More than 700 cyclists and volunteers set off Friday, May 29, on “Cycle to Zero,” a three-day bike ride from Sausalito through Sonoma County, to raise funds for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
The inaugural fundraising event, organized by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, has already raised more than $1.6 million in support of no-cost programs and services for HIV, LGBTQ+, harm reduction, substance-use support, sexual health and social support, organizers said in a news release.
Alex Silverman hands out lunches to cyclists at the lunch stop of the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, at Southwest Community Park in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
The route starts and ends in Sausalito, taking bikers through Sonoma County to Old Faithful Geyser of California in Calistoga. At 8:30 p.m. Saturday on First Street in Guerneville, participants and community allies will hold a candlelight vigil and wear red to raise awareness for HIV and AIDS and honor those lost to the epidemic.
According to the foundation’s CEO, Dr. Tyler TerMeer, the event is part of a decades-long tradition of cycling in support of HIV and AIDS awareness in California. The foundation’s most iconic cycling event, the annual AIDS/LifeCycle, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, ended last year after 31 years due to post-pandemic costs. Organizers decided they needed to reimagine the event.
As one of the earliest AIDS foundations in the country, TerMeer said, “we have been responding and working to get to the end of the epidemic.”
Manny Cardona, left, and Luke Leonhard high-five after arriving at the lunch stop during the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Cycle to Zero cycling participant David Condra, left, takes a rest in an inflatable Barbie car with medical nurse “Hoops” during the lunch stop at Southwest Community Park in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Tommie Murphy dons his helmet before heading out for the remainder of the ride following a lunch break during the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Participants in the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, ride along Petaluma Boulevard South on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Stephen Chien takes a selfie in front of colorful balloons at the lunch stop during the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Cycle to Zero bicyclists eat lunch on the bleachers at Southwest Community Park in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Bicyclists participating in the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, make their way along Vine Hill Road in Santa Rosa, on their way to Guerneville, on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
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Manny Cardona, left, and Luke Leonhard high-five after arriving at the lunch stop during the Cycle to Zero event, by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in Santa Rosa on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
The foundation named the new cycling event “Cycle to Zero” to emphasize that San Francisco could be the first major U.S. city to reach the end of the HIV epidemic if supporters continue raising dollars for “low-barrier resources and services and a wide array of safety net programs for people who have traditionally been furthest to access and opportunity.”
According to the foundation, San Francisco sees 130 new diagnoses per year. In addition to providing more than 12,000 HIV tests each year, the foundation provides preventative care to 3,000 clients, sexual healthcare to nearly 7,000 people and healthcare to nearly 900 transgender clients.