VAIL, Colo., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Just eight months after undergoing major hip surgery, 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has accepted an invitation to compete in the Teva Mountain Games presented by Volkswagen(R), June 2-3. Organizers announced today that Landis will compete as a member of Team Athletes for a Cure in the GNC(R) Ultimate Mountain Challenge, a two-day competition consisting of four separate races, road biking, kayaking, trail running and mountain biking.
Landis will join a team that includes world-class kayaker Tao Berman and accomplished trail runner Simon Gutierrez, to raise money for prostate cancer research through Athletes for a Cure, a program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. "I am honored to be invited to take part in the Teva Mountain Games for such an important cause," remarks Landis. "I am excited to put my new hip to the test racing in the Rockies and this is a wonderful opportunity to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation at the same time."
The GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge will test pro and amateur athletes in four demanding competitions over two days. The event consists of the Nature Valley(R) Mountain Bike Cross Country Championship race and the Downriver Kayak Sprint on Saturday, June 2. On Sunday, the Challenge will continue with the Cytomax(R) 10K Trail Running Championship and the Trek(R) Road Bike Hill Climb. The individuals and the teams with the best combined results after the four events will be crowned the ultimate mountain man, woman and team.
Landis will compete in the Trek(R) Road Bike Hill Climb, a time-trial that travels over nine miles up Vail Pass and gains more than 1,400 feet in elevation and the Nature Valley(R) Mountain Bike Cross Country Championship, a classic Colorado singletrack race. Landis' results in the two cycling races will be combined with Berman's in the kayak race and Gutierrez's in the trail run.
About the Mountain Games
The Teva Mountain Games is the nation's largest adventure sports festival featuring competitions in kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, road biking, trail running and fly-fishing. Please visit http://www.tevamountaingames.com.
About Athletes for a Cure
Athletes for a Cure is a fundraising and awareness program to assist individual athletes in their quest to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer through the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Please visit http://www.athletesforacure.org.