AIDS/LifeCycle, World-Famous LGBTQ Fundraiser, Hoping to Return in 2022

One of the world’s most famous, beloved LGBTQ fundraisers announced this week that it will not be taking place again until 2022 at the earliest. AIDS/LifeCycle, the week-long annual bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles — which for nearly 30 years has funded both cities’ work to provide free HIV/AIDS care, testing and prevention services — emailed AIDS/LifeCycle 2021 registered participants on Wednesday, Sept. 23, to relay the unfortunate news.

Noting that 2020 has been “anything but typical,” the email announcement indicates the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for the AIDS/LifeCycle 2021 cancellation.

From the AIDS/LifeCycle 2021 cancellation announcement:

We understand this is disappointing news, but we simply cannot put the thousands who participate every year at risk. We have looked at every possible way to continue the Ride, but because of the uncertainty that lies ahead, this is what we must do to ensure you and our vibrant community are kept safe. This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly, and we are extremely heartbroken that we cannot ride and fight together in the same way we have for so many years. We will get back to the AIDS/LifeCycle we all know and love when it’s safe to do so in the future.

Until then, let’s grab life by the handlebars and keep our mission moving forward!

Our mission of ending AIDS and caring for people with HIV/AIDS is too important to wait until we can return to AIDS/LifeCycle as we know it (which we fervently hope will be in 2022). The truth is, inaction for an entire year would put life-saving programs — and the lives of our clients — at risk. None of us wants that.

“While we are heartbroken, we remain more passionate and dedicated than ever to our mission,” AIDS/LifeCycle posted on Facebook. The organization is also teasing exciting news coming down the pipeline on Oct. 22, and is encouraging those interested in hearing about it to RSVP for more info at aidslifecycle.org/event/rollout.

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Since 1993, participants in the Ride have raised more than $200 million, not to mention awareness of ending the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. AIDS/LifeCycle organizers have noted that “in the seven days it takes AIDS/LifeCycle to reach Los Angeles, more than 1,000 people in the United States will become infected with HIV.”

Find more info about the AIDS/LifeCycle 2021 cancellation and RSVP for an invitation to hear more about what’s planned at aidslifecycle.org.

Photos courtesy of AIDS/LifeCycle