CABT on NPR - Where We Live

Thanks to Chion Wolf and John Dankosky for the great spot about the bike tour on NPR last Thursday. In addition to the audio portion (which you can download) there are some really great pictures as well.

Please take a moment to drop them an email to tahnk them for their converage and support. wherewelive@wnpr.org

To listen to the audio, cut and paste this link into your browswer:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wnpr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1147251


Peace,
Shawn

CABT - Day 5, September 9, 2007

Well, another fabulous five days has come to it's natural end. I have a mix of feelings about it all. I'm elated about how smoothly this year's tour ran; disappointed in the two teams who dropped out at the last minute and that we had fewer riders in general; missing Ron and Danny (Hey, we spent 5 long days together!!); fondly remembering snippets of scenery from every county in the state; and already thinking of and talking about ways to improve next year's tour.

We had a wonderful ride-in with a West Hartford Police escort into Elizabeth Park. Ron's 12 year-old son Gabriel and my (almost) 10 year-old son Corbett led the way into the park. There, rider's families and friends and staff and residents from Peter's Retreat (an AIDS housing program in Hartford and one of the beneficiaries of the ride) all cheered us on. And as is true to our tradition, once all the riders were in, they raised their bikes over their heads and cheered!! Louis Lista etal at the Pond House Cafe hosted an amzing spread of food and cold beverages, which we were in awe of.


Danny and I said a few words about how much we love the bike tour and how much love the bike tour generates among everyone involved. I introduced my Mayor, and the mayor of West Hartford, Scott Slifka who rode in with us. Scott's been with us for two years now and is a great supporter of the ride. He and I made a deal to ride next year and I'm holding him (and myself to it!).

In dribs and drabs, people grabbed their bikes and slowly made their way back to their cars

No latter how long or high the hills, or how hot the sun was, or how many miles riders cycled around the state, they all had great energy and huge grins on their faces.






There are probably hundreds of people to thank for making this year’s tour not only possible, but incredible, and there’s no way I can know everyone who ought to be thanked. Here are a few from each area who helped make a difference.

Special thanks to Rep. Joe Taborsak for stopping by Wednesday evening in Danbury; John Rohr who negotiated the riders passage over some unexpected construction somewhere in western CT; Charlie Carroll in Bridgeport who insisted on keeping the city hall annex open for showers and rest for two riders; Robin Clark-Smith and Buddy her little dog for a fab dinner on the deck; Nate at Cycle Center in Stamford for opening his doors to us (and Danny’s seat post); Matt Feiner from the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop (ditto, Danny’s post); Peter George, bike mechanic extraordinaire and his wife Judy (and her famous cookies) in New London; Sandy and Paul Brindamour for feeding us out in the screen house(where Ron slept)and letting us crash at their home on the beautiful Niantic River; Mayor Popp from Groton and Dep. Mayor Cavanaugh from New London for their support in Groton; Senator Edith Prague who stepped off a motorcycle to greet our riders in Willimantic; and Mayor Scott Slifka from West Hartford. Also, thanks to Perception Programs and Alliance for Living for donating the SAG wagons and drivers, and the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective for the first aid kit. And to anyone I missed...I apologize!

Martin Luther King said, “Everyone can be great because anybody can serve. You only need a hear full of grace and a soul generated by love.” You all demonstrate that every day with your commitment and dedication to people living with HIV/AIDS.

And one final quote from Bobby Kennedy - “A revolution is coming — a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fourtunate enough."

This bike tour is our little revolution. It’s been an honor to meet each of you, to work with you and I look forward to continuing to change the world “by little and by little” with you.

Peace and love,
Shawn

REAL Day 4 - September 8, 2007, Groton-to-Groton

Kudos to...
Mark, Carlos, Jo, Nancy from Perception Programs for breakfast and dinner in the park...GREAT JOB!
Kathey Fowler, my sister from Windham Regional Community Council for staffing lunch and checking in with me about the AIDS LIFE Campaign (http://www.ctaidscoalition.org/alc.htm)
Nancy and Jim for driving the SAGs!
Ed, Sandy, Mike, etal from Alliance for Living.
Sandy and Paul for hosting Ron, Danny and I on Friday night (and Dan and Ron on Saturday)...hosts with the most, including an amazing view over the river!
And, John Benbow and the Pfizer Crew (Vickie, Peter, Steve and Sue) for fielding a team of really delightful people.


