community
AIDS LIFECYCLE SOMETHING OLD
AND SOMETHING NEW TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE RIDE by tom andrew
In 1993, the California AIDS LifeCycle began to support those with AIDS and AIDS-
related illnesses and to raise awareness of the disease, testing, care and prevention of this terrible epidemic The organization is now called AIDS/LifeCycle and is a week-long trip that travels
from San Francisco to Los Angeles. That’s 545 miles of road filled with fathers, moth- ers, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends all riding to raise money for AIDS research. So far they have raised over $200 million and have made the trip over 42,000 times.
One of the riders this year isKen
Pepper. Pepper has been riding for almost 20 years for his brother Steve who was diagnosed with AIDS and lived with the disease for over 20 years. “In 1997 I heard about the Tanqueray ride,” Pepper shared. “I told my mother and my brother (Steve) that I would like to do the ride to raise funds for the cause. My brother told me that I wasn’t capable and would never be able to complete such a challenge. I took that as a dare and signed up for the ride.” Pepper definitely struggled that first
year but made good on his promise and raised over $2000 on that ride. “I ride year round,” Pepper said. “In January I begin an intense schedule of training rides in both Hawaii and Southern California.” Sadly, Steve died of HIV complications, but his spirit lives on through his brother
who continues to support the com- munity and the epidemic. “Steve was my youngest brother,” Pepper said. “I was his caregiver during the last years of his life. My most memorable experiences with him were trout fishing in the High Sierras, playing tennis, going to Clipper and Raider games, and especially cooking dinners for him on Sunday nights. Steve was a kind and gentle soul with a wonderful sense of humor.” ForAndres Salazar Milano this will
be his first experience with the ride. His decision to do the ride came after being diagnosed and after some encourage- ment from his cycling team captain. “I decided to do the ride because of my cycling team captain,” Milano shared. “He was the one I reached out to when I was diagnosed—I was desperate and scared—I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to. I felt like I was dying inside, and
MY BROTHER TOLD ME THAT I WASN’T CAPABLE AND WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO COMPLETE SUCH A CHALLENGE. I TOOK THAT AS A DARE AND SIGNED UP FOR THE RIDE.” —Ken Pepper
like a good captain, he was able to say the right words at the right time. I cannot say it enough, but he saved my life.” Milano, with the help of his team captain, moved to Los Angeles and started treatment at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. There he was able to get the medication he needed that was not available to him in his home country of Venezuela. “He was the one who introduced me to AIDS/ Lifecycle,” Milano said. “He taught me how important it is to take control of my diagnosis and to embrace what had happened to me. If you own it, no one can use it against you. It takes time, though and it’s a process. But, the sooner you start, the sooner you get rid of the guilt and get back to living your life.” For Milano the best part of the
THE GHOSTS OF THE AIDS CRISIS STILL HAUNT US, AND AS WE RIDE SEVEN DAYS, IT IS A WAY TO SEND A MESSAGE ABOUT HOW YOUR LIFE IS EVERMORE FANTASTIC, THAT YOU ARE PART OF A LOVING COMMU- NITY THAT WILL HELP YOU THRIVE.” —Andres Salazar Milano
ride has been discovering a sport that he really enjoys and getting the chance to ride with some amazing people, that and raising awareness about a disease that is far from over. “I still remember the day when I found out about my diagnosis,” Milano confided. “I can’t describe the desperation and loneliness I felt. It wasn’t 1980, it was 2017, but still I felt like it was a death sentence. There is still too much fear, too much stigma around HIV. We need to educate ourselves and others, about what it means to be undetectable and how privileged we are to have an alternative like PrEP to prevent new cases. The ghosts of the AIDS crisis still haunt us, and as we ride seven days, it is a way to send a message about how your life is evermore fantastic, that you are part of a loving community that will help you thrive.”
AIDS LifeCycle takes place Sunday, June 3 through Saturday, June 9, running from San Francisco to Los Angeles through some of California’s most beautiful countryside. For more information about the event or ways you can help out, go to
aidslifecycle.org.
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RAGE monthly | JUNE 2018
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