We biked 555 miles for AIDS and it was life changing
The final SF to LA bike ride for AIDS/LifeCycle was unlike anything I've ever experienced
Before we get into this, I need to thank you. Meghan and I each needed to raise $3,500 to participate in the last-ever AIDS/LifeCycle (ALC) ride. We reached our fundraising minimums in large part thanks to your donations, Cypress readers. You donated to an amazing cause.
‘Life changing’ sounds cliché, but I can’t think of another way to express how this’ll live with me for the rest of my life.
In total, this ride raised $17.5M for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles LGBT Center. That’s $17.5M going directly to HIV and AIDS testing, prevention, care, and more. The epidemic is far from over. And it became more clear why our donations were still relevant as Meghan and I pedaled alongside a rider who’s been doing ALC for the last 15 years in support of their lost partner or alongside the Positive Pedalers, who ride to show that being affected by AIDS doesn’t have to come with a stigma.
So whether or not our legs were ready, Meghan and I woke up at 4am on Saturday, June 1, 2025 and got on our bikes.
Day 1
80 miles
6h 27m
San Francisco → Santa Cruz
see it on Strava
Starting on our home roads was a great way to warm up the legs. And quite frankly, it was a good thing that we didn’t have to think about the first few miles—we spent most of the morning choking back tears from the unexpectedly emotional opening ceremony, the parade of people along the starting barricades cheering us on, and the amount of regular San Franciscans who were outside thanking us for riding. I cannot even begin to describe the support and sense of community that we felt throughout this ride. Every mile—every pedal stroke—felt like we were all doing something bigger than a bike ride. And all ~2,500 riders were ready to offer each other a pull or a supportive word to get through the day.
Damn. I’m holding back tears while writing this.
80 miles along familiar roads felt approachable. Most San Franciscan cyclists have made the ride down to ‘the world’s most beautiful Taco Bell’ in Pacifica… this was just a few more miles! It was realizing what day 2 was that shut us up.
Day 2
107 miles
7h 20m
Santa Cruz → King City
see it on Strava
I have this vivid memory of Meghan once turning to me about 90 miles into our first 100 mile ride together and proclaiming loudly, “I’m never doing another century again.” It was the first thing she had said to me in 20 miles. That was 4 years ago.
And guess who did a whole century on day 2 of ALC. And—spoiler—then finished the whole damn ride!
I think we’ve made some progress.
I know 107 miles sounds like a lot, but would you be more surprised if I told you that it wasn’t even our hardest day? This ride is incredibly well supported by 30+ teams of Roadies: volunteers who staff rest stops, mobile bike shops, medical tents, gear trucks, and sweep buses who will pick you up in an emergency. And these Roadies had erected small villages of portable toilets, snack stations, and bike racks every 15-20 miles to make sure we were safe. So as long as you could make it the next 20 miles, you had a pretty good chance of finishing the ride.
Around mile 20 of day 2, former ALC riders started spreading the rumor of an otter pop stop at mile 90. And when Meghan asked what an otter pop was, one rider responded with, “the best part of ALC and Burning Man at one rest stop.”
Don’t worry, she found out what an otter pop was.
Day 3
65 miles
4h 55m
King City → Paso Robles
see it on Strava
Welcome to the Central Valley.
It was hot. We were not blessed with fog on this day. And we woke up to rally cries of “get ready for Quadbuster!”
We would later come to find out that Quadbuster™ is the endearingly coined term for day 3’s big climb: a hill within the first 10 miles of the ride that ranges from 7-12% grade for about 1.5 miles. And after a 109 mile day that followed an 80 mile day, during a bright 80 degree turnaround in the weather, I can’t say that “fun” is what I’d call this portion.
The descent though? Magnificent.
This was supposed to be rest day. But if I’m being honest, this was both the hardest day and the most supported I felt all week by my fellow riders.
A series of events put me solo for a good 15 miles near the end of the day. It was brutal. My cadence had dropped to almost nothing and I was too hot to be enjoying the signs pointing to camp. But a crew of 6 mismatched riders caught me at mile ~58 and offered for me to jump into their pace line. If you’ve been on long rides before, you may understand how I felt as if my life had been saved. We rode all the way back to camp together at twice the speed I had been pushing.
When I tried to thank them back at camp, Mandy (as her small license plate hanging from her saddle said) gave me a, “dude, we’re here to help each other. We’re glad you could make it to the end with us.”
Day 4
88 miles
6h 32m
Paso Robles → Santa Maria
see it on Strava
Back into the fog, the rolling hills, and the fast descents. My leg started seizing and Meghan was having to experience the joy of chamois butter for the first time, but we were crying tears of joy as we hit “the halfway day.”
No words.
It was a celebration. And you could feel that the air of this being the last ALC was starting to creep in.
But we hugged and shouted and realized that we were actually going to finish the ride together.
And then we descended (very fast) back into the fog and made for the coastline. At this point, we were done with the Central Valley and were able to smell the ocean air all the way down to Los Angeles.
Day 5
42 miles
3h 39m
Santa Maria → Lompoc
see it on Strava
Red Dress Day. And an appropriately short day for most riders to keep their full “dress” on for the whole ride.
I present to you one of the tamest options that we experienced, the marching band:
Lunch on Red Dress Day was completed with an elevated, 10 yard runway for the red dress fashion show. Only two groups were dressed as Catholic Cardinals. Both elected a new pope by vaping white clouds into the sky after their runway walks were done.
Day 6
88 miles
6hr
Lompoc → Ventura
see it on Strava
Biking was life at this point. Everyday, we’d wake up with thousands of others in what appeared to be a full carnival caravan of tents in whatever state park would put us up for the night. We’d eat breakfast, brake down our tents, throw our gear in a truck, and hop back on the bike. And at the end, a professional-quality film recap of the day was ready for dinner so that we could feel badass enough to do it all over again in the morning.
Day 6 was just joy. You’re sort of already done? So there’s no more question about if you can. But it’s also the last night of camp, so you’re meeting new friends and you’re sharing information to stay in touch and you’re organizing renegade rides and you can’t believe that you haven’t done this before…
Day 7
85 miles
6h 36m
Ventura → Santa Monica
see it on Strava
We did it.
The official final 545 [which became an unofficial 555 miles] from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
f*** yeah riders.
Friends keep asking us how this ride was.
I honestly don’t know how to describe it. ‘Life changing’ sounds cliché, but I can’t think of another way to express how this’ll live with me for the rest of my life. It was part celebration, part memorial, part festival, part protest, and all a community of love. These are cyclists from all walks of life who come together each year to support each other and do something physically insane to make a statement.
The nickname for camp is “The Love Bubble.” And we get it now.
Both the SF and LA foundations have announced their own independent fundraising rides moving forward.
This was an incredible experience with a huge turnout, but former years haven’t lived up to this hype. But to keep it going, SF will be hosting a 3 day loop up into the North Bay and through the hills. We’ll keep raising money and keep supporting each other.
If you want to ride, let me know. I hear it only gets better when you have a team.
Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting. I love y’all 🏔️
– Mac