Race Across America: Team4HIVHope Cycles to Raise Awareness and to Win

Race Across America: Team4HIVHope Cycles to Raise Awareness and to Win http://www.thebody.com/content/art62386.html A blog from Team4HIVHope at TheBody.com. http://www.thebody.com/images/blog/team_biobox.gif Team4HIVHope http://www.thebody.com/content/art62386.html 115 90 It IS About the Bike http://www.thebody.com/content/68492/it-is-about-the-bike.html Last night, while in Washington, D.C., for the International AIDS Conference, I got to meet the staff and many fellow bloggers with TheBody.com. And I felt like a slug. Not only am I not writing, but listening to these passionate , inspiring people, I thought, well, here I am, writing about cycling. And all I'm doing is writing about it. I'm not one of the racers.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68492/it-is-about-the-bike.html Fri, 3 Aug 2012 07:55:00 GMT One More for the Road http://www.thebody.com/content/67609/one-more-for-the-road.html It is common knowledge that cyclists eat more than "normal" people. A cyclist doing a 50-mile ride on the weekend will put away quite a few calories.

But how about four cyclists riding 3,000 miles in less than a week, and their 11 crew members who are navigating, driving vans, fixing bikes and doing a whole host of tasks to keep those four racers going. And now imagine them living out of a recreational vehicle that would be close quarters for a family of four. And remember the RV has only a microwave oven, three burners and a refrigerator that could only be described as "cute."

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67609/one-more-for-the-road.html Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:52:00 GMT RAAM: A Race Like No Other http://www.thebody.com/content/67579/raam-a-race-like-no-other.html RAAM is not like many other races. Most people who know anything about bicycle racing are familiar with the Tour de France. There is no question the Tour de France is difficult. Teams ride hundreds of miles, climb daunting hills and speed down treacherous mountainsides. Those things are also true of RAAM. But in many ways, that is where the similarity ends. Every day the Tour de France racers tackle another stage. In RAAM, it is basically one stage -- one very very long stage of 3,000 miles. At night the Tour de France racers retire to a hotel. The RAAM racers, when they get to sleep, climb into a bunk in an RV or curl up on the floor of a follow van. And they aren't getting 8 hours. Our four-man team is divided into two sub-teams, so while two are out racing for three or four hours, the other two are getting cleaned up, eating and trying to catch a few winks in the bumpy RV.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67579/raam-a-race-like-no-other.html Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:35:00 GMT This Year's Race: That Was Then, This Is Now http://www.thebody.com/content/67361/this-years-race-that-was-then-this-is-now.html As soon as last year's race ended, Steven and Jim knew that they would race again this year, and several of the crew members knew they would be returning as well.

But we knew that RAAM 2012 was going to be different. We had learned so much from our rookie year we knew we could improve our time and would come to the race with new skills, a new approach and new goals.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67361/this-years-race-that-was-then-this-is-now.html Fri, 1 Jun 2012 13:10:00 GMT Boston Scientist Takes His Lab on the Road http://www.thebody.com/content/67269/boston-scientist-takes-his-lab-on-the-road.html The Race Across America (RAAM), which begins on June 16th in Oceanside, CA and ends in Annapolis, MD, has been called the toughest bicycle race in the world. But Patrick Autissier, a scientific researcher at Boston College and racer, has decided to add a scientific component to the physical challenge of RAAM.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67269/boston-scientist-takes-his-lab-on-the-road.html Wed, 23 May 2012 10:38:00 GMT Meet the 2012 Team4HIVHope Racers http://www.thebody.com/content/65001/meet-the-2012-team4hivhope-racers.html Team4HIVHope will be returning to Race Across America after an eighth place finish in 2011, its rookie year, with bigger aspirations and two new team members.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65001/meet-the-2012-team4hivhope-racers.html Fri, 2 Dec 2011 15:20:00 GMT Reflections on the RAAM Adventure http://www.thebody.com/content/63192/reflections-on-the-raam-adventure.html In my bio on the RAAM website I predicted that my RAAM experience would be as follows:

It will be hard as hell.
It will be an adventure of a lifetime.
I will make many new friends.
I am part of team that will make history.
I expect to see parts of America that I would otherwise never encounter.

