A short time ago I ran into champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France winner, as I was waiting for an elevator on the House side of the Capitol. I just wrapped up covering Gov. Blagojevich and Mayor Daley, in Washington to meet with members of the Illinois delegation.
I introduced myself to Armstrong and we chatted briefly:
Sweet: What brings you to Congress today?
Armstrong: To meet with you, I guess
Sweet: Seriously.
Armstrong: To speak about cancer. We just left Nancy Pelosi's office. And Speaker Hastert.
Sweet: That's interesting because Speaker Hastert was just meeting with Mayor Daley. Did you happen to pass in the night?
Armstrong: I don't know, I came from New York. How is Mayor Daley?
Sweet: I just saw him. He seems to be doing OK. He looked a little tired.
Armstrong: ....We made the pledge that we will be here consistently and to try to make a difference here. And it is an issue of awareness, funding and research. We all have a passion. It is a competitive issue for us.
Sweet: Do you still ride daily?
Armstrong: I run daily.
from Pelosi's office
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Pelosi and Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner and founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, met today in Pelosi’s office in the Capitol to discuss the need to increase funding for the fight against cancer. Greater funding for research into both prevention and treatment is crucial to fighting cancer, bringing with it the hope and potential to save thousands of lives.
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Lynn Sweet is a columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the 
Lance Armstrong is an amazing individual. Your meeting with his is outstanding. He is an individual in this world who has overcome many challenges and is very caring and companionate.