CABT -- Day 3

CABT Day 3 – September 7, 2007

A few things that I forgot to mention from Days 1 & 2….

Danbury – I forgot to mention and express our eternal gratitude to and for massage therapist Darryl and who we think of as the chiropractor to the stars (that would be us) the fabulous Jennifer Veit (and her 2 year old son, Will.)

Stamford – Center Cycle www.centercyclect.com

Bridgeport – Charlie Carroll, Mayor’s Chief of Staff who has joined us every year and arranges showers for the riders at the City Hall Annex, janitorial services, space, the works. Charlie has a personal connection to HIV/AIDS and has supported us as a true partner for the past few years.

Construction – I think we’ve run across more road work this year than every other. At one point somewhere between Litchfield and Danbury, the riders were able to walk their bikes across some construction, while I and John Rohr from Northwest AIDS Project had to guess our way back to the route (which we did!).

Back to Day 3…

Ron and Danny started the day around 7 AM on the road from Bridgeport to New Haven. I picked up Danny’s seat stem from his law office, got some DD de-caf and hit the road myself.

We all met up on the New Haven Green and Mayor John DeStefano joined us to wish the 6 riders well as they made their way to New London. Kellyann Day and the Recycled Riders Team were ready to go and 3 more riders joined us later in Old Lyme. Nancy was our SAG Wagon driver for the day with me as back up. Thanks to Nancy and Perception Programs for the use of their van.

Matt Feiner from the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop ( www.thedevilsgear.com )was once again on hand to offer tune ups and other minor repairs. He graciously worked on Danny’s seat stem and took him over to his shop for some in depth work.

Right before I turned down 146 to get to Branford, I spotted a Starbucks. Besides picking up a Venti de-caf, I grabbed the new Lyle Lovett CD and immediately popped it in for my ride. Tomorrow, I’ll list my CABT 2007 music list.

It was another incredibly beautiful day; and the heat didn’t seem to be an impediment. The part of the route that meandered through Branford was stunning. There were more egrets, geese, ducks and swans. The route as we neared New London was closer to the ocean and I drove more slowly so that I could smell the ocean air; which made me take a deep breath, relax a bit and smile.

The pit stop talk in Madison centered on things like the Borg from Star Trek (“resistance is futile”) and other TV shows including the “masturbation talk” scene from Weeds. (Hey! We’re AIDS activists; we can talk about sex!!”)

We had an independent group of riders today…a trio of women kind of had their own route so that two of them could ride a Century (100 miles); Ron stopped for a beer; Danny, Kellyann, Claude, Amy and Steve stopped for ice cream; and then Amy, Steve and Claude went to the beach!

Once into New London, the Alliance for Living crew – Sandy, Mike, Ed, Dave, Liz, John, Richard, Alan and Sue had a great spread laid out for us and Lee was there to provide massage and Angela gave some great chiropractic adjustments.

Those of us who were staying over, retired to Sandy Brindamour’s (AFL’s ED) for dinner, refreshments and conversation. Sandy made such a great meal for us.

I was mulling over the quote from Dorothy Day. I was thinking that it was a realistic portrayal of how we engage in social change…we do it “by little and by little”. It’s also a great metaphor for the bike tour in general…they cycle on the route by little and by little. As much as I’d like the revolution to be over and to have all things right in the world, I know in my heart that we make change – personal, institutional and cultural – by little and by little. And we need to be grateful for who we are, what we do and how we do it.

I’m having bittersweet feelings about the Grand Ride In into Elizabeth Park on Sunday. It’s a wonderful celebration of our accomplishments and it signals the end of another year of the bike tour. There’s always an emotional letdown post-tour. All a slice of life; and a tasty one at that.

Until the next post…be well, be yourself, let someone know that you love them.

Peace, my friends.


Check out pictures tomorrow...