Cycle for the Cause 2025 Recap

One Last Ride from Boston to NYC

Note that most of these images are courtesy the official C4C photographer

Now that I’ve completed my ninth Cycle for the Cause, I’m feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards everyone who has donated over the past 11 years. I started riding with the idea of turning my bike-asshole energy into something good. I had no idea way back in 2015 what an impact this would have on my own life and outlook. “Transformative” was bandied about a lot when I was initially exploring this one, and I thought, “That’s some new-age, hippy-dippy bullshit! I’ll just ride my bike and it’ll be cool. The Center will get some money along the way and it will do something for the HIV+ community since I’m not really doing any ACT-UP sort of stuff. It will be fun but won’t mean much to me the day after.” Yeah, that’s pretty much it verbatim. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Everything they said was true, everything and more!

Day 1 start!

It kept me coming back year after year, not just for the cycling but for the connections forged with everyone else involved and dare I say it, the COMMUNITY. The power of hundreds of people coming together for their own personal reasons, but with unity of purpose cannot be overstated. I’ve done the Boston-NYC route 7 times and the COVID-restricted scaled-down version twice. All of you have donated close to $35,000 to The Center’s HIV Community Service Programs, helping them provide to those in need during some very rough times. The support you have shown to me has touched me in a way I could never express, no matter how many words I spew on the page! Yes, I am aware of verbose I can be. I’ll punctuate this with some pictures to break it up for you.

Rather than gush on and on, I’ll try to give a bit of step-by-step recounting, but expect some reflections and personal history along the way. You’ve certainly read my inventory of what The Center provides in my numerous fundraising emails. Of course if you want to know more about what The Center does with your money, please look through their website. I know some of you have used services there so you know firsthand what their true value is.

 

Day -1: Bike Drop-off

After months of sending out fundraising emails and training rides with some great friends (and co-riders), I had to face the toughest day. I had to hand over Lorelei to the Transporters to truck up to Boston, which is probably worse than sending a child off to summer camp. Despite the fact she is in good hands, I always worry until we’re reunited 28 hours later.

I’ve ridden Lorelei on every C4C since the beginning, but was considering riding Milo (the Trek 720 Tourer) for this one, being a bike design for longer, multi-day rides. I also thought it would just be too cute for Heather and me to ride the same bike. Upon learning that this was the final Boston ride I realized that it would be wrong to ride anyone else on this last hurrah. Lorelei has never failed me and I knew we wouldn’t let each other down this time.

Day 0: Check-in/Bus Day

Selfie with Heather and Claire at The Center

Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like walking into The Center on that Thursday morning. It’s kind of like a junior high field trip where you and a bunch of your friends meet at the school with your duffel bags for a few nights of adventure away from home. You meet up with all the people you’ve been training with as well as so many fellow riders who you haven’t seen in a year.

The excitement is palpable as you pick up your rider kit and stick your number to your helmet. A number you keep for as long as you keep doing the ride. I’ve been 374 since 2015 and will be until the end of days!

This is the time you really start to think about what the ride means to you as you head into The Keith Haring Courtyard. It can be a little sobering, but also very joyous as it fills with all the other riders. If you’re wondering about the crew, they have already set off for Boston to begin their work to make the ride happen. They are worthy of a whole section of thanks.

That excitement builds even higher as we board the buses, which are always a party.

Olu's selfie from the bus

Once we get to the hotel, I rush out to the bike holding area to give Lorelei a big hug and good tech check. Out there is another great place to run into old riding buddies doing the same, taking a lap or two around the parking lot. Lorelei can always handle a truck ride and is always up to task.

Throughout the whole weekend, we never forget why we are here. Staff, Board, and friends have a platform here to tell their stories and what The Center means to them and the good it does. One of the most moving parts of this experience is when people lay bare their experiences with their HIV status, highlighting their strength and the strength of community. For me, it’s the Poz Pedalers who fight the HIV stigma that has surrounded us for decades.

Day 1: Boston to Norwich

I can never sleep before the first day of riding; nerves, excitement, anticipation, and just a strange bed make it impossible for me. Is Lorelei ready? Am I ready? Did I forget anything? Did I really train enough?

I’m up by 4:45 every morning for these 3 days and usually do the whole thing on a few hours of sleep each night. I kinda start out on autopilot. Clearly, my autonomic system knows how to get dressed, eat, and ride with my cerebrum still dormant.

You realize the scope of this ride as you all converge at the start on that very first morning, surrounded by a few hundred riders. This is team day where all the teams wear their matching jerseys, so you really get a sense of the organizations that come together. While the corporate teams are great and bring in a lot of cash (including corp matching funds), I’m most impressed by the community teams, the social groups that unite for this. Big shout out to Team Eagle who ride strong, raise a huge about of money, and are always out there visible on the road.

Once we start moving, I take a bit of time to find my comfy place. I usually roll out further back, but need to jockey up towards the front. My riding style has always been to start fast as a warm-up, so i really get to exercise my fast passing skills. It’s not that I am necessarily faster than others; I just have my preferred pace that helps me put in the long days.

This first leg of the route is particularly pretty, with some rolling hills, bikeways, and some absolutely serene lakes. I tried to take in every moment of it, since this was the last time we’d ride this way.

 

 

 

Sadly, I did have one minor mechanical issue that kept me from truly enjoying one of my favorite lakes. This is the price I pay for riding a 50-year-old bike with unusual Italian pedals - losing one little bolt can really put a damper on things. Luckily, the road crew was great and got me to one of the bike techs who came up with a temporary fix (zip-ties) until Patrick (the amazing mechanic) could get me a workable replacement nut/bolt at a hardware store. I was back on the road in no time. I will admit that I was pretty cranky was it was happening, but it was such a small hiccup.

