Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 4 (2005)

Hello Riders! Hello Roadies! Welcome to Los Angeles! We did it! We made it! We pedaled all the way from San Francisco—nearly 600 miles. Some of us rode every single mile and others rode every mile we could. ALL of us did our best, including our roadies, to move ourselves, our incredible tent city and our fabulous community of people safely down the coast. Even better, as a result of our efforts, we have raised over $6.8 million dollars to help care for people with HIV and AIDS and to stop the spread of HIV. That is amazing! Thank you!

And what a ride it was! All of us will forever cherish the memories we made together. Over the last week we faced hills and traffic, headwinds, crosswinds and tailwinds, cold and heat, an astonishing variety of road kill, bumpy roads and smooth ones, unpredictable elements of every kind—including helmet decorations and ride outfits that defied the imagination.

We dealt with elation and frustration, disappointments and delights, sometimes within the span of a single hour or a single hill! We pushed our bodies when they didn’t want to be pushed anymore. When we didn’t think they COULD be pushed. But, we persevered and learned an invaluable lesson—we can indeed do more than we ever thought we could; when we want to badly enough, when the struggle is worthy enough when we have the help and the company of our friends, old and new.

Here is the truth of the last 7 days: We accepted a phenomenal challenge and all of us emerged victorious!

But as I said in the opening ceremonies, this week has been about much more than physical challenge. This has been a journey of the heart. Many of us came to the event because we have very close and personal connections to the epidemic. Friends and loved ones we have lost to AIDS or who fight the disease on a daily basis. Many of us carried pictures with us as reminders. Others came to this event without that personal experience. But today, as we stand here, together, proud, joyous, even overcome with emotion now that our ride is over, we leave this event as one community.

We leave this event not only with a shared experience but with a common bond. We leave this event today as a group of people who, regardless of past experience with the epidemic, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability or HIV status—all of us are committed to the fight against AIDS.

All of us know that while our journey may be at an end, our responsibility is not. Because we now know, in the most tangible way possible, what can be accomplished when we set our minds to it. How each of us can make a difference in AIDS pandemic and how much greater a difference we can make when we work together. That is the magic and the miracle of this event.

My fondest wish is that all of us will leave here not only happy and proud and literally transformed but that we leave here determined to do more. While this ride may be one of the most important things we have ever done in the fight against AIDS, none of us can afford to let this be THE most important thing. Because that would mean our fight was over and, sadly, we know that it is far from over. When it comes to the AIDS epidemic, the road ahead is very much like the one we have just traveled. We know where we want to go, but each mile brings new challenges. And the only way we will make it is if we all stick together and give our very best.

So, please join me in vowing not to let our commitment stop here. Let us vow to take the message and the spirit of the AIDS/LifeCycle with us—to our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our churches and our schools. Let us vow to continue the fight against AIDS, against ignorance, against bigotry and homophobia. Let us vow not to stop until we’re concluding the last AIDS LifeCycle as a victory ride in celebration of finally winning the battle against AIDS. May that day come soon.

Finally, a more personal message—a message from my heart. I am SO PROUD of all of us for what we accomplished. Mostly, I’m enormously proud of HOW we did it. We were kind and giving and gracious and tender and hilarious. And all of you were all of those things to me. You accepted me and supported me and showered me with love. I will never forget you or this experience. You are my sister and brother riders and roadies and my friends. You are my heroes. I am honored to have shared this adventure with you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May all of you return home safely, and I look forward to seeing you next year!