Sometimes, just sometimes, this job gives you the chance to get your mitts on some really lovely kit. This is one of those times.
From first opening the package, to fitting these kitten soft headphones on my my head was all pure, unadulterated pleasure. The looks, the feel, the… but I’m getting carried away here.
The brand is a new UK based purveyor of audio excellence. Based just outside London, this group of individuals have done their homework, and have been willing to put the hours in to design and manufacture something truly wonderful.
I got to road test the Galvanise S2 in grey and fell in love almost immediately but you can view both new styles at the website (address below) and choose between the S1 or S2.
Lets consider the design of these puppies. Each set has been crafted from British aerospace grade aluminium and the softest leather I’ve ever seen (or felt!). They weigh nothing and really do caress your ears – I don’t think I could ever go back to plastic in-ear type again. The contrast between the black leather and matt metal with a flash of red inside is sheer genius – the look may be industrial chic but the feel is pure handmade.
The cord is a woven nylon, giving them a slight retro feel, and they come with both a soft and hard case for storage or travelling. All in all, a well thought out product.
I don’t pretend to understand some of the technical aspects of headphones, I’m more a looks and sounds man. The Bloc & Roc site talks about customised 40mm dynamic drivers being enhanced to deliver a powerful and well-balanced audio experience, all I know is they simply sound wonderful and envelope you in whatever you choose to play.
Could be a foreign language to me – but features like the fit, the cord being fabric and not cheap plastic, the inbuilt mic that allows you to take calls, and the near perfect sound they allow you to enjoy are all I need to know. The technical stuff, I leave to those that understand it, but these headphones deliver, in spades!
My only gripe? I still like my music loud, and there is some noise leakage with these, so avoid the quiet coach if travelling by train, otherwise, crank it up and let the world hear your choice.
The Positive
▪ The design
▪ Craftsmanship
▪ The extras (both hard and soft cases)
The Negative
▪ Some noise leakage at high volume
Price: £129..95 (plus £5.00 p&p to UK addresses)
Note: they do ship worldwide, so contact them for details.
Available from the site:
http://www.blocandroc.co.uk
I’m rating these a 5. Why? Firstly, I am sick of seeing that headphone with the B everywhere. Secondly, they are a UK product that shows design at its best. Thirdly, and most importantly, they work and work well.
★★★★★ | The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
I think it says a lot about me as an individual that my attention span in these social media days seems to have dwindled to the point where if it’s more than 140 characters, I get bored.
I have a stack of great books waiting to be read, or started and tossed aside as one thing or another distracts me.
That is until this book dropped through the letterbox.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I relished an authors words so much, felt so deeply in-volved in the plot, felt it resonate on a personal level – basically, found that rare thing, a truly un-put-downable book.
The storyline is one we can all understand to some point – the slightly kooky outcast group, not the A-crowd, but individuals who have their own voices. Think a good John Hughes film (Pretty in Pink, etc) Bullied at school? Tick.Small group of geeky friends? Tick. Fancy someone you can’t have? Tick. Odd family life? Tick.
The list is endless, but Lisa Williamson, the book’s author, has the talent of drawing you in and making you feel this book could be about you (in a general sense) without detracting from her own storyline or making any of it seem trite or generic.
Putting it bluntly, she makes you feel you belong to this story – and a bloody good story it is too.
In a nutshell, it’s about 2 boys and their lives as they grow and meet. One is a troubled teen, shift-ing from school to school, not much of a family life, not much of a home, no real friends. The other is from a good family, good home, but has a deep secret and deals with it as only teenagers can, and do, daily.
David Piper has the secret, he wants to be a girl. He’s obsessed to the point of writing everything down in his book, from his penis size to how visible his Adam’s apple is, all in the name of not wanting to look like a man.
Leo Denton wants to simply be invisible. However, his first few days at his new school ensure that this is going to be impossible.
After Leo stands up for David against the school bully, an unlikely friendship begins to form and grow – but the secrets they all have are about to come out and things will never be the same.
This book isn’t another teen drama; it looks at the subjects it covers sensitively but also with humour. The subjects covered aren’t simple, and on some level may have been felt by most of us – being an outsider, wanting to belong, wanting to be invisible, fear of bullying, fear of our families, lack of friends… the list is endless but Lisa tackles these themes so well.
