Armstrong to lead tour

Team of 20 cyclists to ride across America

They are scheduled to leave Los Angeles on bicycles Friday morning and may be at Treasure Island on the Strip by the afternoon.

Are they some kind of group of supermen?

Yes they are.

Led by six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, a team of 20 cyclists selected by the cancer community will embark on an eight-day, nearly 3,500-mile ride across the United States to raise awareness for cancer clinical trials in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope.

The ride starts Friday in Los Angeles and concludes on Oct. 9 at the White House Ellipse in Washington, D.C., where a grand finale celebration, fund-raising ride and health festival will take place.

Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer in 1996, will join the Tour of Hope riders at the start, the finish and at selected segments along the way. The tour team is made up of cancer researchers, nurses and physicians, caregivers and survivors like Armstrong.

Over 1,200 people applied for the ride, which is focused on spreading the word about cancer research as the riders share their own personal experiences at local cancer center events.

The team members have 150 combined years of cycling experience and includes 12 cancer survivors ranging in age from 32 to 66. The total mileage for each rider will be about 800 miles and the riders will average 18.5 mph.

The Tour of Hope team will pedal almost 3,500 miles in eight days. Tour de France cyclists rode about 2,088 miles in three weeks this year in comparison.

The tour is scheduled to go through Las Vegas and then Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland before the grand finale in our nation's capital.

Being on the Tour team is no easy task as the 20 team members will be divided into four squads of five riders who will relay across the nation. The team members will ride in relays of 100-mile segments around the clock.

The team will encourage people to make "The Promise" along the way, which will ultimately be delivered to Washington, D.C. by Armstrong. The Promise is a personal commitment to help yourself and others learn more about cancer.

All the funds raised in the Tour of Hope, including those from the public ride in Washington, D.C. will go to support cancer research through the Tour of Hope partners. To follow the riders' progress or get more information, visit www.tourofhope.org.

The Nevada Cancer Institute will host a community rally for the Tour of Hope on Friday at Treasure Island, starting at 5:25 p.m. and running until approximately 6:30 p.m. at the casino's Sirens' Cove. Armstrong and other members of the team are scheduled to speak at the rally.


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