CSULB
staff member cycles for life, AIDS
By Maritza Diaz
On-line Forty-Niner
 Robin
Ikemi is preparing to take a trip. Her wheels
will take her 585 miles along the California
landscape from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
However, instead of driving, Ikemi has opted
to peddle her way back to Los Angeles this
summer.
Ikemi, an administrative support coordinator
in the engineering department, has decided
to participate in the AIDS Life Cycle 2,
an event to raise money for AIDS and HIV
research and care. Participants will ride
their bikes this June in a seven-day trek
organized by the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian
Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
“I want to honor the memory of friends of
mine who have died of AIDS complications,”
Ikemi said, “I think it’s important to keep
it visible in the public eye.”
Each rider has to raise a minimum of $2,500
in donations, about $1,885 of which Ikemi
has already raised.
“So far it hasn’t been that hard [fundraising].
I’ve gotten a lot of good response from
friends, family and people on campus,” Ikemi
said.
The proceeds of this event are evenly divided
between the two organizations. In the case
of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian center,
the money will be used to fund HIV/AIDS
services that include testing and treatment
of individuals, said Steve Wallace, director
of development.
“We want to help them live a long and healthy
life,” Wallace said.
The two sponsors also share duties in organizing
the event, which include marketing, registering
riders and educating them on what to expect
on the road. The riders will also be able
to tour the facilities so that they can
see where the money they are raising will
go, Wallace said.
Making the commitment to participate in
this event has changed Ikemi’s life. She
has lost about 20 pounds and feels that
she is better able to cope with stress and
problems that come her way.
“I feel much better emotionally and physically,”
she said, “I don’t snap at people as much.”
Besides her family and friends, who have
participated in numerous charitable events,
her other inspiration for participating
in the ride was reading Lance Armstrong’s
book about his comeback from cancer and
wining the Tour de France.
“I’ve never been athletic or anything,”
she said. “But when you put your mind into
something, you become dedicated and it’s
amazing how much you can accomplish.”
This is the first time Ikemi has ever participated
in this type of event.
“There is a sense of freedom on a bicycle,”
she said, “You see things differently and
doing the ride right now is really kind
of therapeutic cause you focus on riding
and forget everything else.”
Ikemi’s main goal in the ride is not to
get swept up by the event crew.
“If they see that you are not going to make
it to the rest stop on time, they sweep
you up and take you there,” she said. “[I
want] to keep my pace and come in on my
own.”
To prevent her being swept, Ikemi has been
training for months by weight training,
spin classes and riding with a training
group.
“I used to think riding 35 miles was a big
deal. Now that’s nothing,” she said, “I
just think of how far I’ve come.”
Ikemi said that people who participate in
this event develop a close relationship
with one another. Everyone supports and
looks out for one another.
“People bond together for the better cause
and why we are doing this,” she said.
This cause is very important to Ikemi because
she has seen first hand what HIV/AIDS can
do to a person. She describes it as a “devastating”
illness and hopes more progress will be
made toward its treatment and cure.
The event was previously named the California
AIDS Ride, but for two years it has been
known by the current name. The organizers
of the event have set up a Web site where
participants can create a personal homepage.
Through the homepage, people are able to
make donations and even read a rider’s training
journal.
People have responded to the pages well
and the organizers plan on keeping them
for all future rides, according to Wallace.
“People can make donations to riders right
on the page. They can even donate to riders
they don’t know,” Wallace said.
This event is more than just a physical
challenge. Her best friend and his partner
are currently dealing with the effects of
AIDS.
“There is still no vaccine or cure and a
lot of education still needs to be done,”
Ikemi said, “especially with a whole new
generation that is coming of age.”
Ikemi is still thinking about participating
in the ride next year
“I’ll think about it,” she said, “We’ll
see how I do in this one.”
Donations for Ikemi or other riders can
be made at www.aidslifecycle.org
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