The Dirty Dozen to be Filmed for the Lance Armstrong Foundation

Pittsburgh, PA, November 19, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Since 1983 The Dirty Dozen has tested the legs of every cyclist who dares call themselves a “climber”. Thirteen of the steepest hills within 10 km of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have been the site of a race that is scored only for the climbs and leaves the group rides between ascents to the job of recovery.

In the 27th year of its running, The Dirty Dozen will be filmed live, by local film group Global Ride Productions, creators of virtual cycling DVDs. All profits from the sale of the DVD will go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation for the fight against cancer. Local music talent is also being sought for the soundtrack to the DVD. The race takes place on November 28, 2009.

“We got involved last year with Livestrong through Cycling Fusion and the Giretto; another fundraiser that demanded a good bit more than your typical charity ride. Each rider had to cover over 100 miles for 4 consecutive days on the same roads the pros rode in Italy. We got to experience first hand how passionate cyclists are for supporting cycling events that raise money to fight cancer. Lance’s come-back may have been good for cycling, but I think it has been phenomenal for raising awareness of how devastating this disease is, and how powerful each person can be to fight against it. The personal battle each cancer victim goes through is not unlike the “pain” often associated with the hardest efforts in this sport. Consequently, the Dirty Dozen seemed like a natural fit when it comes to finding something that requires an effort bigger than you could ever imagine, to overcome. Only the real warriors come out to this race, and that’s who we want on our side to fight this dreaded disease.” Said Gene Nacey, director and producer of Global Ride’s DVDs

The logistics will challenge the filmakers almost as much as the vertical feet challenge the climbers. While there is some waiting time between each hill, there are also lots of riders that have to be avoided, and none of these roads or the hills will be closed for the race. Global Ride is equipping Chris Hays, Global Ride’s lead rider on their local racing team, with a helmet cam to give their distinct first-person perspective to the DVD. There will also be at least one camera positioned on each climb, and one mounted on a chaser car that will have one heck of time climbing each hill smoothly given the grades of these hills typically exceeding 20% with the steepest coming in at 37%. To complete the challenge for the DVD producers, all of this needs to be done while “staying out of the riders way”, as was the mandate by organizer and founder, Danny Chew.

The DVD will be structured as an Interval Training workout, with the recovery segments between climbs filled with interviews of the spectators, riders and founders of the race. Anyone with interesting or funny stories about previous years are encouraged to come out and share their stories on film.

Because this is a local event, shot by a local company, Global Ride is seeking local music talent to provide the sound track for the DVD. All artists will be asked to donate their customary fees for this project, in order to improve the fund raising for Livestrong. Interested artists can contact Global Ride’s founder and producer, Gene Nacey at 724-594-0229 or gene@globalride.net.

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