The day started pretty early on. I noticed that as I was driving down 84 West that the highway's streetlights went off all at once. I'd never noticed that before and thought that it was a kind of cool start to the day. Despite annoying rush hour traffic on 84 around Exit 7, I made it to Danbury by 7:30 AM.
Danny and Ron were done with breakfast and getting the bikes and water bottles ready for the morning's ride out. Dennis Torres from Stamford shared some dissapointing news that a Stamford team had backed out at 5:30 PM the night before. And another rider canceled due to work issues early this morning.
Not to be deterred, Ron, Danny and I started out by 8:15 or so.
It was another gorgeous day, and the morning's ride had a few good hills, but the day's mileage and hills were small beans compared to the day before.
Danny Livingston is one of the co-founders of the Bike Tour and Ron Krom is one of the veteran 5-day riders. Ron's love of the hills on Day 1 is legendary among the bike tour folks!! So, we've all been together for the past five years, for all five days. You get to know people pretty well during events like this one. Despite my disappointment at losing riders; it was such an easygoing day hanging out with Danny and Ron, two guys I just love.
After a brief delay at a Cycle Center (thanks Nate!!) in Stamford to repair Danny's seat post, we made it into Stamford (with a police escort -- Thanks, Tom!) for an unbelievable lunch (food is a central topic on the CABT...riders need lots of it, and the local organizers have made sure we have enough AND a good deal of variety), good company and a wonderful welcome by Dr. Johnnie Lee, Stamford's Dir. of Health and Debra Katz, Director of Prevention. There was a lovely (HUGE) cake that welcomed the CT AIDS Bike Tour.
We departed for the final leg of the journey into Bridgeport traveling along the coast to catch glimpses of the shoreline to find more egrets, herons, gulls and geese enjoying the warm sun and cool sea breeze.
After a minor directional snafu (our own fault; it happens) at the Westport train station, we found the route and motored into Bridgeport to be met by a small, enthusiatic cheering group of staff from the Bridgeport Health Department, the Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program (GBAPP) and clients who helped us carry our gear into the city hall annex where another great meal was waiting.
We were interviewed by a rather crusty veteran reporter from the CT Post who seemed to talk more about himself rather than ask questions or really listen to what I was saying. When I told him that my regular job was the Director of Public Policy of the CT AIDS Resource Coalition, he grinned and said, "Oh, you're a lobbyist." I replied, "I have to register as a lobbyist, but I've been an AIDS advocate and activist for 20 years. I don't just talk with legislators; I do organizing and advocacy with people with HIV/AIDS, policy makers, CT state departments..." "You're a lobbyist," he kept saying. Danny and Ron also talked to him about the scope of my "work" but he was indeterred. I'm imagining that that will be what it says in the paper; which I'll be none too happy about!
Both Danny and Ron tried various bike shops to try to get parts; Ron struck out trying to get shims for his shoes and Danny made arrangements to get a new seat post to his office for me to pick up on my way to New Haven tomorrow morning.
Clients who were there said good-bye to us and thanked us for doing this for them. I always find that to be such a humbling experience after all these years. We're all grateful that we CAN do what little we do. I'm reminded of a quote by Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. She was asked how she could continue to go one working for peace and social justice over so many years, and she said she did it "by little and little." That's us. The bike tour is one of the little things we can do in hopes of making a bit of a difference in the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and in the public's perception about HIV/AIDS.
We retired to Robin Clark-Smith's house for a bit of socializing before I headed home and Danny and Ron went to bed.
It will be another long ride for Dan and Ron...about 90 miles from Bridgeport to New London. We'll meet at the New Haven Green and pick up Kellyann Day's Team, the Recycled Riders, and travel along the coast ending at the Alliance for Living in New London. More on that tomorrow.
It's hard to believe that this year's CABT will be more than halfway over at the end of the day tomorrow.
'Til next time, be well all.
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