“That must be your brother. He died 6 days after mine.” Commenting on the birth and death dates listed under the picture of a young man taped to the jersey of the rider standing next to her is how Tracy Daugherty met Mary Harding amid 1,000 cyclists waiting for the Vancouver, BC start of the 1997 Ride for a Reason. By the time they reached Seattle, 4 days and 250 miles later, the duo had recognized a shared commitment to carry forward the work each of their brothers had begun – to spread the truth about HIV/AIDS, ease the burden of those affected by it and eradicate its stigma. Each year since, if a cycling opportunity failed to present itself, they created one, including the 2002 Breakthrough Ride from a Seattle suburb to San Francisco. The 3 cyclists and 4 road crew recruited an extended network of colleagues, friends, acquaintances, and family of friends to house, feed and share their message along the 1,000-mile route to San Francisco, garnering over $35,000 to hand-deliver to the UCSF AIDS Research Institute.
Seattle-area registrants in the inaugural Alaska AIDS Vaccine Ride came together in 2000 to train for that late August ride from Fairbanks to Anchorage and formed the Puget Sound Riders team. That experience bound the team in an annual commitment to use a cycling event to spread the word that HIV is a pandemic that still needs attention and funding. Despite its regional name, the Puget Sound Riders welcome anyone to join and includes a global network of participants and supporters. The 2007 PSR registered in the Empire State AIDS Ride welcomed a new teammate, the Phil Zwickler Charitable and Memorial Foundation Trust. Tracy reached out to meet Foundation Trustee, Allen Zwickler and discovered a kindred spirit in a sibling bound to carry on the legacy of a brother whose life was tragically cut short by HIV/AIDS. The Foundation has gone on to supply connections to further a shared message, including an article in the November 2007 edition of Poz magazine, showed up to cheer the PSR across the finish line, and get in a visit whenever they are in the Pacific NW.
“Allen, his sister and co-Trustee, Caren, and the entire Foundation have been unfailing supporters of our efforts and ride beneficiaries. Their example contributes to the strong backbone of the Puget Sound Riders and our shared goal of ending HIV/AIDS.”
Under the banner of the Puget Sound Riders, Tracy, Mary, and their vast network of advocates continue to spread the same message from the seat of a bicycle, from coast to coast and border to border. Collectively, the Puget Sound Riders have donated more the $600,000 to local AIDS service organizations and HIV/AIDS vaccine research.
“I started this journey as a sister, honoring the memory of a brother. Decades of pedaling, of stories shared on slow, steep climbs, hunkered down in a violent rainstorm or standing in a food line, short notes in donation envelopes, names murmured with a hand dipped into a tip jar, the enthusiasm of young scientists newly inspired by the example of our pledge has resulted in a much larger family to honor; a new generation to protect. As long as I’m able, I’ll ride for the same reason – to put HIV/AIDS in our past.”