Iowans turn out for Armstrong

Fri July 28 2006
Posted Jul 28, 2006
5,669

By: Adam Belz - The Gazette VICTOR, IA - Finally, at about 1:30 p.m., Lance Armstrong rolled around the corner of Second Street in a black and yellow jersey, a smile on his face. A cheer went up in the packed street, the crowd jumped aside to let him through, flashbulbs went off and a cameraman sprinted alongside for a few yards. Then he was gone. He shot up Main Street with several riders in his wake, took a left on Old Highway 6 and sped east out of town. "I had beers for him,'' J.P. Schmidt, 28, a slightly disappointed waitress at Stop 'N Sip on Main Street, said. "We saw him buzz through. We wish he would have stopped.'' But he didn't, and hours of anticipation ended in a moment as the seven-time Tour de France winner continued his whirlwind assault on the 77-mile RAGBRAI leg from Newton to Marengo. Armstrong stopped at other spots, grabbing some coconut cream pie in Sully and stopping briefly at a beer garden in Montezuma, where he signed autographs and posed for pictures. He will spend the night in Iowa City. Marengo City Administrator Carl Schumacher said Armstrong met a black RV at the AmPride gas station on the edge of Marengo and posed for pictures. As Marengo filled up in the late afternoon, Schumacher said he was happy with the crowds. "It's actually going great tonight,'' he said late in the afternoon. "People are starting to fill in here. No major hiccups.'' By the way, Armstrong didn't finish his pie in Sully. "We intend to sell it on eBay, then turn over the proceeds to Lance's foundation,'' said Darvin Marvant, owner of the Coffee Cup Cafe where Armstrong stopped. The Associated Press contributed to this story. On Friday, look for ride coverage in The Gazette and visit The Gazette and GazetteOnline.com's booth at S.T. Morrison Park in Coralville.