The fifth annual AIDS/Lifecycle came to a close June 10 in Los Angeles, where more than 2,200 participants rolled across the finish line at the West Los Angeles VA Center.

The ride raised more than $8 million from 70,000 donors. All funds r`ised will directly benefit the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s HIV/AIDS-related services and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, two of the largest and oldest community-based HIV/AIDS service providers in the nation.

The Gay & Lesbian Times caught up with San Diego personal trainer Les Romack to see how he fared in the seven-day, 585-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Gay & Lesbian Times: How many years have you participated in rides to benefit AIDS?

Les Romack: I did my first ride in 1998 in Texas. It was a seven-day ride from Austin through Houston to Dallas.

In 2000, I did the California ride, the D.C. ride and the Twin Cities ride – 17 days and somewhere around 1,500 miles in about six weeks. In 2001, I decide to do the California and D.C. rides again…. This was my first Lifecycle, but my seventh ride.

Editor’s note: The first California AIDS Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles took place in 1994. The event took place annually until 2000 and was produced by Pallotta TeamWorks. Other rides took place in the Twin Cities, Chicago, Boston, New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

GLT: How did you first get involved in the AIDS/Lifecycle?

LR: I read an article about the California ride, the first of its kind, in a fitness magazine sometime around 1996 and thought it was an amazing event.

In 1998, I met some people in Dallas who were doing the first Texas ride and I figured, what the hell. I thought it would be a once in a lifetime experience, but I immediately fell in love with the event. I decided on the second day of my first ride that I was going to do all of the rides in 2000.

GLT: Why have you done so many rides for AIDS over the years?

LR: I took about five years off. I felt like I had done enough biking and I wanted to try something new. In 2002, I did the Baltimore Marathon and raised money for a local AIDS charity, but it was not the same. The ride is an incredible experience. It is amazing to see people from all walks of life and from all over the world united in such an amazing way.

GLT: How difficult was it to raise the $2,500 minimum?

LR: It was fairly difficult. I found that a lot of people, especially in the gay community, just don’t care anymore. I have to admit, it made me angry and sad. I do, however, thank everyone who did support me because they give me hope.

GLT: What was a major memory you had from this year’s ride?

LR: I was reunited with a lot of friends from all over the country, all of which have done many rides. We have such a different view of the ride after doing so many of them.

This year I was able to experience the ride through the eyes of a first-time rider again.

I rode with my friend Mike, and it was great to see the change in him as the days passed.

Watching Mike deal with the unknown, the pain and the roller coaster of emotions was a gift I will always cherish.

GLT: What was the hardest segment of the ride for you this year?

LR: I had a rough time on a few of the days. The second day was 109 miles of pretty flat terrain, but it was hot, about 95 degrees, and we had almost no shade all day.

GLT: What was your training regimen like?

LR: I don’t have a car so I bike everywhere I go. I would also go on at least one long ride per week – 20 to 60 miles – and do three or four days a week on the stationary bike at the gym.