If you are looking for a good holiday read, pick this. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, but it’ll never bore you!
I have a confession to make – I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned rom-com. Cary Grant? Yes please! Doris Day? Just my cup of tea! Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan? I’m in heaven!
Give me star-crossed lovers and a little “will they, won’t they” and I’m a happy bunny.
And this vehicle for Hugh Grant gives you just that. It’s not earth-shattering, it’s not life-changing, it doesn’t answer the meaning of life but it is funny, it is warm and it is actually a good story.
Hugh Grant plays a once successful Hollywood screenwriter, one who seemingly had it all, wife, son, glittering career, wit and charm to boot, but then, as these things will, they fade.
The career stalls, film work dries up, the wife moves on to someone more successful and takes the son with her, and the charm and wit only go so far when your fast approaching fifty and broke.
This is where his wise-cracking agent comes in, offering work at a small college on a screenwriting course, and off Hugh goes.
A little far fetched, but this is a Hollywood movie, not real life. Stick with it as we watch Hugh go through the ups and downs of campus life, and also through a student or two…
He finds his mojo for writing amongst his students, but learns quickly that the film industry is still as fickle and maybe, just maybe his future lies elsewhere.
Hugh Grant gives his usually good performance, where he basically plays himself, Marisa Tomei plays one of his older students and puts in a solid performance playing her elfin self, and Allison Janney gives a poker face performance as a gargoylesque Jane Austin fanatic faculty member.
I liked this film a lot, I didn’t love it and here’s why. There was something slightly creepy about a 50-year-old sleeping with students, and at times, you look at Hugh and think, is this it? What else can you do? He is starting to look out of place in this type of film, too old to be running after 18-year-olds.
But until something else comes along, I do still enjoy him in these roles, and can’t wait to see where he goes next as he has mentioned in interviews that he wants to direct – but none of this detracts from this film, I’d see it again, and give it 4 stars!
You glance at the cast list and think that at last, Hollywood is acknowledging good actors who happen to be a little older than Channing Tatum. The 3 leads here are Annette Bening, Ed Harris and the late Robin Williams in a slightly left of centre love story.
It goes like this, Annette Bening plays Nikki, an LA housewife and mother, who loves her husband, architect Ed Harris. The first part of the film shows this love while it films them on vacation for their 30th anniversary in Mexico until tragedy strikes.
Widowed, Nikki does what you imagine anyone in that position does, they exist, get up, breathe, eat, sleep and try to form some kind of life without that special someone but without any meaning and this film shows that lack of purpose so well.
That is until, on a whim, she drops by her favourite art gallery in LA, an old haunt from her pre-widow days and she spots a doppleganger; the spitting image of her late husband and that’s where the film goes into uncharted territory.
I’ve read some online reviews of this movie and they aren’t kind, but I found it endearing and felt an empathy with Nikki and her web of lies as she’s negotiating a relationship with someone who looks like and to all intents and purposes is her late husband; but with a penchant for hats and less fake teeth (watch, you’ll understand)!
Robin plays the third wheel – a neighbour, who lost his wife and has a crush painful on Nikki – a crush that comes to the surface when he makes a move and is, politely, thwarted due to Nikki’s sudden involvement with her late husband’s double!
Her live away daughter’s reaction is a treat when she first, accidentally, meets her mother’s new lover – worth watching just for this.
This is a lovely, delicious, silly and far-fetched movie – a Saturday afternoon treat, make yourself some popcorn, pour a wine and indulge kind of thing.
So, finally, it hit me. One week to the day since my visit. Wave after wave of uncontrollable sobbing, shaking, tears, snotty nose, feeling total despair over events that happened nearly 70 years ago.
They say the visit changes you, and its effects may not be immediate.
They hope it changes you for the good, ensuring that what happened there is never forgotten or repeated.
Where is there? Auschwitz.
Believe me, I’m not being melodramatic. Actually, I’ve spent the last week feeling guilty as I haven’t cried once – and I usually cry at the drop of a hat. But this time – nothing. The only time I felt anything like emotion connected to this event was when we saw items, personal belongings, something to humanise the enormity of the situation, something that gave sense to the figures mentioned.