Certainly I would have to say that all of those things would accurately describe my Race Across America experience. However there were many other things that I did experience that perhaps I did not foresee.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/63192/reflections-on-the-raam-adventure.html Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:00:00 GMT Good Work Was Done http://www.thebody.com/content/62833/good-work-was-done.html There are many amazing and memorable moments that occur during an event like Race Across America. Some of those moments are very public, like posing for photos at the finish line or the cheering of spectators along the way. Other moments are very personal and far from the glare of spotlight; it is these moments that are most meaningful to myself when I reflect on my week with my team at RAAM. In particular, there was one very special chance meeting with a man that happened to me in middle America.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62833/good-work-was-done.html Wed, 6 Jul 2011 11:39:00 GMT What's Next for Team4HIVHope? http://www.thebody.com/content/62808/whats-next-for-team4hivhope.html Most of the crew and racers have returned home, though Steven and Marty are continuing a vacation in the States before returning to Australia. We're snug in our own beds with our dogs, cats and loved ones. We're catching up on a week's worth of sleep. We're massaging the aches and pains, and Cisco is seeing the dentist to deal with his teeth that got "pushed in" when he crashed in Gettysburg.

Yes, Cisco crashed in Gettysburg. This is the guy who went down passes in the Rockies at warp speed, who careened down the road in the middle of the night on next to no sleep. But a little bit of gravel did him in on a flat road in Gettysburg. He got scraped up but was well enough to ride into Annapolis with his teammates.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62808/whats-next-for-team4hivhope.html Tue, 5 Jul 2011 07:11:00 GMT We Finished the Race Across America! http://www.thebody.com/content/62773/we-finished-the-race-across-america.html Team4HIVHope, the 4-person cycling team with 3 HIV+ racers and many of the crew members living with HIV, successfully completed the Race Across America. We took 6 days, 6 hours, 34 minutes to race from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md., a distance of 3,000 miles.

We came 8th out of about 30 and are very happy. The support and encouragement that we received throughout the Race from the organisers and from the other teams was so wonderful -- it confirmed that our reasons for competing were correct: to show that HIV is not an impediment to doing very tough endurance sports; and to get rid of stigma against people with HIV.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62773/we-finished-the-race-across-america.html Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:07:00 GMT Good Luck, Bad Luck: It's All the Same http://www.thebody.com/content/62739/good-luck-bad-luck-its-all-the-same.html June 24, 4:30 p.m.; near Gettysburg, Pa.

I'm curious about how things are going for other teams. How many flats have they had? And I don't mean bicycle tire flats. We had not one, not two, but three flats on our follow vans. And while that was awful, they managed to have happy endings. The first blew near a tire store, so just like that we got a new tire. The second two happened at the same time. Sandra has AAA and the guy came and while he was supposed to only change a tire, he fixed them and we were on our way.

Another day, we were taking the RV to dump the waste, and the vehicle ended up in a ditch. We called for a wrecker, prepared to sit and wait. Not 10 minutes later, he showed up and pulled us out. While we didn't get to dump (which meant no showers for the racers) we at least got an opportunity to get back on the road quickly.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62739/good-luck-bad-luck-its-all-the-same.html Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:01:00 GMT My Competitor, My Friend http://www.thebody.com/content/62725/my-competitor-my-friend.html June 23, afternoon; Somewhere in Indiana

Wednesday had been a tough day for the team, but it ended pretty well with the guys closing in on some other racers. There had been a good-natured rivalry between Team4HIVHope and the Crank Addicts, a relay team of four very young men from Britain. A highlight for Steven was coming up to a stoplight with one of their team who must have been half his age. When the light changed, Steven took off and left him in the dust.

