I agree with @
tunavic that the long beach Tour de Cure was not worth it. There was only one perk and that was getting to ride over the Gerald Desmond bridge and take photos. They had awful pit stops with grapefruit (which I understand is a no-no with diabetes meds). Plus the route went thru LB with stop signs every block. Ugh. I won't pay to ride local route.
I do participate in AIDS/Lifecycle as I have a personal connection to the cause. I donated half the minimum and got it matched so I met minimum to ride all on my own. I worked with Pedal Industries and had gear bags designed with ALC artwork. They are donating 20% of each bag sale by sending me the funds via PayPal and I get donated and matched increasing donation to 40% of each bag sold. Obviously I am open to someone donating toward my efforts and those donations are greatly appreciated...I decided to find ways to fundraise that wasn't just straight up asking people for money.