But let me take you back a week. Having done a mad dash to Luton from Manchester overnight for my 5am check in, I joined the others as part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s (HET) Lessons From Auschwitz visit to both Auschwitz and Birkenau camps.
My knowledge was sadly lacking in much of the details around this topic – I thought there was only one camp, but there is the original one at Auschwitz and the larger one at Birkenau; along with a chemical factory site, that used forced labour from the camps, and around 40 satellite sites of farms and factories, that used and housed slave labour.
We were sorted into manageable sized groups comprising of students, teachers, staff from HET and the visitors, usually journalists. We boarded our allotted coaches and headed to the Polish town of Oswiecim, or as we know it Auschwitz. Once there, we visited one of the few remaining Jewish cemeteries – scene of vandalism and some restoration. It seems ironic that there are no Jewish people living here now, the few that returned after the war either left or have died. Maybe as a result of its legacy, who knows.
The coach took us to the camp of Auschwitz where we met our guide for the day. It all seemed odd. You expect a peaceful, almost reverent place, but what you get is a full car park, visitors of all colours and nationalities, all set against a backdrop of the site of one of the worst human atrocities ever.
Auschwitz felt like a proper camp. Brick barracks and offices, electric fences, guard posts whereas Birkenau felt temporary as if its main purpose was well thought out and planned into the temporary structures it used for shelter from its very first day. Auschwitz was a political prisoner camp initially, but it developed. It grew to provide a solution to a very Nazi problem. What to do with all those undesirables? Those political opponents who won’t go away? Those sexual deviants we don’t want to talk about in polite society. Those of a slightly different skin colour, and then there were Jewish people… What to do?
I always thought that Auschwitz and all those other camps would be in Germany itself, but no, this one and its close neighbour, Birkenau are in southern Poland.
I always thought Auschwitz was the main, and possibly only camp in this area, I hadn’t really heard of Birkenau. But Auschwitz, when you visit, has the feel of being a testing area. Its only gas chamber is a reconstruction as the Nazis tried to destroy all evidence of what happened here when the allies advanced. The first gas chambers were simply well sealed rooms, used to test the mechanised killing system on Russian prisoners – at first anyway.
When you visit some of the areas of both camps, you are asked not to take photos, and I can understand why. The reconstructed gas chamber in Auschwitz is one of these. It is slightly below ground, but still has the original walls, complete with marks. It took our HET guide to explain that these were nail marks, scratched into the plaster, made by the inmates while they asphyxiated on the Zyklon-B poured into the room from above
Some of the barrack buildings house exhibitions. Explanations of what happened here. The numbers, the process. Photos of people being herded like cattle, emaciated workers, striped pyjamas, and then there is the hair.
The inmates were shaved – totally. Male and female and their hair packaged and sent to German weavers to aid the war effort. All displayed in the one room. Nothing prepares you for the effect of walking into a room, walls of glass, packed full of human hair, floor to ceiling, matted, discoloured.
Then there are the artificial limbs, collected from the less able bodied, less able to work and earn their meagre keep, so not even worth registering or lodging. That’s how it went once both camps were in full “production”.
The cattle trucks arrived, offloading their cargo, and an instant decision made about whether you lived or died. Right or left, simple little words but all the meaning in the world in that situation. The ever-efficient Nazi machine finding ever more inventive ways to save time by bringing the railway lines right into the camp, closer to the gas chambers and crematoria.
The items that got to me the most, and I can’t get out of my head? The toothbrushes, the toy doll, the wire-rimmed glasses and the house keys. Everyday objects we’d all pack, wear or make sure we have on us. Here they were, 70 years later, still awaiting their owners to come back and collect them.
Watch any film like Schindler’s List or Sophie’s Choice and you feel that Hollywood has over-dramatised the story for effect. They haven’t. They didn’t. It’s how it was.
Children taken from their mothers, the elderly kicked and shoved, human beings being treated in unimaginable ways. The worst is knowing you are standing somewhere where 1.5 million died, on this spot, this little piece of Poland.
My reason for going? For putting myself through this? Simple, I don’t want it to happen again, I don’t understand how it happened, how it was allowed to happen, why people allowed sectors of a population to have their basic human rights eroded to the point they were no longer seen as human. Then I look around me, and realise that we’ve had genocides since, we are living in societies that are already limiting some people’s civil liberties, simply because they are the wrong colour, wrong religion or wrong sexual orientation.
