After more than 30 years, the final AIDS/LifeCycle ride rolls through Monterey County on its way to Santa Monica.

There may be another time in the future when hundreds of bicyclists depart San Lorenzo Park in King City all at once, but on Tuesday, June 3, it was the last time they would do it in the name of supporting those with HIV.

After more than 30 years, AIDS/LifeCycle is wrapping up its run at the conclusion of the 2025 event on Saturday, June 7.

Roughly 2,500 bicyclists are currently on a 545-mile journey from San Francisco to Santa Monica to raise funds for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles LGBT Center.

On Monday, June 2, the second day of the trek, riders left Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz and made their way into Monterey County via Highway 1 to Reservation Road in Marina into Salinas, where they traveled on side roads paralleling Highway 101 in the Salinas Valley to King City.

Along the way, volunteers headed up rest stops every 15 to 20 miles with water and snacks.

The riders conclude the third day in Paso Robles.

In September, organizers announced the end of the annual event, citing skyrocketing production costs and declining fundraising numbers.

For 2025, the riders raised $17.2 million, adding to the more than $300 million raised for HIV services since the event’s founding.

“AIDS/LifeCycle has existed as a beacon of strength and hope for people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ communities for more than 30 years,” said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “As a person living with HIV, participating in this event for 16 years has been life-changing in the best ways—as it has for so many other past and present participants. We have built an incredible community, and supported so much more than an annual bicycle ride—we have made an impact on the HIV epidemic.”

In information posted on its website, AIDS/LifeCycle organizers write that they have tried to reign in expenses, including trimming its workforce and minimizing vendor contracts.

In 2023 and 2024, the cost of fundraising doubled that of 2019, the last year before the pandemic, according to AIDS/LifeCycle. While riders raise an average of $5,000-$6,000 each, the agencies estimate it costs $6,000 per rider to put on the event, taking into account staff and production expenses.