|
Home�*� Day 0��*�� Day 1��*�� Day 2��*�� Day 3��*�� Day 4��*�� Day 5��*�� Day 6��*�� Day 7 | |||||||||||
|
California AIDS Ride 8 Victory Ride & Closing Ceremonies Los Angeles Collesium | |||||||||||
|
Eutopia! During the week of the AIDS Ride, we exist in an (almost)
perfect state of Eutopia. This is the society one can only dream about. A kinder, gentler place.
A community where everyone is helpful & accepting. There are no barriers between classes, races,
or those with beliefs different than our own. It's safe to express our emotions, thoughts, fears
and feelings. We're viewed as heros by everyone we meet.
As a rider, our job is simple -- eat, ride, sleep, repeat. I think the perspective of a crew member would be quite different. The crew exists to unselfishly care for the riders. To make sure we're safe, healthy, well fed, and that all our needs are met. Perhaps someday I'll crew an AIDS Ride. I think it would be a huge growth experience for me. It certainly would be tougher than riding. So one would think that the Closing Ceremonies would be the epitome of a week of love. But, for me at least, Closing is a bit of a let down. We now have to let outsiders into our community. Can they ever understand how we feel after a week in a perfect world? And how can we, riders and crew, make the transition back into the "real" world? I struggled with this last year, especially when I tried to express the magic of the AIDS Ride to my friends who didn't participate. And how could I take a piece of the AIDS Ride back with me into my everyday life?
At dinner that night, I recognized a number of AIDS Riders by their bracelets (we wear a number of colored, plastic writsbands to identify us). I had cut my bracelets off before getting into the shower. But many riders leave them on for months, attempting to hold onto the AIDS Ride experience for as long as possible. Everytime I saw a rider that weekend, I'd smile, knowing that we'd shared this experience. Sometimes I'd even say something like "AIDS Riders rock." They'd smile back with recognition. Andrew just thought I was strange. When I flew back to San Francisco, I recognized a number of AIDS Riders in the airport because they were wearing their AIDS Ride t-shirts and bracelets. They were proud of their accomplishment. So was I, but I guess I was looking for closure on this part of my life. The AIDS Ride experience is an unforgettable one -- not simply the seven days of the Ride itself, but also the months of training and fundraising that lead up to those seven days. The experience has changed me forever, as it's changed thousands of other people who've also participated. This experience has taught me that I can realize unbelievable potential -- physically and emotionally. The AIDS Ride has taught me that I have the strength to accomplish anything I desire. It's taught me that there's an incredible synergy in the combined efforts of strangers. This last learning is probably the most important for me. I'm an independent spirit. I've lived alone my entire adult life. My father taught me (perhaps wrongly so) that I should never depend on others. But I've learned, in the past two years, that while I should take full responsibility for myself, sometimes it's more powerful to let go and let someone else take care of me too. To illustrate this, I'll share one last story. As you've read, I was plagued with flat tires on the AIDS Ride. In all honesty, I've been plagued with flats my entire cycling career (bad tire karma, I guess). Having had so many flats, I'm really good at changing them. So when I had my blowout on the morning of Day Three, I could have easily changed my own flat. But I was riding with a group of my Schwab friends, and two of them really wanted to change my flat for me. Now, I could have probably changed it faster than they did, but they really wanted to do this for me. So, I gave in and let them change it. Doesn't seem like a big deal, although for an independent woman like me, it was huge. And in return, I provided my friends with the opportunity to help and feel needed.
Just click on the film to go there now! View them as a slide show for best results.
| Home�*� Day 0��*�� Day 1��*�� Day 2��*�� Day 3��*�� Day 4��*�� Day 5��*�� Day 6��*�� Day 7 |