Lance Armstrong rides to raise funds for Beirut relief

Former cycling star Lance Armstrong yesterday led a peloton of more than 30 cyclists around Beirut to help raise funds for ongoing relief efforts after a massive explosion devastated the city on 4 August. The three-hour “Bike for Beirut” event took place exactly two months after the blast, raising money for local NGOs the Lebanese Red Cross, Overjoy (or Offre Joie), Beit El-Baraka and Heartbeat.

The ride cost participants $300 each, with proceeds donated equally to the chosen NGOs. Those taking part included Lebanese sportsman and explorer Maxime Chaya, who helped organise the event.

Visiting Lebanon for the first time, Armstrong started the ride at Silo 12, the damaged grain store next to the blast site, before passing each of the four NGOs’ offices and going through the devastated streets of Beirut before returning to the port. “It’s unbelievable,” said the US-born cyclist. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s apocalyptic.”

Beirut’s port, although operational, is still shattered after the blast, which happened when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate blew up. The explosion killed nearly 200 people, injured 6,500 more, destroyed more than 300,000 homes and buildings and has left thousands of Beirut’s residents traumatised.

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US former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong participates in “Bike for Beirut” charity tour at the site of the August 4 port explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut on 4 October 2020. [ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images]

US former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong participates in “Bike for Beirut” charity tour at the site of the August 4 port explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut on 4 October 2020. [ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images]

US former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong participates in “Bike for Beirut” charity tour at the site of the August 4 port explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut on 4 October 2020. [ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images]

Civil society, including NGOs and charities, has been a key part of the relief efforts, particularly the Lebanese Red Cross, which provided many of the first responders in the wake of the blast. The other NGOs benefiting from Bike for Beirut also responded: Beit El-Baraka provided water, shelter, healthcare and education to struggling Lebanese families; Overjoy set up an emergency rehabilitation programme for residents in Karantina and Mar Mikhael, the worst-hit districts of the city; and Heartbeat, which is a specialist NGO providing free medical care to children born with heart disease, has continued to provide urgent care, while coping with the fallout from the blast.

Following yesterday’s ride, Armstrong will be touring the Middle East for a variety of events over the next ten days. Next up for the Bike for Beirut team is the United Arab Emirates, where the riders hope to raise further funds with a “Ride with Lance” event at Al-Qudra cycling track in Dubai tomorrow. The rest of the ten-day schedule, however, has not yet been confirmed.

The 49-year-old Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times from 1999 to 2005. This is the most consecutive wins in the race’s history.

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