'MO - August 2008 - (Page 23)

click here to comment on these stories. your health matters Crossing That Bridge ONE MAN’S ACCOUNT OF THE 20 0 8 SEAT TLE TO PORTL AND BICYCLE CL ASSIC By eleazar Juarez Once a year about 9,500 people come together from all around the country for a two-day, 202-mile bike ride from Seattle to Portland. This year I joined Gay City’s STP Team reluctantly and with a sneaking suspicion that I might drop out at the last minute. I am not an athletic guy by any stretch of the imagination, and cycling long distances has never been on my list of things to do before I die. Like many other gay men, I was often the last one picked for the team in school, and that kind of rejection has kept me far away from sports. The author at the end of his two-day, 202-mile bicycle journey. On day one of the ride we left the streets of Seattle and went out to rural Washington. The locals in many of the small towns cheered us on and provided us with much needed sustenance; since this was the day of the dreaded mile-long hill we had all been warned about. I slowly made it up the hill when I began to realize … I could do this! Team Gay City went moseattle.com past the halfway mark that day, as we rode 127 miles into the town of Vader, where we recovered and camped in preparation for the next day. On day two we ﬁnally made it to Oregon. The weather in Oregon was hot and my farmer’s tan was getting worse. The major challenge of the day was the dreaded Lewis and Clark Bridge. I heard mention of this bridge crossing, and its incline and rapid decline, but I certainly was not expecting it to be as grand and intimidating as it appeared. As we came upon the bridge, I saw other cyclists wishing each other good luck. I felt like a kid at an amusement park, in line for a really scary ride and having second thoughts. Despite the terrible feeling in my stomach, I made it to the top of the bridge and kept going, prepared to conquer whatever else the day had in store. Exhausted, but ﬁnally getting that adrenaline rush everyone else had been talking about throughout the ride, I began to think less about the sweat and the pain. The cynicism escaped me, and I became a bit moved by the whole experience. I got a little teary eyed at the thought of what our team of gay men was about to accomplish … together. The crowds cheered us on as we came into the city, and I was proud to be wearing my Gay City jersey. When I rolled across the ﬁnish line there was a sense of accomplishment that I can’t put into words. I wobbled over to the nearest patch of grass and sat down to take it all in. There I was, that kid always picked last for the team, who never thought he would do anything like this, ever. I will also admit that in that moment I never wanted to see my bike seat again! I could not be more proud to have been part of this team of gay men, and accomplishing this together made the experience all the better. The pain of the ride is still too fresh to decide whether I will do it again next year. I have a feeling I will; however, once my ass, knees, hands and sunburns stop hurting, I will cross that bridge (pun intended). eleazar Juarez is the volunteer coordinator at Gay city health Project. Visit www.Gaycity.org for more information. 23 issue #18 | august 2008 http://www.seattlemeds.com http://www.gaycity.org http://moseattle.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - August 2008

'MO - August 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Voices Coors Joins the Fight to Erase Hate Pet Project ’mo-BIZ: Ajaxx63 Northern Xposure Returns Lambert House Offers Youth Support Beijing, China The 2008 Gay Softball World Series in Seattle Form & Function: Vacation Nutrition An Account of the STP Bicycle Classic Book Review: Family Outing by Troy Johnson Capitol Hill Guide Live Event Review: Teatro ZinZanni’s Quest for a Queendom SceneOut: People@Places

'MO - August 2008

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