AIDS/LifeCycle cyclists will ride through WeHo on Saturday

The City of West Hollywood is a proud co-sponsor of AIDS/LifeCycle, an annual 7-day fundraising bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles benefitting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. This year’s event has raised more than $17 million. Cyclists left San Francisco on Sunday, June 5, 2022 and will complete their 7-day, 545-mile journey at Fairfax High School on Saturday, June 11, 2022. 

Riders will enter the City of West Hollywood at N. Doheny Drive traveling eastbound on Santa Monica Boulevard in the number-two lane and parking lane until Ogden Drive. At Ogden Drive, riders will turn south and continue southbound to Melrose Avenue. The eastbound number-two lane of Santa Monica Boulevard is expected to be closed from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, 2022.  Parking will also be restricted on both the eastbound side of Santa Monica Boulevard and the west side of Ogden Drive from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While the AIDS/LifeCycle does not require any full street closures, it is anticipated there will be traffic impacts due to the reduction of one eastbound traffic lane on Santa Monica Boulevard. Cyclists are expected to adhere to all traffic laws as directed by California Vehicle Code. West Hollywood community members and visitors are encouraged to take part in a tradition of cheering on cyclists as they complete their final miles of this long-distance fundraiser.

HIV and AIDS have had a significant impact in West Hollywood. The disease’s elevated infection rate among gay men caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the City. The City of West Hollywood was one of the first government entities to provide social services grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations. The City of West Hollywood sponsored one of the first AIDS awareness campaigns in the country in October 1985 and the City’s response to the AIDS crisis has been recognized as a model for other cities, nationally and globally.

Support for AIDS/LifeCycle is consistent with the City’s core values and with ongoing City programs meant to commemorate the lives of those who were lost, such as World AIDS Day, the AIDS Memorial Walk, and the AIDS Monument which is currently in development.

The City actively participates supporting education and advocacy in the development of programs that can bring awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The City is currently implementing its HIV Zero Initiative Strategic Plan with vision to become an ‘HIV Zero’ city. A culminating goal of the HIV Zero plan is to build an inclusive community that supports underserved groups and honors the contributions made by people living with HIV.

For more information about the AIDS/LifeCycle event, please visit www.aidslifecycle.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.