9th Annual Christmas Orphans' Tour of San Francisco

how many things can you say you've done for 9 years? probably not many. but, for the past 9 Christmases, I've done the very same thing -- ridden my bike in SF.

in 1999, the Christmas Orphans' Tour began with 4 of us who were training for the AIDS Ride. we became fast friends, riding together for three days in a row, the highlight being our tour on Christmas morning. although we were from different circles of friends, we kept the tradition going for the next couple of years. In 2002, I started hosting the ride through Velo Girls, and we've continued ever since. some years the weather is warm. some years it's cold. it's rained a few times, but we've never cancelled the ride. we see all types of bikes and all types of riders. one year I did the loop on a 7-speed cruiser (I was delivering Christmas meals that morning and needed the basket). this morning, I almost brought my Rivendell so my dog could ride in the basket with us, but decided to wait until she'd actually done some descending before I subjected her to a group ride.

the Christmas Orphans' Tour is a co-ed ride. there are a handful of folks who've joined us for 5, 6, or 7 years. but most folks come out for a year or two and then move onto another aspect of their lives. the SF Bicycle Coalition always posts the ride, so we get some riders who might not otherwise be exposed to Velo Girls (or recreational riding).

so, for the 9th year in a row, I've headed up to SF on Christmas morning for a fabulous morning with friends (new and old).

highlights for this year?

riding with Jan Medina -- one of our fabulous sponsors who I don't see very often.

the amazing weather! the air was clear and crisp and I took about 50 photos (see the link below).

meeting Carol and Jerry from the ALC forum.

seeing Alana, a coaching client who only recently began riding, jamming on her bike!

meeting so many new people.

riding in SF on the most amazing day of the year.

Okay, off to do "normal" Christmas things now like eat and drink and be merry!
The rest of the photos are posted here .

Happy holidays, everyone!