Lance Armstrong to Provide Exclusive Daily Updates and Connect Directly with Fans from the 2009 Tour de France on LIVESTRONG.COM

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LIVESTRONG.COM, the definitive online destination for health, fitness and lifestyle-related information, announced today that it will provide exclusive blog posts, videos and photos directly from Lance Armstrong during the 96^th Annual Tour de France bike race which runs from Saturday, July 4^th until Sunday, July 26^th. Armstrong’s updates regarding his ongoing progress, experience and interviews with other members of Team Astana will be featured on the Tour de France portion of the site, which went live late in the evening on July 1.

“It’s an honor to be returning to the Tour de France for the 12th time this year,” said Lance Armstrong Foundation founder and chairman, cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong. “I’m back on my bike riding for the 28 million cancer survivors around the world today. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and having the ability, through the power of LIVESTRONG.COM, to give the community and race fans across the globe an inside look at my experience.”

The dedicated, exclusive Tour de France coverage provided through LIVESTRONG.COM will enable cycling fans to follow Armstrong along all 21 stages of the race. Additionally, fans will be able to see each stage using LIVESTRONG Loops; a new route tracking tool that provides a detailed map of the course and will be featured on the Tour de France home on the site. The application is the latest addition to LIVESTRONG.COM’s growing library of health and fitness tools that help support an active, health-minded community. LIVESTRONG Loops also enables users to map and explore more than 20,000 courses for running, walking, cycling and hiking in their local areas and beyond. Members can also track their fitness activities and caloric burn from completing a loop by using The Daily Plate—directly on the site or via top rated companion mobile applications on the iPhone or Blackberry.

As the community goes On Tour with Lance, they will see behind-the-scenes videos, pre-race coverage and an insider’s look at team meetings. The updates will be supported with ongoing blogger correspondence, who will give a glimpse into race activity. Additionally, fans will be able to impact Armstrong’s communication and coverage by participating in a daily poll. Feedback will drive interviews and topics the audience wants him to cover. With its content surrounding the Giro d’Italia last May, LIVESTRONG.COM demonstrated the reach and impact that social media has on its community. The destination’s video section hosted more than 70,000 visitors during the Giro d’Italia. LIVESTRONG.COM’s coverage of the Tour de France is sponsored by Clear 2O, Nissan, and Oakley.

“With the LIVESTRONG.COM platform, we are making it possible for the community to follow Lance and Team Astana through exclusive, online content; creating a rich and dynamic Tour de France user experience,” said Joe Perez, executive vice president of product marketing and community for Demand Media. “Leveraging social media’s influence, we are able to give race enthusiasts direct and intimate interaction with Lance that they won’t find anywhere else; while also allowing them to impact his communication, truly tailoring the behind-the-scenes coverage they will see.”

LIVESTRONG.COM, created by Demand Media™ in alliance with The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), recently celebrated its one year anniversary, and the engaged community of users continued to inspire each other as they challenge themselves to achieve individual health and fitness-related goals. The more than 1.5 million registered members and over 4 million monthly visitors utilize the destination’s trusted content and interactive applications to connect with others who share their passion to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Additionally, LIVESTRONG.COM recently won the Webvisionary Award for outstanding work in the “Community” category at this year’s Webby Awards.

About LIVESTRONG.COM

The LIVESTRONG™ brand has become a global movement dedicated to changing the world through living well. Demand Media, Inc., in alliance with The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), created LIVESTRONG.COM as the definitive online social conversation for health, fitness and lifestyle. Through relevant and useful content, interactive tools and an engaged community, LIVESTRONG.COM is designed to inspire people to change their lives, help themselves and help others. For additional information about LIVESTRONG.COM, please visit: www.livestrong.com

About Demand Media

As the leader in distributed social media, Demand Media™ makes possible more than 3 billion conversations every month. The Demand Media platform harnesses the creativity of individuals to deliver valuable content and help websites grow by providing content and community features that consumers truly want. The privately held company was founded in May 2006 and is based in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin, TX, New York, NY and London, UK. For more information about Demand Media, Inc., please visit: www.demandmedia.com

LIVESTRONG is a trademark and/or registered trademark of the Lance Armstrong Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. Demand Media is a trademark and/or registered trademark of Demand Media, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

© 2009 Demand Media, Inc. All rights reserved.