By:Elizabeth Sagarin
Over the hills and through the woods, Monte and Mindy Leeper of Oceanside will go while they traverse 350 miles on bicycles over four days in Tanqueray's Northeast AIDSRide.
It's going to be a real challenge, but I'm looking forward to it, said Mindy, who is the director of JASA/Long Beach Senior Center.
The ride, which began early this morning, is expected to raise $9 million for three not-for-profit organizations offering direct services to persons living with or affected by HIV or AIDS.
As a requirement to participate in the ride from Bear Mountain, N.Y., to Boston, the couple had to fulfill a number of demands, including raising $2,100 each and signing a medical waiver.
Just a week prior to the event, the couple admitted to being a few hundred dollars short of their combined goal of $4,200.
Monte, who operates an architecture firm out of his home, believes people's perceptions about the virus and disease were partly responsible for putting a kink in their collective chain.
I wonder if it's the cause, because it can be sexually transmitted, he said, trying to account for the lackluster response to the 500 sponsorship forms he and Mindy sent out to friends, family and business associates.
For a 1998, 110-mile Children's Leukemia Society fundraising ride in Arizona, Monte said he was easily able to raise $4,500 by himself.
With so many children infected with AIDS, it's really sad, he said, while his wife looked on in agreement.
According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 733,374 cases of AIDS had been reported in the United States as of December 1999. Of those cases, 8,718 were children under 13 years old; 609,326 were male and 124,045, female.
However, despite their theory, the couple was fairly confident that the rest of the required pledge would come through before the ride. Otherwise, they would have to come up with the money on their own or have a fellow rider who has exceeded the goal compensate for them.
The big commitment to fundraising for the ride, the couple said, had to be matched by a large physical and a relatively large financial commitment.
Between postage, the registration fees and equipment beyond what they usually use to go riding, the couple estimates they spent close to $500 since signing on in January.
Gearing up physically, for the Leepers, meant riding long distances every weekend.
Mindy had a steeper hill to climb.
Although for the past three years she has ridden in fundraisers that averaged 25 miles, she wasn't up to her husband's speed.
Monte has been riding since high school and was able to reach the 50-mile mark in one shot before the Leepers committed to the AIDSRide.
Now, Mindy, 44, is able to ride for 50 miles, and Monte, also 44, is able to ride 100.
I'm excited for her. This is a monumental thing for her, he said. What really impressed me is, instead of learning to operate a boat, she has decided to pilot the Titanic.
Since all registrants are required to set up camp each of the three nights they'll be on the road, Monte planned on leaving his wife in the dust. At the end of the day, all I want her to do is rest, he said.
However, the walkie-talkies they brought along will help them stay connected throughout the daily rides, which last from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Along the way, there are pit stops for lunch. And a bus is available to riders who are unable to complete the ride. Breakfast and dinner are two other meals the riders won't have to be responsible for making. The organizer of this and four other events like it this year, Pallotta TeamWorks, has taken care of it.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Mindy said.
Sponsorships after the completion of the ride will be accepted. To sponsor the Leepers in their efforts, make checks payable to Tanqueray's Northeast AIDSRide and send them c/o The Leepers, 414 Road, Oceanside, N.Y. 11572.
Editor's note: Monte Leeper is a contributing writer to the Herald Homes section.