I’m not naive enough to think that I can change the world alone, I can’t, but one thing I took away from this visit is that I may only be able to do small thing: vote, sign petitions, lobby MPs, write articles like this, but I form part of a bigger entity. Like-minded individuals who want to do the same, make the same changes, let governments, political parties, big business know that we are here, and we won’t let anything like this happen again or let this event be forgotten or questioned. There are nay-sayers out there, holocaust deniers, but programmes like Lessons From Auschwitz ensure that the facts are there. They cannot be disputed and are there to be witnessed by future generations.
I was amazed by the maturity with which some of the students handled this situation. I fully expected to be a puddle on the floor most of the time and packed tissues accordingly. But they handled everything so well.
The HET do a pre-visit briefing, organise the visit and then do a post-visit debrief with all those who attend. The students become “ambassadors” of sorts, producing projects that encourage debate and educate others around this subject. So, now to you.
Firstly, if you get the chance, visit these places. They are life-changing and should be supported. Secondly, when you next see a petition on your social media feed, read it before ignoring it. Your voice makes a difference, and thirdly, take note of the items in the news, and act on those that affect you.
Don’t forget, we can still use our toothbrush, play with those dolls, put on our specs, and lock our doors, we’re the lucky ones.
After my recent visit to Auschwitz, watching a film about The Holocaust might not seem like such a great idea. However, I remember this film coming out in the cinema, and wanting to watch it – but never quite got round to it. ★★★★★
And thanks to the wonders of Netflix, I have now seen it – and wept! The film is based on the book by John Boyne, and follows the adventures of an 8-year-old boy, Bruno. The son of a high-ranking Nazi, you don’t really get a sense of what his father does and it doesn’t seem to impact on his son and his friends as they play at being pilots (remember using your arms as wings, running around pretending to be a plane?)
The only sing that something is odd is when his father gets a promotion and this upsets Bruno’s life, shifting his mother, sister and father to an undisclosed location. The new house is beautiful, very modern for the 40s and lots of rooms to play in, leaving Bruno to choose his bedroom and the view of the “farm”. When questioned, his father finally explains to his wife the true nature of the new posting. The odd smell… the strange hired help.
And then Bruno goes exploring and encounters the boy in the striped pyjamas, Shmuel. This is where this film comes into its own; the viewpoint of an 8-year-old. In their world, nothing’s nasty, nothing’s fatal, in their world food is found, no-one starves, lost relatives can be found, someone on the other side of a fence can still play games, lying doesn’t have major consequences, summer is endless and life is beautiful.
Or is it?
Whilst we see what is happening around them, their own wide eyed world view is based on what is in front of them, no wider picture, nothing bad happens. And that’s what makes this film unique, the two main characters are children and we see things through their eyes.
When Shmuel loses his father, Bruno offers to help and a simple plan is put in place… with consequences. I wont spoil it for you, but stock up on tissues.
The two main characters are amazing in this film, understated performances and totally believable. Asa Butterfield who plays Bruno is all wide eyed Arian with an 8-year-old’s simplistic world view. He has all the benefits of being of the right genetic stock, and still doesn’t understand just yet what’s going on, whilst his family can see the other side and his mother suffers a near breakdown when she realises whats going on.
Jack Scanlon plays Shmuel and is so believable, they caught him at the right time, skinhead with missing teeth, he excels in the part as a camp inmate. The script is pitch perfect, the costumes spot on and the sets are believable, having seen the wooden stables the Nazis used to house inmates in Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the bunks use to house 2 or 3 inmates at a time, this really is faultless.
Watch this film if you can, read the book, then read up on the subject – get an understanding on this subject. Visit the Holocaust Educational Trust site and support their work: www.het.org.uk
I have to admit I love the written word; I have a thing for it, which is strange as someone who is quite visual in their other work and trained in visual arts. I especially love it in erotica, simple sensuous phrases can have unexpected results and can prove more arousing than mere images – and that’s exactly what Jonathan Lemieux and his short story does.
Just that one word ‘Daddy’ conjures up all sorts of images in the gay world… and this book doesn’t disappoint. The story is simple but full of such descriptive narrative. It gives you a hero of sorts, with a back-story and told in the first person so you feel part of the action.
