The 2,000 participants in the inaugural LiveStrong Challenge in Seattle this Sunday might be disappointed to learn that Lance Armstrong won't be appearing at the charity bicycle ride.
Instead, Armstrong announced Tuesday that he and teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner will be racing at the Nevada City Classic that day.
Responding on his Twitter account to a discouraged fan, Armstrong wrote:
“I hear ya. If it weren't for the TdF then I'd be there. Have to get some racing in prior to the big race. Tough to balance it all.”
LAF
Armstrong is the founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation which raises money for cancer research and cancer survivor support through fund-raising activities, such as the LiveStrong Challenge bike rides.
This is the first year that Seattle has been on the schedule and it's the first of four LiveStrong Challenge fund-raising rides (other rides are slated for San Jose, Philadelphia and Austin).
Some 2,040 folks are signed up for the event, which has raised $737,000 so far.
The Seattle Center will be the focus of weekend activities. The LiveStrong Village opens all day Saturday, and the bicycle rides begin and finish between Key Arena and Fisher Pavillion.
Nevada City Classic
The one-day bicycle race in Nevada City, California, is Armstrong's first since finishing in 12th place in the Giro d'Italia a couple of weeks ago.
Immediately after that race, he rushed to Aspen, Colorado, to be with his girlfriend Anna Hansen who gave birth to their son, Maxwell Edward Armstrong.
Although he's been training in Aspen, he must think that he needs some more racing miles under his belt before the start of the Tour de France on July 4.
The course
Armstrong will be racing against pros on a 1.1-mile criterium route that takes a counter-clockwise loop around town. According to the website, the features tight turns and 120 feet of climbing per lap. The race consists of 40 laps.
This is the 49th anniversary of the Nevada City Classic, one of the oldest continuously running races in the nation. It comprises a series of criteriums throughout the day; Armstrong's will be the last race at about 5 p.m.
Leipheimer has raced the Nevada City Classic before, winning in 1998.
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