For the first time, House of Representatives staffers have assembled their own team for the local summer bicycle ride to fight HIV/AIDS. Eleven staffers are currently training for the Tour de Friends, a four-day, 330-mile bike ride from Raleigh, N.C., to Washington, taking place June 19-22.

"It's a combination of riding because it's a good cause and because it's fun," said House Clerk Jeff Trandahl, who is participating in his 11th AIDS bike ride. House Curator Farar Elliot said she signed up because helping out a cause like this is definitely worth incurring some "saddle sores." "Biking is all about endurance. People living with AIDS are in a constant battle of endurance," said Elliott. For more than a month now, staffers have been gearing up individually and with group rides in local areas such as Mount Vernon, Va. Trandahl said that working with a larger group made it easier to train for the ride.

The House team is working with Food & Friends, one of the ride's beneficiaries. The 14-year-old organization prepares and delivers meals and groceries to more than 1,100 people with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses. Food & Friends Executive Director Craig Shniderman noted that the formation of the House team indicates that Capitol Hill staffers help the community in a variety of ways. "The ride is really a way of building the community. It's not just a fundraiser -- people who are leading this nation are making a commitment to ride," said Shniderman.

The Tour de Friends will benefit Food & Friends in Washington, Fan Free Clinic in Richmond, Va., and the Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina in Raleigh-Durham, N.C. For more information on Tour de Friends phone (202) 742-RIDE or (877) 265-RIDE, or e-mail info@tourdefriends.com.

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