1 mile at a time - Rider raises money for AIDS cure

Uli Schackmann is riding her bicycle 5,800 miles from Anchorage, Alaska, to Key West, Fla., in order to raise money to find a cure for HIV/AIDS by 2020.

But along her journey, in addition to collecting funds, she's also collecting a wealth of stories and experiences, which have touched her deeply.

"It's not so much about the actual riding and the scenery," Schackmann said. "But it's really the people that I get in touch with, surrendering and trusting. And knowing everything will be OK."

A man donated an iPhone 6 to Schackmann at a restaurant in Headingley, Canada, just outside of Winnipeg. She talked to the manager about her journey and told him about her day, complete with bad weather and a lost cellphone. He told her he had two cellphones and could give one to her. She went back the next day to the thank the manager again, who told her why he donated the cellphone.

"He came over and said, 'I gave it to you because my friend died, and he died of AIDS,'" Schackmann said.

Schackmann stayed at the AmericInn in Baxter for a couple days this week, while she waited for a friend to meet her with a replacement cellphone and some supplies. She got a ride Wednesday morning with a friend to Minneapolis, where she'll meet and stay with another friend. From there, she'll ride on through Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Virginia, before heading south along the coast to Key West.

Schackmann participated in the first AIDS bike ride in Florida 20 years ago, which she approached as more of a physical challenge. But after participating in a three-day ride to raise funds for a disease that was heavily stigmatized, she got the chance to meet riders who were affected by the disease.

Since then, she has completed numerous rides for HIV/AIDS throughout the U.S. and Canada, but this is the longest ride she's ever undertaken. These past rides raised money for services for people living with AIDS, which is important, she said. But for this longer ride, she wanted to undertake a more ambitious goal of finding a cure for HIV/AIDS by 2020.

"It seems that we just supply more people to the agencies that we just raised the money for," Schackmann said. "It's not getting less people coming to the agencies getting services."

Schackmann isn't totally alone on her ride, as her black-haired Havanese service/therapy dog Jackson rides with her in a trailer she tows. Other than some training rides before they left, it's Jackson's first time riding along with Schackmann.

"This little guy is amazing," Schackmann said. "He's curious, he's well-behaved, he's just taking it all in."

In addition to her trailer for Jackson and four saddle bags, Schackmann flies a white flag featuring a red ribbon, a common symbol for AIDS awareness. Along the way, people Schackmann met attached small red ribbons to the red ribbon on the flag, in honor of people affected by HIV/AIDS.

Finding friends

So far, people Schackmann met along her ride have been helpful, kind, generous and supportive, she said. Some of her favorite memories so far include total strangers taking her home and giving her food and shelter. A Jamaican man in tiny South Junction, Manitoba, near the U.S.-Canada border, let Schackmann into his home. She slept on his family's couch and ate Jamaican jerk chicken with them.

"Absolutely wonderful," Schackmann said.

Schackmann got caught in a severe storm in Saskatchewan, Canada, that blew her off her bike, she said. It was raining and freezing cold, she said, but she made it to the next town, where she started screaming for help. A man picked her up, made her some cocoa and drove her to the next town with a hotel or a motel.

Schackmann ran into communication issues along her journey, because she had no cellphone service in Canada. Later on, she lost her cellphone all together. She did have her camera, though, and was still able to take pictures. Whenever she found internet service, she was able to check Facebook and update her followers on her progress.

"They all find it very inspiring and think it's amazing to meet all these amazing people on the road," Schackmann said.

Ride logistics

Schackmann left Anchorage in the beginning of May and wants to reach Key West by Nov. 18, in order to ride in the Southern Most AIDS/HIV Ride. She has participated in the two-day, 165-mile ride from Miami to Key West for 20 years.

Schackmann plans her route by looking at her maps each night and determining her route for the following day. She knew she wanted to go from the most northern point of the U.S., Alaska, to the most southern point, in Key West. She left Anchorage and headed north to Fairbanks, at which point she started heading back south. She wanted to cross the border into Minnesota, in order to experience Midwest hospitality.

Schackmann is trying to ride 50 miles each day, she said, but that's not always the case. Some days she's been hampered by the weather. She tries to catch a ride with someone when the weather gets too severe, or when she can't physically ride anymore that day.

Schackmann carries a sleeping bag and tent for sleeping outdoors, but has been sleeping in hotels or motels since reaching Calgary, Alberta. The weather would hover just above freezing overnight, she said, so she decided to start sleeping indoors.

The Yukon Territory in Canada was breathtaking because of all the wildlife, Schackmann said. She saw a grizzly bear with two cubs, which got her heart racing, she said. Saskatchewan was flat but beautiful in its own way, she said, as was Manitoba. She was excited to cross over the U.S.-Canada border in Minnesota and see the U.S. flag.

"It's like, 'Hey, I'm coming home again, let me come in,'" Schackmann said.

The physical toll of the ride has been tough, Schackmann said. She can pedal, walk and run, but sitting down and getting up is difficult. In the mornings, her pinky fingers are stuck in a curled position, from gripping the handlebars so much.

FACTBOX

Visit www.ulisjourney.com for more information on Schackmann's ride. People can support her cause by donating at GoFundMe or Crowdrise, by searching for "Uli's Journey." Money donated there goes to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy, according to its website.