IU grad part of nationwide tour

INDIANAPOLIS -- During her time at IU, Wendy Chioji never rode in the Little 500. \nUntil 1993 she never considered herself a cyclist. But this week, Chioji and 25 other cyclists, all cancer survivors, are riding across America as part of the Tour of Hope.\nThursday morning, 2,000 miles into their journey from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., Chioji found herself on stage at Conseco Fieldhouse joining five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and fellow Tour of Hope rider Steven Friedman. \nThe Tour of Hope, sponsored by Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company, is an eight-day bike ride to raise awareness about cancer research throughout the country. The 3,000-mile trek is broken into two three-hour shifts of about 60 miles each, Chioji said. Armstrong began the ride with them in L.A., and has joined them sporadically throughout the week, so far only in New Mexico and Illinois. He will finish the ride with the group on Oct. 18 as they ride into Washington D.C. \n"The kickoff was really inspirational for me," Armstrong said. "I flew from L.A. back to Austin and was about to go to New York, but I felt the urge to go back with them in the middle of nowhere." \nSo Armstrong joined them in the middle of New Mexico.\nHe said he is impressed with what they are doing, and what they have done already. The group is ahead of schedule with rides occurring at all times -- day and night.\n"It's just an interesting group of people that are doing something they probably shouldn't be doing," Armstrong said.\nFriedman, also a survivor of testicular cancer, said having Armstrong join them at times is great.\n"The whole team is strong, sharing the load," he said. "We have some incredibly strong riders on our team. It's such an honor to have Lance with us."\nChioji, who is a newscaster at WESH-TV in Orlando, graduated in 1983 from the School of Journalism. She is an alumna of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and graduated with high distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, as No. 35 in a class of 1,114 students. \nComing to Indiana brought back memories, she said, but this is a chance for her to make new memories.\n"It's a fantastic adventure," she said. "I loved seeing the exit for 46. It's been fantastic." \nIn the crowd was a group of her former sorority sisters, who she pointed out during her time at the podium. \nAlways a Hoosier at heart, Chioji praised IU for the education and experience it gave her.\n"I got the greatest education at IU," she said. "I got a broadbased education. A lot of experiences. It helped tremendously. It gave me a great foundation to build on."\nIt was a decade ago that Chioji began cycling. Ten years after she attended her last Little 500. \n"I attended every Little 500," she said. "I did my part in partying the Little 500."\nBeing a newscaster gave Chioji the opportunity to share her story with her viewers. With cooperation from her station, she put together an online journal chronicling her fight with cancer. She is a two-year survivor of stage-two breast cancer. \nWith the journal and the Tour of Hope, Chioji hopes that cancers patients are getting the message that cancer is fightable.\n"I think we are getting our message across that cancer is not a death sentence. It's an opportunity to live better, like Lance."\nBeing an hour from Bloomington wasn't just special for Chioji, but for Armstrong as well. He was the grand marshall of the 1997 Little 500. When asked if he would ever return to the annual springtime event, Armstrong said it usually coincides with the Tour de France.\n"The timing isn't good now," he said. "Then I had the year off. Certainly I couldn't do another April for a year or two. But after that, I would love to come back. More than be a grand marshall, I would like to get on one of the teams."\nBesides Armstrong, the crowd was treated to a special appearance by Pacers star Reggie Miller who presented Armstrong with a yellow No. 5 Pacers jersey. Yellow is significant because Armstong wins a yellow jersey with every stage victory during the Tour de France. He wore the jersey the rest of the day. In response, Armstrong presented Miller with a United States Postal Service Cycling Team jersey.