Growing Demand Blog

Lance Armstrong is so excited about riding in his first Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) that he is going to provide all of his fans with exclusive video updates two times a day on our LIVESTRONG.COM web site!

When it appeared that US television broadcasters wouldn’t be covering the big event, Lance decided to take matters into his own hands and use the social media features of LIVESTRONG.COM to bring the race to all of us. Even though Universal Sports struck a last minute deal to cover the Giro, Lance didn't want to pass up the opportunity to share his perspective on the daily action with his fans at http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/.

This isn’t a stunt that we cooked up. Lance called us a couple of days ago to set things in motion. He loves the ability to give his personal perspectives directly to fans and cycling enthusiasts – and hear what they say back. Obviously, Lance has quickly embraced social media since launching LIVESTRONG.COM with us last June (just check out the 800,000 followers he has picked up on Twitter).  And it’s no surprise to me at all – his approach and attitude fits the Demand Media mold perfectly. When we started Demand, I said we were building a next generation media company where experts can self-publish engaging viewpoints – and start a conversation within a passionate community. That’s exactly what Lance is going to do for the next few weeks in Italy.

I am continually amazed and inspired by Lance. Just a few weeks ago a steel plate and 12 screws were surgically implanted to repair the collar bone he broke racing in Spain. But he immediately bounces back into training and gets himself ready to ride for Astana and compete in one of the most challenging distance cycling events in the world.

Curious to learn what it’s like to finish a stage race on Mount Vesuvius?  Tune into Lance on LIVESTRONG.COM and you’ll hear it directly from the greatest cyclist of all time!