HARRIMAN STATE PARK Sixty bicyclists made camp at Harriman State Park in New York on Aug. 18, the final night of a weeklong, 560-mile ride to raise money and awareness for HIV/AIDS services across New York State. Exhausted from a 10-hour day of climbing hills and rising temperatures, riders and their 30 crew members from fourth annual Empire State AIDS Ride camped at Beaver Pond Campsite on Bear Mountain in preparation for the next day’s 50-mile ride to Lower Manhattan on Saturday. Friday’s ride started in Barryville and included stops in Port Jervis, Slate Hill, and Warwick. This year’s ride was expected to raise $300,000 through rider sponsorships, which will be split among four participating AIDS service providers. The ride kicked off Sunday in Niagara Falls, where several HIV-positive cyclists and road-crew members shared their stories and talked about the importance of continued funding of HIV/AIDS programs in New York. Riders cycled an average of 80 miles a day traversing the rural roads and grueling hills of New York State. They camped out each night in small tent cities set up by volunteers at state and county parks along route. “The journey actually began months ago, when riders started training for this incredible challenge,” said Marty Rosen, an Empire State AIDS Ride organizer. “Fact is, we’re on a journey with no end yet in sight. Although the AIDS epidemic is in its 25th year in the U.S., we are still experiencing increasing numbers of new infections, coupled with startling reductions in federal funding. This is a lethal combination for the growing number of people across our great state who truly need and deserve effective and innovative HIV/AIDS programs and services.”