It follows our hero, Justin Waterston, on a journey of self-discovery and into the arms of his daddy, Mitch. He meets his hero online, and spends time on camera with his lusty counter-part.
The relationship develops and, in time, the usual question rears its ugly head, the one about meeting in the flesh. I always find this amazing as only our generation must understand this – we’ve seen each other, hell, we’ve probably had sex online on camera but we’ve never met face to face.
So Justin receives a ticket to ride, and ride he does!
If you like your sex with a pinch of pig, if you like your erotica with a smidgeon of smut – Jonathan writes it just for you.
This story has the desired effect in the pant department – it arouses and stimulates but also gives you characters you care about and want to know more about!
I’m reliably informed that this is another in a long line of stories, so feel free to invest emotionally in these characters and storylines – think Harry Potter with a fetish and you wont be disappointed in this series!
The story is available here as a download or an actual book:
You know me and my love for erotic fiction – oh, you don’t? Ok, I love words, they are sensuous and arousing, they can make you conjure images that photographers and illustrators may not be able to.
And as for erotica, I’m not talking heavy-handed Fifty Shades of Blagh either, I’m talking characters, plots and scenarios that you can relate to. This is where Jonathan Lemieux comes in.
His first of a series of erotic stories centres on Victor, described as the love-child of an Otter, a Bear and a Pig and this sets the tone nicely for the rest of this story.
Victor and his boyfriend Thomas have reached that point in their relationship where they either split or go down the “open relationship” route.
Guess which they choose? And, thus opens the floodgates of the Daddy section of this story. Victor realises that this is where his particular fetish lies. Jonathan is very descriptive, and ensures his story has a good amount of sex sprinkled throughout to keep you flicking those pages.
This leads Victor to online hook-ups and onwards to Bruce, his 50-ish year old bear conquest and his friend Matt. What follows is an interesting and descriptive threesome.
Jonathan can write, boy can he write – his backgrounds make his characters real, give them depth – odd really for an erotic short story, but worth the investment.
His background as a visual artist seems to have given him an ability to be very descriptive about the situations he puts his characters into, and these are very 18+ and ain’t for the kiddies! The whole scenario feels real and that adds a certain edge to the story.
The story is available here as a download or an actual book – take your pick.
Writer Chris Jones first came across this artist on Facebook, he was a friend of a friend on there and the posts sparked his curiosity. This guy survived on what we’d call pound store food and lived to write a best selling book on the subject – being a starving artist suddenly takes on a new aspect.
Have you ever want to like something so much, looked forward to seeing something so much, eager with anticipation?
And then it happens and its, umm, well, it’s, not quite what you thought or expected?
A film that includes the inimitable Amelie actress Audrey Tautou and the quirky actor from Populaire, Romain Duris, and has a storyline that reads like a William Burroughs script, and I really expected something kooky, something off the wall?
I’d read about it before it came out – in itself a long protracted event as it seemed to take forever to get a UK cinema release. Based on a popular French novel by Boris Vian, it takes place in a fantasy version of Paris, where cars fly, pianos make cocktails and people stretch whilst skating – and not just their muscles!
I hate to spoil the stories when doing a review of a film or DVD, so I won’t go into details on this score apart from the well-publicised basics – boy meets girl, falls in love, marry and then girl becomes seriously ill as a flower starts to grow in her lung… as it does.
The boy then has to use all available funds to buy a flower to help heal his girl and takes all sorts of odd jobs to fund this. The rest is available on the DVD for you to watch.
One word used a lot in reviews and write ups on this film is “whimsy” and it’s a great word to sum this up – it is whimsical in the extreme but it lacks some of the finesse of either Amelie and Populaire – though both actors and the rest of the cast and crew give it their all and do a good job.
The director is responsible for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind, Rewind and it kind of shows, the story takes all kind of twists and turns, but the special effects are not up to the expected level and seem amateurish and at times awkward. The story doesn’t follow the normal narrative trail but seems to waver as it moves towards its end.
I didn’t hate this film, how could you? But I didn’t love it and ended feeling disappointed and a little let down. Whether this is down to me and my high expectations or the film and its production, I’m not sure… As always, I’d urge you to watch and decide for yourself. I do think its worth watching, but don’t expect the usual Tautou or Duris fair….
