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Sometimes
it only takes a weekend to be a hero, and a group of amazing
men and women found that in one weekend they could turn their
sweat into a powerful response to the AIDS crisis. On an August
Saturday morning, thirty people gathered in Ruby�s Diner
in Laguna Beach for pancakes (good carbo-loading) before the
start of the Ride for Research II, a two day ride from Laguna
Beach to San Diego (and back!).
After
last minute bike checks, the riders took to Pacific Coast
Highway as the volunteer crews zoomed ahead loaded with plenty
of sports drinks, extra route maps and sandwiches. The weather—sunny
with some cloud cover—was perfect. As riders and crew
zipped south through charming beach towns—San Clemente,
Del Mar, Cardiff by the Sea, La Jolla—their visibility
raised awareness to thousands of pedestrians along the route
about the on-going need for AIDS research.
As
the exhausted (but thrilled) riders arrived in San Diego that
afternoon, they were checked into our hotel for much-desired
hot showers before joining San Diego supporters for a victory
celebration. Prize packages for the riders who raised the
most donations—supplied by Ride Sponsors crank brothers
and Disneyland Resorts—went to Jerry Cardozo
and Mitch Gaswirth; while the crew passed out incredible
gift bags filled with sports gear, beauty products, museum
tickets, CDs and cameras to all the riders. After the festivities,
some brave souls headed out for a little of San Diego�s night
life, while the rest of us headed for bed, starting all over
again on Sunday as the Riders prepared for the second half
of the ride back up to Laguna Beach.
Their
efforts, and the $9,000 they raised from friends and family,
will help fund innovative AIDS research in the search for
a cure to AIDS.
Many
thanks to our ride participants: David Bolhuis, Jerry
Cardozo, Catrina Cummings, Vincent Cummings, Peter Florak,
Damian Geddry, Mitch Gaswirth, Robyn Harper, Andrew Herrick,
Latham Jacoby, Dave Kiff, Mauro Marquez, Sean McKenna, Diane
Niel, Kathleen Rice, David Rogers, Kristina Orlinda, Jorge
E. Rodriguez, Mike Sandoval, Kirsten Stahl, Scott Tilly, Adrian
van Deudekom.
Ride
Sponsors:
Disneyland
Resorts
crankbrothers
Ruby's Diner
Trader Joe's
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Bristol San Diego
Photos
donated by Latham Jacoby and the whole gang of bike rider
participants.
Would
you like to donate to AIDS ReSearch Alliance and be a part
of the team that funds important HIV/AIDS research? Click
below to go to our donation page.
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