In September this year, I’ll take another five days out of my life to ride my bike 400 miles from Montreal, Canada to Portland, Maine, in the first ever Canada -> US AIDS Vaccine Ride.

As with the Alaska AIDS Vaccine Ride of last year, I’ll be riding to raise money for three research teams working towards the eradication of AIDS by vaccine.

While Alaska can be summed up as a survival test: battling snow, rain, cold, isolation, narrow roads shared with semis and rv’s, unpaved roads and sleeping in gravel pits (but sadly no bears or moose!), this year’s ride will be a less harrowing exploration of the Northeastern part of the country. This is Pallotta TeamWorks' first international event. 1,500 people will pedal from Montreal, the second-largest French-speaking metropolis outside of France, and head for the US border. We'll ride through maple syrup, blueberry, and dairy country in Vermont, alongside 100-year-old weathered fences and barns and 25 shades of Vermont mountain green until we head east across the blossoming foliage of New Hampshire and past the lighthouses of Maine. It is supposed to be spectacularly pretty that time of year, but will still provide some challenging hills to test us.

I need your help with fundraising. My minimum this year is $3,500. I’d love to raise more and end my AIDS ride ‘career’ on a high note! As before, all contributions are tax deductible. You can pay in one lump sum, or 3 credit card payments. You can donate now, and again later, should you feel like it! You can even donate online at www.vaccineride.org (My rider number is 30196)

Unfortunately, despite new drugs and continuing education, we are still no closer to ending the AIDS epidemic. Much hope in winning this war is now intently focused on the development of a vaccine. Here are some reasons why:

- The miracle drugs known as protease inhibitors, widely available in the US, are far too expensive and complicated for the poor nations of the world. Fewer than 2% of those infected have access to these drugs.

- Of the current 34.3 million cases of AIDS and HIV worldwide, at least 30 million are the poorest of the poor, living on less than $2 a day. The typical protease inhibitor regimen costs $12,000 a year. Sadly, these people are written off. "They're all dead already," a U.S. Official told The Washington Post. "They're just still walking around."

- Of the total worldwide cases, 23 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the countries affected, like Botswana, Tanzania, and Namibia have seen the life expectancies of their people plummet as a result of AIDS.

- The President of Botswana recently warned of the oncoming extinction of his people. One of every three adults is infected. Life expectancy there, which reached as high as 62.5 years in 1990, has plummeted to less than 35.

- According to Nelson Mandela, in South Africa one out of every two young people will die of AIDS.

- The Tanzanian President has said that AIDS is now affecting the nation's economy because much of the work force is dying.

- 450,000 Americans have died of AIDS since the onset of the disease. In Africa, 13 million have died.

- The magnitude of the death that will occur in these poor nations over the next ten years would lead you to believe that the numbers are wrong. The death toll will occur swiftly, probably within ten years. During that time some twenty million people will die, and, in the absence of a vaccine, another 50 million will become infected. That number is correct — 50 million people.

- As adults die, their children become orphaned. Already 12 million orphans wander the dusty village streets of Africa parentless, homeless, and vulnerable to exploitation.

- In the absence of a vaccine, 16,000 people will be infected, not every year, or every month, or every week, but every day.

In light of these statistics, an idyllic 400 mile ride through beautiful scenery seems the least I can do.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.