About the Ride

Now in its 28th year, the Ride for Life is one of the most meaningful and supported Rides in New York State. Cyclists from near and far gather at Stewart Park in Ithaca NY to ride around Cayuga Lake while fully supported by a contingent of volunteers at the seven pitstops placed strategically around the lake. Riders will also be assisted by vehicle safety and gear support (cars and motorcycles), bike repair techs, a lunch pitstop at the halfway point, and a great celebration to follow at the finish line! Route options of 100, 90, 42, 28, and 14 mileage options to accommodate all experience levels. The full century covers 6,570 feet of elevation gain and has stops at beautiful locations such as King Ferry, Montezuma, and Frontenac Park!

Registration opens  on April 1st, 2026 and is FREE ALL YEAR LONG. 

In order to participate, all riders 22 and older are required to raise $200. Riders 21 and younger are required to raise $100. Money raised by our riders goes directly back to STAP to fill funding gaps for people living with HIV/AIDS, those with two or more chronic illnesses, LGBTQ+ youth at Identity Youth Center, and Syringe Exchange participants! All registered riders will receive a personal fundraising page along with tools to help them reach their goal — including the ability to create fundraising events, send thank-you texts to donors, host livestream fundraisers, and more!

STAP in Numbers: 2025

• 109 clients received rental assistance for stable housing through our HIV/AIDS support services.
• 6,216 naloxone kits were distributed, bringing our lifetime total to 12,432.
• 218 overdose reversals were reported, bringing our lifetime total to 3,282.
• 2,612 participants received services through STAP's Syringe Exchange program.
• 148 youth ages 13–24 visited Identity, STAP's LGBTQ+ youth center in Binghamton.

About STAP

2025 Updated Map & Cue Sheet (subject to change)​

​The Power of Purple

     August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, a global observance honoring those we have lost to drug overdose and raising awareness about the profound impact of substance use disorders. The purple ribbon—much like the deep red ribbon for AIDS awareness—symbolizes remembrance, hope, and advocacy for those living with substance use disorder and for the lives lost.

The Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP) was founded in 1984 as a nonprofit serving people living with HIV/AIDS during a time when individuals faced job loss, arrest, and intense stigma simply for their diagnosis. While meaningful progress has been made in the fight against HIV, we are now confronting a similarly stigmatized, community-wide crisis: opioid use disorder and overdose.

Today, STAP operates some of the only syringe exchange programs in the Southern Tier, serving Broome, Tompkins, Tioga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Otsego, and Delaware counties—continuing our commitment to harm reduction, public health and awareness, and compassionate care.