Alasaka Bike Ride for an AIDS Vaccine

By Doug Sovern

Doug at the summit of Kala Pattar, with Mount Pumori in the background.

Editor’s Note: Though Doug doesn’t use these words, we believe that his charitable bicycle ride to give back to the community is like the boon of his adventure to Everest, just like Jason brought back the Golden Fleece, so too does Doug return with a prize.

I recently returned from Everest, which was the trip of a lifetime. Now I’m embarking on a new adventure, to make sure other people even HAVE a lifetime. In August, I will participate in the first-ever Alaska AIDS Vaccine Ride. Two thousand of us will pedal our bikes 510 miles in six days, from the tiny town of North Pole, Alaska to Anchorage. Each rider must raise at least in tax-deductible donations. The money will directly benefit the cutting-edge research of three renowned medical teams working to develop a vaccine against AIDS, at UCLA, Emory University and the Aaron Diamond Research Center in New York, led by Time Magazine Man of the Year Dr. David Ho. In my journey through Africa last year, I saw how this disease is devastating our planet. Now travels to good use, by doing what I can to help stop the epidemic.