Local cyclist to raise funds for AIDS ride

Last year Greg Clifford participated in the 585-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles AIDS/LifeCycle 3 bicycle ride and raised $41,990 for the cause. This year the Las Vegas resident has recruited three of his friends to join him and has set a goal of raising more than $50,000 in the seven-day event, which runs June 5-11.

Clifford, 37, who just began cycling last year, said stories from friends got him interested in the event, which is co-produced by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and is designed to advance their shared interests to end the pandemic and human suffering caused by AIDS.

"I've had two friends that have done it in years prior and they would always come home and talk about the experience and how amazing it was," Clifford said. "I was home about a year-and-a-half ago during Christmastime sick with the flu, and Oprah ran her special on AIDS in South Africa on how it was devastating the entire middle generation there. These children were going to be left with raising their siblings because their parents were dying.

"I did my research and found out that the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is one of the few AIDS agencies here in the United States that fights AIDS on a global level. When the U.S. government said they were going to South Africa and help in this fight, they never really put up any money to make that happen."

Clifford, a graduate of Bonanza High School, said the San Francisco AIDS Foundation -- the group he decided would receive all the money he raised last year and again this year -- has gone well beyond what other organizations have done to try to help stop the deadly disease.

"So the San Francisco AIDS Foundation went to the sponsors and said we need to raise money, we need to build a disease control center in South Africa that can help educate these people and bring medicine there," he said. "The only way they're going to cure it is stop it from spreading and by using protection. So they built a disease control center in Uganda. And on top of that, they actually man the global AIDS hot line and I believe there are like 65 countries that call into that hot line in 26 languages."

Clifford, who works as a loan officer for Silver State Mortgage, said the money raised from the event goes to one of two organizations depending on the will of the individual cyclist.

"AIDS/LifeCycle is the organization that runs the bicycle ride each year," he said. "The money that was generated from that particular event -- last year it was like $5.1 million or something -- is divvied between L.A. and San Francisco. When you sign up to do the ride you chose which city you're giving your money to, and I chose San Francisco because of what they do on a global level.

"On top of those two things, they were also instrumental in passing the Ryan White Care Act, and they still are. Every time it comes up for renewal they push it back through again. It's responsible for about $2 billion worth of AIDS care nationally."

Joining Clifford in his fund-raising ride next month will be a team of three friends -- Tracey Weibel, Chris Gagne and Stephanie Dissonnette.

Weibel is Clifford's Pilates instructor and is a physical therapist for Celine Dion and her show's performers. Gagne is Clifford's personal trainer and works at the 24 Hour Fitness Agassi Super-Sport Club in Summerlin. Dissonnette teaches synchronized swimming here and was once a performer in the Cirque du Soleil production "O."

Clifford said riding with such a talented team this time around should make the ride a little easier.

"She's (Dissonnette is) a massage therapist, so between her and Tracey we won't have to go wait for the massage tent this year," Clifford said.

Clifford, who will be riding a Ridley Damaclese, said he and his teammates are getting physically ready for the week-long ride.

"Chris and Stephanie probably ride 300 to 500 miles a week as it is," he said. "I'm pushing between 200 and 300 right now and probably right before the ride I'll be up to 500 (miles) a week."

Clifford has his sights set on eclipsing the amount of money he raised from last year's event.

"Last year I raised $42,000 and this year I have a team of four of us and we'll probably put together somewhere near $50,000 or higher," he said. "We have raised about $33,000 between the four of us so far."

Cyclists are required to raise a minimum of $2,500.

Clifford and around 2,000 other expected riders will ride an average of 90 miles a day and then roll into camp, drop off their bikes, fetch their gear and tent and set up camp for the night.

"It just is a really amazing sense of community on this particular ride," he said. "And all this money is private money so it can be used for controversial-type programs that the government grants won't cover."

Clifford told of what inspires him and other riders along the way when they're feeling weak.

"The goal is to complete every mile because it is really a painful challenge. If you're not prepared for it and you're fighting to get through the day ... it's really a matter of pride.

"Last year there were 86 (HIV) positive pedalers marking their bikes with these little orange flags. And when you were at a point when you were ready to quit, inevitably one of these guys or a group of two or three of them would pass you and it would really put things in perspective, because here you have someone with T-cell counts at 300, 400, maybe 500 and yours are between 800 and 1,400. And they're fighting for their own life every day and they're riding for the cause and they're completing every mile. It kind of puts things in check."

For more information on the AIDS/LifeCycle 4 ride, call (866) 245-3424, (415) 581-7077 or e-mail info@aidslifecycle.org. To make a donation to support Clifford directly, access the Web site at www.aidslifecycle.org/5012.