Why We Ride: The Story of AIDS/LifeCycle, from filmmakers Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll, is the inspiring story of thousands of cyclists and volunteers banding together to create the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser on the planet. Filmed during the ride's tenth anniversary, the independent short documentary captures the moments and the people who make up the AIDS/LifeCycle community and pour their heart and soul into the event.
Last summer, 2,350 bicyclists and 600 volunteer "roadies" raised a record $13+ million for vital HIV/AIDS services. The seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles began on June 5th, 2011, the exact 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of AIDS in the United States. Riders came from nearly every state and 11 countries to support San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
Whiteside and Stoll skillfully capture the experience of the event as they travel alongside the participants from one end of California to the other. For the entire week of the event, the filmmakers had unrestricted access to all aspects of AIDS/LifeCycle. As a result, they take the audience on an intimate journey through the ups and downs, both physically and emotionally, of this epic ride.
"Traveling down the coast of California with AIDS/LifeCycle, we had the challenge of making a film about 3,000 people with 3,000 different stories," says co-director Whiteside. "It took us a day or two to realize this was the story of AIDS/LifeCycle—that people of every stripe and background, all affected in one way or another by HIV/AIDS, have found a way to come together and fight this horrible disease. There is sadness, of course, for everyone who couldn't be there, but the event is overwhelming hopeful. That's the story we wanted to tell."
Many participants struggle to convey the true essence of AIDS/LifeCycle when they get back home to their family and friends. They find it difficult to adequately convey the life-changing experiences of the ride. Through this film, Whiteside and Stoll give everyone a chance to see AIDS/LifeCycle from the inside, to hear the stories of heroism from participants, and to understand why people support this event and come back to it year after year.
For more information about AIDS/LifeCycle and to see more of Whiteside and Stoll's coverage of the ride, visit www.aidslifecycle.org.