I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars, I wish it was more
For those of you who don’t know David Allison, he’s a high flyer, literally as he works for one of the top airlines, he’s a social media personality, making people laugh on both Facebook and Twitter, and he’s also a fundraiser. Every other year he takes part in a fundraising cycle ride over in the States to raise both awareness and much needed funds for AIDS research and support and has fun and lycra chaffing to prove it. As he prepares for the upcoming 2015 event, I managed to catch up with him to find out more about the event, and his fundraising to date:
How and when did you become involved?
A friend of mine put a link on Facebook for sponsorship back in 2010. I donated to his fundraising and followed it up with a message to wish him luck. Following that conversation he asked me “why don’t you do it too?”. I gave it some serious thought for a few days and thought ‘why not?!’ I had to change around some annual leave at work and once that was in place I simply signed up. Now I find myself training for my 3rd AIDS LifeCycle. My aim is to do it every other year due to the logistics and time off required. So far I’ve done 2011, 2013 and now training for 2015. Next year’s ride will be even more special as I’ve now been certified as a Training Ride Leader by ALC.
From all the charities out there, why this one?
Being a gay man (not that I am restricting those affected by HIV to one group or another) I have friends that are either directly affected by HIV or involved in Fundraising for HIV charities. No matter who it affects, it is a worth while cause. We have to make a difference in the world however we can. There are many charities, many fundraising efforts and many heroes. We each have to do our bit to help. We should all strive to be the best version of ourselves and share the love.
How do you prepare for this event?
My first year I didn’t even own a bike! Once I had all the necessary equipment I just began cycling as much as I could fit into my week, my month, my year. Someone once told me “do a LOT of hill training” and oh how right they were. Some of these hills (I’m tempted to say “mountains”) even have names such as ’The Evil Twins’ and ‘Quadbuster’… I rest my case.
Because of my job and the fact I don’t always have access to a bike I utilise whatever I can to train. This usually meant lots of training in hotel gyms. I do recall spending 8 hours on a hotel gym bike once; I had a bag of food and bottles of water/sports drinks and I just got peddling whilst everyone else was sunning themselves by the pool. It was so un-glam, but by the end I had buns of steel so firm you could break a diamond on them.
I also own a ‘Turbo Trainer’ which allows me to attach my own bike to a prop which has a roller on the back, essentially allowing me to train on my own bike at home. The great thing about this is you can train indoors when the weather isn’t so great, watch TV and get your backside accustomed to your saddle, which trust me, NEEDS to happen.
Talk us through some of the things that happen along the road – and keep it clean, or not!
Being a fully supported ride there are scheduled rest stops and water stops every so many miles. Each and every stop has a theme, Roadies dress up, food and water stands are decorated and there is just a general theme of fun and hilarity. You’ll even find interesting things to read in the portaloos! At certain points of the ride there will be entertainment; again provided by the roadies. It’s simple touches like this that can keep your spirits elevated.
One of the most motivating things apart from roadies and fellow cyclists have to be random strangers cheering you on at any given time; the toot of a horn, the ring of a bell or even a whole school of children coming out to cheer you on are real energisers.
My favourite day has to be ‘Red Dress day’ for a number of reasons; firstly because we get to dress up and secondly because it’s the shortest day at only 42 miles. This day was originally called ‘Dress Red day” but you know what happens when you get a bunch of gay guys and gals together! The purpose of this day was to emulate a huge AIDS ribbon cycling the route.
Camping can bring about some interesting stories I’m sure, personally I’m too exhausted to think about anything other than having a shower, eating and getting to bed. You’ve not lived until you’ve had a shower in a truck specifically designed for the purpose!
Each night in camp after you’ve joined the line for food (which is served to you by more awesome roadies) there are speeches, videos and pictures. Each night you are reminded of the day you’ve just completed, whether that be pictures taken by riders or video interviews of the people you are helping with your fundraising or sometimes even a musical guest or two. There are guaranteed to be laughs, tears and some heartwarming stories. Then it’s time for a hot chocolate and to hit the sack. I usually get up at 5am each morning and am on the road by about 6am ready to spend around 10 hours in the saddle. Trust me when I say that I make up for all these early nights and good behaviour when I get to LA as it’s Pride the day after the finish *insert cheeky grin*.
