Hundreds of bicyclists passing through the Central Coast this week during annual AIDS/LifeCycle ride
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The annual AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride is bringing hundreds of bicyclists to the Central Coast over the next several days.
On Tuesday, bicyclists arrived in Paso Robles to conclude day the third day of the week long event that involves participants riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
"We're riding over the course of seven days, 545 miles," said Cailin Corbett, AIDS/LifeCycle Ride. "This year, we have 1348 cyclists joining us, raising money for the HIV and AIDS programs and services for the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. We also have over 500 people who spend their time with us over the course of the week volunteering."
The ride started in San Francisco area on Sunday at the Cow Palace in Daly City and will conclude this Saturday at Santa Monica Beach.
According to Corbett, the LifeCycle has already raised more than $11 million this year and counting.
"The funds that we raise are supporting the programs and services that are for HIV and AIDS related programs, but that spans everything from making sure that people have stable housing to mental health services," said Corbett. "It really is funding that, what we like to call the continuum of care, so it's addressing the whole person. It's really meeting people where they're at. We're super focused on some of our BIPOC communities and communities that are more disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS in this day and age."
The ride on Wednesday morning in Paso Robles Event Center, the home of the California Mid-State Fair, and concluded several hours later in Preisker Park in Santa Maria, where cyclists will camp for the night.
After enduring triple digit temperatures on Tuesday during the ride from King City to Paso Robles, cyclists were not only treated to more comfortable weather, but also some of the world's most spectacular scenery as they passed along the San Luis Obispo County coastline.
"Personally, day four is one of my favorite days on the ride," said cyclist Ari Abramson, from San Francisco. "There's something about having the Pacific Ocean right there. You see that fog rolling and ready to cool down as you descend (from the North County) and once you're down here, we head into Cayucos, and you coast through Morro Bay and you have this gorgeous mountains and rocks and the ocean. To me, it is one of the most scenic days on the ride, and I'm really excited because this afternoon, once we head into Pismo Beach, we're going to be hitting Old West Cinnamon Rolls, which in my opinion, are the best cinnamon rolls in California."
Just one day after pedaling nearly 90 miles, cyclists will get to enjoy the event's shortest ride, when they trek about 30 miles from Santa Maria to to River Bend Park in Lompoc.
Day six of the event will start in Lompoc and conclude at San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura.
For more information about the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, click here for the official website.
