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The NIKE Showcase Classic begins this Wednesday morning in Clearwater, Florida with some of the fastest young athletes in the nation. LIVE streaming will be through http://FloridaSwimNetwork.com for every finals beginning Wednesday at 5:00 pm. You will also be able to find pictures, interviews, results, and other meet news right here at http://SwimmerJoe.com.
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By VeloNews and Mary Prankster
Call it Comeback 4.0.
VeloNews has learned that Lance Armstrong will make a return to the pro peloton later this season in a bid to sharpen his form ahead of the Ironman world championships in October.
Sources have confirmed to VeloNews that the seven-time Tour de France champion will race the three-week Vuelta a España (August 18 to September 9) to hone his cycling legs ahead of the three-event Ironman finale on October 13.
Armstrong could not be reached for comment, but a source close to his inner circle confirmed the story.
“Lance was fourth in the 1998 Vuelta and he wants to race it again, mainly for conditioning, but who knows with Lance?,” the source said. “He’s still mad about what happened in the 2010 Tour, and you know what happens when Lance gets mad.”
Officials from RadioShack-Nissan would not comment on the story, but it is believed that Armstrong will return with the team in what will be yet another highly anticipated comeback for Armstrong, who will turn 41 a week after the Vuelta concludes.
Armstrong has reportedly quietly signed on with anti-doping controls in order to meet guidelines that require athletes to be in the anti-doping control pool at least six months ahead of competition. UCI officials would not comment.
Officials said the return to cycling is temporary and it’s not likely that the peloton will see Armstrong for very long.
“He’s doing this to get in top shape for the Ironman,” another source said. “It’s a risk in that he could crash or get sick, but there’s no better training than racing.”
The mountainous edition of the 2012 Vuelta likely discounts any GC ambitions and Armstrong is expected to ride as a “special” domestique, though the idea of him not trying to win at least one stage or go on the attack is unlikely.
Armstrong returned to triathlon in February, finishing second in the Ironman 70.3 Panama race, only getting passed by eventual winner Bevan Docherty in the final two kilometers.
“Lance is going to win Ironman. And he’s going to race the Vuelta to get in the best absolute shape,” the source said. “I don’t know what the odds are, but if I were a betting man, I would bet the house on that.”
As of late March, Armstrong still had not qualified to start the Ironman world championships, so there were no odds posted on the online betting sites. Docherty’s odds, however, were 51-to-1.
So if Armstrong almost beat him in his comeback, it might be worth putting a Ben Franklin on him no matter what happens.
via Ironman.com and Lance Armstrong Foundation
Published Thursday, February 9, 2012
Today, the Lance Armstrong Foundation announces a new partnership with Ironman to help raise more than $1 million for people affected by cancer. Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, champion cyclist and the Foundation’s founder and chairman, will compete as a professional athlete in several Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races including Ironman 70.3 Panama, Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, Ironman 70.3 Florida, Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and Ironman France. Armstrong is racing with the goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i, on Oct. 13, 2012, and will be competing as a member of Team LIVESTRONG, which is adding these Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races to its endurance events series designed to raise funds for people affected by cancer.
“I am grateful to Ironman for partnering with LIVESTRONG to raise funds and awareness for people affected by cancer,” said Armstrong. “In my career as an athlete and as a cancer advocate, I’ve learned that progress demands partnership, but it’s not without a struggle. And that’s what Team LIVESTRONG is about – it’s about purpose; it’s about challenge and it’s about empowering survivors to fight like hell. There’s progress to be made with cancer and we invite anyone up for the challenge to join Team LIVESTRONG.
“At 13 years old, Lance got his start in triathlon by racing in the IronKids Series,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of World Triathlon Corporation. “At 16 years old, he went pro and was considered a star in our sport. At only 18, he was racing against the best triathletes in the world: Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Scott Molina. We are happy to have him return to our sport. Lance is a fierce competitor and his involvement with Ironman and Ironman 70.3 is good for triathlon.”
“Lance’s involvement at perhaps the toughest one-day event in all of sport sheds light on what surviving cancer can mean to millions around the world,” said Scott Tinley, two-time Ironman World Champion and Ironman Hall of Fame Inductee. “I remember Lance as a determined kid who channeled that competitive spirit into an amazing career as a cyclist, survivor and advocate for survivors of a horrible disease. A partnership between LIVESTRONG and Ironman will further improve the lives of people affected by cancer. People need to realize that Lance’s foundation represents the use of sport to improve our world. There are only positive things that can come from having Lance join the Ironman family.”
