Day 7

  
 
The End - Or a new beginning?
    
 

   

One last time... Getting up early is not hard on Day 7. We had set the alarm for 4:45 with the intention of once again beating the crowds before the narrow and trafficy streets of LA. With the Laker victory the night before and the finishing line within reach, we are pumped to get up and get out.
Looks are important... On the last day, everyone pulls out all of their fancy decorations and I am trying to attach all of the little pieces of memorabillia we have received on the trip to my helmet. My bandanas and the Cliff Bar spinner are no match for some of the extravagant decorations other riders show off, but it is still fun and gives a nice feeling of being part of something large.

Bike parking is all the way to the end, please! A typical scene from a pit stop where it seems like the whole world is trying to get in and out with their bikes. This morning, we have clouds and drizzle for the first time. No one seems to care - we are going home!

Bagel, anyone? At this point, pit stops are routine. Get in, park your bike, bring the bottles for re-fills, pick up food, go stand in line for the potties, and then get out again quickly. Staying in front of the crowds makes a huge difference in the quality of the ride for the day. Inventing a small device that says "On your left" when a button is pressed could be a winning move.
Lunch in the park With a rare treat of benches and a table as opposed to the pieces of card board that normally make up our seats. Lunch is always decent, with the Pasta Salad being the winner every day. The sandwiches usually have enough meat to feed a family of four, but we have no complaints.

Almost there With just another 30 miles or so to go from the Beaches in Malibu, to our finish, were are riding on pure adrenalin. One last check of the route slip and off we go.

This is LA! The Beaches of Santa Monica are the first to welcome us back. The feeling of accomplishment is building and the legs feel like they can carry you to the end of the world.

California dreamin'... Why people would ever leave this is beyond me.
So close... The last pit stop of the entire trip. We are drinking Gatorade like champagne and taking in the ambience one last time. We even try to hula-hoop, but it appears this is a talent neither of us possess. Even one more flat can't spoil the fun. We get on the bikes one last time and ride through cheers from every street corner. Riding through the streets of LA is fun, but also scary. More than one car stops to ask where we are going and where we came from. The look on their faces is always the same when we say: "San Francisco".
Hello? Is this the finish line? Much to our own surprise, we are suddenly at the finish line. A small group of people is gather to cheer us, but the whole thing happens kind of sudden. We find ourselves in a very empty parking lot, but at least the signs tell us that we have arrived. Booths with Iced Coffee from Peets (who have been with us on the entire ride), Ben & Jerry's ice cream, victory shirts, etc. make up the holding area where we will be spending the next 3 hours before the closing ceremonies.
Yeah Baby! Being as early as we are, we figure we'll go out and do something we haven't done enough of this past week: Cheer others on as they finish. Throughout the week, there has been a crowd at the finish line every day, greeting arriving riders with applause and loud cheers. It is a great feeling to be welcomed like that. Along with riders and relatives gathered by the final finish line is also a group of special cheer leaders. We, of course, had to get our picture taken with them as well...
Pose for the camera A victory shot is a must, but it turns out the balance of a Softride doesn't lend itself to over head displays. I nearly wipe out the people surrounding us as I try to pose.
Here is how it is done Dressed in the red Victory Shirt all riders receive at the end, Kurt is showing how to do a proper pose. We spend the 3 hours checking out every single corner of the holding area and finally wander down to McDonalds. A/C and some food is most welcome at this time.
What are you? In a group like this, it is not alway easy to tell what kind of person you are talking too. Some times, the sexual orientation is obvious, but often it is not. For those who care, little stickers are availble to give strangers basic knowledge about you...
Closing Finally, the closing ceremonies are starting. All riders and crew are slowly released from the holding area and after a short wait next to the Coliseum, we all ride the few hundred yards to a big grassy area in Exposition Park. Thousands of friends and relatives line the streets with flags and banners.
Let the speaches begin After a while, we are all gathered on the lawn. Supposedly, we form a human AIDS ribbon, but without an overhead view, it is hard to tell. Speaches from various people and acknowledgement of the crew and all of their hard work make up the bulk of the ceremonies. While the effort is commendable, it is not working this time. Somehow, the closing ends up being anti-climactic. After the first 10 minutes, everyone is just waiting to be re-united with their loved ones.
We are all one The sea of red shirts emphasize the feeling of group achievement. We all did it and we did it together. A feeling of accomplishment and proudness is felt throughout the crowd. We all took part of something big, something we could never have done alone. Soon, we'll disperse and most likely never see each other again, but for now, we are the group of CAR8 for one last time.
   

All done... We are done - the ride is over - we made it! For close to a year we have been working towards this goal. Countless hours of training and fund raising. Battling ourselves when the couch sounded so much better than a training ride. Overcoming our fears and concerns about raising $2700 and riding 575 miles in 7 days. Conquering ourselves and changing our views on what we can do in the process. The ride is over, but the experience is not. It will be with us for a long, long time.

So what is next? After just one day without the ride, I miss my bike and I miss the ride. We are already talking about what to do next year...