What a week !

http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1162

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When I joined Professor Eva Nogales's team at UC Berkeley, an HHMI lab working in the field of molecular biophysics, it was 2004 and I was not in good shape and weighting more than 230 lbs. If somebody would have told me that in June 2006, I would ride my bicycle for 585 miles, from San Francisco all the way down to Los Angeles, I would have laughed my ass off.

Saturday, June the 10th I crossed the finish line at the VA center near UCLA, in the city of Los Angeles. It was the end site of this year's AIDS/Lifecycle adventure.

Last year, I was among the 2330 cyclists, 500 roadies and staff who took part of the 2007 ride to end AIDS. We raised more than 11 million dollars for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles. What an accomplishment! My presence at this event had many reasons. I wanted to represent science and all my colleagues who are working hard to defeat this tremendous disease. Of course, it was a personal challenge too.
I felt like I never did in my whole life. I did all the 585 miles and did some of the hills twice, to cheer up people and take pictures. I did train hard so the main hills everybody was worrying and talking about were not a big deal to me.

I was prepared. At least I thought so. Physically I was, but not mentally.

I was not expecting en emotionally overwhelming event. It was so rich I couldn't take it. It took me another week to digest all the strong emotions I went through during the event. It's amazing how friendly everybody was, despite the large number of people involved, creating long waiting lines for simple things such as portable toilets, showers and food. It was amazing to see people stop on the road to help other cyclists fix their flat tires; it was amazing to see the hard work the roadies did to make the event possible. These people are volunteers who are not required to raise funds for the cause, yet they did. They were not required to get up at 4 am to prepare our journey, yet they did, and always with a cheering smile on their face!

I was not prepared to see people not directly involved in the event wait for us to come by and give us candies, cookies, fresh fruits, but especially that human warmth that keeps you going even when you have spent many hours on the bike for a 100 miles!

I was not prepared to the psychological impact that more than two thousand candle lights lid on Ventura's beach on the night of Day 6 would have on me. It was our way of paying respect to the people who are affected by AIDS, their families and friends. During that night, in the silence perturbed only by the ocean's waves, my feelings were mixed. On my right side, Anita, director of an HIV clinic in South Carolina, was sobbing and crying thinking about the human beings she's working hard for, especially the ones she had lost.
Matt, my tent mate and friend from San Francisco was on my other side, he was serene, calm and smiling. He's been HIV positive for more than twenty years, yet he was smiling. He had real reasons to cry, yet he was cheering up Anita. I looked at him in the dark. I just remained silent.

It took me another week to understand what was going on, and when I finally did, I cried.
I knew I had digested the previous week.
He was happy to be alive, he was happy to be there with us, and actively do something for the cause. What an example! He's fighting his condition showing compassion and love and standing up for a cause, for human kind. He's my hero. I applaud.

As Ray Lyman Wilbur said, unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss one of the greatest sources of happiness.

I had a great week, and I'd like to thank all my donors who made this possible. I truly will never forget.

Sacha

Red Dress Day on ALC5. Photo by Brian Hodes

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