ALC kickoff ride

So, I bought and printed out the book that Swampy recommended, and I can't wait to finish reading it--I flipped through the first half over lunch, but haven't gotten into the meat of the second half yet. It looks like it'll be useful.

And the first AIDS Lifecycle training ride is this Sunday! I'm doing the flat, 8-mile option, mainly to support a couch-potato friend who's just committed to do the Ride. Not sure if I'll get a "real" training ride in that same day, but I'll certainly do some more riding afterwards. I unfortunately can't train on Saturday since I have a work social function to go to (I'm with Miss Manners in despising essentially-mandatory work "social" events outside of working hours, but I can't skip this one), and I also have to go shopping at Made in France, prepping for this year's chocolate extravaganza! Yep, it's just about the season for chocolate again. More on that in my main blog.

I debated being a training ride leader for AIDS Lifecycle this year. It's more or less de rigeur for experienced riders/members of the community, but I think I will pass. There are a couple reasons for this, but the biggest one is simply that I have NO sense of direction--there's no way I could keep novice riders on track when I have no idea where *I'm* going! I also don't really enjoy group riding, and because of my Markleeville training I expect to do most of my riding on Mt. Diablo, which is not where the majority of the training rides will go. So it's unlikely I'll be a training ride leader this year. Oh well.