(Cyclists in the annual AIDS/LifeCycle roll through Watsonville Monday on their way from San Francisco to Los Angeles as part of a major fundraiser to help the battle against AIDS. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Pajaronian)
WATSONVILLE — For years, Jose Meza wanted to take a long-distance bicycle trip, drawn by the physical and mental challenge of long hours on the road.
He got that opportunity recently when a lifelong friend told Meza he has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
And so the two decided they would take part in the AIDS/LifeCycle, a seven-day, 545-mile fundraising ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The money funds services that support HIV prevention and care, and to help people living with the disease get treatment.
Participants raised more than $16.6 million — a record amount in the event’s history — to support San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the HIV/AIDS-related services of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The event is the world’s largest single event HIV/AIDS fundraiser.
Meza, who lives in Santa Rosa, raised $3,400 for his participation, surpassing the $3,000 minimum required for entry.
“It is a beautiful thing to be a part of the cure,” he said.
The ride is also designed to boost HIV awareness, a way to help those affected buck the stigma that is still attached to the disease.
Meza said that his friend spent years avoiding family gatherings to avoid possible scorn.
“Today, he celebrates it,” Meza said. “It’s not something he is afraid to let people know about.”
Meza joined more than 2,300 riders, who started their ride at the Cow palace in San Francisco on Sunday morning.
The riders are assisted by about 650 volunteer roadies who prepare meals, repair bikes and provide for riders’ medical needs and creature comforts.
Bangbay Siboliban of Los Angeles said she was participating in her second ride, inspired by her years of volunteer work with the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Siboliban said she also enjoys being a part of the AIDS/LifeCycle community, which many riders described as a “love bubble.”
“Everyone is very encouraging and supportive of each other,” she said.
Nicole Garcia from Los Angeles stopped briefly by a vast strawberry field on McGowan Road to take a selfie.
Also in her second year of doing the ride, Garcia started after wondering for years what was so special about it. She also spoke of the community that forms along the ride, but said it was the intent behind the ride that drew her.
“It’s an amazing cause to ride to end AIDS,” she said.
Ruthie Bendor of San Francisco stopped in front of Moss Landing Cafe to change a tire punctured by a tiny nail.
“It’s just a pleasure and a privilege to give back to my community,” she said.
One of the best stops for Randy Davis of Castro Valley is in Bradley, a tiny town in Monterey County that one year treated the riders to a lunch of grilled burgers.
One rider gave a $100 “tip,” which was the inception of the $100 Burger Club, which last year raised more than $59,000 for the town’s tiny school, Davis said.
In the seven days it takes the riders to reach Los Angeles, more than 700 people in the United States will contract HIV, according to AIDS/LifeCycle spokesman Gil Diaz. One in seven people living with HIV nationwide is not aware of their status.
Currently there are 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS nationwide and an estimated 37,600 will become infected this year.
To follow the journey during the week of the ride through pictures, stories and videos, visit aidslifecycle.org.
