DAY –1 10:20 am, San Francisco

I’m out of LA … the journey has begun. Hanish was kind enough to drive Ben (and me) and our bikes and our stuff up to San Francisco on Thursday night. Thanks Hanish! So we were looking pretty cool, 2 bikes, 3 guys, and a Toyota Corolla. We left around 6:15 pm and they dropped me off at Scott’s around 1:30 am ?!? Man, the drive can be dull. We had fun, of course. I was informed that we needed three forms of picture ID, "Didn’t you read that part?" Panic ensued, and incredulity. Ben nearly passed out laughing. Ah, Ben. 7 days / 6 nights. It will be interesting.

I brought a lot of stuff. We are limited to 70 lbs. Am I close to that? No … but still. Scott and I will probably have a little re-packing party. After consultation and much deliberation, I opted to remove my floor pump from my bag. I was assured that yes, we did have access to pumps with pressure gauges at the camps. Hey, I’m quite particular about my tire pressure.

With ALL the stuff I brought I already know two things that I forgot (besides the other two IDs) – a towel and my retainer. Yes, my retainer. After 7 years of wearing my retainer almost every night, I’ll spend more than 7 days without it. Will my teeth survive? What if they get crooked in those days and then I can’t get it back on? These things scare me a little. Anyway, I got braces very late. When I got them off in ’93, my orthodontist told me he usually tells his patients they’re getting them off "Just in time for girls." Whatever. So … if the next time you see me and my teeth are crooked, you know what happened. As for the towel, Scot can help me out.

So why do I have so much stuff? Well, there’s the cycling "outfit" for each day. Hey, you got to look (and smell) good. 7 jerseys, 7 shorts, a lightweight wind jacket, a heavy cycling jacket, socks, arms and legs (imagine lycra leg warmers … that’s the concept). Then the really inclement weather stuff – full finger cycling gloves, rain booties, wind booties. OK, OK, perhaps its overkill.

You also need post-cycling clothes. I’ve tried to minimize those as well. I’ll go through what I’ve packed, pare it down, and send the leftovers down with Phil or Hanish (thanks guys) to LA. (Its clear that having people around helps).

So Scott and I may pack each days "outfit" in individual ziploc bags to make it easier. Sounds totally psycho, I know. But seasoned veterans have actually recommended it. Plenty of fodder for Ben the first time I pull out a ziploc bag labeled "day 1." I guess we’ll find out later whether it was useful or not.

Oh, I decided on camera stuff. Goin’ low tech color. May do some manipulation … Aaron has Photoshop so I may try some tricks. We’ll see. I want the ride experience on the web to be cool. Lots of ideas. So I bought 8 disposable cameras and a polaroid i-zone.

So that's a lot of information, but what am I thinking right now, less than 48 hours from finally riding? Let’s just get going. Yes, I’m glad I’m doing this, it’s a great experience, I’m interested in sharing it with people (both personally and virtually). But let’s get going!! It seems we all agree – we just want to finally start riding. This has been a presence since October when Ben and I signed up to do it. Training, funding, the portfolio, everything. OK, let’s go.

Tomorrow, Day 0, will be a bitch. Trying to organize people who want to be in the same "tent community." The safety video, finding everyone, etc. Maybe the most stressful day since it sets up the next 7 days.