The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center (The Center) is hosting its annual Cycle For The Cause ride to end HIV and AIDS, from September 21 to 23. Riders will trek 275 miles from Boston to New York City, riding through Newtown on Saturday, September 22.

The Center may be based in Manhattan, but its outreach and services are available for those in need both in and out of the city.

“We were established in 1983 and have really been a staple in the LGBTQ community since,” Anthony Albanese, Director of HIV Prevention at The Center, said.

The Center provides an array of programs and services, including free walk-in HIV testing five days a week, education on safe sex and sexual health, family and couples counseling, wellness and prevention referrals, helping trans individuals find employment, and conducting youth empowerment work.

“We have a holistic approach to serving the person for what they might need,” Mr Albanese explained.

Since 1995, Cycle For The Cause has been bringing thousands of people together each year to help end HIV and AIDS.

On the Cycle For The Cause website, it states, “We ride because the story of AIDS isn’t over, but it can be. We ride because we believe that history doesn’t happen to us, it happens because of us. We decide which stories will define our generation. So after 35 years of protesting, organizing, and fighting to save lives, we will write the last chapter in the story of AIDS.”

More than 400 people are anticipated to participate as riders and crew this year, including Mr Albanese.

“This will be my third year doing the ride,” he said. “It’s sort of an emotional experience on various levels for me. I’m Director of HIV Prevention [at The Center], so I get to work hands-on with the programs and services that really support the communities that benefit from the ride and the funds raised.”

To be around hundreds of people dedicating themselves to the mission he works for every day continues to inspire and motivate him — especially during the ride itself, where it can be physically taxing.

Prior to working at The Center, Mr Albanese admits he had not ridden a bike in years and certainly was not cycling hundreds of miles like the Cycle For The Cause route requires. When he heard about the ride, though, he knew he wanted to participate and began training.

The terrain riding from Boston to New York City is a “combination of everything” from city streets to mountains to country roads to highways, he explained.

Fortunately, The Center provides training for riders at all experience levels, and those that do not feel ready to participate by cycling can work on the crew team.

“The crew is really the backbone of the ride,” Mr Albanese said. “They help out with all the logistics, all the stops throughout the day, making peanut butter sandwiches, cheering for the riders, and there’s a medical team there for those that get injured.”

The Center’s Communications Coordinator, Helen Buse, says Newtown has been a stop on the Cycle For The Cause route for the past seven years.

This year, it will have a cheering station at Holy Cow Ice Cream Shop on September 22, from 11:30 am to 4:15 pm. Residents are encouraged to come out and show their support for riders and the cause.

“Cheering does go a long way from a rider’s perspective. Every person who I see cheer helps me that much more get to the end goal,” Mr Albanese said.

Cycle For The Cause will conclude on September 23, at The Center, 208 West 13 Street in New York, N.Y., with a celebratory block party to welcome the riders and crew back from their three-day journey cycling to end HIV and AIDS.

For information about Cycle For The Cause and to donate, visit cycleforthecause.org.