As they say, you should be careful what you pray for… you just might get it. On Friday the 6th of March, I was given approval by Colleen Wilson, the Grassroots Fund Raising manager at Livestrong that this would be an official Livestrong event. I could hear the skepticism in her voice… where would I get the riders, how would I handle the accommodations, and other questions I’ve had to pepper myself with before I decided to open my big mouth. Apparently I was convincing enough because she said we are approved, and now it’s put up or shut up.

I have to tell you, the more I work on this, the more excited I get about it! I spent the weekend creating the content for the site that my web master magician, Jeff (see him in a crazy video here) was able to assemble in just one day today. We have 95% of everything we need to launch this thing already done, and tomorrow morning I will call the Livestrong office to see if we can get a press release approved for rapid distribution. I am very thankful to have the support of Global Ride Productions behind me in order to make all this a reality.

What is the big deal!?! I’m not sure where to start, but maybe a list would better illustrate the plethora of things I am excited about:

1. This is Lance Armstrong’s first Giro, and we will be wearing his colors, and riding on the exact same roads and route that he will be riding on, just a few hrs behind us. Who knows if he will ever ride the Giro again.
2. To my knowledge, this is the first charity event to attempt the exact same mileage, even if only for a few stages, during a grand pro tour.
3. Serious cyclists who race typically do not ride in Charity events because of schedule conflicts and the fact that the level of effort does not challenge them – this event, however, holds the possibility of being an annual “tune up” event for all serious amateur cyclists given how early it is in the season, and how arduous the terrain is.
4. This may break new ground for charity events, creating opportunities to attract both the racer and the serious cyclist.
5. Upon successful completion, I hope to get much needed respect for the indoor cycling classes that so many cyclists shun.
6. On a personal note, this is my daughter’s first trip to Italy, and my first century ride(s) (I’ve ridden for 9 years now, and I was waiting for a “special” first century – I guess I found one)

Well, I hope some of this rings true with other cyclists out there, because without some additional riders and supporters, this will become a footnote in the cycling online journals. If you’re interested in helping out in ANY way, please visit our main site at http://www.cyclingfusion.com.