By Karen Ocamb News Editor

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri Jean just sent this email to AIDS LifeCycle 12 supporters that offers a discount on next year’s ride:

The end of AIDS/LifeCycle is always emotional for me, as it is for nearly all who participate. If you weren’t with us this year, let me explain why.

For seven days, nearly 3,000 men and women from 16 countries and nearly every state in the union… representing all races/ethnicities, faiths, and sexual orientations—ranging in age from 18-83—were united by one heroic challenge and one common goal: riding a bike (or supporting those who do) from San Francisco to Los Angeles to help end AIDS and care for those living with HIV.

It’s a bittersweet feeling when the event comes to an end because while many of us are exhausted from 7 days of being on the road and are happy to be home, for those 7 days we are what the world should be: a world without stigma, a world in which differences are celebrated, and a world in which people care about and whole-heartedly support one another.

It’s hard to understand these emotions unless you’ve experienced this incredible week yourself, but it’s the reason people keep coming back to AIDS/LifeCycle. And it’s why we already have 1,500 people registered for next year’s AIDS/LifeCycle!

Just through Friday, June 15, we’re offering Center supporters the opportunity to save $40 on registration for next year’s AIDS/LifeCycle. When you sign up using discount code “LAGLC” your registration fee is only $40. We’ll never offer a lower rate.

We’ll help you train. We’ll help you fundraise. And you’ll experience a life-changing event that helps the Center continue to provide life-saving medical care to people living with AIDS, find better treatments for HIV, and help prevent new infections.

Here’s a video re-cap of the seven-day event, followed by a video by Nathan Manske of HIV-positive rider Erik Walton’s declaration that “AIDS will not be the boss of me!”