Lance Armstrong may not show his face, but a team he owns is the first professional organization to confirm its attendance for the April’s Tour of the Battenkill.
Race organizer Dieter Drake, a Cambridge resident, said Monday that Trek-Livestrong, a developmental team for professional bicycle racers under the age of 23, was the first pro team to commit to the 2010 event.
Because of the team’s ties to Lance Armstrong — who survived cancer in the ’90s and went on to win the Tour de France a record seven times — the team will use their appearance at the Tour of the Battenkill to promote the work of a local medical facility, which is yet to be announced.
“This is our first professional team that’s stated their intent to come,” said Drake, who also runs a youth cycling team for children up to 18 years old. “It’s a great step forward, and in concert with what we do over here with our junior (cycling) program.”
The event is unusual for a road race in the United States, as it is held on a single, 65-mile loop that features about 12 miles of dirt roads, all in southern Washington County. The mix of paved and dirty roads has served as the foundation of the race’s appeal, and drawn huge numbers of athletes, as well as spectators, to Washington County early in the spring.
Drake said he did not know if Armstrong would show up in Washington County to supervise his team of young athletes, although the Texan is schedule to race the Amstel Gold classic, in Holland, on the same day.
“We talked about what would make the most sense for (team manager Axel merckx) to bring the team, and their involvement in cancer awareness is a big part of it,” he said.
In addition, although the team races around the world, including in this month’s Tour of Qatar, the Tour of the Battenkill fit well with the team’s schedule, and with it’s U.S.-based athletes.
Source: saratogian.com
