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 Ready, set …they’re off! World Vision’s annual bicycle relay—officially, the Southern Africa AIDS Cycle Relay—got off to a fast start Aug. 18 in Chipata, Zambia. Along the 1,800-mile route, cyclists crossed borders into the nations of Malawi and Mozambique. Typically, border towns serve as meeting points for long-distance truck drivers and commercial sex workers. "It's very important that the relay goes through these border towns, as they are points at which HIV/AIDS is imported and exported in the region," said Alfred Chirwa, World Vision’s cycle-relay coordinator.
One of the highlights of this year's relay was the 'victory ride,’ which encouraged local cyclists to join the international riders in a symbolic display of solidarity.
At the finish line in the Mozambican province of Tete, riders were treated to a concert by the South African musician Ishmael.
World Vision inaugurated the cycle relay in 2001. Its purpose is to raise awareness and inspire action against the killer.
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