"Armstrong: Kona on the Horizon

Text of Velonewz article below.
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Armstrong: Kona on the Horizon
By Sidd Finch
VeloNewz editorial director
This report filed April 1

Not even waiting for his anticipated victory lap of the Champs Elyses, Four-Time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong has declared his next goal: nothing short of victory at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

Lance's early days in the sport of triathlon left an indelible impression, and the winners jog down the Queen K. Highway has always been one of his life's goals.

""The time trialing just brought it all back this year"", Armstrong noted, ""...and my passion for swimming and running cannot be denied."" Armstrong shared in an interview to be published in an upcoming IronmanLive.com article.

A story in last week's VeloNews prompted the World Triathlon Corporation to extend an offer to Armstrong for a ""Wild card"" spot in the Ironman World Championship, a race which normally requires qualification. At this point, it seems very likely that the Texan will toe the line with 1500 of the World's best triathletes, though he still refuses to be drawn on whether this could happen this year, next, or even 2006.

Former Motorola Teammate Steve Larson had been active on the Ironman circuit following his mountainbiking career, winning his first attempt at 2001 Ironman USA at Lake Placid. Injuries and illness led to a difficult 2003 and this past December Larson called it quits.

Similarly, former Mapei cyclist and Tour de France veteran Chann McCrae is currently giving Ironman racing a go, but met with disappointment when he was disqualified in last year's Kona Championship for drafting penalties during the bike portion of the race.

In 1989 Armstrong was US National Sprint Triathlon Professional Champion. It is rumored that Armstrong's girlfriend, musician Sheryl Crow, is also a triathlete, having completed several events near her home in California. This seemed to be an influencing factor and there was some speculation that Crow had more than a passing interest in Lance doing the Ironman.

Armstrong hinted that Crow will also participate in the race. ""Her concert schedule is free the next two Octobers, and I think she is committed to training through the winter in preparation for some real spring training for the next couple of years.""


Armstrong also revealed that he is working on third and final book of his contract with publisher Random House. The working title is ""It''s not about not being about the bike"".
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