June 5-11 I rode my bike 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles in AIDS/LifeCycle 10 (ALC) in an effort to end the pandemic and human suffering caused by AIDS. ALC is the largest AIDS fundraiser in the world, and this year’s ride broke a record with over $13 million in donations! Day 1 of the ride also marked the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosed AIDS case.
Many of you may have seen the fun pictures I was sending to Sophia throughout the ride that she so graciously posted, and it was the little fun things that would give me the extra push to pedal that next mile. I rode every single one of those 545 miles. It was seriously hard sometimes, and sometimes I really had to dig deep to keep on going toward the end of each day. It was hard y’all!!
But I walked away from ALC on Saturday at 2:30pm when I finally crossed the finish line with an overwhelming sense of how great the world could be if we were all kind to each other every day, if we reached out to help somebody when we saw they needed help, if we gave a person a hug when we noticed they really needed it, if we put judgement aside, and if we all said “please” and “thank-you” just a little more often. This is what my world was like for 7 days with 3,000 strangers from 11 different countries – strangers from all walks of life. We all moved forward with one common purpose and goal and supported each other in any way needed. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and experience. I’ve been reminded to never underestimate the power of kindness!
Thank you to those that donated – I assure you that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life! And thanks to the shout outs on Twitter!
It was an Experience of a Lifetime and of course the thousands of beautiful men I was surrounded by for 7 days was icing on the cake. 
Visit my blog Samantha cycles. for all the details of my ride and even more fun pictures from the road.
About Samantha
I really hope you are still riding the high of this vast accomplishment and that you are still in love with yourself for doing something of such an amazing magnitude! Thank you for sharing your journey with us all! You are an inspiration to be especially because I am at the very beginning of endurance cycling and have lots to learn!!! Can’t wait to see what your next amazing feat will be!
And thanks again for tweeting me that pic of the rider dressed as Lady GaGa. That made my day!
PS: You can NEVER EVER tell yourself you can’t do something again
Oh Samantha! I have tears in my eyes right now. You are an amazing woman with a huge heart and a great vision of how the world could be.
What an amazing experience! Thank you for sharing this with us and for helping a wonderful cause. You rock girl.
This is an amazing accomplishment and I am so honored to be your friend. We all KNEW you could do it!!! xoxox
Thank you everyone!! And thank you to Sophia for letting me share on the blog part of the fun and the seriousness of ALC.
@Spaz: I’m here for you girl….anything you need as you tackle the world of “endurance” cycling.
@Samantha: Thank you for making the ride! I did the easy part.