Empire State AIDS Ride #5 gets on the road soon...

Starting the oh so familiar pre-ride countdown now...finished my last long training ride today as I'll clean and pack my bike to send it off to Niagara Falls soon.
I led a contingent of veteran AIDS riders (5) and volunteer crew (3) from the Northwest (Puget Sound Riders team) last year and several of us are returning again this year, as a beneficiary team for the Breakthrough Fund at the UC, San Francisco AIDS Research Institute. So, this year, we're the P.S. Breakthrough Riders, with riders (13) and crew (5) from Seattle, Bay Area, NYC and New Jersey!
The ride director is a veteran AIDS rider also and, like many of us, she had become disenchanted with the model of previous AIDS fundraising rides - put on by a for-profit company, that kept losing the support of its participants and folded in 2002.
I coordinated and rode in a self-supported ride in 2002, from Seattle to San Francisco, with ARI-UCSF as the sole beneficiary, so I have a huge amount of respect and appreciation for how the Empire State AIDS ride is managed and that a minimum of 82% of the proceeds are committed to the beneficiaries.
As many of you ride veterans know...putting on rides is costly. Any multi-day event, especially one crossing the challenging terrain of NY state (surprising to this native NY'er!), supporting the safety and well-being of all the participants is a daunting - and expensive task. There is a limit of 100 riders though and only public parks or rest stops hosted by locals offering free rest room access are used, along with state campgrounds with available showers, so that there isn't a need to rent shower trucks or porta-potties = less overhead and more $$$ towards our goal of ending AIDS in our world.
Previous to this year, several NY AIDS service agencies were the beneficiaries, so it'll be very inspiring as well as satisfying to be riding to support the amazing work and research efforts of the doctors and scientists at the AIDS Research Institute. Yes, I'm stoked! I'll need to be as this is a tough ride...I say that even though I've done rides all over the Northwest, the AIDS Vaccine rides across Alaska (2000) and Montana (2001) and would much prefer our hilly seattle area terrain and western mountain passes to the never-ending and steep hills that are around every bend in NY!
Every minute of every day, 5 more die and 9 more are newly infected with HIV. Our combined efforts can bring hope to their journey.
Tailwinds!
Mary

Mary - are you aware of the HIV Vaccine Trials Unit here in Seattle? I'm in their volunteer pool, and Mimi's son has been a subject. They have a very cool website. I don't know if they would be any kind of participant in your rides, but you could mention the HVTU to interested bystanders along your ride if they want to do something to help with AIDS/HIV.

There are trials units scattered around the country, so interested folks you meet could probably find some way to get involved.

(the vaccine being tested now should be out for public use in 7 years. So far it works, now they are testing dosages and injection sites for the most efficient delivery method)

Hey Knot - yes, am familiar with the HIV - VTU ...it's been around for a long time, right? I think maybe even a decade or so longer than I've been riding (since '97) and before I lost my awesome brother, Peter to AIDS in '95.

I got to ride with the former exec directors of both NW AIDS Foundation and Chicken Soup Brigade - pre-merger to become Lifelong AIDS Alliance and I know that the the AIDS Research Institute is tapped into the same international network, because the director has been up here on a fairly frequent basis, interacting with both UW and Fred Hutch researchers.
It's good to know that they're all working together to beat this, isn't it? Actually, did you know that Dr. Jay Levy of ARI-UCSF is a co-discoverer of HIV in 1983? - with a French research doc, but Dr. Levy is still a leading researcher and a recipient of the Breakthrough Fund seed money that I've helped raise in part; I had the honor of meeting him and he is a ride donor as well this year - cool, eh?!
Good for you in your volunteer efforts...Mimi's son too - many thanks!
Mary

Mary, I went to the empirestataidsride.org to see if I could find a map of the route you are all taking, but only got the locations of where you will be spending the nights. Why you are probably asking yourself, I am on vacation that week and would like to go and cheer on one day when the ride gets closer to my neck of the woods..well, sort of close anyways. I am going to see if I can't email someone and get a general idea of the ride route, there is an email address to go to for questions..so, who knows..I was reading the website and it was very inspirational. Congrats on your team being such high fund raisers! A long term goal for me would be to that ride..someday! Good luck..enjoy yourself and be careful.

Shellyj, It's possible the ride organizers like ALC do not announce the route in advance to keep traffic low. You might be able to either go to the destination city and work (drive carefully) backwards along the signed route to find a place you can cheer or do the opposite go forward from the ride start.

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Originally Posted by shellyj

Mary, I went to the empirestataidsride.org to see if I could find a map of the route you are all taking, but only got the locations of where you will be spending the nights. Why you are probably asking yourself, I am on vacation that week and would like to go and cheer on one day when the ride gets closer to my neck of the woods..well, sort of close anyways. I am going to see if I can't email someone and get a general idea of the ride route, there is an email address to go to for questions..so, who knows..I was reading the website and it was very inspirational. Congrats on your team being such high fund raisers! A long term goal for me would be to that ride..someday! Good luck..enjoy yourself and be careful.

