Lance Armstrong to Provide Exclusive Daily Updates and Connect
Directly with Fans from the 2009 Tour de France on LIVESTRONG.COM
Behind-the-Scenes Blog Posts, Videos and Photos, Coverage
will also Include the LIVESTRONG Loops, the New Route Tracking
Tool that Gives Fans a Detailed Look at the Course Across All 21 Race
Stages
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LIVESTRONG.COM,
the definitive online destination for health, fitness and
lifestyle-related information, announced today that it will provide
exclusive blog posts, videos and photos directly from Lance Armstrong
during the 96th Annual Tour de France bike race which runs
from Saturday, July 4th until Sunday, July 26th.
Armstrong’s updates regarding his ongoing progress, experience and
interviews with other members of Team Astana will be featured on
the Tour de France portion of the site, which went live late in the
evening on July 1.
“It’s an honor to be returning to the Tour de France for the 12th time
this year,” said Lance Armstrong Foundation founder and chairman, cancer
survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong. “I’m back on my bike
riding for the 28 million cancer survivors around the world today. I’m
really looking forward to the challenge and having the ability, through
the power of LIVESTRONG.COM, to give the community and race fans
across the globe an inside look at my experience.”
The dedicated, exclusive Tour de France coverage provided through LIVESTRONG.COM
will enable cycling fans to follow Armstrong along all 21 stages of the
race. Additionally, fans will be able to see each stage using LIVESTRONG
Loops; a new route tracking tool that provides a detailed map of the
course and will be featured on the Tour de France home on the site. The
application is the latest addition to LIVESTRONG.COM’s growing
library of health and fitness tools that help support an active,
health-minded community. LIVESTRONG Loops also enables users to
map and explore more than 20,000 courses for running, walking, cycling
and hiking in their local areas and beyond. Members can also track their fitness
activities and caloric burn from completing a loop by using The
Daily Plate—directly on the site or via top rated companion mobile
applications on the iPhone or Blackberry.
As the community goes On
Tour with Lance, they will see behind-the-scenes videos, pre-race
coverage and an insider’s look at team meetings. The updates will be
supported with ongoing blogger correspondence, who will give a glimpse
into race activity. Additionally, fans will be able to impact
Armstrong’s communication and coverage by participating in a daily poll.
Feedback will drive interviews and topics the audience wants him to
cover. With its content surrounding the Giro d’Italia last May, LIVESTRONG.COM
demonstrated the reach and impact that social media has on its
community. The destination’s video section hosted more than 70,000
visitors during the Giro d’Italia. LIVESTRONG.COM’s coverage of
the Tour de France is sponsored by Clear 2O, Nissan, and Oakley.
“With the LIVESTRONG.COM platform, we are making it possible for
the community to follow Lance and Team Astana through exclusive, online
content; creating a rich and dynamic Tour de France user experience,”
said Joe Perez, executive vice president of product marketing and
community for Demand
Media. “Leveraging social media’s influence, we are able to give
race enthusiasts direct and intimate interaction with Lance that they
won’t find anywhere else; while also allowing them to impact his
communication, truly tailoring the behind-the-scenes coverage they will
see.”
LIVESTRONG.COM, created by Demand Media™ in alliance with The
Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), recently celebrated its one year
anniversary, and the engaged community of users continued to inspire
each other as they challenge themselves to achieve individual health and
fitness-related goals. The more than 1.5 million registered members and
over 4 million monthly visitors utilize the destination’s trusted
content and interactive applications to connect with others who share
their passion to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Additionally, LIVESTRONG.COM
recently won the Webvisionary
Award for outstanding work in the “Community” category at this
year’s Webby Awards.
About LIVESTRONG.COM
The LIVESTRONG™ brand has become a global movement dedicated to
changing the world through living well. Demand Media, Inc., in alliance
with The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), created LIVESTRONG.COM
as the definitive online social conversation for health, fitness and
lifestyle. Through relevant and useful content, interactive tools and an
engaged community, LIVESTRONG.COM is designed to inspire people
to change their lives, help themselves and help others. For additional
information about LIVESTRONG.COM, please visit: www.livestrong.com
About Demand Media
As the leader in distributed social media, Demand Media™ makes possible
more than 3 billion conversations every month. The Demand Media platform
harnesses the creativity of individuals to deliver valuable content and
help websites grow by providing content and community features that
consumers truly want. The privately held company was founded in May 2006
and is based in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin,
TX, New York, NY and London, UK. For more information about Demand
Media, Inc., please visit: www.demandmedia.com
LIVESTRONG is a trademark and/or registered trademark of the Lance
Armstrong Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. Demand
Media is a trademark and/or registered trademark of Demand
Media, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All
other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
© 2009 Demand Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
LIVESTRONG.COM
Yasmeen Coning, 310.917.6429
yasmeen@demandmedia.com
or
Ruder
Finn
Cindy Coppola, 212.593.6493
coppolac@ruderfinn.com
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