2 AIDS Ride Beneficiaries Bowing Out

Two organizations that are beneficiaries of California AIDS Ride announced Thursday that they will no longer participate and will create a new cycling event in 2002 to raise funds for AIDS and HIV services.

The company that has created and promoted California AIDS Ride will continue the event next year, and will be soon be announcing new beneficiaries.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which have been affiliated with the event for eight years, have not renewed their contract with Pallotta TeamWorks, the event producer.

Gwenn Baldwin, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Center, said the two groups failed to reach agreement with Pallotta after several months of negotiations. Baldwin said they were unhappy with Pallotta’s marketing strategies, budget overruns during the 2001 event, next year’s budget, and the portion of the money raised that went to charity, among other issues.

In previous years, 60% of the funds, and sometimes more, went to the AIDS groups, Baldwin said. Last year, the percentage was 50%.

Norm Bowling, senior vice president for Pallotta, said the percentage was lower last year because fewer people participated.

“Fifty percent is still an excellent return and within the recommendations of many of the fund-raising groups across the country who keep track of these things,” he said. “The event raised close to $6 million for the two agencies. . . . California AIDS Ride has raised more than $40 million for the two agencies since its inception in 1994. We’re proud of the results this year and historically.”

The new event that will be created by the Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation will be called AIDS/LifeCycle. The organizations have not released details of the event.

Participants in the California AIDS Ride travel 575 miles down California’s coast. In past years, the funds went to AIDS drugs and counseling and prevention programs.