More than 960 riders will travel a 330-mile route over four days from Raleigh, N.C. to Washington, D.C., June 19-22, to raise money for AIDS service organizations for the first annual Tour de Friends. The event, whose main sponsor is the Washington AIDS group Food & Friends, replaced the D.C. AIDS rides, which had benefited similar organizations since 1996. Event planners see Tour de Friends as a fresh start after financial controversy plagued the 2002 D.C. AIDS Ride. The previous event producer, Pallotta TeamWorks, was scrutinized for its high overhead costs and production fees, resulting in a net return of less than 14 cents for every dollar donated. Craig Shniderman, executive director of Food & Friends, said a 50 cents-on-the-dollar return would be considered a success by event organizers this year. The Whitman-Walker Clinic, the co-beneficiary of the D.C. AIDS rides, will not participate in Tour de Friends.

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