Other riders that day included:



Tim Evers (who was sporting a new ponytail) and his friend, Doug Barrett. Tim's been with us since 2002 and I consider him a friend. We didn't get much of a chance to talk, but I'm grateful for his friendship and for coming back year after year.
Mac and Diane Hitchcock, new riders to the tour...props to Mac for finishing the 62 despite not feeling so well.
Vickie who rode with Ron...both of whom looked like they were having a great time as the flew by me.
Peter who missed a turn (which hadn't been marked) and ended up riding the 62 instead of the intended 25 (When I apologized to him at the end he said, "well, I love a good workout.")
Steve (who along with John and Rich mapped out the original routes for this day) and Sue who I always have fun conversations with along the way.

There was lots of pretty spots along the route. The day was probably hotter than anyone would have liked, but it was beautiful and everyone departed on teh ride outs energetic, spirited and happy. It was a great day to reconnect with old friends and despite a couple of minor glitches, everything went really well.

Mayor Dennis Popp from Groton and Deputy Mayor Kevin Cavanaugh from New London joined us a read proclamations from each city and pledged their continued support of the CABT and the work that we do to end the AIDS crisis.

I was reminded of a quote from Nelson Mandela's 1994vinagural address when he was elected the first Black President of a free South Africa.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Everyone I know and have met on this year's bike tour is filled with that light. You feel it with each interaction. You can see it in the joy of the riders as they come off of tackling the next big hill or when they re-tell some funny story that happened along the way. They are an inspiration to me, and in turn I hope that they inspire you.

Danny and I both feel that bittersweet feeling knowing that Sunday is the last day of the tour, but more on that later after our celebration at the Pond House Cafe in Elizabeth Park.

CABT - Day 4, September 8, 2007

Groton to Groton Loops...

Here are the pictures from yesterday...


On the Green


Shawn and Martha


Pit Stop in Guilford


Matt Feiner and Danny Livingston



Val, Francie and Dawn - the Three Amigas


Mayor DeStefano


John Brennan, Alliance for Living


Amy at the Shore

View Along the Route

CABT -- Day 3

CABT Day 3 – September 7, 2007

A few things that I forgot to mention from Days 1 & 2….

Danbury – I forgot to mention and express our eternal gratitude to and for massage therapist Darryl and who we think of as the chiropractor to the stars (that would be us) the fabulous Jennifer Veit (and her 2 year old son, Will.)

Stamford – Center Cycle www.centercyclect.com

Bridgeport – Charlie Carroll, Mayor’s Chief of Staff who has joined us every year and arranges showers for the riders at the City Hall Annex, janitorial services, space, the works. Charlie has a personal connection to HIV/AIDS and has supported us as a true partner for the past few years.

Construction – I think we’ve run across more road work this year than every other. At one point somewhere between Litchfield and Danbury, the riders were able to walk their bikes across some construction, while I and John Rohr from Northwest AIDS Project had to guess our way back to the route (which we did!).

Back to Day 3…

Ron and Danny started the day around 7 AM on the road from Bridgeport to New Haven. I picked up Danny’s seat stem from his law office, got some DD de-caf and hit the road myself.

We all met up on the New Haven Green and Mayor John DeStefano joined us to wish the 6 riders well as they made their way to New London. Kellyann Day and the Recycled Riders Team were ready to go and 3 more riders joined us later in Old Lyme. Nancy was our SAG Wagon driver for the day with me as back up. Thanks to Nancy and Perception Programs for the use of their van.

Matt Feiner from the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop ( www.thedevilsgear.com )was once again on hand to offer tune ups and other minor repairs. He graciously worked on Danny’s seat stem and took him over to his shop for some in depth work.

Right before I turned down 146 to get to Branford, I spotted a Starbucks. Besides picking up a Venti de-caf, I grabbed the new Lyle Lovett CD and immediately popped it in for my ride. Tomorrow, I’ll list my CABT 2007 music list.

It was another incredibly beautiful day; and the heat didn’t seem to be an impediment. The part of the route that meandered through Branford was stunning. There were more egrets, geese, ducks and swans. The route as we neared New London was closer to the ocean and I drove more slowly so that I could smell the ocean air; which made me take a deep breath, relax a bit and smile.

The pit stop talk in Madison centered on things like the Borg from Star Trek (“resistance is futile”) and other TV shows including the “masturbation talk” scene from Weeds. (Hey! We’re AIDS activists; we can talk about sex!!”)

We had an independent group of riders today…a trio of women kind of had their own route so that two of them could ride a Century (100 miles); Ron stopped for a beer; Danny, Kellyann, Claude, Amy and Steve stopped for ice cream; and then Amy, Steve and Claude went to the beach!

Once into New London, the Alliance for Living crew – Sandy, Mike, Ed, Dave, Liz, John, Richard, Alan and Sue had a great spread laid out for us and Lee was there to provide massage and Angela gave some great chiropractic adjustments.

Those of us who were staying over, retired to Sandy Brindamour’s (AFL’s ED) for dinner, refreshments and conversation. Sandy made such a great meal for us.

