In these times when the daily doom and gloom tests our anxieties, other moments revive our conviction in the core compassion of man. This weekend the Wisconsin AIDS Ride is one such occasion. Like Milwaukee’s AIDS Walk, it’s a fundraising event organized by the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. Formerly under Madison’s AIDS Network, ride veterans still affectionately call it by its familiar acronym, ACT, which stood for AIDS Network Cycles Together. A friend of mine, Pete Minns, refers to it that way. This will be his 14th. He’s volunteered for other AIDS Rides along the way, 20 in all. And for those who might know Minns (he’s a big guy), he works as crew, not as a rider. He assured his social media following of that fact in a recent post, citing the unspoken Wisconsin standard regarding the wearing of spandex shorts.
His involvement began in the mid-1990s when his employer began sexual diversity awareness programs. He found his niche volunteering within his LGBT community including AIDS rides and PrideFest (he volunteered with PrideFest for 16 years, serving on its board of directors and as the festival producer for nearly half that time). Recipient of the PrideFest Medal in 2014, he was granted producer emeritus status upon “retiring” in 2015.
Over the years, Minns’ role within ACT has varied. It’s been “all over the place,” as he says. Beginning as a phone bank operator he later became a crew captain for the ride itself. Today, his roll is “SAG (support and gear) and Sweep,” traveling the route and providing on-road support, such as fixing flats, assisting fallen riders and setting up signage and pit stops.
In the past, ACT was a weeklong affair. Today it’s a four-day/three-night excursion with a school providing a hub. This year it runs from Madison to Horicon. The process begins days before the ride. Minns and his crew load up his vehicle with donated food and drive out to the host school where accommodations are provided. Riders and crew sleep on air mattresses in the gym or outside in tents (sometimes Minns even slept under his van).
The opening ceremony and ride out take place on Thursday; on Sunday, the final day, Minns and his crew follow the last riders as a caboose. At the closing ceremony, the riders salute the crew with a traditional water bottle bath. “It’s the moment when the crew gets its rider love,” Minns told me. Minns, who takes his vacation time to volunteer, ponders his motivation. “There’s something about multi-day events where cohesive and supportive community is built. Riders and crew form a family. It’s largely the same people year after year. Many are motivated by friends and family affected by AIDS. Today, participants are more diverse because the disease has affected a much broader demographic. One of my first events had 12 riders; this year there will probably be 150. The ride can be exhausting, but seeing the riders arrive at the finish, it’s a ‘look what we have done’ moment.”
