From May 31st to June 6th, I'll be riding 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles! Crazy, right?!
WHY?
ONE: AIDS. I've wanted to participate in this ride since I lived in San Francisco in the 90s. In 1994, the year I moved there, AIDS became the leading cause of death for U.S. men AND women ages 25 to 44. It turns out there's never a good time to take a week off to ride a bike, so this year I'm just going to drop everything and do it!
TWO: FITNESS. I'm facing a hard fact... I don't like exercise. But both of my parents died with incurable neurological conditions and exercise is known to be an important preventative measure in either case – so training will, in fact, make me a better person!
THREE: CALIFORNIA. Experience the coastline on a bike? Magic.
FOUR: MAG. We've been friends for twenty years. She's one of my most favorite people and she's coming from London to do this ride with me. Is it possible to cherish a memory that hasn't yet happened?
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Donate today!
Your donation will make a positive impact on the lives of people accessing services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, AND will encourage me to train in this winter's dark mornings and cold nights!
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Notes of gratitude...
Big hugs to Lino Wiehen for loaning me his amazing Bianchi road bike. I didn't appreciate how different road bikes are from mountain bikes – I'm learning a lot!
I'm also so grateful to Sukeun Chun and Andrea Morgan at Veloworx in Santa Monica for their collective kindness and bicycle wisdom (visit them @ 3106 Lincoln Blvd, 90405).
Special thanks to Miguel Fajardo and to Team FUBAR for helping me develop physical strength and mental fortitude.
xArati
PS: This is a tax-deductible donation to the Los Angeles LGBT Center (Tax ID # 95-3567895) and many employers will match your contribution! (AIDS/LifeCycle c/o Los Angeles LGBT Center, 1625 N. Schrader Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028)
