Suffering, Part II- the stinkin' cheese factory

So there are several cheese factories in the Bay Area and it sounds really romantic to ride your bike out to the country and eat yummy cheese by an idyllic lake, right? Well this cheese factory has great cheese, I am told, a gorgeous setting that almost looks pretend but you have to climb a crazy hill they call "Alpe du Fromage" to get there. But let me back it up...

We start all these northern rides by leaving Sports Basement in the Presidio, going out over the Golden Gate Bridge, through Sausalito, along the bike path, over a hill called Camino Alto and stop for coffee in Fairfax- maybe 30 miles out. ALL the bikers go to this coffee shop in Fairfax- The Roastery- some are with us, and many are doing their own rides. 

Once you leave The Roastery, you go over White's Hill and then onward... I always think I have climbed the "cheese factory hill" when I've really only done this other hill that no one names, which is the Nicasio Hill.

This was our first time going to the cheese factory. I had fallen on White's Hill and then by the time I got to Alpe du Fromage I was pedaling too fast, ran out of gas, and had to stop & stretch a cramp. It was too steep to clip back into my bike so I had to walk. This is one of those roads that has zero shoulder & I guess I just bonked (hadn't eaten enough fuel) because I snapped. I started crying, weeping, while walking my bike up the hill, thinking I was the biggest disappointment to mankind and while remembering the people I had known who had HIV & passed, all I could think was I'm so sorry I can't suffer up this hill & just do this for you! I had obviously lost it!

Look how beautiful this cheese factory is! 

And this awesome person who biked all this way- going way slower than he is capable of just so he could keep me company. I couldn't even look at the cheese!

I had bloody ankles and I felt gross.

And I wept by the lake. 

HYDRATING! Dave was making me laugh but that was a rough day. Note to self: hydrate- drink before you're thirsty and eat, eat, eat before you're hungry. I guess they tell us that 20x/day for a reason.

Cheese Factory, we'll be back!

I ended up being picked up by a SAG (supply & gear) mobile that day. I was crying so hard when I called my mom to tell her I was a huge quitter, loser, etc. when she asked how far I had gone. And I told her, 47 miles and we busted out laughing at what a ridiculous idea it was for me to think I had done nothing. It was just a bad day & I bonked.  I can now look back and laugh. A little.

I'm so grateful for the sweep riders and the SAG volunteers! It is so comforting to know there are people who will never, ever leave you behind. The volunteer ride leaders for AIDS/Lifecycle definitely push your limits and believe you can do some pretty crazy climbs & endure, but safety is always the #1 priority.  If AIDS/Lifecycle is something you have ever thought about doing, I would say DO IT! Even on this "bad day" I saw amazing countryside I had never driven to and would have never known. It was magical. And it was so nice to cheer Dave into the finish- he rode at least 70 miles!