AIDS/LifeCycle
AIDS/LifeCycle (ALC) is a 7-day cycling tour through California starting in San Francisco and ending in Los Angeles. The tour includes up to 2,500 bicyclists and more than 500 support crew participants who cycle or crew to raise funds for HIV/AIDS services & raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. The first AIDS/LifeCycle was in 2002 and they continue to occur annually in late May or early June. AIDS/LifeCycle is co-produced by its beneficiaries, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Description
AIDS/LifeCycle is a charity event to raise money for HIV/AIDS services and raise HIV/AIDS awareness. Participants (riders, roadies, and staff) raise money throughout the year. In the first week of June, the riders cycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles with the support of the roadies and staff. For seven days, ALC passes through communities in California as a memorial to those who have died of AIDS and as an event to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. Each day of riding can range from 40-100+ miles. At the end of each day of riding, cyclists arrive in a camp to eat, shower, and rest before riding out again the next morning. Currently (as of ALC 6-8) the route is a total of about 545 miles. Mileage may change due to route/road constructions and availability of campsites.
History
In 2002, AIDS/LifeCycle was started by former Pallotta Teamworks Vice President Kevin Honeycutt, replacing the Pallotta Teamworks California AIDSRide after it was mired in controversy.[1]
ALC 2 - 2003
997 riders.
ALC 4 - 2005
Logo produced a multiple episode show for its network called 'The Ride: 7 Days to End AIDS'. The show highlights the experiences of several cyclists both those who have lost family and those who are HIV survivors. The show is currently available for rent from Netflix.
ALC 6 - 2007
543 miles - 2333 Cyclists - 466 Volunteers - Over $11 Million Dollars Raised
ALC 7 - 2008
- For the first time, ALC closed registration early because of an unprecedented number of registrants.
- More than 2500 riders and 500 roadies raised over $11 million for HIV/AIDS services.
ALC 8 - 2009
Due to higher costs combined with closing registration at around 2500 cyclists, the event now requires a $3000 minimum for cyclist.
ALC 10 - 2011
2,350 riders and 600 volunteer roadies raised a record $13,060,000 for the HIV/AIDS services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Celebrity trainers Cara Castronuova (The Biggest Loser) and Scott Herman (The Real World: Brooklyn) participated in the event. ALC 10 started on June 5, 2011, exactly thirty years after The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first report about HIV/AIDS, then known as Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID).
ALC 11 - 2012
2225 riders and 550 roadies raised $12,600,000
Seismic Challenge
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation also produces and benefits from a 2-day cycling event, the Seismic Challenge.
Traditions
- Riderless Bicycle *
- Positive Pedalers * - A group of riders living with HIV/AIDS eliminating stigma through positive public example.
- Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence* who sometimes ride, sometimes crew, and who join the riders on the Ventura Beach candlelight vigil (see below)
- Dress in Red Day (Red Dress Day) - During the fifth and shortest day of the ride, participants wear the color red, usually a red dress.
- Ginger Brewlay - She is usually on the roughest hill of the day, cheering on the riders and posing with them. Her outfits are outlandish and creative.
- The Chicken Lady * - A long-time rider who usually wears a pink jacket, colorful skirt, silver stockings, a purse shaped like a chicken and over-the-top sunglasses.
- Teams - Riders have the option, but are not required, to join a team when they sign up for the event. There are usually dozens of social and corporate teams on the ride.
- Fashion Show
- Rest Stops Themes - Most, if not all, of the 25+ rest stops during the AIDS/Lifecycle embrace a different theme. The rest stop roadies dress in costume, decorate the area and often provide a fun and memorable photo opportunity for riders. Rest stop 4, the last rest stop on most days of the ride, is known for its elaborate costumes and choreographed performances.
- Day 6: Candlelight Vigil - On the shore of Ventura Beach. Up to 3,000 people create a massive rectangle of silent reverence for those lost and those suffering.
- Bradley - The kids, faculty and parents from the local Bradley school put on a barbecue to raise money for extracurricular activities. The kids dress in ALC tee-shirts and sell buttons and pens.
- Casmalia - The lunch stop on Dress in Red Day. This tiny town has barbecue and disco music on the main street. People dance and pose for pictures.
-*Traditions inspired by the original AIDSRide
Camping
Riders, roadies and staff end each of the first 6 days in camp, a fully supported campsite with portable toilets, shower trucks, hot meals, medical services, bike mechanics and more. Tents are provided by AIDS/Lifecycle, but participants do need to bring sleeping bags.
Training rides
The AIDS/Lifecycle community holds training rides throughout the year. These rides are coordinated by AIDS/Lifecycle Training Ride Leaders, volunteers who have completed at least 1 AIDS/Lifecycle and an official Training Ride Leader training. Rides are listed on the AIDS/Lifecycle Training Ride Calendar and vary by category, terrain and length.
Services supported by event
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Established in 1982, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community-based AIDS service organizations in the United States. The mission of the agency is to end the pandemic and the human suffering caused by HIV.
Los Angeles LGBT Center
The Los Angeles LGBT Center has been a leader in battling AIDS and caring for those who are HIV-infected since the earliest days of the pandemic. In 1982 the Center founded the Southern California AIDS Hotline, which would later become AIDS Project Los Angeles. In 1985, the Center opened California's first HIV testing site. By 1986, the Center's Ed D. Edelman Health Clinic was the largest HIV clinic in the nation.
See also
References
- ↑ The big wheel / Critics don't faze Dan Pallotta, who has helped raise big bucks for AIDS research - and his company
External links
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