5 am. 2150 riders arrived at the Cow Palace in Daly City at 5 am, greeted by the "comfort in a tube" banner, to load up their gear, participate in opening ceremonies and ride off on their 545 mi journey to LA.Kristy actually looked excited to see the banana she was offered for breakfast. We'll see if that holds true in a week! The arena was a see of spandex, good vibes and high emotions. The aerobicise warm up was good for a giggle and to shake off the stiffness of car seats and strange beds. After a quick speech or two the Positive Pedalers walked in a set of memorial banners that preceded the entrance of the ghost rider. 2100+ strong and not a dry eye in the house. A stark reminder of the foe HIV is to millions around the world and the enormity of the task to find treatments and a cure. Maybe a moment of sadness but also a moment of hope, founded in the efforts of everyone there, and pride in each of those riders and roadies for what they were about to undertake.I'm sure Good Morning was whooped at least a dozen times, so surely they were all ready. Men in tutus, riders in cow jerseys, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and so many other courageous men and women. They each rode out of the Cow Palace through a gauntlet of support, cheering, clapping, whistling and marriage proposals (really!). It may have been grey and cold, but there was nothing but warmth in that crowd. Kristy finally rolled by, hand in the air and smile on her face. 7 am on Sunday, May 31, 2009. You go girl!

the road trip and preamble

Can you imagine taking your bike apart, putting it in a box, handing it to some baggage handlers and then needing to put it back together and ride it 500+ miles? NO! Are you crazy! Who knows what could happen. Put it on the roof of the car and drive. That's a much better idea! Right?

Better or not, so it was. Kristy, Alice and sister Kelly loaded up and pointed south on Friday afternoon (May 29th). Hey - it's only 10 hours. Or 12. Or 14...

Well they may have avoided traffic by arriving late, but a 2 am landing in San Francisco was pretty rugged. Not to mention the Mission Inn and the cranky innkeeper. Worse yet, the sleepless night was followed by coffee from McDonald's. Don't ask how that happened. Fortunately, things looked up from there.

Saturday was a day in the City. Fog. Wind. Pretty cold, actually. But a day in the City, none-the-less. Tiger's for breakfast in Glen Park got the ball rolling in the right direction. Apparently the pancakes met Kristy's approval and magically arrived without whipped cream. SFO delivered the Hampton Inn and an available room. Some hope for sleep the night before the event. And the event registration and microchipping went pretty smoothly, leaving the afternoon for some sightseeing.

Friend Angela rolled down Potrero Hill to join for the evening - dinner at Delfina. About Delfina, let's just say what starts with great bread and wine and can't be bad! The evening was a nice chance to relax, toast our amazing rider, share stories about each other and have an excuse to eat wonderfully and still order 4 desserts. At least Kristy needed the calories!

Background

What on earth would inspire me to write a blog? It's hard to imagine spending more time on the computer or thinking that others should either. BUT - when amazing things happen, amazing things happen.

This particular amazing thing came to my attention in Las Vegas late in 2008. Amidst the glitter and debauchery, Kristy told me of her inspiration to do the AIDS Life Cycle. Really? I asked her. A 7-day ride from San Francisco to LA? Why?

Well, for all of you who know Kristy, that's really a silly question. Compassionate. Driven. Selfless. Dedicated. All adjectives that come to mind about Miss Fleming, especially where people living with HIV and AIDS are concerned. This was just another chance to express her dedication to the cause and remind all of us what a strong spirit can accomplish.

Surely all of you reading this know the rest. She signed up. She solicited support. She trained her butt off (literally, I think). All that was left was the doing. And this is her journey...

Please come back daily to follow along, leave your comments, thoughts and wishes for Kristy. This will be fun for us while she's riding but will be her archive from us when she gets home!