Eric Ross'
I'm Riding to End AIDS
I have participated in annual AIDS Walks since I was in high school, and I have even led teams and managed fundraising events at previous employers. This year I decided to step it up a notch! From June 1-7, 2008, I'm bicycling in the AIDS/LifeCycle. It's a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS. Here are a few facts related to the disease to help give a better understanding of why I am doing this event, and why I am asking for your help:
The costs associated with medical care and treatment for a person with HIV are about $20,000 per year. Access to life-saving drugs, clinical trials and state-of-the-art treatment helps those with the disease live a longer and better quality of life. AIDS/LifeCycle will help those living with HIV/AIDS gain greater independence and get the treatment and care they need. Prevention services geared towards high-risk populations will ensure that future generations will not experience the same level of loss that we have faced in the last two decades. Please help me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation by giving what you can. I'll keep fighting until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past.
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Eric's latest blog entry:
Sunday, May 4, 2008 
Eric's Goal: $2,500.00
Current Total: $1,565.00 |
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Eric's LinksSan Francisco AIDS Foundation
Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 2007
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Eric's BlogSunday, May 4, 200810:36 PMSafety First...
Well, I had to get a new chain on my bike because mine was really kinky (get your mind out of the gutter). It was actually getting pretty dangerous for me to ride because the kinks would jam the bike into gear without me even shifting. This would make me lose my balance while climbing up hills. I have to say though, that a new chain made a huge difference. My pedal strokes had a smoother rotation, and pedaling was much easier. My ride last Saturday was 85 miles, and I felt great, although I had never seen so much salt on my face in my life. It looked as though I got my face wet and then put it in a tub of salt! It was crazy. Everything was great on the ride, except while riding down a dangerous hill, we saw a wounded cyclist on the side of the road being carried into the back of an ambulance on a gurney. It was a scary sight. I am hoping he was ok, but it did look very serious. Even though I’m not sure if a car was involved, I want to take this opportunity to speak a little bit about safety. I wanted to remind everyone that bicycles are considered moving vehicles by the state of California, and therefore must obey all the traffic laws that cars abide to. I remember riding on one of my first group rides when a guy shouted at us from his truck that we should “get off the f***ing road”. He obviously didn’t know that bicycles are supposed to be on the road. I know there are many cyclists that don’t obey the rules. I’ve seen them run through stop signs and stop lights without stopping. They are just as bad. Please be courteous to others on the road, whether they are in a car or on a bike, and follow all traffic laws. I know that we all get frustrated sometimes, but it’s definitely not worth an ambulance ride, or even your life. Please be safe… Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Thursday, May 1, 20085:23 PMOnly 30 Days Left!Well it's been a while since I have made an entry in my blog. I have been extremely busy. I am excited to say that I will finally finish my degree on Monday! For those of you who have known me for a while, you know that this has been a long term goal for me. 10 years in the making actually. Sounds like I'll need to have another celebration. Oh wait...I am! I'm actually going to have another fundraiser in San Francisco on May 17th. There will be lots of prizes so ask me for more details if you're interested. As for my training, I rode 74 miles on April 19th! It was a very challenging ride, and of course, there were lots of hills. The wind was really strong on the Golden Gate Bridge, and someone actually fell off their bike right in front of me. As soon as I put my foot down to stop, the wind actually blew my bike out from under me! That's how strong the wind was. Everyone on the ride said they had never witnessed the wind that bad. Thankfully, we made it across safely. Last Saturday I only rode 42 miles since I had an event that I had to go to that evening. Actually this week has been a bit laid back because it is my last week of school, but I did actually get my butt back to the gym today. Also, the ride this Saturday is going to be the longest one I have been on to date...Stay tuned... Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, April 13, 20081:42 PMI Finally Bought Clip In Pedals...Well, I decided that it was finally time to get my bike fitted. It is recommended to get it fit after a week or two of riding it. It turns out that getting it fitted was one of the best things I could have done. It turns out that the tendon behind my knee was hurting so much because my seat was positioned too low. Well they clinked and clunked and worked their magic over at Mike's Bikes, and it worked wonders. I'm sure it also helped that I got the shoes that clip into the pedals as well. I was a bit hesitant in getting them, but everyone kept saying that they would really help me up the hills. Why was I so hesitant to get them you may ask? Well, apparently it is very common for people to forget to unclip their shoes from the pedals when stopping and they fall over! Well, I did the whole ride without falling over once and I was very proud of myself when I rode into the finishing point at Sports Basement. So proud in fact, that I let my guard down and fell over as I rolled out of the parking lot to go home. It was hilarious. The people around me rated my fall a 7.5, and said if there was blood involved, I would have easily gotten a 10. I also got my first flat this weekend. Mat changed my tire for me, and I started to think about how much money this ride is actually costing me. Over the last 2 days, I spent $346.50 getting my bike fitted, the clip-in pedals, a new tire, and some tubes! Who knew cycling could be so expensive. For those of you that want to cycle to work to save money, I am thinking the bike, repairs, and clothes are comparable to the rising gas prices! LOL Just kidding. By the way, I rode 65 miles yesterday.
 Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, April 6, 20081:36 PMEveryone's Sick At WorkSo many people have been sick at work lately, and it was just a matter of time until I caught it too. I have had a really bad cough over the last 2 weeks, and I have to admit that I haven't really been working out a lot during this time because of it. I took this opportunity to spend much needed time on my statistics class. 4 more weeks until I finish my degree! I am so excited. Well, my cough is slowly going away, and I told myself that I better tough it through another group ride since the actual event is rapidly approaching. I went on the ride yesterday and completed 57 miles! I was really excited that I was able to make it that far in one day, although I must admit I wouldn't have been able to do it without Mat riding right behind me shouting words of encouragement as I panted up all of those hills. We went up to the Headlands, and let me just tell you now, the climb was very challenging. I am very proud of myself though. I was coughing, I hurt my knee, the hills were more challenging than any of the other rides I had been on, and I still managed to ride further than I ever had in one day! With statistics done, and my cold quickly fading, I am going to start a vigorous workout at the gym to help me get up those hills. I'm more determined now than ever! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Saturday, March 22, 20085:16 PMLonger than the shortest day...Woo Hoo! (OK now I feel like a WAMU ad) I just rode 48 miles today. That's longer than the shortest day on the ride (42 miles). I feel really good about the ride I just did. At the half way point, I was with the fastest riders in our group! I still need to work on my hills though. We did a really long hill with small grade, and I did great on that. It's the short steep ones that get me. I will conquer them though! Also, I'm not sure if you noticed, but I passed the $1,000 mark in my fundraising. Thanks again for all your help. You guys are awesome! I also uploaded a hot picture of me in my spandex shorts on this page for all to see. Hopefully all will see the donation button just below as they are admiring my hot body... Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, March 9, 20089:51 AMFirst Group Bike Ride!I did my first group bike ride yesterday. The group ride plus the trip to and from the starting point totaled 41.72 miles! It was awesome to be able to ride that far in one day. The ride had rolling hills and it was paced for an average of 10-12 miles per hour. According to the computer on my bike, my average speed was 12 miles per hour, and I had a max speed of 25.8 miles. Of course that speed was achieved while going down hill. Also, thank you to everyone who has put a link to my fundraising page on their facebook and myspace pages. I really appreciate your support and willingness to join me in this amazing journey. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, March 2, 20088:37 PMHousewarming/Fundraising EventI had my housewarming/Fundraising on Saturday, March 1st. Thank you to everyone that was able to come over, and a BIG THANK YOU to everyone that flew in from out of town to visit. It was great seeing good friends that I haven't seen in a while. We raised $100 at the small get-together, so I am very happy. I also wanted to give a big thank you to Jack Yates for adding this fundraising page as a link on RollinRollin.com! I appreciate everyone's efforts in helping to spread the word that I am doing the ride. I recently passed the $500 mark, and with everyone's generous support, I know I will reach my goal in no time! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, February 24, 20089:39 PMI Got A Bike!Yea! I finally bought my bike yesterday. I spent a lot of time researching bikes. I went to go test drive one and the tire blew after riding a few feet. First I looked around to make sure no one saw me as I almost fell over. Then I thought to myself, "Damn, I need to lose weight!" LOL. Well after weeks of research, I finally bought my bike yesterday. I went to Mike's Bikes and bought a 2008 Specialized Allez Elite. The bike frame is all aluminum with carbon seatstays and a carbon fork. You can see the bike and find out all the info by going to this link: http://mikesbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=1389. I highly recommend Mike's Bikes. The people there are really knowledgable and patient. They listened to my needs and only showed me bikes within my price range. Other places I went to seemed like they were trying to push the more expensive bikes. Well, I got my bike just in time to go on a group ride held every Sunday in San Francisco. Even though the weather was horrible, Mat and I rode 5 1/2 miles to the starting point of the ride in the pouring rain. We had heard that the group rides never get cancelled. LOL Well, when we got to the starting point, the group leaders were there telling us the ride was cancelled due to the rain and dangerous winds, so Mat and I rode back home. The winds were REALLY strong. I almost fell off my bike a few times from it. Well that and the fact that I am horrible at trying to cross the MUNI tracks. Even though the ride was cancelled, I still got a lot out of the occasion. The ride there and back was a total of 11 miles. This was a great opportunity for me to get used to shifting gears. I have never ridden a bike with gears before. In fact, I was about 12 years old the last time I rode a bike. I think it was a Huffy. LOL I'm all ready to go now though. I love my bike and I feel comfortable shifting gears. I can't wait for the ride next weekend! