Lance Armstrong: 'Little 500 is the coolest event'

Lance Armstrong has battled with other cyclists during races, he has battled with the elements and he has battled with fatigue. He has also battled with cancer. But losing isn't something Armstrong is used to -- he has beaten everything in his way to become the three-time defending Tour de France champion.\nConsidered one of the best riders in the world -- both before and after his fight with cancer in 1997 and 1998, Armstrong has ridden in countless cycling races around the world. The 1996 Summer Olympics, the Tour de Switzerland, Belgium's Fleche-Wallonne and the Paris-Camembert are among a few of the most prestigious races he's been involved with.\nBut in 1997, Armstrong was in Indiana for a routine medical check-up and stopped by Bloomington to see the Little 500. He liked what he saw.\n"I've attended Super Bowls, World Series and the Monaco Grand Prix, but the coolest event I ever attended was the Little 500," Armstrong told Sports Illustrated for Kids last summer. "It's a 50-mile relay bike race at Indiana University, and the teams get a lot of enthusiastic support. Every sports fan should see it live."\nFor this year's Little 500, the IU Student Foundation, with the cooperation of Armstrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and photographer Graham Watson, has created Little 500/Lance Armstrong T-shirts. On the front is a photo of Armstrong holding the American flag, and on the back is the quote Armstrong gave SI for Kids.\n"To have this be an amateur event with groups of college kids that want to participate, and then to have 10,000 to 20,000 screaming fans show up is something that you can't find anywhere else," Alex Ihnen, assistant director for IUSF said. "I think the enthusiasm of the fans is what caught Lance's eye…of course some of the races (professional cyclists) do are huge, but a lot of the times they're out on the open road with no one else around."\nIhnen contacted the Lance Armstrong Foundation to obtain Armstrong's permission to use the quote and his image on the T-shirt. Beverly Williams, director of development for the foundation, was enthusiastic about the idea.\n"Lance is always very appreciative of groups who generate additional income that allows us to help people live with, through and beyond cancer," she said.\nThe T-shirts cost $15 and are on sale now at the IUSF Web site or office. T-shirts will also be on sale during all Little 500 events. For every T-shirt sold, $5 will be donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to help fight cancer.\nAlthough Armstrong appreciates the Little 500, he probably won't be returning for this year's event, as he is currently racing in Europe.\n"The Little 500 is right in the middle of their racing season," Ihnen said. "Hopefully he'll want to come back next year"