Lance Armstrong to Participate in Giro
Lance Armstrong, the former 7-time winner of the most important even in professional cycling, the Tour de France, announced on Monday he would participate in the Giro d’Itala, the tour of Italy, in 2008.
This major competition will signal Armstrong’s comeback at the highest level. He will, of course, participate in other races and competitions, but this is the one where he wants to shine. Unlike the Tour de France, Armstrong never won the Giro in his long and successful career.
“I’ve raced for a long time and I never did the Giro which was one of the biggest regrets I ever had,” he said.
“Fortunately for myself I get to erase that regret and be there for the 100th year anniversary and maybe get a good result, who knows.”
Angelo Zomegnan, the cycling director of RCS Sport - the Giro d’Italia organiser, said he was not surprised that Armstrong had decided to compete in the race for the very first time.
“No cycling champion had ever considered not taking part in the Giro d’Italia and Lance is the only one that, having won the Tour de France in its centenary, could achieve the same mark in the Giro d’Italia centenary,” he said.
“Lance knows how much affection the Italians have for him dating back to the years when he lived in Lake Como.
“We should also mention the project of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong, in which Italy and the Giro will represent the ideal territory to highlight the problems regarding the fight against cancer.”
One of the main reasons Armstrong decided to get back on the bike is that he believes there should be more money for cancer research. His foundation tries to draw attention to this disease, and tries to help and encourage those who suffer from it. Armstrong himself, of course, is an important example for all those who suffer from one sort of cancer or another, or from other life threatening diseases. He suffered from cancer, beat the disease, and came back to cycling to win the Tour de France and record breaking seven times.
In addition to never having participated in the Giro, another important reason for Armstrong to participate next year is undoubtedly that fact that the leader of his new team, Astana, won the Tour last year, and the Giro and tour of Spain this year (the Vuelta d’Espana). This man, Alberto Contador, announced immediately after Armstrong said he would join Astana, that he would not take a backseat. If necessary, he said, he would move to another team.
Armstrong’s decision to race in the Giro, then, ensures Contador that he will be the team’s leader during the Tour de France, and that Armstrong will not, as such, pose a threat to him.
Lance probably won’t be invited to the Tour. In order to avoid a conflict with the Tour organizers, he will do the Giro and skip the Tour. His participation in the Giro and the celebration of the 100th anniversary will make it a great event. It is time to make your reservations, see http://bicyclespokesman.com/see-lance-in-the-giro-ditalia/ for a list of tour companies