Trek and Livestrong team up in "I Ride For" cancer initiative

Bicycle manufacturer Trek and Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong charity are joining forces in a campaign that will see the Texan cyclist and his Team RadioShack colleagues ride the rest of the 2010 season on bikes carrying the names of cancer survivor.

The campaign, called “I Ride For,” aims to raise awareness of the personal aspect of the fight against cancer as well as paying tribute “to these everyday heroes,” according to Trek.

In the US, the “I Live For” decals that appear on the Team RadioShack bikes will also be made available for the public to buy, meaning that you too can show your support for people close to you who have survived cancer. The decals cost $10, and water bottles and posters are also available at $15 and $20, respectively. We’re checking with Trek UK whether they will be available here, and will let you know once we’ve heard back from them.

As well as the I”I Live For” decals, Armstrong, who last season raced on frames carrying artist-designed custom paintwork later auctioned for his charity, will be highlighting the link between Trek and Livestrong by riding custom UNITY Madone and Speed Concept bikes this year.

Pictured above, we can’t help thinking it’ll look a lot better twinned with a yellow jersey rather than Team RadioShack’s grey and red colours, which should give the seven-times Tour de France winner added incentive to get to the top of the general classification once this year’s edition of the race gets under way in Rotterdam in July.

The UNITY bike can be bought through Trek’s Project One custom programme, with $500 from each one sold going to Liverstrong

Armstrong said: “My return to cycling has been about spreading awareness of the global cancer burden,” said Armstrong. “’I Ride For’ is another way to spread the word and raise awareness of the personal nature of battling this terrible disease. We all know someone impacted by cancer, and we will be riding for those individuals. Who will you ride for?”

Meanwhile, Livestrong is encouraging cycling fans to sign up from 12th May to I Ride For Livestrong, a virtual race running alongside this month’s Tour of California, in an initiative that allows them to design their own bike and get friends to cheer them on as part of the battle against cancer.

Virtual riders getting the biggest online support will have their names featured on a team RadioShack pro’s frame in competition, potentially including the Tour de France, and more details are available from the Livestrong website.