“In a week and a half, I’m doing my favorite trip of the year. It doesn’t involve a plane, car or a train, but my bicycle.  I’m riding 545 miles to smell the ocean, strawberries and hear people’s laughter between oak trees; riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles for the third time… It’s not a race, but a journey.  Along the way, I’ll get time to think, meet new people, and hear stories from those around me…Stories that will make me smile, laugh, and cry.  I signed up the first time after watching a close friend of mine ride. Every week he posted pictures of him riding across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin…As a new Bay Area resident, I wanted to explore and meet new friends… The thing that brings me back year after year is the sense of community…The folks on the ride are genuinely interested in being there and the authenticity they bring is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. For one week, 2,000+ strangers come together…It’s really magical. The ride …