“I tied the scarf to my handlebars and, let’s just say, I had some emotional moments with Michael along the way,” Cunningham said months later, still teary-eyed. “I promised him I would ride all 200 miles if he kept me company. We both came through.”
Cunningham and Pryor are just two of the hundreds of local cyclists who rode north from the Evanston campus of Northwestern University, returning the next day after pedaling for 200 miles.
“It was life-changing,” Cunningham said. “I experienced just about every emotion you can have over the course of the weekend.”
Cunningham, 39, is the senior manager for Baker Tilly. Pryor, 43, is in the military. They have been together for seven years and live in Chicago’s Bowmanville neighborhood.
The 2011 ride was their first—each already is registered for the 2012 Ride, set for July 14-15.
“I had no idea I even wanted to do the ride [in 2011],” Cunningham said. “Angie Frank posted on Facebook that they were looking for riders for Team Cheetah. It was interesting timing for me because I made a resolution, ‘to be a better steward to my community’ in 2011. I saw Angie’s post and it hit me that this is exactly what I was trying to do.
“Through the training, I met some amazing people who have become very dear friends. I also had friends [who] I’ve known for a long time share their HIV status with me. The process and experience became more personal than I had imagined. Most people do the ride because they have some personal connection to the disease or they signed up for the personal challenge of the ride. I was somewhere in the middle.”
The first outdoor training ride was awful, Cunningham recalls. She had two flat tires and wiped out on Tower Road.
Months later, “Finishing the ride was bitter sweet,” Cunningham said. “Team Cheetah rode the last five miles together. We felt every bump on Sheridan Road and it seemed like forever [before] we got into the [finisher’s] ceremony. Rounding the last corner, you can’t help but cry. [We were] happy to be finished, proud of [the] personal accomplishment, sad for the countless individuals who died and for the thousands who continue to live each day with HIV/AIDS. That’s the reason we all continue to participate in the ride
“The best part of the ride is the friendships. We [still] get together with the people we met from the ride every chance we get.
Pryor added: “Over the course of seven months, I met the most amazing people who shared the belief that we had the power to change the lives of those affected by AIDS one pedal stroke at a time. The ride became a passion instead of an event. I was a team co-captain and, before I knew it, I was knee deep into fundraising, meetings, training, riding clinics and more—it didn’t take over my life; it lifted it to a higher level.
“The memories from the ride really come down to human connectivity. It has had a lasting positive impact on my life and helped me realize how empowered I am to help others. The friendships cultivated over the riding season made every mile worth it. I rarely walk anywhere in Andersonville without running into someone who rode [in the event, or was part of the] crew, or someone who donated to [my fundraising], or someone who coached me, or someone who cheered for me. Kevin Bacon has nothing on the Ride For AIDS Chicago.”
So is the ride difficult?
Both laughed. “It was the hardest, most fulfilling thing I have ever done,” Cunningham said. “Physically, hell yes it was difficult. I affectionately referred to my thighs as ‘Sara Lee and Little Debbie’ and when you start pedaling up a crazy Wisconsin hill, you start to doubt yourself. But then you think about all of the people who donated just because you asked them to. You start thinking about the HIV-positive riders out there who would rather take on the biggest hill versus face a disease that comes with so much pain and [a] stigma.”
Pryor added: “It was very challenging, but I felt very physically prepared and incredibly inspired.”
Yes, the pain was worth it, each said. That includes every sore muscle, scrape, sunburn and bug bite.
Cunningham raised close to $4,000 for Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) through her 2011 Ride. Pryor raised $2,500. Their 32-member Team Cheetah raised more than $62,000 in 2011, well over the team’s initial goal: $34,000.
“I never considered not doing the 2012 Ride,” Cunningham said. “Even when I was at Mile 73 on Day 2, when I had a total meltdown, I thought, ‘Next year I need to train different.’
“This year, not only are we doing the ride [again], but we are committed to getting more friends to join us.”
Cunningham wants to expand Team Cheetah for the 2012 Ride to 50 members.
“I’m riding so that one day there is no such thing as Ride For AIDS Chicago,” Pryor said. “I’m hoping this is the last year, but, if AIDS is still around in 2013, I’ll be back and each year after until AIDS is gone.”
Cunningham is the fundraising co-chair for the 2012 Ride, and organizers are shooting to raise $750,000 through the 2012 Ride. The 2011 Ride raised about $500,000.
“The [2011] ride was an interesting experience for us because it allowed both of us to help each other,” Cunningham said. “When I told Yvette we each needed to raise $1,000 she confided that she would rather ride another 100 miles versus ask anyone for money. I, [meanwhile,] would rather raise $2,000 and knock 100 miles off the event. Together, we both managed to exceed both our fundraising goals and each completed the 200 miles. We couldn’t have done it without each other.”
Added Pryor: “We rode every mile together, combining our strengths and compensating for our weaknesses. We picked each other up when one was feeling a little tired or low.
“200 miles, 2 dogs and 7 years [together] —I think there is a country song in there somewhere.”
For more information about the 2012 Ride For AIDS Chicago, go to: rideforaids.org. For more information about their Team Cheetah, or to donate, go to: bit.ly/TeamCheetahRFAC
This story is part of the Local Reporting Initiative, supported in part by The Chicago Community Trust.