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The following is an email I sent to the friends and family who supported me in doing the Ride.

To: Friends...
Date: 4/18/99
Subject: AIDS Ride Update

Greetings friends and family!

The AIDS Ride is a little over 9 weeks away! I just wanted to send a quick note to update you all on my preparations for the Ride and to thank all of you who have responded with emotional and financial support. THANK YOU!!!

ONLY 9 WEEKS TO TRAIN...

The initial enthusiasm of training has worn off for me and the rest of my team. Now we're into the reality of thinking how those 90 mile days are only a few short weeks away! It really put things in perspective to realize that all of the riding I did from February 26 to April 8 only equaled the mileage we will put down in the FOUR DAYS of the Ride!!!

I had been getting much stronger (having completed a 60 mile day followed by a 30 mile day two weekends ago) when I decided to give my legs a break and take a weekend off from riding. That was a good idea. What wasn't a good idea was then catching a cold this last week and not being able to ride the last few days either. I'm riding this afternoon, but it seems like it's been forever since I've been on the bike!

Despite this "bump in the road" I feel good about the progress I've made and confident that I'll be in the best biking shape of my life come June 24.

ONLY 6 WEEKS TO PLEDGE...

Getting my body ready for the ride is only half the story. Again, I want to thank all of you who have promised to support me financially in the ride. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! So many of you have offered to send in what you can despite money being tight. I appreciate the sacrifice you are willing to make to help me reach my goal and to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

With the pledge deadline only SIX WEEKS away, I have to admit I'm getting a little nervous about raising the needed $1900 to participate. Remember, donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE! ;^)

In addition to writing all of you, my team is putting on a "house party" to raise money and awareness about our cause. For all of you in the DC area you're welcome to join us this Thursday at 7pm at Seekers Church near Dupont Circle. We'll have live music, food, and a speaker and video from the AIDS Ride office along with pledge forms. Join us if you can!

MOTIVATION...

A couple of you responded to my initial email asking to know more about my motivation for doing the ride. The AIDS Ride is something I have wanted to do for about three years. I first learned about it when I was living in Walla Walla. In a bike shop there, I learned about the AIDS Ride from Portland, OR, to Vancouver, BC. At the time, I didn't think I could EVER ride 100 miles in a day!

Now, with a team of folks all providing encouragement, I felt like the time was right for me to take on this challenge. Doing the AIDS Ride is a way for me to explore my physical limits while contributing to something much greater than myself, this nationwide effort raising millions of dollars to help people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.

There are an estimated 1,000,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. To me this is a startling statistic. For any of you who have ever seen the AIDS quilt, you know that a statistic does not do justice to the suffering this disease and society's prejudices around this disease have put so many people through.

It is my hope that by joining the AIDS Ride effort I can make a small difference to people in my local community who live with the disease and the prejudice every day.

So there you have it. Even if this experience were to end today, I would feel good about it. I have ridden some, raised some money (and hopefully a little awareness), spent time with some great people, and gotten back in touch with some old friends. Overall, that's a success in my book!

Looking forward to the next 9 weeks, I am excited and a little daunted by the need to raise another $1200 and to put down some serious miles on the bike. Wish me luck, pray for me, do whatever makes sense to YOU to support me as I get ready for one of the biggest challenges of my life.

When I ride, you ride with me! Thanks, everyone!

Much love,
-Andrew

PS: Thanks for sticking with what was supposed to be a "quick" email!
PPS: To follow my training/fundraising progress on the Web, go to:

http://www.studentaffairs.com/aidsride/

---
Andrew Hedges, andrew@efficacy.net
http://www.efficacy.net/
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi

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