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Armstrong to Ireland post-Tour for race, cancer confab

by VeloNews.com

• February 23, 2009
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Lance Armstrong’s racing season will continue after the 2009 Tour de France.

The seven-time Tour winner confirmed he will race the third Tour of Ireland Aug. 19-23 and then host the first Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin Aug. 24-26.

The 37-year-old Armstrong wrapped up the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday, where he finished a solid seventh overall in support of Astana teammate and winner Levi Leipheimer.

Armstrong’s presence will be a boon for the Irish tour, which has already enjoyed two popular editions since its return to the international calendar in 2007. Last year, Columbia-Highroad’s Marco Pinotti won the overall and sprinter Mark Cavendish won two stages.

The five-day Irish tour is his first confirmed event for Armstrong, who previously raced in Ireland in 1992, after his scheduled return to the Tour in July.

“The Tour of Ireland could not be more proud than to have Lance Armstrong riding once again on Irish roads in the lead-up to his global cancer summit in Dublin,” said race director Darach McQuaid.

“The massive, positive public reaction to his comeback to the sport in Australia in January and California in February indicate that by the time Lance arrives in Ireland next August, the levels will be at a fever pitch.”

The race appearance is quickly followed by the cancer summit, which will make the case for urgent action in the fight against cancer worldwide.

“Unless we act on a global level, cancer will be the leading cause of death by 2010,” Armstrong said. “Our goal is to be the catalyst that brings everyone together to fight cancer — from survivors, like me, to world leaders and policymakers who must commit completely to the effort to avoid a public health catastrophe.”

ALSO TO MEXICO: Armstrong is also scheduled to travel to the Tour of Mexico in March to act as official “godfather” to the race and drop the start flag before the first stage in Oaxaca.

Several Mexican media outlets incorrectly reported that Armstrong was going to race. A possible meeting with Mexican president Felipe Calderon is in the works before the March 1 start.