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Tales from the fund-raising peloton
Ride for the Roses undampened by grey weather
In the off-season, five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong shifts gears from top bike racer to energetic fund-raiser for cancer charity the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Ted Arnold was in Austin, Texas for the Foundation's annual fund-raising bike ride, the Ride for the Roses.
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Grey skies over Sunday's Ride for the Roses couldn't dampen the spirit of another successful edition of the charity weekend for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). Over 5,500 riders braved blustery winds and spotty rain showers on the annual weekend's final day ride. Over four million dollars were raised by members of the foundation's Peloton Project, who work all year on their individual fund raising efforts and come from all 50 states and 17 different countries to participate.
The weekend kicked off Friday, October 24 with a private ride for top fund-raisers with Lance Armstrong in the hills of Northwest Austin. Across town the PowerBar Sports and Health Expo opened and served as ground zero for all of the weekend's events. Exhibitors such as Trek and Shimano used the event as a product showcase and to show support for the five-time Tour de France winner's fund raising efforts. "The event is very natural to us and important because the Shimano family has been touched by cancer," explained Shimano's Chris DiStefano, who attended the event along with Kozo Shimano, President of Shimano North America. One of the more intriguing items on display in their booth was Armstrong's infamous Sports Illustrated cover bike that sported an early prototype version of the companies new 10-speed group.
On Friday evening top fund-raisers were rewarded with a Texas-style party and barbeque on a wild game ranch outside of Austin. The evening was complete with an awards ceremony in which poignant stories of Peloton Project members were shared, followed by a performance from Lance pal and country music star Lyle Lovett. The pair shared the stage on multiple occasions and told stories about one another before Lovett coaxed a relaxed Armstrong into trying his hand at singing, much to the amusement of the crowd. Other attendees included Master of Ceremonies David James Elliott and cycling photographer Graham Watson. Elliott currently stars in the television series JAG and enjoys cycling and triathlons.
Saturday's events kicked off with a charity run in which country music star and cyclist Jo Dee Messina participated before flying to Denver for a Saturday evening show. Messina then returned to Austin in the early morning hours to participate in Sunday's ride and finished by performing in Sunday's post-ride party. "I wanted to donate a show to the LAF because I'm such a huge fan of everything that the foundation does and then I decided to do the ride and all the events plus the concert in Denver - I am never one to do things easy," Messina said. The day was capped off with a cancer discussion panel and the documentary movie premiere of 'A Lion in the House-Stories of Survivorship'. The movie will air on PBS in 2005 as a series due in part to funding provided by the LAF. It will be shown again in Los Angeles in November as part of a weekend of fund-raising by LAF and the Starbright Foundation which helps seriously ill children and teenagers.
As Sunday morning came cyclists took over the roads east of Austin in the marquee event of the weekend. A hearty blast of cold air greeted cyclists, a big surprise for many as unusually warm temperatures in the days leading up to the event prompted many to be worried about heat. "It's a little cooler than I thought but the event just gets bigger and better every year," commented Armstrong. After a rousing electric guitar rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by musician Michael Ward, Armstrong addressed the crowd. "This is quite frankly the most special thing in my life. I know there a lot of teammates - otherwise known as cancer survivors - here today and want thank you along with the sponsors and volunteers," he said
Before starting the ride Armstrong posed for a few last-minute photos with fans and friends including Tyler Hamilton. "I talked with Lance with about ten days ago and decided to come down - it's important to me to be able to support all these people and Lance Armstrong who's a good friend of mine, he's done a lot for me over my career," Hamilton said. The day ended with a post ride party and concert as waves of cyclists completed their rides. As many packed to leave Sunday they eagerly spoke of near years event - a sure sign of bigger things to come for the Lance Armstrong Foundation those who support it.
