Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

University Partners With Tour of Hope

Lance Armstrong’s cross-country bicycle ride to benefit cancer research, Tour of Hope, will find two new sponsors in Georgetown’s Medical Center and Georgetown University Hospital when the tour begins on Sept. 29, university officials announced last week.

In a press release, Medical Center and Hospital officials said that the event will “raise awareness about cancer clinical trials and research at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and hospitals in the MedStar network, and encourage cancer patients to learn more about specific trials that might benefit them.”

Anne Sullivan, the director of Cause-Related Marketing for the Lombardi Center, said she believed that sponsoring the Tour of Hope will prove to be a great chance for Georgetown and MedStar Health to highlight the preeminence of the Lombardi Center in the field of cancer research.

Additionally, she cited the high rate of cancer diagnosis in the United States as reason that the Lombardi Center wanted to be a part of the third annual Tour of Hope.

“At the current rate of diagnosis, experts estimate that one in three people will be faced with a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime,” Sullivan said. “That means there are few of us that won’t have a close friend, co-worker or family member with the disease if we do not find a cure,” said Sullivan.

The Medical Center and Hospital will sponsor the final leg of the nine-day journey, which starts in San Diego September 29 and finishes in Washington on October 8. The local route of the Tour begins in Columbia, Md., and ends 48 miles later at the Ellipse on the National Mall, where the Tour of Hope finale will take place.

Over 1,500 cyclists are expected to participate in the final ride to the Mall, and over 10,000 people are expected to greet them at the finish.

Among those bikers will be Georgetown representative Richard Pestell, who is the director of the Lombardi Center.

Although many will participate in that final 48-mile stretch of racing, only one 24-person team will actually complete the entire transcontinental ride. These riders, known as the Tour of Hope team, were selected from over 1,000 applicants and were chosen for their cycling ability and for their personal experiences with cancer. All of the team members are either cancer survivors, family members of cancer patients, medical experts or cancer researchers.

For their journey, the Tour of Hope team will be split into four squads of six, and will alternate riding approximately every four to five hours throughout the nine-day trek. In order to prepare for the physical test, the riders are taking part in a 16-week training regimen designed by cyclist Lance Armstrong’s coach, Chris Carmichael.

As the leader of the tour, Armstrong will not be participating for the entire ride. He does plan to ride, though, at the tour’s opening in San Diego, at selected segments along the route and at the tour’s closing in Washington.

The Tour will go through six major cities other than San Diego and the District, including Austin, Texas, Armstrong’s hometown.

The Tour of Hope is not the first time that the Lombardi Center and Armstrong have come together. In 2001, Armstrong was awarded the center’s Symbol of Courage Award at the annual Lombardi Gala, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation has given to the Lombardi Center in the past.

This is also not the first time that the Lombardi Center has joined with a sporting event to fight cancer. According to Sullivan, the center has been a part of the PGA Tour’s Booz Allen Classic’s “Birdies for Charity” program and the Washington Redskins’ “Yards for Youth” program.

She also noted that “over the years we have honored a number of sports celebrities with our Symbol of Courage and Symbol of Caring awards.”

All of the money raised from the upcoming Tour of Hope will go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its partners.

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