This from IMBA:
This year's path to the White House includes singletrack. Cyclists from Texas and Massachusetts are in the news, and we're not talking about the rivalry between Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton.
President George Bush's newfound enthusiasm for off-road riding has been a top story recently in the national media. And he's not the only presidential candidate who rides. Senator John Kerry's primary outdoor exercise is bicycling--both road riding and occasionally mountain biking--and the press has taken notice.
"The fact that both presidential candidates are avid cyclists is great news for our sport," said Tim Blumenthal, executive director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). "IMBA is recognizing this by enrolling both candidates as honorary IMBA members and by making sure both campaigns understand our priorities."
Knee pain motivated President Bush to start mountain biking and now he's hooked on the sport. Long rides on his Texas ranch and at Camp David in Maryland are a highlight of his regular schedule. Senator Kerry has been photographed riding his road bike, but he's also known to pedal dirt trails near Sun Valley, Idaho.
Suddenly, cycling is giving the campaign an interesting spin. Whether it is wire service stories, evening news highlights or Jay Leno jokes, our sport is gaining valuable exposure.
Media coverage hit a peak with the Sunday, Aug. 1 edition of the New York Times. A feature article entitled "Culture Wars, on Two Wheels" appeared on page four of the Week in Review section. The article compared the candidates by contrasting their riding styles using traditional mountain biker versus road rider stereotypes. IMBA's Blumenthal is quoted throughout the story.
No matter who you are voting for in this year's election, it's good to know that both candidates appreciate sweet singletrack!
On a related story, can someone please give President Bush a copy of MBA? We know of at least two Associated Press reports so far covering stories of our president crashing his brains out on a mountain bike.
It's also said that the two top men wear yellow Live Strong wristbands. There are already 7 million of these bands out in circulation, so it's almost impossible to imagine that you haven't seen one for yourself. They are being pitched by the Lance Armstrong Foundation with the original hope of raising $5 million for people around the world who are living with cancer. Since they've easily surpassed that figure, let's get together and raise 2 million more! Get the bands at
www.wearyellow.com
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