Tour of MO champ Christian Vande Velde and TDF announce Bob Roll at Pedal the Cause Oct 8 & 9

Two pro cycling icons are making their way to St. Louis in support of Pedal the Cause, a first ever bike ride to raise funds for cancer research in St. Louis, taking place October 8 and 9, 2010.  Local cycling enthusiasts can have the chance to ride along with the 2008 Tour of Missouri Champ Christian Vande Velde and legendary Tour de France announcer and former pro rider Bob Roll.

On Friday night at 7pm at Soldier’s Memorial in downtown St. Louis, registered riders and guests will take part in a festive-pre ride celebration. Vande Velde and Roll will be in attendance as guests enjoy a tasty dinner and live music. Cancer survivors and local researchers will talk about the importance of funding cancer research. 100% of the proceeds  will stay in St. Louis to fund cancer research through the Cancer Frontier Fund, an initiative of  Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation which benefits the Siteman Cancer Center, and the Children’s Discovery Institute at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Tickets for Friday night’s celebration are $55 for anyone not registered for the ride.

On Saturday morning, October 9 from 7 to 8am, Vande Velde and Roll will meet and greet fans prior to the Pedal the Cause’s 8am start at Soldier’s Memorial.  Both icons will take part in the ride, which features two course options:  a 25 mile or a 60 mile loop through the metro area. Only registered riders will be allowed on the course, and there is still time to sign up. Simply visit www.pedalthecause.org or call 314-787-1990.

About Christian Vande Velde – Team Garmin-Transitions

Vande Velde twice rode on the Tour de France team that brought Lance Armstrong to victory, in 1999 and 2001. In the 1999 Tour de France Vande Velde was for a time the leader of the youth classification In 2008 at the Giro d’Italia, Christian became only the second American ever to don the coveted maglia rosa. He rode heroically throughout the 2008 Tour de France, finishing fourth overall. The team’s biggest win in 2008 came when Christian took home the yellow jersey from the Tour of Missouri.

Vande Velde withdrew from the 2010 Tour de France upon completing the second stage on Monday, July 5, 2010, with two broken ribs. The injury was suffered in a crash caused by oil spilled from a fallen motorcycle that had been carrying a television camera operator filming on the Stockeu pass descent.

About Bob Roll

Roll is a former American professional cyclist, author, and television sports commentator. He was a member of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team until 1990 and competed for the Motorola Cycling Team in 1991. In 1992 Roll moved to Greg LeMond’s Z team and added mountain biking to his racing accomplishments. He continued racing mountain bikes through 1998.

In 1998, Lance Armstrong was recovering from cancer and had dropped out of the Paris–Nice race. Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael, asked Roll to go to Boone, North Carolina, to ride with Armstrong for a few days. According to Roll, "Lance had probably never met a bike racer like me...a person who could still find some happiness in such misery. We had eight hours a day for eight days of riding in the pouring rain - rain in Biblical proportions! I think Lance would’ve turned things around even without that time in the Appalachia[n]s, but it was a pivotal time." Armstrong went on to fourth in the Vuelta a España, and within a year and a half won his first Tour de France.

Roll is a cycling commentator for the Versus cable network's coverage of the Tour de France and has appeared in Trek commercials as himself with "Tour Mania."

About Pedal the Cause

Funding from Pedal the Cause will ultimately provide life saving research and cures for cancer patients. Our memorandum of understanding with Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital allows us to direct funding in these areas.

This annual event will make a prolific contribution to cancer cures while creating a positive economic impact in the community. It is our hope to quickly become the largest charitable fundraiser in a weekend event for the St. Louis area. For more information visit www.pedalthecause.org or call 314-787-1990. 

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