Organizers of a community bicycle ride associated with Australia's Tour Down Under are reporting record interest in the event this year and expect to cut off participation at 5,000 cyclists.
Some 3,500 cyclists already have registered for the Mutual Community Challenge, and tour officials are attributing the greater interest to Lance Armstrong's participation in the 2009 Tour Down Under, which runs from Jan. 20-25.
The community bike race is similar to the Tour de France's popular L'Etape du Tour, in which amateur cyclists ride a stage of that the pros will tackle later.
Stage 4
This year, the Mutual Community Challenge rolls out early on Jan. 23 to give the amateurs time to finish the ride before the pros start Stage 4 later in the day.
There are three options: the full 155K (96-mile) distance from Burnside Village to Angaston; a shortened 97K (60-mile) tour from Mt Pleasant to Angaston; or a 32K (20-mile) ride around Angaston.
Tour Down Under organizers emphasize that it is a challenge, not a race. The challenge is whether participants can make it to the finish line before the pros.
Packages
All participants get a yellow and black Mutual Community jersey, which they must wear during the ride. Corporate teams are encouraged.
I'm sure this won't be the last time that we'll hear about unusual interest in the Tour Down Under. Armstrong is launching his pro cycling comeback at the Tour Down Under, and he's never before raced in Australia.
Nine companies are offering cycling packages to the Tour Down Under; the only one from the US is Trek Travel.
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