Friends for Life Bike Rally to roll through the County

– Friends for Life fundraising participants cycle on County Road 1 in this file photo. – Sue Capon photo

Hundreds of cyclists, crew and volunteers will roll through the County for the 27th annual Friends for Life Bike Rally – one of Canada’s longest distance charity cycling events.

They head to the starting line Sunday, Aug. 3, in Toronto to embark on a 600km, six-day journey to Montreal in support of life-changing services provided by the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (PWA), AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM) and Trellis HIV & Community Care in Kingston. This year’s pedal-powered goal is to $1.8M for those in need.

Participants are expected to arrive in the County Monday around noon, with cyclists beginning their route at the Carrying Place swing bridge. The bike rally will continue toward the Glenora Ferry following County Road 33, County Road 1, County Road 30, Old Belleville Road, Talbot Street and back on to County Road 33 to the ferry.

Since 1999, the Friends for Life Bike Rally has raised more than $27.5M with 5,550 cyclists and 2,200 crew and volunteers.

HIV remains a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 40 million lives with ongoing transmission globally. Toronto has seen a sustained increase in reported HIV infections since 2016 (with the exception being during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a decrease in STI testing).

Recent research shows that almost five people are infected with the virus every day in Canada and those living with HIV/AIDS continue to face stigma and trauma.