But Thursday took a far more serious turn on the route when our team came upon the Crank Addicts' RV, which was off the road, literally in pieces. We saw their crew surrounding the wreckage, and we knew we had to stop to see if we could help, though we sent Steven and Don's van ahead to continue down the course.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62725/my-competitor-my-friend.html Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:27:00 GMT The Team4HIVHope Crew: Flexibility and Determination http://www.thebody.com/content/62678/the-team4hivhope-crew-flexibility-and-determinatio.html June 20, 11:36 a.m.; Somewhere near Durango, Colo.

There is no question that the racers have an incredibly tough, demanding job. Ride, eat, short rest and ride again.

But for the crew, many of whom are also HIV positive, the race is a balancing act of getting things done for the racers and trying to take care of themselves. And it's taking its toll.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62678/the-team4hivhope-crew-flexibility-and-determinatio.html Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:33:00 GMT RAAM: Simple as a Rubik's Cube http://www.thebody.com/content/62643/raam-simple-as-a-rubiks-cube.html In some ways, the Race Across America is simple: an individual or a team rides as fast as they can from one coast to another. Easy, no?

But even if you don't count the months or even years of training to be able to accomplish such a feat, the Race Across America is anything but simple.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62643/raam-simple-as-a-rubiks-cube.html Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:44:00 GMT The Worldwide AIDS Crisis Hits Home, Too http://www.thebody.com/content/62620/the-worldwide-aids-crisis-hits-home-too.html The team arrived in Oceanside today and several members had a chance to watch some of the solo riders begin their arduous journey to the East Coast. These solo riders are incredible: they will ride their bicycles for hours on end, day and night, taking short sleep breaks, vying for victory that gives the winner nothing more than a title.

Many of the racers are riding for great causes: to bring awareness and to raise funds. Some are even riding for AIDS, though no other team has HIV-positive riders.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62620/the-worldwide-aids-crisis-hits-home-too.html Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:20:00 GMT With a Little Help From TELUS http://www.thebody.com/content/62585/with-a-little-help-from-telus.html I know that this is probably a bit of hypocritical statement to make for a person that writes about their life in a public blog but I am actually quite a private person. There are certain aspects of my life that I just prefer not to expose through this medium. However I sometimes feel compelled to be public about those personal topics if it means that the information could assist other people. Such is the case with the following article that has been written about me by my employer TELUS Communications. The spirit of the article is really to highlight how persons living with HIV can achieve many of their personal goals if they have access to treatment and support along the way. It is not meant to be interpreted as some grandiose personal statement, a "hey look at what I did". Rather I hope it shows that we all win when an employer embraces diversity and provides its team with tools/benefits that help them achieve both career and personal goals.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62585/with-a-little-help-from-telus.html Sat, 11 Jun 2011 11:30:00 GMT How I -- and Team4HIVHope -- Got to the Race Across America http://www.thebody.com/content/62497/how-i--and-team4hivhope--got-to-the-race-across-am.html I write this on the eve of getting on a plane from Sydney to LA, to do the final preparations for our Team4HIVHope. The Race Across America, starting on June 18, 2011. The Race will take about 7 days, non-stop (day and night). We climb approximately 100,000 feet during the Race. The Team will cover about 450-500 miles per day in relay format.

2011 is the 30^th anniversary of the Race as well as the 30^th anniversary of the first diagnoses of AIDS. So it is very timely that we are able to do the Race this year.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62497/how-i--and-team4hivhope--got-to-the-race-across-am.html Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:45:00 GMT Join Team4HIV Hope as It Prepares to Compete in the 3,000-Mile Race Across America http://www.thebody.com/content/art62385.html The Race Across America (RAAM), a bicycle race that some have called even tougher than the Tour de France, happens every June. This year, its 30th anniversary is also the 30th anniversary of the AIDS pandemic, and four men have formed a RAAM team -- Team4HIVHope, to show that with the right treatment, people living with HIV can do anything, including competing in RAAM.

Three of the four members of Team4HIV Hope are living with HIV, and the fourth is committed to see this disease eradicated in his lifetime.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art62385.html Mon, 6 Jun 2011 15:23:00 GMT