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, February 19, 200811:14 PMVideo of Me TrainingEven when I'm on vacation I'm training! Check out this video of my workout in Philly. Whew. I felt like I trained like a real boxer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4KvWaWWFXI Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, February 4, 20087:32 PMNew Record!This week I rode a total of 12 miles on a stationary bike in one session! This beats my previous record of 8 miles. I am slowly getting better, and feeling a lot healthier as time goes on. I went bike shopping over the weekend to do price comparisons, and I hope to get my new bike and gear in the next week or two. Then I will finally be able to go on the long weekend rides with the LifeCycle group. As for fundraising, it looks like I hit a road block at $235. I am having a housewarming party on March first and turning it into a fundraising event. I am asking everyone that attends to make a small contribution. Let me know if you’re interested in attending. I look forward to seeing you there! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, January 28, 200810:52 PMRevealing My Weight...It has been 2 weeks since my last post, so I decided it was a good time to check in. Thank you to everyone who has already sponsored me. Your donations have really motivated me to keep on training! I have expanded my workout to include running on the treadmill. My legs are still sore from running an hour nonstop last Saturday! The exercise is starting to pay off though as I am feeling a lot healthier than I did at the beginning of the month. Of course it helps that I cannot afford to eat out every day anymore since I just purchased my new condo (LOL I guess I will have to get over my fear of the oven soon). I have started taking daily vitamins, and since my new place is so close, I get the pleasure of walking to and from work each day. Also, since most people like to keep track of their weight during exercise, I have decided to occasionally reveal how much I weigh throughout the course of my training. I currently weigh 164 lbs. Keep checking this space though. My goal is to get down to 150 lbs, and if I don't...well I guess I'll just have to blame it on all of the muscle I've gained. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, January 14, 20087:46 AMOff to a Great Start!Hello everyone, Well, I think I am off to a great start. I did indoor cycling 3 days last week for a total of 17.5 miles! I know this is far below the 545 miles that I will be riding in June, but I still have time to get up to speed. I attended the LifeCycle kickoff party yesterday in hopes of winning one of the 9 bicycles that were being auctioned off. Unfortunately I didn't win any of them. Eric Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, January 7, 20089:42 PMDay 1Hello everyone, So the new year has been begun! After I got home form spending Christmas with my family, I closed on my condo and had to move out of my apartment ASAP. I'm still getting situated in my new house as we speak. On top of that I am in the final stretch of getting my degree (hopefully finishing in March), and I have signed up for this amazing ride! Because of all the crazy things going on at the moment, I have decided to ease my way into getting fit for the ride in June. Today I rode 4 miles on an indoor bike and did a few chest exercises. Boy am I out of shape!!! Thank god I have 6 months...please pray for me. Eric Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb |
The scary thing was that I was applying the brakes while going down hill. LOL Well, I feel a lot more confident on my bike now after this last ride. I am finally getting used to the gears. I will have to get my bike fitted soon, and hopefully buy clip in pedals and shoes, since there was only one other person besides me that didn't have them. I've heard horror stories about people falling off their bikes with them when they first attempt to use them, so stay tuned if you want a good laugh.
I will be waiting for my tax refund this year (yes I am having positive thoughts that I will be getting a refund) before I buy a bike and gear. Until then, I will continue to keep cycling indoors on a stationary bike because I am too embarrassed to ride around with a group on my $100 bike from Target.
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