The Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation have announced the cancellation of the AIDS/Lifecycle 2020, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic. The annual seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles was scheduled to take place from Sunday, May 31, 2020 to Sunday, June 6, 2020.
The following important update about the AIDS/LifeCycle 2020 ride, from Tracy Evans, Ride Director, Lorri L Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and Joe Hollendoner, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, was posted on the organization’s official website:
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We appreciate your patience as we monitor and follow the COVID-19 emergency.
We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Please pay close attention to this message.
Since the coronavirus emergency started, The Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation have been monitoring the guidance of public health officials in order to determine what would be the best course of action to keep our Riders, Roadies and community as safe and healthy as possible.
Given the recent guidance that limits public gatherings for an indeterminate amount of time, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the AIDS/LifeCycle 2020 event.
We, along with AIDS/LifeCycle staff are heartbroken that our favorite week of the year will not be happening, but we remain focused on our commitment to our mission of raising critical funds for the clients of The Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
In fact, the state of the public health system has motivated us to double down on our goal to keep raising as much money as possible for the clients served by The Center and SFAF because we know that these funds are critical in protecting our community from the coronavirus and maintaining the HIV and AIDS health care that so many depend on.
We know you will have many questions – please join us for our virtual townhall on Monday, March 23rd at 5PM Pacific time, where we will answer your questions and tell you more about what is planned for AIDS/LifeCycle 2020 and how we are gearing up to come together stronger than ever for AIDS/LifeCycle 2021.
Details for the virtual townhall will be emailed out, posted on social media and added to the AIDS/LifeCycle home page in the coming days.
Thank you and stay safe,
Lorri, Joe and Tracy
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The website also posted a video message:
AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully-supported, seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
It’s a life-changing ride—not a race—through some of California’s most beautiful countryside. AIDS/LifeCycle is co-produced by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation and is designed to advance their shared interest to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. As part of this event, thousands of people participating as either Cyclists, Roadies, Volunteers, or Virtual Cyclists raise critically needed funds for HIV/AIDS-related services and bring to light the fact that HIV/AIDS is still a devastating disease in our society, particularly the LGBT community and communities of color.
For more information, and to make a donation, visit: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/Â .
