Ride Journal: Day Three July 21, 2001 Today's ride: Norwich CT to Cumberland RI, approx. 105 miles Another beautiful morning. Another substantial breakfast -- today, eggs and pancakes. I haven't noted much about the weather we've been having as it's been absolutely great --highs in the mid-80s, a tad hot in the long stretches of sun-baked roads at times, but not nearly as muggy as a typical Northeast Summer day and not a drop of rain to date, despite the scattered thunderstorms that visited the areas three consecutive days leading up to Day Zero. I'm feeling mighty lucky -- as all other riders and crew do, for sure -- that we don't have to deal with rain-soaked gear and campgrounds. The operative phrase yelled out by all as we roll out of camp: "Pace yourselves!" With 105 miles to ride today, it's gonna be a long one. I find myself spoiled by yesterday's experience of having been at the front of the pack most of the day, so I make every effort to stay at the front groups as much as I can again today. Past experience tells me it's important to have fun while riding, which may mean taking a relatively leisurely pace, but I find that I enjoy myeslf no less by riding with speed and no less company if it means I arrive at camp earlier. This means I get to beat the lines at the gear trucks and showers and spend more time actually enjoying the evening activities. After all, most of the fun really does come out at camp, especially on this event. This doesn't mean that I haven't been stopping at the pits stops to check out the daily roadside festivities -- I simply don't take more time at each pit beyond what it takes to grab food and drink and reapply a coat of sunblock. While the Pit Two crew proved themselves most consecutively festive each day -- thanks in great part to their impressive drag queen contingency -- I'd have to say Pit Four today -- Mexican Fiesta stop -- has proven the most fun. Somewhere between the last pit stop and camp, I hit a particularly nasty pothole on the road (a frequent phenomenon in downtown Providence roads -- I curse), causing one of my full water bottles to launch out of its cage like mortar and explode on the road behind me (bombs away!). I was mortified. Knowing there were several riders behind me, I'm worried it could have caused some sort of mishap or anger; instead, I'm delighted to hear cheers of people thanking me for the splash down. Only on an AIDSRide, I suppose. Eager as I was to get to camp early, I still manage to catch in the precoius views along the backroads of Rhode Island as I'm sure I'll never see again unless I do this ride again next year. I arrive at the finish in Diamond Hill Park, a bunny hill ski resort of sorts in Cumberland, after six and a half hours of riding. Camp Three is dubbed "Camp Kukila Mama San". The verdict on today's ride difficulty: definitely easier than yesterday due to mild rolling terrain, despite significantly greater distance. I feel so strong as the final mile approaches, I make a sprint to the line as I catch first sight of the campgrounds (the evidence, of course, being the rows and rows of Porta-Potties). Quick gear retrieval, tent set up, shower, snack and -- bam -- I'm off to the camp entrance again today by 4:30 PM, where weekend local crowds, crew and riders have amassed an impressive reception line for the arriving riders. Many of the riders here have never ridden a full century in their lives and were about to experience the triumph of achieving it, made sweeter by the deafening, uproarous applause by the crowd assembled here. If there were any doubts in my mind about the level of camaraderie on this ride compared to those I've heard of in California AIDSRide, they were put to rest tonight as the cheering squad remained vigilant and upbeat to tearful riders for over three hours until the very last rider arrived. Many riders spent in excess of twelve hours on the road today -- now that's heroism for a cause! Across the street from our camp entrance, a local ice cream shop (with seriously yummy stuff) decides to keep late hours. After all, they anticipated the arrival of the AIDSRide population today, the first time it's crossed paths with their location. There's no doubt from the lines of people outside the shop that resemble the nightly camp chow line -- they're raking it in tonight -- probably enough to close shop for the next couple of months. The 105-mile ride today on top of the gruelling hill climbing the day before has everybody doing the universal waddle, yet tonight's post-dinner entertainement feature is a live cover band and dancing. Is it any surprise that, last I checked, there were all of five people on the dancefloor tonight?
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