When you read these haunting words of purpose from Robert Frost, … you must remember a time when you felt drained but sure:

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

This certainty, written on the exhausted features of the 16 Ride Far cyclists and their 10-member support crew when they stopped at the Harvard General Store, mile 487.8, on Sept. 13, made young and old take note.

Ride Far, America’s oldest HIV/AIDS bike-a-thon, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, in the tradition that was started in 1989: with cyclists riding for five grueling days, covering 500 miles, making this the country’s longest ride of its kind.

Suzy Becker of Bolton, a well-known author of children’s books, decided more than 20 years ago that she had to do something about the catastrophic AIDS epidemic, and since organizing the bike-a-thon, has not stopped trying to make a difference. In a statement on the Ride Far website, Becker says, “Back in our 20s, 30s, and 40s, if you had told us we’d be doing Ride Far in our 40s, 50s, and 60s, we wouldn’t have believed you. We believed there would be a cure. And a vaccine. We believed there would be universal access to both. None of us ever thought HIV/AIDS would go on to infect 39 million. Or kill 25 million people. Or decimate a generation of Africans.”

A group of Ride Far bicyclists pose in front of the General Store on a break from their Sept. 13 ride through Harvard.  (Courtesy photo)

To date, the Ride Far team has raised more than $1 million, every cent of which gets allocated to organizations that are meeting the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Dedicated volunteers and sponsors mean there are no administration, food, lodging, advertising, or overheads costs.

The support crew spends five days and four nights on the road, rising at 4 a.m., feeding the riders, and offering them encouragement throughout the day, rain or shine. Former Harvard resident Bill Latimer was there on the 13th for his third year as a member of the crew.

Riders like Winnie Homer-Smith, who traveled from San Francisco to participate in the ride, don’t fit the stereotype of typical marathon riders. Watching the petite marathon veteran, who rides with the same determination of riders much younger, makes you wonder what you accomplished during the last five days.

Four of the riders were first-timers in the marathon. One, when asked what the best part of the event was, quickly responded, “It’s the people.” The worst, he quietly confided, were the vehicles that shared the road with them during the rainstorms that seemed to follow them for much of the ride. The rain brought reduced visibility to drivers and bicyclists alike, he said, demanding that the cyclists be more watchful than ever as they endured the stinging, cold rain.

Ride Far participants train all summer and pound the pavement relentlessly with a sense of purpose that fills onlookers with pride and admiration. Team members plan, sweat, raise money, and ride hard for days, living the words of Frost: “We have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.” Somewhere in the world, a victim of this dreaded disease gets a little more help and a little more hopethanks to the riders.

It was a good day when Ride Far rode into Harvard.

Adam Horowitz is one of the owners of the Harvard Press.