The San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center recently announced that 2025 will be the last year of AIDS/LifeCycle.
In a press release and a town hall, the groups said maintaining the event had become "financially unsustainable." They added that due to the pandemic, producing the event, which takes seven days, became too expensive while fundraising has become more difficult.
“AIDS/LifeCycle has existed as a beacon of strength and hope for people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ communities for more than 30 years,” Tyler TerMeer, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said. “As a person living with HIV, participating in this event for 16 years has been life-changing in the best ways – as it has for so many other past and present participants. We have built an incredible community, and supported so much more than an annual bicycle ride – we have made an impact on the HIV epidemic. The work of SFAF and the Center remains as important as ever, and we look forward to working with the AIDS/LifeCycle community to find meaningful ways to continue the Ride's legacy.”
A group of AIDS/LifeCycle riders pose for a fun photo at a rest area.Chris Eisenberg
Both SFAF and the Center said in the joint release that the groups are still dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic, which has contributed to the death of more than 40 million around the world. The groups said that in the U.S. alone over 30,000 people are diagnosed with HIV, with a disproportionate amount being Black, Latinx, men who have sex with men, and trans people.
AIDS/LifeCycle 2025 will go on as scheduled, according to the release. Registration for the event is open and has been limited to 2,500 cyclists "Riders" and 600 volunteer "Roadies." They aim to raise a record $17.8 million.
“We are incredibly proud of the impact the Ride has had on our local communities and the HIV epidemic nationally,” said the Los Angeles LGBT Center's CEO Joe Hollendoner. “Funds from this event helped change the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic. No longer is HIV the death sentence it was when the ride began thanks to the advancement in treatments, and new cases of HIV are declining thanks to interventions like PrEP. With every mile ridden and every dollar raised, the AIDS/LifeCycle community has brought us closer to the end of AIDS. I could not be more grateful to the AIDS/LifeCycle community for all they have done for the clients served by the Center and SFAF.”
Chris Eisenberg
