BMOC
08-01-2002, 06:56 AM
June 27, 2002
For release: Immediate
For more information:Brian Sheridan,OTR/L, Field Neurosciences Institute, 989) 497-3153
World-Renowned Cyclist Greg LeMond to Come to Saginaw for September Event
Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond will come to Saginaw on Saturday, Sept. 7 for this first ever Bike/Handcylce Tour & Adaptive Sports Expo.
LeMond, an elite athlete who overcame tremendous odds to gain his successes, has offered his support and name to this event, sponsored by Saint Mary's, the Saint Mary's Field Neurosciences Institute, Wright & Filippis and the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame.
The Greg LeMond Bike Tour & Adaptive Sports Expo will take place at Saginaw Valley State University, and will begin at noon with a bike tour, with an option of three distances. The bike tour will follow non-congested routes in Saginaw and Bay counties of 11, 21 or 40 miles. The multiple distances are designed so that cyclists of all skill levels and experience can participate.
LeMond became instantly famous in 1986 when he became the first American ever to win the Tour de France - then in its 84th year. Only a year later, a near-fatal hunting accident left him with more than 40 gunshot pellet wounds to his back, legs and internal organs. However, determined to make a comeback, LeMond set a goal to win the Tour de France again. He did so in 1989 - edging out the second place finisher by only eight seconds - the most narrow margin in the tour's history. He went on to win the tour yet another time in 1990, before retiring from competitive cycling. LeMond also gained many other competitive racing awards, and honors, including being named by Sports Illustrated as one of the most influential people in sports and a two-time ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year.
During the Saginaw event bearing LeMond's name, the adaptive sports expo will feature demonstrations of adaptive sports games including wheelchair tennis, rugby, basketball, golf, archery, powered parachuting, drag racing, air rifle shooting, skydiving, kayaking, sailing, SCUBA and other activities. Other vendors also will promote sports safety through activities like bicycle helmet giveaways.
Another honored guest, Kevin Degen, a 2001 inductee into the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame, will receive a special "Spirit of Achievement Award" from Wright & Filippis.
Wright & Filippis is a Rochester Hill-based company with locations throughout the state and is a leader in manufacture and sales of prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory and home medical equipment. Wright & Filippis has a Saginaw area location.
Degen, who has cerebral palsy, participates in several fundraising and awareness events each year, using his adapted tricycle.
The day will end with a wheelchair basketball game, featuring wheelchair athletes from across the state competing against a "celebrity" team. That celebrity team will consist of accomplished Saginaw area athletes as well as media personalities and others.
Call Brian for details: 989-497-3153
For release: Immediate
For more information:Brian Sheridan,OTR/L, Field Neurosciences Institute, 989) 497-3153
World-Renowned Cyclist Greg LeMond to Come to Saginaw for September Event
Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond will come to Saginaw on Saturday, Sept. 7 for this first ever Bike/Handcylce Tour & Adaptive Sports Expo.
LeMond, an elite athlete who overcame tremendous odds to gain his successes, has offered his support and name to this event, sponsored by Saint Mary's, the Saint Mary's Field Neurosciences Institute, Wright & Filippis and the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame.
The Greg LeMond Bike Tour & Adaptive Sports Expo will take place at Saginaw Valley State University, and will begin at noon with a bike tour, with an option of three distances. The bike tour will follow non-congested routes in Saginaw and Bay counties of 11, 21 or 40 miles. The multiple distances are designed so that cyclists of all skill levels and experience can participate.
LeMond became instantly famous in 1986 when he became the first American ever to win the Tour de France - then in its 84th year. Only a year later, a near-fatal hunting accident left him with more than 40 gunshot pellet wounds to his back, legs and internal organs. However, determined to make a comeback, LeMond set a goal to win the Tour de France again. He did so in 1989 - edging out the second place finisher by only eight seconds - the most narrow margin in the tour's history. He went on to win the tour yet another time in 1990, before retiring from competitive cycling. LeMond also gained many other competitive racing awards, and honors, including being named by Sports Illustrated as one of the most influential people in sports and a two-time ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year.
During the Saginaw event bearing LeMond's name, the adaptive sports expo will feature demonstrations of adaptive sports games including wheelchair tennis, rugby, basketball, golf, archery, powered parachuting, drag racing, air rifle shooting, skydiving, kayaking, sailing, SCUBA and other activities. Other vendors also will promote sports safety through activities like bicycle helmet giveaways.
Another honored guest, Kevin Degen, a 2001 inductee into the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame, will receive a special "Spirit of Achievement Award" from Wright & Filippis.
Wright & Filippis is a Rochester Hill-based company with locations throughout the state and is a leader in manufacture and sales of prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory and home medical equipment. Wright & Filippis has a Saginaw area location.
Degen, who has cerebral palsy, participates in several fundraising and awareness events each year, using his adapted tricycle.
The day will end with a wheelchair basketball game, featuring wheelchair athletes from across the state competing against a "celebrity" team. That celebrity team will consist of accomplished Saginaw area athletes as well as media personalities and others.
Call Brian for details: 989-497-3153