2,350 AIDS/LifeCycle Riders Raise Record $13+ Million, Complete 545-Mile Trek To L.A.

Seven-day Bike Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, World's Largest Annual AIDS Fundraiser, Draws Participants from 11 Countries

LOS ANGELES and SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AIDS/LifeCycle finishes its most successful year yet, with 2,350 bicyclists and 600 volunteer "roadies" raising a record $13+ million for the HIV/AIDS services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles began on June 5th, the exact 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of AIDS. Riders came from nearly every state and 11 countries.

"I'm enormously proud that AIDS/LifeCycle has set a new fundraising record of more than $13 million," says Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. "Even though the economy is still stagnant, the riders and roadies of the ride rallied like never before, both to support vital HIV/AIDS-related services and to raise awareness about this continued epidemic. Three decades after our nation's fight against AIDS began, we are still fighting to vanquish this horrible disease—and everyone in the wonderful AIDS/LifeCycle community shares a commitment to make a difference in that fight."

Celebrity trainers Cara Castronuova (The Biggest Loser) and Scott Herman (The Real World: Brooklyn) joined the AIDS/LifeCycle community this year, sharing their messages of healthy living and spreading the word that HIV/AIDS still needs our urgent attention as we enter the fourth decade of fighting the disease.

Thirty years ago this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first report about the disease then known as Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID) and later known as AIDS. The report detailed the case studies of five gay men in Los Angeles; by the time it was published, two of the five men had died. Since the earliest days of the epidemic, both the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the Foundation have taken a leadership role in fighting HIV/AIDS. Today, both organizations remain at the forefront of efforts to reduce new HIV infections and ensure access to proper medical care for everyone who needs it.

"AIDS/LifeCycle 10, with its historic participation and fundraising, is a powerful reminder that our community still cares deeply about ending HIV/AIDS," says San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano.  "This week we saw acts of heroism, both big and small, from our thousands of riders and volunteers 'roadies.' Thirty years into HIV/AIDS, we are more confident than ever that we will be able to break the back of the epidemic in our lifetime."

Today, 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV—the highest number in the history of this decades-long crisis. More than 1 in 10 of those live in California. And 1 in 5 of those living with HIV don't know it. Gay and black communities are especially hard hit. New HIV infections among gay and bisexual men in the United States are on the rise—the only risk group for whom this is the case—and a 2010 CDC study found that a shocking 20% of gay and bisexual men in 21 U.S. cities are HIV-positive.

For the first time, AIDS/LifeCycle welcomed an embedded press corps team of innovative content creators, image-makers and journalists. Their content is available for use (without limitation, but please give appropriate credit/byline) at www.aidslifecycle.org/presscorps.

For more information, go to www.aidslifecycle.org.

About the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Since 1971 the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has been building the health, advocating for the rights and enriching the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Our wide array of services and programs includes: free HIV/AIDS care and medications for those most in need; housing, food, clothing and support for homeless LGBT youth; low-cost counseling and addiction-recovery services; essential services for LGBT-parented families and seniors; legal services; health education and HIV prevention programs; transgender services; cultural arts and much more. Visit us on the Web at: www.lagaycenter.org.

About San Francisco AIDS Foundation

San Francisco AIDS Foundation works to ensure the HIV epidemic ends in the same city where it began. By combining innovative, evidence-based programs for HIV prevention and care with bold policy initiatives focused on issues ranging from harm reduction to total health and wellness, the agency is making sustainable progress against HIV among populations most vulnerable to the disease. Established in 1982, San Francisco AIDS Foundation refuses to accept that HIV transmission is inevitable.

SOURCE AIDS/LifeCycle