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Now in its seventh year, the event benefits the HIV/AIDS-related servicesof the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, two ofthe largest AIDS services providers in the country. Since its inception,AIDS/LifeCycle has raised more than $40 million for HIV/AIDS services. Noother annual event raises more money in the fight against AIDS.
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Lorri L. Jean, chief executive officer of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center,said the ride is critical in fighting the widespread misperception that HIVand AIDS are no longer a problem.
"We've made many advances in the struggle against HIV and AIDS, but thefight is far from over," Jean said. "During the time it will take us to reachL.A., more than 1,000 Americans will become newly infected with HIV. What'smore, HIV continues to be nothing less than a healthcare crisisinternationally and in our own back yard. The 3,000 riders and volunteerroadies -- and the 60,000 people who sponsor them -- are raising awareness andmaking a statement that we will not stand idle in the face of the monumentalchallenge before us."
AIDS/LifeCycle will put added emphasis on the importance of HIV educationand prevention this year, according to Mark Cloutier, chief executive officerof the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
"Though we understand how to stop HIV, every year more people in ourcommunities are newly infected with the virus," Cloutier said. "Betterprevention tools will help the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San FranciscoAIDS Foundation revitalize HIV prevention and focus on reducing -- and perhapssome day eliminating -- HIV in California and elsewhere. AIDS/LifeCycle makesit possible for both organizations to explore HIV prevention that meets theneeds of our communities, including many of the groups most vulnerable to HIVinfection."
This year, organizers will distribute free premium condoms -- in packagesemblazoned with the message "Ride Safe" -- to HIV/AIDS organizations andcommunity clinics along the route to emphasize the message of personalresponsibility and prevention.
AIDS/LifeCycle has been a major force in raising awareness about thecontinued effect of HIV and the growing need for services as the number ofpeople living with the disease continues to grow. Over the course of theweek-long event, the riders -- sometimes outnumbering the populations of thecommunities they ride through -- are greeted by local residents of eightcounties who line roadways and visit rider pit stops to show support. In pastyears, cheering groups of schoolchildren have stood alongside the road withhomemade signs and refreshments. Many local residents show support with signsof thanks that invoke memories of loved ones lost to AIDS.
The record number of participants in this year's event represents a fullrange of cycling experience and expertise, from novices to seat-hardened"hammerheads" and includes a contingent of cyclists living with HIV known asthe Positive Pedalers. This year, the oldest rider is 81 and the youngest is18. Riders train for months in advance of the ride and commit themselves toraising at least $2,500 each to support HIV-related services at bothorganizations. Meeting the physical and emotional challenges of the rideserves as an example that encourages healthy choices regardless of age, HIVstatus and physical limitations, organizers said.
In addition to being a momentous physical challenge for the riders,AIDS/LifeCycle -- which is co-produced by the San Francisco AIDS Foundationand the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center -- is a major
