Georgia: Annual AV200 Ride Rolls Toward AIDS Vaccine

More than 100 bicyclists are expected to take part in this weekend's 2010 AIDS Vaccine 200. Held annually since 2003, the AV200 has raised more than $575,000 for the Emory Vaccine Center and Hope Clinic (EVC/HC), its primary beneficiaries.

"Prevention is key to the strategy to fighting AIDS, but it's clearly not going to work with everybody everywhere, so research for an AIDS vaccine has to be a prominent part of the overall strategy," said Todd Wiggins, the founder of Action Cycling Atlanta, which hosts the ride. "Prevention and treatment, yes, but a vaccine is the only way we're ever going to see an end to this thing."

In December, EVC/HC began signing up 120 local men to take part in its work in the HIV Vaccine Trials Network 505 Study. That trial is testing a preventative vaccine on 1,350 men in 12 US cities.

Several other Atlanta AIDS service organizations will benefit from the ride as well. Jerusalem House and Positive Impact each have fielded a team of riders; those organizations will get 25 percent of the money their teams raise, with 75 percent going to EVC/HC.

The ride rolls off from Emory University in Atlanta early Saturday morning, beginning a 200-mile round-trip to Eatonton, Ga., and back. The ride concludes Sunday at about 4:30 p.m. at the Emory School of Medicine. Bret Busch, the event's leader, invited the community to come out to witness the finish: "We'll have barbecue and beer, and it will be a great celebration."

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