Ride the Drive with Lance Armstrong! 8-29-10

Madison cyclists of all ages lined up this morning to join seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong in a massive group ride along the downtown isthmus. Six miles of roads were closed for six hours as part of Ride the Drive.

Check out local news coverage and photos or skip to my photos below!

http://www.channel3000.com/recreation/24804050/detail.html

http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/101611658.html?storySection=photo

http://www.fox47.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/vid_926.shtml

http://www.bfw.org/events/index.php?category_id=4384

http://www.facebook.com/ridethedrive?v=wall

me - having fun! center - gorgeous morning downtown! right - Lance was funny, I didn't expect that.

(right - teal shirt) Major Dave Cieslewicz & (center - black shirt) John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle spoke before Lance Armstrong (left - red shirt) took the stage.

(above left) Two guys rode up near me on double-decker bikes, look close, it was crazy! Then the double-decker bike guys were checking out this guy's red/yellow Trek (above right). Cyclists love looking at other bikes--so much fun!

Along the ride I saw:

- unicyclists

- a cyclist wearing some sort of puffy furry mascot costume

- some cyclists wearing very little clothing

- kids on training wheels and some kids who should have kept their training wheels on...

- a tandem with a tag-a-long pulling a burley

- a lady with a dog in her front basket

- a man cycling with a small infant riding on his back in a baby bjorn, the baby was facing into the man's body and the infant's head had an extra wrap holding the head against the man's back.

- most riders wearing helmets

- some riders talking on cell phones and/or taking pictures while riding

- all sorts of ways to transport kids: burleys, tag-a-longs, seats on the back, seats on the front of the bike and a cushion set up over a back tire with two tiny girls riding along on it, no helmets.

photos all by me, even the picture of me.

My video clips (I had the junky camera, so quality isn't great):

- "It's great to be here in this great state."

-"One more bike on the road is a dang good idea in my opinion."

Questions for You:

- What's the largest group of cyclists you've ridden with?

- What's the strangest thing you've seen on a bike or while riding your bike?