After nearly 30 years of HIV fundraising, California’s iconic AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride came to the end of its road last summer, with its final seven-day trek from San Francisco to Los Angeles in June. But two new paths for fundraising bike rides have emerged in 2026: Cycle to Zero supports the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), and Center Ride Out supports three LGBTQ centers and their HIV services across Southern California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs/Coachella.
In total, AIDS/LifeCycle raised over $349 million for HIV services provided by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and SFAF. Last year’s event raised $17.8 million. The hope is that the legacy events will not only help replenish that financial support but also build community and bolster related services.
The new rides are shorter, each lasting three-days instead of seven, and they offer more flexibility for participants. On the second day of both events, riders can choose bike routes of various lengths or to rest and recuperate while building community.
Center Ride Out will take cyclists from Los Angeles to San Diego from April 24 to 26. Cycle to Zero will start in San Francisco and head to Guerneville, Sonoma and back along the coast of San Francisco from May 29 to May 31. Registration is now open for both events.
“Center Ride Out honors a rich legacy while charting a bold path forward—celebrating our progress and recommits us to fight for health equity, compassion and visibility for all LGBTQ+ people,” noted Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, in a press release from the center.
The organization notes that fundraising events like Center Ride Out have become more essential to sustaining services at the center, especially in light of diminishing government support of LGBTQ programs.
In addition to supporting HIV services and prevention, the ride will support the center’s work in four main areas: health care, housing and social services, culture and education, and advocacy. What’s more, 10% of net proceeds will go to the San Diego LGBT Community Center and The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.
“Center Ride Out is more than a ride—it’s a movement,” said Melissa Lewis, the ride’s director. “We’re uniting cyclists, volunteers and supporters across Southern California to celebrate who we are and why we ride: for community, for pride and for the future of LGBTQ+ equity. Whether a first-time rider or a seasoned cyclist, there’s a place for you on this ride. Every participant helps move our mission forward.”
Meanwhile San Francisco’s Cycle to Zero’s name was chosen with input from the community because it reflects “SFAF’s larger goals of achieving health justice for all and reaching zero stigma, zero overdose deaths and zero inequity,” according to a press statement from SFAF.
“More than 40 years into the epidemic, we know that HIV prevention and care can’t operate in a vacuum,” said SFAF CEO Tyler TerMeer, PhD, in the release. “HIV is driven by the contexts in which we live—fostered by racism, homophobia, transphobia and inequity—and linked to overlapping issues related to substance use, mental health concerns and more. That’s why our approach and mission must encompass these overlapping issues—while keeping us laser focused on reaching an end to HIV.”
To that end, funds raised by Cycle to Zero will benefit not just HIV services but also sexual health, substance health, overdose prevention and other community programs at SFAF.
