Day 1

How surreal it felt to ride one's bike out of Mall of America's rotunda at 6 AM; yes, that's just what we 180 riders did for the MN Red Ribbon Ride kick off. One can't help noticing the various sizes and capabilities of the riders around me. With a staggering age range between 18 to mid-60s, the rider's abilities were revealed by what you heard in their telling conversations before send-off. One under prepared rider seemed quite nervous, "I got a few 30 mile training rides." Another worried about her weight, "I'm hoping this ride will help me shed those extra 20 pounds I packed on." A pragmatic rider enthused "I started out by doing 20 milers and gradually built to a century [100 miles]," and a Lance Armstrong-in-training rider hardly sweated replying "I average between 3000 to 3500 miles a year."

Team Oz returned with 20 riders, 20 crew members and 10 volunteers. Team member Mary McKenna, impassioned by wanting to have our team identified, generously bought  ten bolts of beautifully bold rainbow striped material from JoAnn's Fabrics and fashioned handkerchiefs, "50 big ones and 29 little ones," with hand-written lettering for our team.

Noelle Walker at the Opening Ceremonies

An infectious buzz of excitement permeated the atmosphere. Our crew members from the first tier exchanged cheers with us below in the rotunda while we clasped each other's hands and viewed our donated-WCCO-produced-state-of the-art safety video. What a coup for our quaint 300 member ride to get WCCO Anchor Noelle Walker to ride with us; and therefore get daily television coverage. Her sunshiny presence and willingness to do the ride pedal by pedal provided indispensable insight for greater Minnesota to witness up-close just how our ride operates.

The opening ceremony began with welcoming words and a "Wish You Were Here" reciting of the poem "The Wish" from Jason Fenske, Vice Chair of MN Fighting AIDS on Bikes (the board of recipients that run the ride).Then Noelle Walker talked about WCCO's extensive participation and Ride Director Kari "Hammer" Johnson sent us off after a moment of meditation and a rundown of the day's agenda. To think of all the incredibly hard work and long hours that Johnson has gone through to launch this ride, it's fitting that she would send us off with her inimitable lively style.

The average temperature today ran a chilly 58-64 degrees with some unprepared riders experiencing mild cases of hypothermia. Dressing in layers with a fine rain repellent wind breaker can easily ward off those chills. Our first Pit Stop, located at Wabasha Street Caves, embodied one of the most creative crew of people I've seen on the rides. Pit One Manager Jennifer Weiler, with her star charisma and bodacious prescience, provided the most memorable themes each day. This fun loving crew went out of their way to decorate with props and costumes. Today's theme, decidedly Hawaiian, put back tropical color in the gloomy overcast weather conditions. Pit Two, though not as adventurous with materials, still were a winning crew of hysterical personalities. Led by stylin' Manager Carter Abraham, this bunch donned hot pink clothing with an appearance by a Francine, the stuffed Flamingo. Abraham generously took Polaroid's with riders who eagerly poised with this huge faux bird.

Pitstop 2	Lunch at Hastings

Lunch, served in Hastings at Roadside Park, offered tasty club sandwiches provided by Prom Center Catering. It's a fair assessment to say we've never had better food in all of the history of Twin Cities Aids rides then with these caterers. Both affordable and super efficient, we were admirably nourished and accommodated by this fantastic crew.

Pit Four in Welch Station and Pit Five in Bay Point Park, Red Wing followed some scenic riding in Cannon Valley Trail. By the end of our first day we were greeted with the glorious view of Lake Pepin for about a two mile stretch. We made it into camp at the Bluffview Elementary School completing roughly 98.6 miles. The first thing one does at this point is get congratulated by a loving reception of people. Gratifying indeed!  Then check your bike in, get your gear and tent from the gear truck and find your tent destination by your given number. If you were part of Team Oz, often times your tent would be already pitched for you by Team Oz crew members. Much appreciated after riding such distances. Then one showers; tonight it was in the gym of the Elementary school. Then eat, cheer other riders coming in, and at 7:30 PM each night hear announcements by "Hammer" Johnson.

Announcements

• Tonight we found out the first rider came in at 12:54 PM. Must've been that Lance Armstrong-in-training rider. The last rider came in at 7:05 PM. No one called Emergency today leaving Hammer to quip "The First Aid crew were so bored that they spent their time making costumes." Local people from various towns we rode through were delighted to see us with one visitor dropping off a pledge to a rider and wild cheers from Red Wing's PFLAG group. So inspiring!
• Mark Hiemenz, Director from Open Arms of Minnesota (a ride recipient), announced that last year 76,000 meals were delivered to the HIV community. Twenty five percent more were served in the first six months of this year then were served all last year.
• Barb Anderson from ride recipient Park House, a day health service for people living with AIDS, spoke about the impact our ride has for crucial funding.
• Lee Hauge, the consummate volunteer, from AIDS Care Partners which manages both Grace House and Agape House, thanked the riders for our charitable efforts.
• Comedian and ride motor crew safety guide Matthew Feeney completed the evening with a little standup and dead on Jesse Ventura impression.

Michael Reinbold, a continuing web reporter, freelances as a writer and banquet caterer. A passionate believer in SJA's mission of social justice and collaborative ministry, Michael is an SJA Choir member, mass reader, Team Oz AIDS rider and Grace House volunteer cook. With an extensive background in theater, photography and fundraising, he relishes all aspects of the arts, staying fit and inspiring and working with people.

Rick Spaulding is a photographer specializing in digital photography for the theater and works for National Camera Exchange. He is also an antique dealer and eBay afficianado who enjoys collecting marbles but his true joys in life are his two boys and his beautiful wife, Tinia.