Committed to riding the Thursday stage of RAGBRAI, Lance Armstrong showed up early on Wednesday's route for some pedaling between Waukee and Newton.
“I decided to ride today because I started reading and studying the history of RAGBRAI, all its tradition and I got jazzed up about it. … So I thought, why not do as much of it as I can?” Armstrong told the Des Moines Register, the organizer of the ride in its 34th year.
A 7-time Tour de France winner, cancer survivor and all-round celebrity, Armstrong's appearance is likely to cause a ruckus wherever he goes, but no more than at a bicycling event that draws nearly 10,000 cyclists.
(Reminiscent of “Where's Waldo?”, the Register is running headlines, “Where's Lance?” as he passes through Colfax, Elkhart, etc. Witnesses say he's surrounded by several riders wearing yellow and black Livestrong jerseys and followed by riders attempting to keep up.)
Expect to catch Armstrong's appearance on the network news this week. The Des Moines Register reports that former Clinton aide and current ABC correspondent George Stephanopoulos is showing up in Iowa to do a piece on Armstrong's visit. Also, CBS morning show anchor Harry Smith is riding the week-long ride across Iowa.
There's more to Armstrong's visit to Iowa than a chance to spin the pedals. He wants to get Iowans interested in federal funding for cancer research, so they'll help make it an issue when the presidential candidates show up for the 2008 Iowa caucuses.
After speaking in Newton on Wednesday night and riding from there to Marengo on Thursday, Armstrong is scheduled to testify Friday at a Congressional hearing on cancer research funding being held in Iowa City by US Sen. Tom Harkin.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation is dedicated to helping cancer survivors and seeking more funding for cancer research.
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