The road to the Hampton Roads Tour de Cure starts at the Thursday night kickoff event that will be held at Roger Brown’s, located at 316 High St. in Portsmouth.

The American Diabetes Association will hold its kickoff event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The public event is free to attend and advance registration is encouraged, but not required.

Light hors d’oeuvres will be served with beverages as the top 10 fundraising teams from last year are recognized, along the top 10 individuals, the best volunteer group and single best volunteer. This year’s routes and other updates will also be announced at the event.

“If you’re interested in learning more about Tour and are interested in participating this year, then this is a great opportunity to learn more,” said Robin Kantor, ADA Hampton Roads director of development.

The Hampton Roads Tour de Cure is an annual fundraiser for diabetes research, education and advocacy efforts that draws thousands of participants each year. The Tour will be held on April 27 at Suffolk Executive Airport, 1200 Gene Bolton Drive.

There will be 12-, 30-, 62- and 100-mile routes for cyclists. Registration for cyclists is $20 through March 31 and increases to $25 starting April 1. The fundraising minimum for cyclists is $200.

There’s also a 5K run and walk with a $100 fundraising minimum for both runners and walkers, and no registration fee.

All participants ages 12 and younger have just a $50 fundraising minimum.

The fundraising goal for this upcoming Tour is $525,000. As of Friday evening, $122,396.81 has been raised, with 66 teams and 489 total participants registered so far.

RSVP to the kickoff online at diabetes.org/hrtdckickoff. For more information on the event, visit diabetes.org/hrtdc or call 424-6662 ext. 3269. Those interested in volunteering can contact Robin Kantor via email at RKantor@diabetes.org.