Day Seven, Ventura to Los Angeles

Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

A race to the end

Day 7 is often a blur, and this year was no exception. Typically we are greeted with tailwinds pushing us along the final miles, though we didn't have that luxury this year- we got headwinds instead. Still, the route is relatively flat and we made good time, when we were in motion. Not being in any hurry, however, we left fairly late, and took a nice break after 7 miles, stopping at Spudnuts in Oxnard, where Shawn met some family friends. We lingered a bit too long, and the sweep showed up, singaling the end of the pack. We got on our bikes and made great time to rest stop 1, where we again lingered until it was about to close, and so on.

We had lunch in Malibu, just down the hill from Pepperdine. Sadly, it was overcast all morning, and I felt like my energy was sapped from lack of sun. My eyes had started bothering me again as well. The sky finally cleared as we entered Pacific Palisades, which seemed to make all the difference. I survived the treacherous stretch of the PCH, and made it to Santa Monica. One of my favorite parts of the entire ride is when the route turns inland, up through Santa Monica Canyon to San Vicente. All of a sudden, we're in the west side of LA, and it really hits me- I've ridden my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I lived in LA for 7 years but never had a bike there- so my entire experience of biking in LA is arriving there from SF. How odd is that?

Riding in to the VA center, with the cheering crowds is such a wonderful experience, and it was so great to have John there greeting me at the end. The closing ceremonies were nice, and didn't seem to run too long (which has been kind of a drag in the past). Before I knew it, I was in the rental car and navigating LA traffic to get to the hotel- clearly a sign that the ride was over and I'd returned to the real world.

All in all, this year certainly presented its own set of challenges- allergies, a cold, etc.,- but if the ride were easy it wouldn't hold the same significance. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate this year, and to have the physical werewithal to accomplish it. I look forward to doing it again!