About 100 cyclists were to head out from Niagara Falls State Park at 6:30 a.m. Monday for the Empire State AIDS Ride, a six-day bike trip to New York City that will raise money for AIDS treatment and prevention. The riders each collected $3,200 in donations and sponsorships, raising about $300,000, according to event organizer Marty Rosen. Doctors Without Borders will receive 65 percent of the money raised, to be used in expanding 20 international clinics, said Rosen. The ride will also support AIDS Rochester, the African Services Committee of Harlem and Health GAP (Global Access Project), an organization that lobbies for international access to medicine. About 1,000 people are expected at the welcoming ceremony on August 23 in Battery Park, where the cyclists will end their 500-mile journey.

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