Armstrong Says Road Back To Racing Has Begun
13/09/2008 06:43
MONT-TREMBLANT, Que. - For Lance Armstrong, the road back to the Tour de France began Friday in the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal.
The seven-time winner of the famed bike race came to the trendy Mont-Tremblant tourist resort to ride along rain-soaked roads with about 40 cyclists.
They each had to raise a minimum $25,000 donation to a cancer care fund to earn a spot behind Armstrong during the 100-kilometre ride.
In a statement to reporters, Armstrong said it is important for him to be able to talk about the global impact of cancer, which he noted kills eight million people a year.
The 36-year-old cancer survivor said the fight against the disease is the driving force behind his decision to race again.
"As some of you may or may not know, I've decided to race again . . . to talk about the global circumstances of this disease," he said.
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
While this is certainly a noble thing to do on Armstrong’s part, make no mistake – the road back will be a long and probably frustrating one for him.