Cycle for the Cause
The Northeast's big one: a three-day ride ending in New York City, benefiting the LGBT Community Center's HIV/AIDS programs. Decades old, deeply loved, and it fills up.
While California had AIDS/LifeCycle, the East Coast had — and still has — Cycle for the Cause. It's the NYC LGBT Community Center's three-day ride, hundreds of miles through New England into a finish-line party in Manhattan. It funds the Center's HIV prevention, testing, and support services.
The ride
Three days of real Northeast riding: rolling farmland, river valleys, the kind of punchy climbs California riders pretend don't hurt. Fully supported — rest stops, SAG vehicles, gear trucks, camp or hotel logistics organized by the event.
The culture
This is the ride East Coast queer cyclists build their summer around. Teams come back year after year; the fundraising leaderboard gets competitive in the best way. If you're in New York, Boston, Philly, or DC, this is your home ride.
First multi-day? Read the first-timer's guide and start fundraising early — a team makes both the miles and the minimum easier.
I do the miles. You decide who they’re for.
In 2027 I ride 10,000 miles, all on the bike, every one of them for queer communities. You pledge a few cents a mile and pick which org it goes to. It starts January 1.