By Myrlia Purcell on
Lance Armstrong is helping some injured cyclists get back on bikes again after receiving a heartfelt plea from a stranger who heard of the hit and run incident.
Armstrong was touched by the story of five cyclists, who were hit by a minivan in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata last month, and dedicated the 16th stage of the Tour de France to the victims, as well as to a woman in Montreal and Beastie Boys member, MCA, who are both battling cancer.
“I hope everybody there is doing well and we’re all thinking about you,” he said in his video blog.
But his support didn’t stop there. Anne Paliwal learned of the group’s plight when one of their friends posted online looking to replace gear damaged when the cyclists were struck. Although Anne didn’t know the cyclists personally, she decided to see what more could be done to help them, and wrote to Armstrong. The seven-time Tour de France champion then donated the bib he wore on the July 15th Tour de France leg from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau, which fetched $5000 at auction.
Four of the cyclists have been released from hospital; the fifth, who has been in a coma, is still recovering.
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars
