Each of the 2,340 cyclists and 600 volunteer roadies in the just-completed massive AIDS/LifeCycle fundraiser was given a unique bib number at the start of the race, but all crossed the finish line last Saturday wearing the same number on their helmets to honor a beloved veteran rider who had died midway through the 545-mile journey.
Event organizers announced that San Francisco cyclist Edna Flores-Lagunte, 41, riding in her 13th LifeCycle, suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday, June 4 and died in the hospital the following day. She is survived by her husband and fellow rider, Richard Lagunte.
"She was a wonderful woman," Ryan McKeel, spokesman for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told the Bay Area Reporter . "She was so beloved and will be deeply missed."
To enable her to cross the finish line symbolically, the final day of the race the cyclists rode with her number, 1371, on their safety helmets.
McKeel said the riders raised a record $15 million this year, shattering the previous record of $14.5 million. The funds are used to support HIV/AIDS programs at SFAF and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Event organizers said condolences on the passing of Flores-Lagunte may be sent to: Richard Lagunte, 3008 Alemany Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94112
Pride Run registration
Online registration is open for this year's 35th annual Pride Run, Saturday, June 28. The beneficiary for this year's event, organized by San Francisco Frontrunners, is Castro Community on Patrol. The 5- and 10-kilometer races start at 9 a.m. in Golden Gate Park. Registration information is available at www.sffr.org.
Frameline 38 sports films
Sports junkies will have ample offerings to watch in this year's Frameline 38. The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival offers a variety of sports-related films, dealing with surfers, divers and swimmers, a transgender basketball player, and roller derby fanatics.
Among the jockathon offerings:
Back on Board is a 90-minute documentary about gay Olympic diver Greg Louganis, long removed from the glory of his brilliant successes in the 1980s. His sexual orientation, at first just rumored and then later publicly acknowledged, kept him from getting the endorsement opportunities other photogenic male Olympic champions of his and other generations took for granted. Louganis is expected to make a personal appearance at the Wednesday, June 25 premiere at the Castro Theatre.
Derby Crazy Love explores the world and history of women's roller derby, one of the few pre-Title IX women-dominated sports outlets that was a haven for lesbian athletes. The film is directed by Frameline veterans Maya Gallus and Justine Pimlott, who previously showcased Punch Like a Girl and Girl Inside. The 68-minute film shows with the 13-minute documentary The L Riders, featuring five lesbian motorcycle riders finding expression and empowerment on their two-wheeled steeds. The films will be shown Saturday, June 21, at the Roxie.
Out in the Line-Up pairs eye candy and heartache in a 78-minute documentary on gay athletes in the oppressively hetero Bay Watch culture of surfing. The film documents the friendship and experiences of Australian champion surfer Dave Wakefield and gaysurfers.net founder Thomas Castets. The June 27 showing is preceded by Clan , an eight-minute short on the coming out of an indigenous Australian rugby player.
Gender Games offers a special treat for Bay Area residents with its exploration of our own Gabrielle Ludwig, who drew national attention when, in her 50s, the 6-foot-7 transgender woman rejoined college women's basketball and led her team to the league championship. The nine-minute documentary screens Monday, June 23, as part of the "Transtastic!" collection of films.
Floating Skyscrapers is a dramatic exploration of love and lust in a swimming pool locker room in repressive modern-day Poland. The audience at the Thursday, June 26 showing at the Roxie will get into the mood for the film with Home from the Gym , six dialogue-free minutes of a young man changing in a locker room.
Boys is a Dutch drama with subtitles about two adolescent track athletes struggling with their budding attraction for each other. It is a coming out story that reminds us that the battle for acceptance is fought against the voices within us as much as the voices around us. The film screens Saturday, June 28.
Full descriptions and information and schedules and tickets are available at frameline.org.