Dr. Adam Carrico Participates in The Smart Ride
The SMART Ride (Southern Most AIDS/HIV Ride), a two-day, 165-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West, took place on November 15th and 16th for its fifteenth year.
“Our goal is to raise funds to assist organizations around Florida that provide the services necessary to educate those at risk and care for those diagnosed and affected by HIV and AIDS,” said Glen Weinzimer, founder and executive director of The SMART Ride.
Dr. Adam Carrico, associate professor of public health and psychology, whose research focuses on HIV, participated for the first time in this year's ride and was a part of the Broward House Give a Shift team.
“One of the best parts of these rides is that they raise a lot of awareness about HIV and that it’s not really a death sentence anymore, that it’s a manageable disease," Carrico said.
Carrico has been participating in AIDS rides since 2008. When he used to live in California, he recalled doing three rides from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
“Those were around 545-miles that took over six or seven days,” Carrico said. “I’m an HIV researcher, so it’s a nice way to get connected with all the real issues that matter, in terms of understanding people who live with HIV and the different medical and psychiatric comorbidities that they face.”
Since 2003, The SMART Ride has raised over $10.3 million, making it one of the largest HIV and AIDS bicycle rides in the country and is the only one to give back 100 percent of those funds to organizations. Each year, there are about 400 to 500 participants ages 18 to 73 from the state of Florida, as well as from around the country.
"If we can mobilize as a community, we can start to work towards ending the epidemic and a big part of that is eliminating the stigma that people with HIV experience," Carrico said. "I view these rides as a great way to raise money, but they’re also a huge intervention for our community.”
To learn more about The SMART Ride, please click here.
Written by Amanda Torres
Posted on May 9, 2019
