Despite the popularity of AIDS rides, Pallotta
TeamWorks -- the for-profit, California-based group that produces
them -- has sparked its share of controversy. In June, the bad
publicity shifted into a new gear when, during the first day of
the Washington, DC, AIDS Ride, a participant died. It was the
first death in the the company's six-year history.
Eve Jaffe, a 31-year-old bookstore manager
from the DC area, became ill on June 23 -- a 110-mile day of riding
from Raleigh, North Carolina to Laurenceville, Virginia. She lost
consciousness in a medical tent and died later that day at a Virginia
Commonwealth University hospital. A hospital spokesperson told
The Washington Post that the cause of Jaffe's death was
an aneurysm, a hemorrhage inside her brain.
The company has been scrutinized in the
past for its extremely high expenses, which eat into money raised
by the rides and intended for AIDS organizations. Although the
Rides have grossed nearly $128 million since 1994, less than $70
million has been handed over to beneficiaries. On average, 55
percent of donor contributions remain with the local charities
paired with Pallotta TeamWorks for the event, but these figures
vary widely -- from as low as 10 percent in Florida in 1997 to
71 percent in San Francisco in 1999. (Pallotta TeamWorks denied
repeated requests for an interview with POZ.)
