David Duncan's
My TENTH year riding!I have been a dedicated Rider on the California AIDSRides and all the AIDS/LifeCycle Rides. 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. ALC 6 was my tenth time on the ride but first time as a Roadie. So for my TENTH year riding, my great friend and tentmate Craig, who will also be doing his tenth ride, are forming a team and will raise funds together! Up to last year I was a proud Co-Chair, and I'm now a current Board Member of Positive Pedalers, a group of HIV+ cyclists, roadies and ALC staff living with HIV/AIDS eliminating stigma through our positive public example (check out www.pospeds.org). And I am still a very proud Spokesmodel for HIV STOPS WITH ME-- check out my personal website on the SF page at: www.hivstopswithme.org A year and a half ago I moved to Portland, Oregon. Portland was always my top choice when deciding to leave San Francisco; after going on long-term disability SF became too expensive for me. I call Portland a "big little city" that has a phenomenal quality of life and is a cyclist's heaven. Before ALC 6 I discovered 14 other cyclists (and 3 other PosPeds) in the Portland area, Oregon and Washington and was their proud Training Ride Leader. For this coming year, Team Portland has morphed into TEAM NorthWest to better represent riders in both Washington and Oregon. And of course I'm a Training Ride Leader again! As an HIV+ participant of AIDS/LifeCycle I have seen the impact of the funds we have raised on the quality of life of recipients in LA and SF (some PosPeds are clients of the Center or the Foundation). I also see what an incredibly positive impact being out about my HIV status has been to me, and my fellow PosPeds. Our mission statement best tells the story of my own reason for riding: "We are a group of people living with HIV/AIDS committed to eliminating the stigma of disease through our positive public example." We ride because we can, and because HIV can not and will not define who we are. We ride until we don't have to any more. I remember when I first signed up for California AIDSRide (CAR) 4; someone told me that this event would change my life. I thought "yeah, right." But it did-- it actually did. A few months before the ride I found out I was HIV+. I got my best friend Simon to sign up too, and we trained together out in Sonoma, West Marin. And it was HARD-- I was out of shape, terrified of my future, and very unsure I could manage this ride. But we prevailed and got to Day 0, registration. Simon saw a booth and said I should check them out-- Positive Pedalers. Well it took me all day to get over there (who would see me? what would they say?) and I got a PosPed flag for my bike. Took me til a minute before ride-out to put it on my bike (who would see me? what would they say?), but I did it. And I made it up every hill, every day, and made it through the mortification of being HIV+, and being out about it. I struggled up the same hills as anyone else, I was told by negative riders what an inspiration I was to them, and I thrilled at the jubilation of entering Los Angeles, a changed person. Funny, while it's been over 10 years now, the thrill of the ride-- with all its challenges-- and with this incredibly amazing community of caring people--is still there. That's why I ride. This year I decided to give back to a place I lived in for almost 10 formative years and I will be riding to support the HIV/AIDS services of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center (LAGLC). Their Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic offers people living with HIV/AIDS free and low-cost, comprehensive, cutting edge primary and specialty medical care. mental health, and HIV/STD testing and prevention, and an on-site pharmac. So please help me by giving what you can to help the HIV/AIDS services of the LAGLC. We'll keep helping until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past.
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Visit David's blog at:
Here I am on ALC 2 with Cal
David's Goal: $2,500.00
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David's LinksL.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Positive Pedalers We are people living with HIV/AIDS and participating in AIDS cycling-related fund raising events. Many of us participate in the AIDS/LifeCycle (ALC) Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and are ALC Staff members, Roadies (Ride crew) as well as Riders. Most of us live in California, but we have members in numerous states, Canada and other countries as well. Our membership can fluctuate, and an accurate head count isn't always possible, as some members are fully "out" as HIV+ and willing to be visible, but not everyone is at that part of their life... and that's OK. When someone needs to identify with a group that provides solidarity, comfort and strength, we're there. We have come to understand that there is strength in numbers, and that HIV can not and will not define who we are. We welcome anyone who is HIV+ to join us in showing the positive side of living with HIV/AIDS. Thanks to many new treatments we who are HIV+ can live rich, full, and vital lives. Positive Pedalers may not be the fastest or most skilled cyclists, or not even cyclists; Roadies and ALC Staff members proudly count themselves as PosPeds. And we often carry memories of lost friends and loved ones with us, which can add amazing strength, endurance, stamina and pride to our ride or our work on the ride. So who are Positive Pedalers, you ask? We hope this gives you a good idea of what makes a Positive Pedaler. And these aspects have been coalesced into our Mission Statement: We are a group of people living with HIV/AIDS committed to eliminating the stigma of disease through our positive public example. We are the positive face of HIV/AIDS.
HIV STOPS WITH ME The HIV STOPS WITH ME campaign features HIV positive real people talking about real issues. The campaign deals directly with sex and condom use, while it also raises important themes like responsibility, communication, and disclosure of status. Each spokesmodel has a personalized message to deliver to other people who are positive. The messages are hopeful and supportive, and they also make people think about what they are doing to stop this disease.
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