Lance Stops for a Beer
By John Campbell, TV9 Sports
LAMBS GROVE - The centerpiece of this year's RAGBRAI ride was the center of attention mid-afternoon in Lambs Grove, a small community just west of Newton.
Lance Armstrong stopped to have a beer on Phyllis Franzen's front yard.
"I was going up the hill, breathing really hard, and this whole group comes up talking and whizzing by me, in Livestrong jerseys, and I said, that has to be him," said Kristi Kiefer of Des Moines. "I came down the hill and stopped right here. They were stopped. He got off his bike, went and sat in a lawn chair, had a beer!"
Riders couldn't get enough of him -- exchanging small talk, welcoming him to the ride, posing for pictures.
"It was phenomonal! we sat out here all day watching for him, and had just about given up when they announced that he was coming and he wanted to stop at my house," Franzen said.
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