A conversation with the man who lives on D88

Doing Aids Lifecycle for the second time is even better than I expected. Except for an occasional change of route nothing is really different from last year’s ride. But the feverish expectations and the excitement of all things to come are more or less gone. I no longer have to think of things like: How much pedaling does 77 miles consist of? When is the climbing part over?  Why don’t I see the next reststop? Instead I experience more comfort (not on the physical level however because the ride still hurts my bum and my legs). I have thrown my expectations overboard and I can finally relax.

Today was a pleasant day. Most of the day it was cloudy which made the surrounding area look rather pale and at times even boring. But the Californian sun makes me go crazy at times. Sometimes I feel the heat burning into my flesh. I do cherish the sunblock, but it can’t prevent me from getting sunburn.

Moreover I had a lot of interesting conversations with people. For example with the kind man who lives on D88. Yes, I forgot his name. But I did remember his tentnumber (hence D88). The man who lives on D88 is a nurse. After working in a county ER for a while he became a nurse in psychiatric hospital. Our conversation hit off when I told him about an article in the Aids Lifecycle daily journal. In this article one of the riders mentioned he had almost died of aids because he became medically uninsured in 2005. Through the help of the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center he got the help he needed. Today he can participate in Aids Lifecycle. Now, for me as a European this is not easy to understand. In a lot of European countries anybody who needs medical care can get it, whether you are insured or not. We pay tax to finance this care and I think most Europeans support this tax measure. In short, the government takes care of its citizens and I told the man who lives on D88 that I could not understand the American health situation. He told me he couldn’t either.
End of the discussion? No, because I also see the upside of this situation. The man asked me if we had fundraising events like Aids Lifecycle in Holland. I told him us Dutch folks can be quite altruistic if tsunamis or hurricanes wipe away entire parts of the world. And yes we do spend money on the aids foundation, the cancer fund etc. But when it comes down to it, these organizations are funded by the state. So the need to donate money to a good cause is felt. But it differs from the situation in the USA. Here money is seriously needed. If not, people might end up six feet under the ground.
It made me realize why Aids Lifecycle has such a tremendous effect on so many people: the riders, the communities we pass by, the people with hiv who benefit from this ride etc. Every day people stand alongside the road, waving and cheering at us. We visit elementary schools and the pupils show their respect for what we accomplish and  have accomplished. It’s rather unusual for me to feel this sense of community. It is very present, and let’s call that an understatement. 

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[Thijs]

just read the latest news. for now: welterusten! thijs