During AIDS/LifeCycle 6,  four participants kept daily blogs, which currently appear on the AIDS/LifeCycle website.  Annette Flores, cyclist #5175, posted the following for Day 6 (June 8th, 2007), after the candle-light vigil on the beach in Ventura:
   
"Around 8:30 pm, all 2,500 riders, roadies, staff, and visiting loved ones formed a procession and walked out to the beach, just a few feet from our camp.  Each person was holding a lit candle. No words were needed as we formed a huge circle on the beach.
   
"I remembered the times when my sister, Teresa, and I would be my brother Chris' back-up singers as he belted out songs.  My favorite memory was when he took me out to my first bar. It was a gay bar and, as we stood around playing pool, a girl started chatting with me. I remember Chris coming over and gently pulling me away and telling the girl I was unavailable.  I didn't know much back then and didn't realize the girl was trying to pick me up. I remember laughing as Chris had to explain it to me. I thought she was just being nice.
   
"As I sat there in the sand next to my friends and family, I remembered all the times Chris was there for me and how much he meant to me...and all the times he wasn't there because he died of AIDS.
   
"A few tears came, but no real crying. I just sat there looking at the flame from my candle flicker around from the wind. I could hear the waves from the ocean as they came up on shore and the wind was surprisingly calm. Remotely, I could hear the soft sniffles others made as they, too, mourned the loss of their loved ones. Eventually, one by one, we stood up to take our candle to the water's edge and dowse the flame.
   
"Both Chris and I loved the beach.  I bent down to dowse the flame of my candle and it wouldn't go out. I laughed and, as I looked up to the sky, said, "You just don't want to go out, do you?" As I finally put out the flame, my shoes got wet in the process and I started to laugh. My friend, Kelly, was near me and she laughed as well. As she hugged me, the tears really started, and I just held on. It took a few moments to compose myself, but when I was able to talk, I said, "It just never gets easier."
   
I miss my brother, but by riding with ALC, by sharing stories of my brother, and becoming part of this incredible community, I feel I got a part of him back."
   
To experience more of AIDS/LifeCycle 6, and to enjoy selections from the other three bloggers, visit: aidslifecycle.typepad.com.