Seattle is included for the first time among the four cities that will host the LiveStrong Challenge in 2009.
The charity event the Lance Armstrong Foundation includes options for bicycling and running or walking to raise money to fight cancer.
The cities and dates are:
Seattle — June 13-14; San Jose — July 11-12; Philadelphia — Aug. 22-23; and Austin — Oct. 23-25.
The challenge visited San Jose, Philadelphia and Austin in 2008, but is replacing Portland, Oregon, with Seattle.
More details at the LiveStrong Challenge website. Registration begins Dec. 1.
Austin event
The announcement comes on the heels of the LiveStrong Challenge in Austin this past weekend. There are probably as many stories from this weekend's LiveStrong Challenge in Austin as there were people who participated — 6,000.
The one that caught my attention, however, was that of Judy Regan, 51, of Pasadena, California.
Her doctor limits her bicycling to a stationary bike after she suffered a brain aneurysm in July 2007.
So there she was at the finish line in Dripping Springs this weekend, pedaling her stationary bicycle 100 miles while other cyclists were out riding the century route around the Texas Hill Country.
Cheering
She told the Austin American-Statesman that a crowd gathered as she neared the end of her “ride”:
“The countdown was unbelievable at the end. Lots of people came over. One woman when I was done said, 'Now I know I'm going to get back on my bike.' “
Another good tale is told by the 23 cyclists that rode a 1,500-mile bike relay from Greenville, South Carolina, to Austin to participate in the weekend festivities.
Their blog, Ride to Austin, tells why the rode and what they experienced during the LiveStrong weekend.
1997 Race for the Roses
The LiveStrong Challenge was formerly known as the Ride for the Roses and before that, Race for the Roses. I suppose they changed the name when they incorporated running and walking into the weekend event.
I lived in Austin for those first couple of Ride for the Roses. The first year a Friday night downtown criterium, which Lance Armstrong won, preceded the fund-raiser ride.
My wife worked at the local newspaper and was able to score a couple of passes to the VIP tent. While we were hanging out there, I saw a familiar face in the back of the tent — Greg Lemond.
That was in March 1997, a couple of years before Armstrong would win his first of seven Tours de France and a few years until Lemond and Armstrong would have their famous split of doping allegations.
Above video from jpait at YouTube, who says he enjoyed the opportunity to ride with Armstrong and current and former pros.
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