I was mulling over the quote from Dorothy Day. I was thinking that it was a realistic portrayal of how we engage in social change…we do it “by little and by little”. It’s also a great metaphor for the bike tour in general…they cycle on the route by little and by little. As much as I’d like the revolution to be over and to have all things right in the world, I know in my heart that we make change – personal, institutional and cultural – by little and by little. And we need to be grateful for who we are, what we do and how we do it.

I’m having bittersweet feelings about the Grand Ride In into Elizabeth Park on Sunday. It’s a wonderful celebration of our accomplishments and it signals the end of another year of the bike tour. There’s always an emotional letdown post-tour. All a slice of life; and a tasty one at that.

Until the next post…be well, be yourself, let someone know that you love them.

Peace, my friends.


Check out pictures tomorrow...

Day 2 - September 6, 2007

The day started pretty early on. I noticed that as I was driving down 84 West that the highway's streetlights went off all at once. I'd never noticed that before and thought that it was a kind of cool start to the day. Despite annoying rush hour traffic on 84 around Exit 7, I made it to Danbury by 7:30 AM.

Danny and Ron were done with breakfast and getting the bikes and water bottles ready for the morning's ride out. Dennis Torres from Stamford shared some dissapointing news that a Stamford team had backed out at 5:30 PM the night before. And another rider canceled due to work issues early this morning.

Not to be deterred, Ron, Danny and I started out by 8:15 or so.

It was another gorgeous day, and the morning's ride had a few good hills, but the day's mileage and hills were small beans compared to the day before.

Danny Livingston is one of the co-founders of the Bike Tour and Ron Krom is one of the veteran 5-day riders. Ron's love of the hills on Day 1 is legendary among the bike tour folks!! So, we've all been together for the past five years, for all five days. You get to know people pretty well during events like this one. Despite my disappointment at losing riders; it was such an easygoing day hanging out with Danny and Ron, two guys I just love.




After a brief delay at a Cycle Center (thanks Nate!!) in Stamford to repair Danny's seat post, we made it into Stamford (with a police escort -- Thanks, Tom!) for an unbelievable lunch (food is a central topic on the CABT...riders need lots of it, and the local organizers have made sure we have enough AND a good deal of variety), good company and a wonderful welcome by Dr. Johnnie Lee, Stamford's Dir. of Health and Debra Katz, Director of Prevention. There was a lovely (HUGE) cake that welcomed the CT AIDS Bike Tour.



We departed for the final leg of the journey into Bridgeport traveling along the coast to catch glimpses of the shoreline to find more egrets, herons, gulls and geese enjoying the warm sun and cool sea breeze.

After a minor directional snafu (our own fault; it happens) at the Westport train station, we found the route and motored into Bridgeport to be met by a small, enthusiatic cheering group of staff from the Bridgeport Health Department, the Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program (GBAPP) and clients who helped us carry our gear into the city hall annex where another great meal was waiting.

We were interviewed by a rather crusty veteran reporter from the CT Post who seemed to talk more about himself rather than ask questions or really listen to what I was saying. When I told him that my regular job was the Director of Public Policy of the CT AIDS Resource Coalition, he grinned and said, "Oh, you're a lobbyist." I replied, "I have to register as a lobbyist, but I've been an AIDS advocate and activist for 20 years. I don't just talk with legislators; I do organizing and advocacy with people with HIV/AIDS, policy makers, CT state departments..." "You're a lobbyist," he kept saying. Danny and Ron also talked to him about the scope of my "work" but he was indeterred. I'm imagining that that will be what it says in the paper; which I'll be none too happy about!

Both Danny and Ron tried various bike shops to try to get parts; Ron struck out trying to get shims for his shoes and Danny made arrangements to get a new seat post to his office for me to pick up on my way to New Haven tomorrow morning.

Clients who were there said good-bye to us and thanked us for doing this for them. I always find that to be such a humbling experience after all these years. We're all grateful that we CAN do what little we do. I'm reminded of a quote by Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. She was asked how she could continue to go one working for peace and social justice over so many years, and she said she did it "by little and little." That's us. The bike tour is one of the little things we can do in hopes of making a bit of a difference in the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and in the public's perception about HIV/AIDS.

We retired to Robin Clark-Smith's house for a bit of socializing before I headed home and Danny and Ron went to bed.

It will be another long ride for Dan and Ron...about 90 miles from Bridgeport to New London. We'll meet at the New Haven Green and pick up Kellyann Day's Team, the Recycled Riders, and travel along the coast ending at the Alliance for Living in New London. More on that tomorrow.

It's hard to believe that this year's CABT will be more than halfway over at the end of the day tomorrow.

'Til next time, be well all.