was: organise, organise, organise! And Safety first, Safety first, Safety FIRST!

I'd determined to maintain my best asset, my heartbeat.

And then I'm riding here. It's winter, but the weather is fantastic: 16degrees, sunny, hardly any wind. And fog!! I've been climbing up Mt Tamalpais and Alpine Dam ride 3 days in a row. Getting a little tired. But I wiill keep on riding!