A ride for Robb – ‘This is the way the world should be’

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

Lake Arrowhead resident Jeff Spears loves to ride his bicycle.

Riding is just what he did from June 2 to 8 when he participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles – a ride of 545 miles.

Of the 1350 riders who registered for the seven-day event, “only about 20 to 30 percent ride the full distance,” Spears said. “It’s a long, grueling ride.”

Why would he put himself through this?

Spears rode in the memory of his late brother-in-law, Robb Nimmo, who died of AIDS in 1986 at the age of 26. 

“Robb was a very charismatic person, a big personality,” Spears said. “He was excellent at all the fine arts.”

When Robb became ill in 1985, his sister, Heidi Nimmo, Spears’ wife, called him. “I had been reading about AIDS,” she said, “and asked Robb if he had mentioned he might possibly have AIDS.” Robb’s answer was that that was what they were treating him for.

The AIDS/LifeCycle ride became a family event. Spears did not want to ship his new bike – a 24-speed Cervelo that had been custom fit to him – so they rented a car that Heidi drove to San Francisco. Their son, Neil Spears, signed on as one of the roadies who supported the riders every step of the way.

Spears, of course, did not just get on his bike on June 2 and start pedaling. He had long wanted to participate in the ride but was unable to take the time off to train and then ride. After he retired in 2023, he started riding more and then turned his sights on the June event. He made the decision last December – with Heidi’s blessing – to register for AIDS/LifeCycle.

Prior to that, Spears said, “I had ridden mostly for speed” as opposed to endurance. “I had done a couple of 100-mile rides in the past,” he said, “but had never covered so many miles day after day.” In addition, Spears did not consider himself a climber and was going to face 22,602 total feet of climbing over the course of the seven-day ride.

He was fortunate that a friend of a friend stepped in as his “bike guru.” Phyllis, Spears said, “taught me the importance of cadence – keeping it consistent and high.” With her guidance, he was able to increase his cadence – the rate at which he turns his pedals – from being in the 50s to the 70s.

“I geared down so it was easier to spin,” he said. “I felt as though I could go forever if I was in the right cadence. It affected the whole way I ride and made it more fun.”

As for those pedals, Spears noted that his new bike did not come with pedals. He had it fitted with special pedals he clips his biking shoes onto. That way, he said, he can push down as well as pull up when riding to get power. “That was good for climbing,” he said. And his special stiff shoes tighten with knobs rather than laces, which could get caught in the chain.

In addition to working with his bike guru, Spears also started doing Pilates with Lauren McCormick at Lake Arrowhead Pilates. “Lauren concentrated my workouts, making me strong for the ride,” he said.

As for his diet, Spears said that “Heidi kept telling me I wasn’t eating enough. She convinced me to talk with a friend of hers, Yvette, a registered dietitian like Heidi. That changed everything. She gave me guidance on how to eat for endurance – which carbs to eat and when. Eating protein after a ride. I tried it and felt great after a practice ride.

“I never came close to running out of energy on any of the days of the ride because I had trained right. I hydrated, had my cadence right and ate right.”

Heidi and Neil were both there at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with Spears for the ride orientation and then the start. “I didn’t realize how incomplete my grief was for my brother until I went to the orientation,” Heidi said.

At the orientation there was a riderless bicycle to represent those who had been lost to the disease. Heidi wrote a message to Robb on the banner marked “Hope.” She had shirts made up with Robb’s photo on it.

There were riders from across the world who participated, Spears said. Many of them had done the ride more than once. “I can see why,” he said. “It was a very special week surrounded by special people. They called it a ‘love bubble’ filled with kindness, generosity and compassion.”

Each rider pledged to raise at least $3,500. The funds raised benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The ride raised just over $11 million. Spears and his supporters raised $18,000 of that, making him one of the Top 50 donors.

As a roadie, Neil was on the water and ice team – delivering and setting up water at each of the rest stops in what they called water monsters. He and his father camped each night in tents delivered to each site by another team of roadies. One night, Spears admitted, they “princessed,” opting to stay in an air-conditioned hotel.

At those rest stops, there were folks available to meet the riders’ every need: food, water, medical, bike repairs and parts. And for riders who rode only part of the route, there were trucks to take their bikes and buses to transport them.

Each morning, the riders received copies of the Daily Spin, a newsletter that described that day’s ride, had an inspirational story and included a map with turn-by-turn directions. “But we didn’t need that because the route was well marked with arrows. And there were people helping at any tricky spots,” Spears said. Another team of roadies at work.

In spots, he added, there were people lined up, cheering them on. At the halfway point, riders could stop and take photos with a sign, “Halfway to LA!”

In Lompoc, the mayor spoke to them at dinner, welcoming them, thanking them for what they were doing. On other evenings, there were moving programs about people whose lives had been saved or changed.

“I came to realize,” Spears said, “that I had done the ride to honor Robb but it got so much bigger.”

Spears had become part of a team – the New Bear Republic team – after one of their members had stopped to help him when he got a flat on a practice ride. As a result, both Spears and Neil wore little bear ears during the ride.

Speaking of flats, Spears was somewhat amazed he did not get even one over the course of the seven days. The tires on his bike are tubeless and have a solution inside that seals up small punctures. Larger slices require the installation of a tube, which he carried with him.

Spears’ “kit” – the clothing he wore while riding – included a bib (padded shorts with an attached vest) and a jersey with pockets in the back where he stored snacks and powdered electrolytes. 

When the riders reached Ventura, they held a candlelight vigil on the beach. Heidi joined her husband and son there. “It was very moving and quiet,” Heidi said. A group of drag queens called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were there to light each candle. Heidi said she thanked every one, adding that “Robb would have loved that.”

Members of New Bear Republic has decided to meet and ride across the finish line together, which they did. Heidi was there, waiting and watching. “It was very moving,” she said.

Spears wore his Robb jersey as he crossed the finish line so, he said, “Robb could metaphorically cross with me.”

Would he do this ride again?

“I would love to,” he said. “It’s like an alternate world – this is the way the world should be. It was really hard to leave the bubble.

“I was instantly filled with joy and sadness when I crossed the finish line – happy I had done it and so sad it was over.”