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Hey Shellyj - whereabouts will you be when you're on vacation in NY? I know that Marty (ride director and she will be the one to respond to questions that are emailed anyway) has changed the route a bit, but since I did it last year, I am familiar generally with our direction and rest stops enroute, so I could give you more info too...just give me an idea of your general locations, ok?
It'd be great to see/hear a smilin' TE woman on the road!


Thanks for your interest and yes, we're still shooting to raise lots more $ ($75k and we're $30k short of it currently), so as to get the AIDS Research Institute a larger share of the proceeds. There are several riders on our team, including myself who are still working to reach their minimum, so we're begging away and hopeful...
Mary

Mary, I live 1 hour south of Rochester area, and I see that one of the nights you will be staying in the Rochester area. (I am assuming probably the first night out). I have a wide variance as to where to go and cheer on, I prefer more rural to country as I am sure you won't be going right thru the heart of the city. When I did the 100 miler for diabetes not too long ago, there was only 1 lone cheerleader along the whole route, and it was so refreshing and would like to return the support. I am not sure if you will be going towards the Syracuse area after Rochester or towards Canandagua area after Rochester. BUT all of the Rochester area isnt far, Syracuse is a little haul, Canandagua isn't that far either..Both 1 hour or so away, and it would be such a great thing..(my vacation consists of staying home and bike riding:cool: ).

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Originally Posted by shellyj

Mary, I live 1 hour south of Rochester area, and I see that one of the nights you will be staying in the Rochester area. (I am assuming probably the first night out). I have a wide variance as to where to go and cheer on, I prefer more rural to country as I am sure you won't be going right thru the heart of the city. When I did the 100 miler for diabetes not too long ago, there was only 1 lone cheerleader along the whole route, and it was so refreshing and would like to return the support. I am not sure if you will be going towards the Syracuse area after Rochester or towards Canandagua area after Rochester. BUT all of the Rochester area isnt far, Syracuse is a little haul, Canandagua isn't that far either..Both 1 hour or so away, and it would be such a great thing..(my vacation consists of staying home and bike riding:cool: ).

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Thanks, as we'll head directly East from Niagara Falls on Sunday, 8/12 and I remember that we were mainly on the Seaway Trail, all of the time (ride director said that a pretty good landmark for us to keep in mind was that "since we're traveling East, then Lake Ontario should be on your left all day!")...and had these stops (haven't rec'd final confirmation yet that all remains the same this year):
- AM rest stop: Wilson-Tuscarora State Park
- Lunch: Golden Hill State Park
- P.M. rest stop: Hamlin Beach State Park
- Camp: Robach Community Ctr/Bathhouse, Charlotte/Rochester, NY

on Monday morning, we head south/southeast through Penfield, so we'll be closer to Canandaigua, but will stay northeast of it, and not go thru it, and we won't go east toward Syracuse at all. These were last year's stops in that area:
- AM rest stop: Town of Penfield Athletic Field (next to Town Hall)
- Lunch: John Brown Memorial Park, Clifton Springs
- PM rest stop: Lakefront Park gazebo, Geneva, NY
- Camp: Sampson State Park, Romulus

I think that's about as close as we get to you...that help?

THANK YOU so much Mary, that did help..I am just deciding which day to choose now..I am probably leaning more towards Mondays schedule..I am getting excited for you...thanks again..

Just heard from the ride director again today, teasing me that she'll find hills for me on the flat, long day 1 ride...everyone else cuts off 6 miles and takes the Lake Ontario State pwy from Hamlin park/afternoon rest stop to camp (the comm ctr/bath house at Ontario Beach park). I will be eagerly pedaling into camp on day 1, as some local friends of my gf are picking us up, and we're going to enjoy showers and dinner at their home. My cousin lives in Interlaken, close by overnight #2, so he'll do the same that night.

At any rate, the route will be marked on the day of, so you may spot the signs with arrows on roadside telephone poles and such; they can be followed to the rest areas too.

As Trek noted, ride directors always have the request - for safety purposes - that supporters do not startle the riders by yelling or honking at us from vehicles, but I'd sure welcome the opportunity to stop and say 'hi' to you if you spot us, so flag us down somehow - we're a friendly group! There won't be more than 100 riders and our ride vehicles will have the 'lady liberty head with rider logo' stencil signs on the back or side of the car, so yell out my name and, more than likely, someone will know where I am...tailwinds!
Mary

Shellyj, we want pictures! Tailwinds.

I'll be taking plenty o' pics and it'd be great to get a pic with Shellyj to share with y'all too...we'll see.
Trek, thanks for your supportive auto-signature - cool beans!
Tailwinds for all!
Mary

Hey Mary, having done this ride in 2005, I share your amazement in discovering just how many hills/mountains there are in NYS. As Marty told us, there's no way to cross the Hudson without going over some serious hills.

