Bike Tour For AIDS

DANBURY — Fourteen beneficiary agencies announce the second annual Connecticut AIDS Bike Tour 2003, which will take place September 10–14.

As the first statewide AIDS Bike Tour in the nation, the Connecticut AIDS Bike Tour was launched in 2002 by a group of community-based organizations, community organizers and AIDS activists.

The route, a five-day, 350-mile ride, begins in Hartford, and rides through Litchfield, Danbury, Bridgeport, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Willimantic, and ending back in Hartford on the final day.

There are an estimated 20,000 people living with HIV in the state of Connecticut, many of them unaware of their status. The state has not increased funding for HIV prevention in the past eight years.

Organizers and riders are calling for a renewed movement to advocate for the necessary dollars, both to stem the spread of HIV and provide services to people living with AIDS.

For more information, call 800-551-AIDS or visit the Connecticut AIDS Bike Tour website at www.ctaidshousing.org/cabt.htm.