Obviously, I find euphoria in riding, but there is another element to days on the road during Cycle. Every rest stop is its own party. We all get to connect at each one, and that is where I truly get to know my fellow riders. As much as I ride fast, I also make it a point to spend time at each stop because that is half the adventure. Those conversations we all have, riders and crew, are some of the best and most meaningful moments when we share our stories or just get to know each other.

Lunch with Heather, Claire, Tom, and Andrew

Day 2: Norwich to Stamford (AKA, the long day. Also: Red Dress Day)

The day that never ends, running just over 121 miles. They are some beautiful miles, but there are a LOT of them. There isn’t much I can write here about it. You really need to experience all that time out on the road yourself to feel the exuberance.

If you read my recap from the last time I did this in 2023, you know that the first day was a total monsoon and the second day was the tail end of that. This year was completely different; we couldn’t have gotten better weather even if we sold our souls to the robot devil or used our space lasers. The sky was clear, the temps were ideal, the wind was at our backs. You know, the perfect weekend to be out on the road.

Other than being super long, the second day is traditionally Red Dress Day. This is the day when we make our visual statement as a living red ribbon stretching down the roadway. Cycle for the Cause doesn’t just raise money, it raises awareness that the AIDS crisis is not over. The nature of the fight may have changed as prevention and treatment protocols have drastically improved, but we’re not done. 

Our bright red frocks, tutus, and suits inspire questions and conversations as we go. I’ll often find myself stopping on Main Street in a Connecticut town to tell people why we’re dressed this way, why we ride, and what The Center does. I am always heartened by the positive responses I get from total strangers, giving me hope that most of the world wants to end AIDS for good. People DO care.

I’m not the Red Dress type. It just doesn’t work on me, so I pulled out an old favorite outfit. The red plaid Serious and Dogpile short-pants bondage suit always works. I also like it because (as you know) I don’t wear costumes, only outfits. This one is a regular office suit for me, so I feel like me when I’m out and about in it. I’m authentically me in that suit on that bike; you could catch me on the street like that any day. That perfect weather lets me cycle in it for about 30 miles or so, until well after I found my personal road sign.

 

To my delight, I did get a special treat at lunch. My good friend Barb came out to cheer us on, and it made me tear up a little (at least inside.) Her support was overwhelming. I didn’t realize just how good she would make me feel until I saw her there. Who would have thought? It was the best feeling.

Riding a lot of the Connecticut coast with Heather and Claire made the day go by so easily. I met the 2 of them in 2015 the very first time I took this on, and they have been such great friends ever since. That was such an unexpected bonus 10 years ago and one I am eternally thankful for. As I have mentioned, you build lifelong bonds doing this but this one is something extra.

One final note: my hotel room number that night was 666! The hotel check-in crew asked me if I would be ok with that. Ha! I would have paid them for that one!

Peter and Claire

Welcome aboard!

After the suit got too hot

I always need to find my pace

Day 3: Stamford to NYC

You can just feel how tired I am in the morning by looking at this bleary-eyed photo. Given half the chance, I would have just curled up on the hotel lawn and gone to sleep. However, it only takes a minute in the saddle to wake right up and get your blood (and legs) pumping.

The final leg is always the shortest and most relaxed as we pedal back towards The Center downtown to be greeted by our adoring fans and well-wishers.

It's hard to keep the face and the posture photo-ready

Along the way, I always take the time to be a little more social with everyone after we’ve spent the weekend together. There is never quite enough time to talk to all the people I want to, but I do my best.

Sam

Julie

Chuck and Ed

Thom

Olu

Turning onto 13th Street never fails to be a thrill. I can’t help but smile as I ride through that arch and hear the joyous welcome. Jeff is always there waiting for me, I assume delighted that I am alive and undamaged. Treacly as it sounds, hugging him at the end is the best part of the whole odyssey. It’s hard for me to focus on anything else for a few minutes after that.

I stuff my face with anything within arms reach and wait for Carla to give her final closing remarks, announcing the fundraising tally. This year’s total was over $2.2 million, all to help keep those programs running at The Center. Every one of you donors got us here, so thank you again.

I realize I’ve written a lot about the ride/riders, but I’d be remiss to neglect the crew that keeps us all going. C4C crew members fundraise just like the riders, but their job is so much harder. They head up to Boston before us, with the hotel crew making sure we can check in each day without a hassle, the bike tech crew who make sure all our mechanical needs are handled, the rest stop and lunch stop crew that keep us fed and hydrated (and entertained!) along the way, the road crew that sweeps along in the vans/trucks to pick us up on the route if we can’t ride further, the medical crew they keeps us healthy and handles and issues that may pop up (scrapes, headaches, or more serious things that we hope won’t happen), and the moto crew who keep the route safe for us. I know I’ve left out so much of what all these crew members do, but it is way too much to list here. We could never ride without everything they do, and they do it all with the biggest smiles that can turn any darker moments bright! All of these people have made every ride a joy for me.

The NYC Sirens Motorcycle Club are one of the very special groups during the weekend. They are some of the most amazing women+ I’ve met, with or without the motorcycles.

Ruby! Coolest person ever!

 

I gotta say, motorcycles do make everyone cooler. Am I still a kid that way? They direct us (and traffic) on those really tricky parts of the road. Every time I see them out there on the route, not only do I feel protected…I feel like part of them. That is a huge honor for me and they are some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.

I also have to give a big shout-out to The Center staff as well. None of this could happen without the dedication of people there working tirelessly. Beyond the people involved with making this ride happen, ALL the people working out The Center are invaluable to the community at large.

Wheelhouse Events Solutions also give this ride their all, providing the production, logistical, and operational services that underpin everything. They are fantastic group of people that make sure it all works and we (riders and crew) never really have to think about how this all comes together.