AIDS Lifecycle - Ride to end AIDS
     

Tristan Yen Alcantara Mendoza | AIDS/LifeCycle 8
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One More Off My List Of Things To Do Before I Die

Guess what I'm going to do to make a real difference this year. That's right, folks. I'm riding to help end AIDS. From May 31 to June 6, I'm bicycling in AIDS/LifeCycle 8. It's a seven-day, 545-mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles aimed to help fight HIV and AIDS.

Make note though. I'm not doing this only because I'm the HIV Prevention Coordinator of the Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County. It has always been a goal of mine to do something incredible for my body too. And, I'm already at that age where I feel like I have to do one soon, or it might be too late. So, what better way to unify three things in my head than this. The desire to push the limits of my body, the dedication to help an important cause and the determination to cross off one more life goal are my driving force for this event.

Many of you are probably wondering why I have Yen together with my name Tristan. Yen is the second part of my first name. It's actually my dad's nickname. His real first name is Ireneo. And, the other major reason I'm riding is to honor him. I've always loved my dad. We're not that close, but he's someone I'd like to have some beer with one day and say, "Your boy did it."

Anyway, enough about me and more about this fundraiser. Please help me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation by giving what you can. We'll keep riding until HIV and AIDS are a thing of the past. Thank you very much.

AIM - tristanyen

Yahoo! Messenger - ionicgrey

My AIDS/LifeCycle 8 Blog

Topics

Got New Pedals
I'm excited as fuck. Can't you tell? I can ride better now.

by Tristan Yen Mendoza on Fri, Apr 03, 2009 @ 2:41 PM

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Getting Up Again
Since I started using my new bicycle, I've had two major falls already. I'm experiencing a whole lot of firsts with this training, and I'm loving every bit of it. Yes, even the falls. Whenever I get up again, I feel revitalized and ready to conquer once more. I just really hope I don't fuck up too much before the actual ride.

by Tristan Yen Mendoza on Sun, Feb 22, 2009 @ 4:00 PM

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My Two Boys
I just bought a new bicycle last Thursday. It's a Fuji Absolute 2.0. A hybrid. I love it. Now, I have two boys. My mountain one wouldn't make it to the actual ride, so I have to get one that will work for me. However, each baby will always remain special to me.

by Tristan Yen Mendoza on Sat, Feb 14, 2009 @ 12:27 PM

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Missing My Rides
It's not a good feeling to miss even just one of my training sessions. Aside from the fact that it's so hard to catch up, I feel like I'm getting less and less motivated as the days go by. I need to really get my act together for this. I need to focus. I can't miss one more ride in the future.

by Tristan Yen Mendoza on Sun, Feb 08, 2009 @ 9:32 PM

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Changing My Diet
This is not the first time I've made a major diet change. But, this is the first time I'm doing it for a very particular event. Before, I just wanted to experience being, say, a vegetarian or maybe take off my clothes more often during summer. Now, it's all about being perfectly fit for this ride of a lifetime. I started last Sunday. I decided to have a heavy lunch full of stuff that would normally make me throw up. My goal that day was to consume about 1,000 more calories than my usual. Well, yes, I obviously threw up that night after attempting to burn them all right away. Lesson's been learned now. So, I'm on it. I'll do my best to keep a strict diet. And, hopefully, my body will soon adapt completely. I can't wait to see my body hotter than it usually is. Just kidding.

by Tristan Yen Mendoza on Tue, Feb 03, 2009 @ 10:33 PM

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