“It is exciting to see Lance Armstrong, one of the greatest-ever endurance athletes, coming back to race triathlons in 2012,” said Craig Alexander, three-time Ironman World Champion and two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion.
“Lance is an exceptional athlete; he’s the type of person who wants to excel and be the best at whatever he puts his mind to,” said Chris Lieto, multiple Ironman and Ironman 70.3 champion. “I’m excited to see how his participation in our sport will draw attention to what it takes to be a triathlete and how challenging it can be. It will definitely bring triathlon more into the mainstream and I know pro athletes, including myself, will look forward to racing with him at future events.”
Team LIVESTRONG adds Ironman races to its endurance events series designed to raise funds for people affected by cancer
Team LIVESTRONG has a limited number of entries for these events and people interested in joining Armstrong should visit www.TeamLIVESTRONG.org for more information. Athletes who are already registered for one of these Ironman or Ironman 70.3 events can still race as part of Team LIVESTRONG. General entry is also still available for each of these events and can be accessed at www.ironman.com.
Through this partnership, Ironman will serve as a gold-level sponsor for the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. As a sponsor, Ironman will donate four Ironman World Championship slots in 2012 and 2013 to be auctioned with proceeds going directly to LIVESTRONG.
LIVESTRONG is the brand of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, created in 1997 by the cancer survivor and champion cyclist to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action. The Foundation specializes in patient navigation services that help cancer survivors and their families overcome the insurance, financial, emotional and practical challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis. As a member of Team LIVESTRONG, people walk, run, ride or tri in the fight against cancer in the LIVESTRONG Challenge Series or in other major athletic events around the world. By participating and fundraising for Team LIVESTRONG, participants join a group of committed individuals dedicated to inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer. To date, Team LIVESTRONG participants have raised $82 million for Foundation programs and services. For more information, visit TeamLIVESTRONG.org.
About World Triathlon Corporation
World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a Tampa-based company recognized for athletic excellence, distinguished events and quality products. The WTC portfolio includes Ironman, Ironman 70.3, 5150 Triathlon Series, Iron Girl and IronKids, which have a combined total of more than 180 events worldwide each year. Supported by partners including Timex, PowerBar, K-Swiss and TYR, Ironman is the No.1 user-based sports brand in the world and has been a respected name in triathlon since its inception in 1978. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About LIVESTRONG/Lance Armstrong Foundation
LIVESTRONG serves people affected by cancer and empowers them to take action against the world’s leading cause of death. Created as the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the organization is now known publicly by its powerful brand – LIVESTRONG — and is a leader in the global movement on behalf of 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. Originating with the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG has become a symbol of hope and inspiration to people affected by cancer around the world. Since its inception, the organization has raised $450 million for the fight against cancer. For more information, visit LIVESTRONG.org
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SARASOTA, Florida, February 7. LANCE Armstrong, the record seven time winner of the Tour de France in cycling, is officially registered as a member of United States Masters Swimming.
Armstrong made noise within the swimming community last month when he competed at the Longhorn Aquatics New Year’s Classic. He placed 21st in the men’s 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 5:08.11. The 40-year-old athlete would have ranked ninth in the country with that swim a year ago in the men’s 40-44 age division.
Recently, Armstrong tweeted to U.S. Masters Swimming that the 2012 USMS Spring Nationals were “on his calendar.” The event will take place at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C. from April 26-29.
The Associated Press reports that Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title Monday and banned for two years.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the three-time Tour champion after rejecting his claim that his positive test for clenbuterol was caused by eating contaminated meat.
The three-man CAS panel upheld appeals by the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency, which challenged a Spanish cycling tribunal’s decision last year to exonerate Contador.
“The presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement,” CAS said in its ruling in Lausanne, Switzerland.
CAS backdated Contador’s ban and he is eligible to return to competition on Aug. 6. That ban means Contador will miss the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the London Olympics, but he would be eligible to ride in the Spanish Vuelta, which begins Aug. 18.
Contador becomes only the second Tour de France champion to be disqualified and stripped of victory for doping. The first was Floyd Landis, the American who lost his 2006 title after testing positive for testosterone.
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