What’s the atmosphere like on this race? Who does it attract in terms of other participants?
Firstly it’s not a race, don’t get me wrong there are some competitive people out there but for many it’s just a chance to be able to make a difference and cycle all 545 miles. As far as the demographic I can honestly say the AIDS LifeCycle attracts every single creed, colour, sexual orientation, size and fitness capability. It’s like a rainbow flag of people, every colour and each one as bright and as beautiful as the last.
What experiences have you had along the road?
Each year the town of Bradley (population 120) parks their school bus on the outskirts of the town welcoming riders. When you cycle into Bradley there is a huge sense of love and community. They have a BBQ stand selling burgers to riders to raise money for their school and the children wearing official ALC T-shirts. It makes you think if a small town like this can be accepting of this cause then why can’t others?
When people said to me that this ride would be life changing, they were right. Apart from fellow cyclists, the ride gives you the most amazing time for reflection. You are quite often riding roads that are simply in the middle of nowhere, facing the most mountainous of hills, breathtaking of views or just your own thoughts. It is a great opportunity for thinking about the way you live your life, the people you’re helping or how you can do things better. This ride literally fills you up with love for the human spirit. This reflection culminates in camp on the last night. After dinner there is a candlelight vigil on the beach. As Sofia from The Golden Girls would say “picture it…” 2000 people, each holding a candle yet sitting in silence. It can put you at peace, make you cry or just be happy to be alive and marvel in the accomplishment of your week. It is without doubt one of the most spiritual experiences; so much so I believe it fills you with energy for the last day. I don’t know where it comes from but the energy I feel when cycling those last few miles to the finish line is purely electric.
The single most memorable moment of my two ALC rides has to be last year when my Mum surprised me at the finish line. Bearing in mind the longest flight she has ever done would be around 4 hours; to have her there cheering me on was just immeasurable. Thankfully someone took at video of it as it all happened so fast. I have always been fortunate to have my American friends and work colleagues at the finish but to have her there was just awesome… and yes… there were tears.
And finally, where can we donate?
You can donate directly to my fundraising efforts here www.tofighthiv.org/goto/davidallison and may I say a huge thank you in advance.
Previously I’ve blogged en route but this time around I’m going to do it in video format via Instagram, if you’d like to follow along you can do so here www.instagram.com/dfa73
What can I say? This guy is an inspiration – to take to two wheels and cycle this distance, raise funds for charity and also have fun doing it with a bunch of like minded individuals is one heck of a feat. The images David provided from previous events shows that this is hard work – but that everyone pulls together to make it an event to remember for these taking part, and that it raises as much as possible for these worthwhile causes.
If you can, donate – and follow David on his Instagram feed, following the link above.
For those of us who haven’t heard of Aids Lifecycle, can you give us some background
(Taken directly from the ALC website) “AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully supported, 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money and awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS. AIDS/LifeCycle 2015 will take place May 31st through June 6th, 2015. Every year, this landmark ride through beautiful California delivers a life-changing experience for thousands of participants from all backgrounds and fitness levels united by a common desire to do something heroic.”
ALC usually has around 2000 participants and around 500-600 Roadies who support the cyclists and the team. Collectively this year’s ride raised over $15million USD. Each participant commits to raising $3000; this money goes directly to the charities (San Francisco AIDS foundation and LA LGBT Centre). Costs such as flights, hotels pre/post ride etc are paid for by the individual rider. That said, through the week we are fully taken care of by the ALC team; we camp in tents which are provided by ALC as are food, hydration, medical professionals, bike technicians to name a few. ALC is such a massive undertaking each year; I sometimes think the cyclists have the easy job because as you’re cycling or getting ready to ride there are a team of Roadie’s getting up earlier to serve breakfast or setting up that next rest stop. While you’re riding the whole ‘village’ is being transported to the next camp.
Both the San Francisco AIDS foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Centre provide numerous services such as testing, support, education, research and nutritional advice etc. These centres are a lifeline for many, many people who ordinarily wouldn’t have access to help. These organisations make a huge difference in people’s lives and in some cases it literally saves them.
You can find a ton of information about the ride at www.aidslifecycle.org
