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| Beneficiaries | HIV/AIDS
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AIDSRide
this summer!
New York to Boston, 350 miles, 4 days, 4 states, July 19-22, 2001. The
cycling was the easy part, even though I spent 6 months in training for it. My goal
was to raise $5000 from sponsors in the name of this event, but I ended up raising
over $6000. Every little bit helped, and my sponsors dug deep: it is important not
to become complacent simply because there are some drugs that can help people with
HIV and AIDS. The drugs we currently have don't prevent or cure the disease, have
nasty side-effects, don't work for everyone, require a strict regime, and are still
very expensive. Worldwide, there are 36,100,000 people battling daily with HIV and
AIDS, up from 33,600,000 in 1999. Three million people died in the year 2000 alone
of AIDS. [Source: UNAIDS, December 2000]. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it has
reached plague proportions. Try reading the special February 12, 2001 "Death Stalks a Continent" issue of Time
magazine and not be moved by the devastation of this disease. My fundraising
will help three local health-care facilities here in the Northeast: Fenway Community Health in Boston, the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and the Lesbian and the Gay Community Services Center in New York City.
I work with high school students who have never lived in a world without this virus,
and who never will: I feel a responsibility to them, this next generation.
350 miles, 4 Days, 4 States, July 19-22, 2001
Bear Mountain, NY --> New Haven, CT --> Preston, CT --> Cumberland, RI --> Boston, MA
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From the first day the Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center opened its doors in 1983, AIDS has defined the Center's purpose, has ignited the Center's passion and has shaped the Center's activism profoundly. The Center has been on the cutting edge of responding to the AIDS epidemic ever since. The Center's HIV/AIDS-related programs include Project Connect, the first alcohol and drug prevention and counseling program in New York State to serve the gay community and address the correlation between substance abuse and increased risk for HIV/AIDS; Youth Enrichment Services for lesbian and gay youth, who remain today one of the highest risk age groups in the community for new HIV infections; CenterBridge, specifically developed to offer counseling, support and caring for all who have lost, or who have been afraid of losing lovers, family members, co-workers and friends to AIDS; Project Resolve, the Center's Mediation Services program; and the Gender Identity Project, serving the unique HIV-related needs of transgender men and women.
The mission of Fenway Community Health is to provide compassionate, affordable, quality health care to the lesbian and gay community of New England and to residents of the Fenway neighborhood and surrounding community. Last year alone, Fenway provided nearly 55,000 patient visits. Fenway Community Health offers a nationally-acclaimed model of comprehensive HIV care to more than 1,100 individuals with HIV/AIDS. A person testing positive for HIV receives immediate, comprehensive evaluation and assessment that results in a treatment plan tailored to their individual needs. In addition to medical and health services, Fenway provides out-patient substance abuse counseling and detox services, holistic health services, psychiatric and neuropsychological evaluation and treatment, laboratory services, and nutritional counseling. When hospital care is required, Fenway's physicians admit to Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. What makes Fenway truly unique is its ongoing commitment to AIDS research. Fenway was the first clinic in the nation to initiate community-based HIV research contributing to the growing body of scientific knowledge about transmission of HIV. Since studies were first begun in 1985, Fenway has amassed a serum bank of 40,000 specimens that are accessed by AIDS researchers at academic and medical institutions such as Harvard Medical School.
The Michael Callen-Audre Lorde Community Health Center is New York's only medical facility geared primarily to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, including those with HIV/AIDS. Callen-Lorde provides quality, sensitive, and respectful health care to all who seek our services, regardless of sexual orientation or ability to pay. Since opening the doors of our new facility in March 1998, Callen-Lorde has provided over 50,000 medical and mental health visits. Callen-Lorde has been providing direct medical care for people with HIV/AIDS since the very beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and is a crucial link in the network of care for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. Callen-Lorde's HIV/AIDS services include the full spectrum of medical and mental health services, peer counseling, HIV support groups, treatment education and support, clinical trial referrals, and our state-of-the-art Health Education Resource Center. Callen-Lorde also provides HIV prevention education and HIV counseling and testing services to dozens of patients each month. During 1999, Callen-Lorde saw over 500 active patients with HIV/AIDS, for a total of 2,300 patient visits. We are now seeing a staggering increase in patients newly diagnosed with HIV -- nearly 30 new patients each month! Many of our patients have no insurance coverage, and Callen-Lorde covers their health care expenses until we can assist them in qualifying for government support (Medicaid, ADAP, etc.).
From the beginning of January, 2001, I have been using the stationary cycle and the Keiser resistance training equipment at my gym. Starting March 28, I have taken on specific training for the Ride, to work my way up in 15-20-mile monthly increments to increase to include at least one century run (100 miles in a day) before the Ride actually takes place (okay, so the last century run I did was the League of American Wheelmen Century Run in Sept. 1973...), and two substantial rides (roughly 70-80 miles each) on consecutive days to get in the practice of getting back in the saddle after a long day in the saddle. In the meantime, I am building up my endurance and steadily increasing the amount of time I spend on my training. When the weather is bad (as it has been lately here in New England), the sand has not been swept off the streets and the potholes not filled in, I will continue to work out on the stationary cycle, but I'm eager to get onto my bike and hit the road for some *real* training, despite those hills!
