The Life Foundation
Four bikers-- Michael Harper of Oahu, Terry Taylor
of Kauai, Mike Tauber of Laguna Beach, Calif., and
Brian Frank of Los Angeles -- take a siesta on Kauai
during day two of the 1998 Paradise Ride.

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Pedaling
through paradise

Paradise Ride fund-raiser is
expected to draw 80 cyclists in
support of Hawaii's AIDS service
organizations, double last year's number

By Heather Tang
Star-Bulletin

Surgical technician Richard Cheney never thought a 450-mile bike ride could be so quick and painless.

"The weather was perfect, the routes were incredible. Everyone was riding with a common goal; it was a lifetime experience," said Cheney, a past participant of the Paradise Ride, a four-island charity bike ride for Hawaii AIDS service agencies.

"It's an opportunity to do a lot of mental reflection in the midst of Hawaii's beautiful weather," he said.

Paradise can be found within as well as around participants during the seven-day event.

"Everybody who does it goes through a lot of different feelings and experiences. You come back changed for the better," said past rider, Richard Barton. "It's challenging and rewarding on all levels -- physically, emotionally, spiritually. It's more than just a bike ride."

The Life Foundation
Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998; and Newton Chun,
an attorney with Torkildson Katz Fonseca Jaffe Moore
& Hetherington, pause for refreshment at Uncle Billy's
Restaurant on the Big Island during last year's event.

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The event was life-affirming for Barton, who tested positive for HIV in 1984.

"Three years ago, I didn't know if I was going to be around for six more months. To have gotten next to death and be able to come back and do something as physical as this is incredible," he said.

The 2nd annual Paradise Ride will take place July 24-31. It includes routes on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu.

Proceeds benefit AIDS service agencies on all four islands. Along with a $200 registration fee that covers interisland transportation and food, participants must raise a minimum of $2,000.

Last year, more than $78,000 was raised.

Organizers expect about 80 participants for the week-long event, more than double last year's draw, which brought riders from the mainland and foreign countries.

According to Kevin Taylor, a semi-retired participant from New Zealand, the event is a chance for diverse groups of people to share a commitment to help others and ease the pain caused by AIDS.

"I feel very passionate about AIDS and people's awareness of it. Even in New Zealand, people around the world are still fairly ignorant of it," he said. "During the seven days of hard riding, there are a lot of moments when you're thinking about friends who have died from the virus. It's a very emotional experience.

"I didn't know what I was in for when I arrived but it ended up being one of the greatest experiences of my life," said Taylor. He was one of the three New Zealanders who after last year's ride returned home and convinced six more of their friends to join this year's event.

The ride allows tourists and locals alike to experience Hawaii in a unique way, said Paul Groesbeck, executive director of the organizing sponsor, the Life Foundation.

Day 1 of the seven-day event begins with a ride through windward Oahu to the north shore, followed by two days of coasting through Kauai's waterfalls, forests, beaches, and coastlines. Day 4 takes cyclers to Kona, riding along the Mamalohoa Highway to the Paniolo country of Waimea, followed by the next day's pedal southward along the windward coast to Hilo. A flight to Maui begins day 6 and an exploration of the Valley Isle. From Kahului, the ride winds along the northwest shoreline and travels through the resorts of Kapalua, Ka'anapali, and Lahaina. Day 7 includes a short ride north and eastward to Paia. Here riders can pause to watch the windsurfers navigate the towering waves, before circling back to camp in Kahului for closing celebrations.

For those wary of physical challenges, Barton has this advice.

"Just do it," he said. "It's a great opportunity to come together with people from all different walks of life who all care about the same things and come together in a real spirit of supporting each other and pushing each other to make it through a journey."

"People of all levels of experience and fitness go out and do it. Level and ability don't matter, it's a ride, not a race," said Dean McPhail, part of the team of riders from Starbucks coffee that raised $11,000 last year.

"It's one of the best ways I can imagine to see Hawaii," he said.

For more information, call 521-2437.

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calendars and events.