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Il Giretto d'Italia Seeks Riders

MONDAY, 30 MARCH 2009
Submitted By: Sherwin Mapanoo

In honor of Lance Armstrong's first ever Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy), an American father and daughter team, Gene Nacey and Nina Wilczek, formed a grassroots fundraising ride for the LIVESTRONG foundation called the Giretto or "Little Giro." They will ride the first five stages of the race in their entirety (all 667 km or 415 miles), on the same days as the race proper, just a few hours ahead of Lance and the pros.

The event is being organized by new cycling website Cycling Fusion (www.cyclingfusion.com). Only one week into fund raising, the Giretto has raised nearly one-third of its goal of $10,000 for LIVESTRONG. Four riders have been recruited to join the tour, and the fundraising organizers are hoping for more. Being an international event, they are encouraging strong intermediate to advanced cyclists to join them in Italy. Each rider is responsible for raising at least $1,000 for the charity through the donations of everyday sponsors. For the riders so far signed up, this has been an easy challenge to meet.

"Nearly everyone knows someone who has suffered through cancer, so us cycling and raising money for LIVESTRONG is an event most people can believe in and relate to," said Gene Nacey. "This gives everyday cyclists a chance to ride with the pros and complete a professional circuit while building awareness and raising money for a great cause."

The Little Giro and the official Giro d'Italia take place starting May 9th, 2009. The deadline for rider applications is April 1st, 2009.

Find out more information about the Giretto, read blogs by the riders or support the event by making a donation at www.cyclingfusion.com. If you are interested in becoming a rider, a rider application form can also be found on that website.

Source: www.prlog.org

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