Ferry training to Gig Harbor.

40miles down, 25 (w/Tammie!) to go.
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Scenes from Day 3- Red Day

Empire State AIDS Ride

Sign Virgin No More

Funny coming from someone who helped found and run a sign shop for 7 years but taking charge of route marking - in fact *any* crew job on an AIDS ride that doesn't involve a bike - is foreign to me.

Barry rode out with me today to get a headstart and perform some on the job training. Pictured is my first posting. Now I'll set the alarm for 4:30am and try to stay ahead of the pack all the way to Rochester.

Bike Takes a Ride

CC rides atop the ESAR Prius to Niagara Falls where she'll take me by pedal power to mark the first 20 miles of the Empire State AIDS Ride.
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ESAR from a New View. Who Knew?

The surprise was on me. All day I've been pinching myself as I packed up the bike, pulled out the duffel bag and tried to figure out what to pack for an AIDS Ride when not riding a bike. You see, it's not September so it's not time to bike NYC-DC but I got an offer I couldn't refuse...


Tomorrow morning I fly to NY to *crew* my 4th Empire State AIDS Ride. I'll be marking the route a half day ahead of the cyclists, 560 miles from Niagara Falls to Manhattan. Suppose after 10 AIDS rides on my bike, it was time to see the road from a new view. Won't you come along?

Follow my tweets @AIDSRiderGG or catch my Facebook posts but you need go no further than right here to catch the view from the front of the pack, where you'll rarely find me on a bike!

Rest of a Life

When called in to review lab results with my doctor yesterday, I knew enough not to be scared but wasn’t prepared for a treatment that involved taking a pill every morning for the rest of my life. It gave me pause to consider today I’d wake to a new element in my morning routine and an ounce more empathy for those who endure far more every day just to keep living.

Bret kept his pills in a Batman head container. It once held candy and now was stuffed 3 times with the pills he took every day. The rest of his life was lengthened 3 years beyond initial expectations but still ended too soon.

15 years later, many with HIV need only a few – some just a single pill to hold the virus at bay. Their lives are extended but with no guarantee of long term results.

I’ll take my pill each morning knowing that something else will ultimately end my life and ride until Dr. Wu or some other innovative researcher perfects the pill that gives everyone affected with HIV similar expectations for the rest of their life too.