Cyclists joined a practice ride on Oct. 16 for the upcoming AIDS LifeCycle fundraiser. (photo courtesy of the Los Angeles LGBT Center)

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is calling on people to register for its upcoming AIDS LifeCycle bicycle ride in June from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

AIDS LifeCycle benefits HIV and AIDS-related services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The ride was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic and organizers are hopeful this year’s ride will be a huge success.

In late September, fundraising for the 2022 ride surpassed $1 million, a dollar amount that usually isn’t achieved until Thanksgiving, organizers said. Approximately 800 people have already signed up for the ride, and the center hopes to attract 400 to 500 additional riders.

“We hope to get back to where we were back in March 2020 when we were on track to break through $17 million for the first time,” said ride director Tracy Evans, adding that the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation expanded services as needed during the pandemic. “Both agencies have always been at the forefront of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and now, the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve never closed our doors for a day throughout the crisis. We did not shut down or reduce services. The truth is, they got expanded.”

Cyclists will pedal 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles from June 5-11, 2022.

Rider Levi Vieira, who participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle Socal Kickoff Ride on Oct. 16, was overwhelmed by the experience.

“I can’t believe we’re here,” Vieira said. “I had like three crying sessions, maybe four. It’s so exciting to see everybody and to be able to hug people and to get back on the road.”

Vieira, captain of the New Bear Republic team, was joined by more than 300 people for the training ride. It was the first major in-person gathering for the world’s largest single event HIV/AIDS fundraiser since 2019. Virtual fundraising events were held during the pandemic, including the first AIDS/LifeCycle@HOME, which raised $8.1 million last year, and TogetheRide, which raised $2.6 million this year. In 2019, riders raised more than $16.7 million, the highest amount in the event’s history.

To register visit aidslifecycle.org.