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RIDING FOR LOVE, LEGACY, AND LIBERATION: HONORING THE END OF THE AIDS/LIFECYCLE RIDE
Linc Davis (@chain_linc) celebrates reaching the halfway point! 
Marc-Pierre Sanchis a(@marcpierresanchis) and friends pose for selfie at a rest stop during the ride. 
James is welcomed home by his partner Stu (@_Stu_Marks) 
Will Malherbe (@willofmyown) leaps for joy being after crossing the finish line. 
Alfie Megat (@megatalfie) proposed to his long time partner Henry Liebman (@hliebman92) during the race. 
Robert Gamboa serves face after compleing the race. 
Garrett McClure (@gattettinspired) and friend takes a second to pose in front of the CA coastline before crossing the finish line. 
DaVaughn (@davaugnchy) and Trae (@cenaflydaze) celebrate after crossing the finish line. 
First time rider, Kyle Hall (@kylehallla) and Felipe Crook (@felipecrookrealtor) celebrate crossing the line with longtime friend. 
Handsome Cory Dorazio (@corydorazio) maintains his handsomeness after the ride. 
Rory and his partner at the halfway point. 
In Ventura during the candlelit visual. 
Philippe Gosselin (@philippeandre81) wows during the Red Dress portion of the race 
Robert Castan (@idabear81) leaps for joy near the finish line. 
Stephan (@bluebaileysf) and his partner ramain handsome after Day 1 of the race. 
Menanchem Freeman (@nockem.thicc) poses halfway through the ride.
For 30 years, the AIDS/LifeCycle has been more than just a bike ride. It’s been a movement — 545 miles of protest, passion, and pride. From the streets of San Francisco to the shores of Los Angeles, thousands have ridden to raise funds, raise awareness, and ride for something bigger than themselves. Now, in 2025, that journey comes to a powerful close.
The ride began in 1994 as the California AIDS Ride, a bold and deeply emotional response to the AIDS crisis at a time when stigma and silence still dominated the conversation. In 2002, it evolved into what we now know as AIDS/LifeCycle, jointly produced by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Since then, it has raised over $300 million to support HIV/AIDS services — funding prevention efforts, free testing, medical care, mental health programs, and housing assistance for those living with HIV.
But the ride was never just about dollars. It was about bodies in motion. It was about remembrance, resilience, and radical joy. Cyclists trained for months — some having never clipped into pedals before. Roadies volunteered for long hours, offering water, hugs, repairs, and moral support. The route became sacred ground: filled with laughter, tears, glitter, grit, and community.
Each June, riders became family. Drag queens cheered them on. Survivors and allies rode side by side. Costumes lit up the route — from rainbow tutus to golden capes — turning the California coast into a living, breathing tribute to queer life and love. Every mile was a memorial. Every hill was a battle cry.
As the final AIDS/LifeCycle crossed the finish line in Los Angeles, emotions ran high. Longtime participants remembered friends lost in the early days of the epidemic. First-timers felt the weight and wonder of being part of history. Cheers, sobs, and standing ovations marked the end of a legacy — and the beginning of whatever comes next.
While the ride is ending, the mission continues. HIV is not over. Stigma is not gone. But the strength and spirit of the AIDS/LifeCycle — the radical care, the chosen family, the unapologetic pride — will never fade.
At Handsome Magazine, we’re dedicating this moment to the riders, roadies, and supporters who poured their hearts (and sweat) into this unforgettable journey. This issue is for the queer joy, the grief, the healing, the sparkles, the sunburns, the love.
Have photos? Stories? Tattoos from the road? DM us. We want to honor every mile, every moment, and every body that made this ride magic.
Because AIDS/LifeCycle was never just a ride.
It was a revolution on two wheels.
And its legacy will live on — in every pedal forward.
