Team RadioShack Rides in Honor of 28 Million Living With Cancer
In support of LIVESTRONG, Team RadioShack devotes the final stage of the 2010 Tour de France to the global fight against cancer
The final stage of the Tour de France was flooded with color but, the color black is what stood out from the pack. Led by cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Team RadioShack started the finale by swapping their official red-and-gray racing kit in favor of exclusive black “28″ jerseys, dedicating their ride to the 28 million people worldwide currently living with cancer. Although race officials mandated that the team return to their official Team RadioShack kits, the messaging still broke through the pack.
“RadioShack’s partnership with Lance Armstrong has always been about more than cycling. It’s about engaging our customers and more than 35,000 associates in the global fight against cancer,” said Lee Applbaum, chief marketing officer for RadioShack Corp. “We understand that for 28 million people around the world, the race is not over.”
By dedicating the final stage of the Tour, the Team RadioShack riders have become global ambassadors for the 28 million survivors worldwide who are battling cancer and are determined to help them fight it. RadioShack is proud to stand with LIVESTRONG in support of those brave millions who are in the fight for their lives.
Together with LIVESTRONG, RadioShack has made a commitment to reduce the global cancer burden by raising awareness, eradicating stigma and encouraging people to join the cause. Team RadioShack wore this support as a bold reminder that cycling is not just about winning races, it’s a way to spread a message of support for those who are tirelessly battling this disease. Read more
Cyclists will pedal 850 miles across Texas in the Rise Across Texas Challenge
Lance Armstrong Is Honorary Captain, Mack Brown and Gene Stallings Honorary Coaches
To celebrate his 50th birthday Austin businessman Steve Hicks hosted 100 friends at a Caribbean getaway; Jimmy Buffet and the Beach Boys entertained. Hicks turns 60 in February and will mark the milestone in a dramatically different way: rallying 49 people to join him in bicycling 850 miles across Texas.
On March 6, 2010 Hicks and his fellow bicyclists will set out from the Louisiana/Texas border and head west, averaging 60 miles a day. Starting from Orange, they’ll wind up in Presidio two weeks later on March 20.
Hicks, owner and executive chairman of Capstar Partners, conceived of the ride, the Rise Across Texas Challenge, as a fundraiser for the Rise Schools of Texas, which educate typical children alongside those with developmental disabilities. Lance Armstrong is the ride’s honorary captain; Mack Brown and Gene Stallings are honorary coaches.
Hicks is appealing to riders as determined as he is. “For my 50th I showed lots of people a good time, but for my 60th I want to give something back to the world,” he says. “Some adventurous types have already signed on for the full ride. Anyone raising a minimum can join for part of the ride, too.”
Proceeds will launch a campaign to build a permanent home for the Rise School in Austin, which currently leases space. Subsequent funds will benefit Rise Schools in Dallas, Houston, and Corpus Christi.
Hicks is not an elite biker — far from it, at least now. When not recruiting sponsors, he’s relearning something that one proverbially never forgets. “I got my cycling merit badge as a Boy Scout, and that’s pretty much it,” he says. “Right now I’m trying to get used to being on the bike without falling.” Never fear, though: Kevin Livingston, six-time Tour de France Rider and U.S. National Champion, has agreed to train the riders for their venture.
Towns slated as ride stops include Kountze, Montgomery, Brenham, Bastrop, Austin, Wimberley, Kerrville, Leakey, Brackettville, Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon, and Marfa.
Event sponsors to date include DMX, Harden Healthcare, Livestrong, Mellow Johnny’s, Pedal Hard and Texas Monthly. Trek Travel is the official bike tour operator.
For more information on the Rise Across Texas Challenge, please visit riseacrosstexas.org
Source: Rise Across Texas Foundation