Wheels and News: Bicycle Diaries

The new American Idol was born, the last episode of Seventh Heaven aired. So, this is it, final countdown to ALC 5 has officially started and the season finale of Bicycle Diaries is here!

I did two short and easy rides on Saturday and Sunday. This is not the time to do any tough ride, just need to stay relax, get rest and hydrate! I will be leaving for SF on Friday morning and will attend the orientation on Saturday morning.

During the ride, I will have limited access to electronic devices, so most of the time I will have my cell phone turn off and will not check my emails. If you would like to send me message, or a note of encouragement and support, you can try http://experience.aidslifecycle.org/ and leave a message for rider 6915, I should get it upon my arrival at the camp sites. (I’m not sure how this website/function works, but you can try during 6/4-10.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you each and every one of you, for your generous money contribution and moral support. With that said, to date I’ve raised more than $5000 for ALC 5, double the minimum pledge requirement, and $2000 more than my original goal. On behalf of the beneficiaries, I would like to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

I would also like to share with you an email that I received from a friend of mine who’s HIV positive:

“One thing to keep in mind about we who live with HIV/AIDS is the enormous cost associated with the medication required to keep us alive. As health insurance costs rise, many small and medium-sized companies are cutting down on the coverage that their insurance plans offer in order to keep costs low per employee. The cost of my medicines on a monthly basis without insurance is almost $2000!!!

Last I heard, neither the State of California nor the federal government are being of much help in assisting with these astronomical costs; especially not for those who are in the ‘working poor’ category. Although I am amply compensated at my job, I still cannot afford to shell out $2000 each month for medication alone!

This is just one other thing to share with those of your team who are riding for this cause. I appreciate all that you and your fellow riders are doing to help out; rest assured, your contributions and efforts are of immense importance to us all.”

I want to share this with you, so that for those of you who have never come across with HIV/AIDS issue or never had the chance to speak with someone who’s living with it, know that your contribution does help make a difference!

Some friends asked me, what’s next? Am I going to do it again next year? Honestly, I want to, but I have to finish ALC 5 first. Of course, I want to hear from you, that you will continue support and sponsor me next year, if I decided to join ALC 6. As for my “Bicycle Diaries” it will come to an end (for this season). I’ll share some stories about the ride upon my returning from SF.

There will be an AIDS ride until there is no AIDS!