Well that happened today. It was notification that E. and A. and the other insane 2,498 riders participating in this year's multimillion-dollar fundraising AIDS Lifecycle had ridden 185 miles so far. Uhm, that's ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE MILES, people. And it was just day three of seven. They're not through yet.
So let's return with photos from Sunday when Emmingway and I cheered them into Santa Cruz from their South San Francisco departure point.
Emming with E.
They ride 100+ miles every day and then haul their stuff from the trucks and set up their tents. Every night. See me here? I'm overwhelmed just bearing witness to their stamina.
(Incidentally, just before we came down to cheer them on—while they were out on their bikes, we were in Berkeley deep-frying hush puppies and taste-testing chicken wings. So many ways to spend a Sunday, some healthier than others.)
With a belly full of chicken wings, I'm proud of them. We're ALL proud of them. I mean, who is NOT proud of them? Aren't you proud of them? Your mission: go tell a changemaker you're proud of her today!
If you're disinclined, how about some perspective. While you sat around tonight and watched the strange cement boy episode of Gray's Anatomy again and ate too many tortilla chips with that dodgy salsa because you were too cheap to order a pizza and too lazy to make that one garlic pasta dish you know how to make (okay that was me—whatever!), they were out on their bikes for hundreds of miles in the relentless California sun after raising, all by their sweet selves, thousands of dollars to try to bring an end to AIDS.
Makes you want to update the to-do list, doesn't it? Well no time like the present, my friends. No time will ever be like the present.
Here, for the girls, I leave you with my very best imitation of a QVC model showing off party fixins on the sidelines of the race. GO GET 'EM, RADIGAL RIDERS! GO, GO, GO!!!!!!!!!