Hey, Maryellen - sure wish you were doing it again this year and yeah, Marty's a real comedian; whenever I get flip with her (which is constantly), she tells me that she can easily make a special route detour just for me - thru the Adirondacks too!

and ShellyJ...I still get choked up when I think of:

The woman I saw nearly every day of ALC, standing somewhere along our route, holding up a sign that read "You are my hero".

The kids outside of Santa Cruz who had pipe cleaner flowers for us.

I hope you can get out there somewhere along the ride and cheer on the riders! I'm gonna send my Mom a note..I wish she and my Dad would get out somewhere along the ride and cheer them on!

Ride On!

Thanks, Sharon...I'll be carrying your good wishes and also, have lots of road angels to go along for the ride on my handlebars...especially, as I can always hear my brother whooping and hollerin' with me on the downhills and his loving encouragement in my ear on the long, hot climbs...
Mary

Mary, I hope you get to read this before the ride. From what it looks like, Monday will be the day. I was planning on Geneva but my DH thought that the Penfield one would be just as easy (besides- I can go to a bike shop on my way back if I go to Penfield:D ). SO, I am not sure which stop I will be at but it will be one of those. Probably the Penfield one...looking forward to meeting you..will your team members be riding together for the whole thing or will all of your fellow members go at their own pace? It has been blazing hot here, hopefully you will have a cooler weather week for your ride..Have a safe trip out..shelly

Hey Shelly - will look for you while pedaling sometime on Monday then...the Penfield stop is actually called Town Hall field and it looks like it's on route 286/Atlantic Ave; do you know the area? Great idea to stop at a LBS, if you get the chance; I would too!
Our PS Breakthrough Rider team actually has riders and volunteer crew from all over; we rode last year as the Puget Sound riders and were all from Washington state, but this year we're riding for the AIDS Research Institute at UC, San Francisco with it's more global approach to vaccine research and cutting edge programs, so we now have folks on our team from the Bay Area, and New York city area too.
We all leave camp each morning together - at about 8AM and don't get strung out on the road until later in the day, so you'll see groups of riders in all sorts of configurations - since we're all either enjoying re-connecting with returning riders, visiting on the road with longtime rider buddies or enjoying getting to know new rider friends!
It'll be great to meet you and I also am looking forward to seeing my cousin at our overnight stop later that day - fun!

Yes, I've been aware of the heatwave there and have been on enough AIDS rides in all sorts of weather and other conditions that I'll hope for the best, but work to enjoy whatever we get during ride week...

OK, time to get to work on packing those 2-gallon Ziplocs - just in case!
Mary

Our ride team (for the upcoming Empire State AIDS ride) just got this message from our beneficiary, the AIDS Research Institute Breakthrough Fund at the University of California, San Francisco!
ARI Director, Dr. John Greenspan, sent the following message to the PS Breakthrough Riders but it certainly is meant for every rider, volunteer, supporter, and donor committed to reducing and ultimately ending the impact of HIV/AIDS on our world, so I wanted to share with all of you.
Also, I got the news that my bike was safely delivered to the ride hotel in Niagara Falls today...ahhhh, that's always a welcome message!
countdown...4 days till Day 0 - Sat, 8/11...tailwinds to all!
Mary

Dear PS Breakthrough Riders:

In a few days, you will gather in Niagara Falls to begin the ride of a lifetime, the 2007 Empire State AIDS Ride.

Before you begin, I want you to know how important your diligent fundraising efforts are to our work at the AIDS Research Institute at UCSF. Most importantly, thank you for making the ride to benefit our research programs. It is reassuring to know that we share a common goal: a world without AIDS -- whether we are riding to raise money or working in a lab.

UCSF has been fighting AIDS since the first reported case in 1981. We have made incredible advances—from the development of new drugs and promising vaccine candidates to breakthroughs in clinical research and care to establishing groundbreaking prevention and education programs in dozens of countries.

Just as your ride will take you over steep hills and long valleys, we have experienced the highs and lows of medical breakthroughs. Along the way, we have learned that treating HIV/AIDS is tricky. Dr. Abigail Zuger, quoted in a New York Times article, said it best: “Not everyone who is infected gets sick. Not everyone who is treated gets well. Some people progress along the road from initial infection to progressive immune deficiency to life-threatening illness at the expected pace, then with treatment, head right back again to health. Others stall along the way, sick or well, defying our dire predictions and happy reassurances alike.”

So our work continues. With your generous support, the ARI will continue its vigilance in prevention efforts, here in the United States—where African Americans have the highest new-infection rate—and abroad. We pledge to work to develop new treatments, especially for patients who do not respond to current drugs. We will continue efforts to create an effective vaccine by understanding why some individuals infected with HIV never show signs of AIDS. Finally, we will expand training and mentoring programs for the next generation of HIV/AIDS clinicians and investigators.

Thank you for your incredible dedication to the cause. It is a dedication to the cure.

You have our best wishes for a wonderfully fulfilling week on the open roads of New York and our enormous gratitude for your support. Enjoy the ride!

John Greenspan, BDS, PhD, Director, AIDS Research Institute at UCSF