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28:16 miles, Cybex stationary bike (16 mph) | 29: 24 miles, Cybex stationary bike (16 mph) | 30 | 31: 4.1 miles, Cybex stationary bike (16.4 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines |
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2: 24.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (16.2 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 3 | 4: 3.9 miles, Cybex stationary bike (14.7 mph); partial circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 5 | 6 | 7: 16.1 miles on the real road on a real bicycle -- finally! -- mostly on city streets with frost heaves, potholes & sand (12 mph) |
| 8 | 9: 11.6 miles, Manchester to Grasmere and back. (12.4 mph) | 10 | 11 | 12: 8.7 miles, Cybex stationary bicycle (17.4 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16: 40.2 miles, commuting from Manchester to Concord in the a.m.(11.6 mph, temps in the 20s -- brrr!) and back in the p.m. (13.5 mph) | 17: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines; 19.2 miles, Manchester to Nashua (13.2 mph) w/headwinds gusting up to 8 mph |
| 22: 19.2 miles, Nashua to Manchester (13.2 mph) w/headwinds gusting up to 19 mph | 23: 4.5 miles, Cybex stationary bike (18 mph) | 24: 4.5 miles, Cybex stationary bike (18 mph) | 25 | 26: 4.6 miles, Cybex stationary bike (18.4 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 27: 40.53 miles, commuting from Manchester to Concord in the a.m.(13.1 mph, temps in the lower 30s -- brrr!) and back in the p.m. (15.5 mph) | 28: 4 miles, Cybex stationary bike (16 mph) |
| 29 | 30: 8.6 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines |
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3: 8.6 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 4: 63.97 miles, commuting from Manchester to Concord in the a.m.(14.1 mph), and Concord to Nashua in the p.m. (14.1 mph, temps from 85-90 degrees: Yeow!) | 5 | ||
| 6: 113 miles for the American Diabetes Association "Tour de Cure", Portsmouth, NH (13.7 mph) I missed a turn and had to double back, adding the 13 miles to the century... Oops! | 7 | 8: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph); partial circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 9 | 10: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph); partial circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17: 40.31 miles, commuting from Manchester to Concord in the a.m.(14 mph) and and Concord to Manchester in the p.m. (13.4 mph) | 18 | 19 |
| 20: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph) | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25: 45.32 miles, commuting from Manchester to Concord in the a.m.(13.5 mph) and Concord to Manchester in the p.m. (12.5 mph, against strong headwinds) | 26: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph) |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30: 8.7 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.4 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 31: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary bike (17.2 mph) |
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5: 4.3 miles, Cybex stationary
bike (17.2 mph) 20th Anniversary of the discovery of AIDS |
6 | 7 | 8 | 9: 63.48 miles, Manchester to Canterbury through Concord in the a.m. (12.5 mph) and back to Manchester through Loudon in the p.m. (15 mph) |
| 10: 30.72 miles, Manchester to Henniker in the a.m. (12.6 mph); return trip rained out by thunderstorm | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18: 4.6 miles, Cybex stationary bike (18.4 mph) | 19 | 20: 7.7 miles on GSW* Ride, Concord (high humidity, and ride cut short due to electrical storm, 14 mph) | 21: 7.65 miles within Manchester: 2 hills 8-9% incline; 2 hills 10-11% incline. (light rain, 11.6 mph) | 22: 4.6 miles, Cybex stationary bike (18.4 mph); full circuit on Keiser resistance machines | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26: 7-10 miles on the dune trails in PTown on a rented tandem -- first time! -- with Marilyn. Only one spill. mhp? No idea! | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3: 54.47 miles from Concord to Grantham, including one flat tire. (12.2 mph) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8: 59.77 miles, Manchester to Concord to Canterbury to Loudon back to Manchester (13.4 mph) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12: 9.47 miles of 9 7-18% incline hills in Vermont. Ouch! | 13: 8.84 miles of the same 9 7-18% incline hills in Vermont. In the rain! | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18: Day Zero of the Ride, check-in at Bear Mountain, NY | 19: Day One of the Ride, from Bear Mountain, NY, to New Haven, CT (camp on grounds of Yale U.) | 20: Day Two of the Ride, from New Haven, CT, to Preston, CT (camp on grounds of Old Norwich State Hospital) | 21: Day Three of the Ride, from Preston, CT, to Cumberland RI (camp at Diamond Hill State Park) |
| 22: Day Four of the Ride, from Cumberland, RI, to Boston, MA (finish at Boston Common) |
During the Ride, I will be posting journal entries here at my website via my Palm VIIx with wireless Internet from the pit stops and campsites to let everyone know how things are going en route. I hope you'll check in often to get the latest news! |
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*GSW = Granite State Wheelmen
Cannondale R1000 Triple, model year 2001, 18 lbs., 27 gears.
Absolutely essential: a Brooks B-17 leather saddle. Forget gel: Brooks is the
best!
Profile Design Air Stryke 2000 aerobars -- to rest my forearms on and for a more areo-dynamic profile on the bike, but most importantly: to prevent carpal tunnel problems from resting on my wrists on the handlebars over long periods of time and over rough roads!
Specialized SpeedZone Pro Cyclocomputer to keep track of mileage, speed, cadence,
altitude, incline, temperature, & time. The geek in me is aquiver!
Freestyle ECG4 heartrate monitor to keep me in the right training zone.
Cycle-Ops Wind Trainer, for when I have to stay inside and spin my wheels.
The gym where I work out (when I'm not out training on the road) is Ted Arcidi's New England Women's Gym. Okay, so this is just a rubber action figure of him that I found up for auction on eBay, but Ted's for real, a former WWF wrestler, and a really nice guy -- and he really did benchpress 740 pounds with those muscles!! :-)
This page last updated by Margo Burns, margo@ogram.org
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