JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel has invited cycling legend Lance Armstrong to inaugurate a bike trail as part of celebrations marking the Jewish states 60 years of independence in 2008, an official said on Tuesday.
The seven-time winner of the Tour de France has accepted the invitation from Israels consulate in New York to attend the event, Ilan Marciano, a spokesman for minister Ruhama Avraham Blila who is overseeing the celebrations, told AFP.
The bicycle trail will run between the coastal city of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but the date of the event has not been decided yet, Marciano added.
The 35-year-old Armstrong, who was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and went on to rewrite the record book for the worlds premier cycling race, retired from professional sports last year.
Israel will mark its 1948 independence with celebrations across the country throughout next year.
