AIDS/LifeCycle's final ride: Thousands hit road in Bay Area, ending 3 decades of fundraising
With a tinge of melancholy, more than 2,400 bicyclists gathered Sunday morning to kick off the last AIDS/LifeCycle, bringing to a close more than three decades of fundraising through the annual event for HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support services.
Cyclists will travel 545 miles over seven days from the Cow Palace in Daly City to Santa Monica.
'We want to make HIV-AIDS a thing of the past,' said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday before setting off for the first leg of the ride to Santa Cruz. 'I'm excited to suit up.'
Each day, riders bike anywhere from 43 to 112 miles. Each cyclist raised at least $3,500 from friends, family and the community to support HIV and AIDS programs and services overseen by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
'I can't think of a better way to honor those that we have lost and also to join the fight against HIV and AIDS,' said Brian Stewart, 32, a political strategist from Los Angeles readying for his inaugural ride. 'I'm really, really excited.'
At least 800 volunteers known as 'roadies' turned out to help direct riders, provide medical services to the injured, serve meals and drive cyclists' gear from stop to stop.
After the COVID shutdown in 2020, participation in the ride declined and the cost of fundraising rose, prompting organizers to end the annual event, which began in 1994. Over the years, the ride raised a total of more than $300 million.This year, the ride raised $17.2 million, the highest total after 2022.
'Now more than ever, these funds are critical so we can respond to the needs of our communities, particularly when funding for HIV, DEI and transgender communities are under attack,' said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who has participated as a cyclist and organizer in the ride for 17 years.
'It's bittersweet that it's the last ride,' said Laura Chung, 39, a nurse at Kaiser Hospital embarking on her second ride. 'But they'll create something new.'
Next year, a three-day cycling event will take riders from San Francisco to Sonoma and back. Then in 2027, the Big Gay 10K footrace will take place in San Francisco.
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