updated 9:54 p.m. ET July 27, 2006

SULLY, Iowa - Cycling icon Lance Armstrong got a taste of Iowa’s muggy summer weather, a bit of pie and adulation from thousands of fans Thursday as he continued his trek across the state.

Riding in his second day of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, Armstrong and his cycling entourage made a quick pit stop in this rural town where he was swarmed by riders, reporters and residents awaiting his arrival.

But the seven-time Tour de France champion’s ride coincided with reports that former teammate Floyd Landis, winner of this year’s Tour, tested positive for high levels of testosterone after last Thursday’s stage. Armstrong, who long has been hounded by doping accusations despite never testing positive, initially declined to comment on Landis’ situation.

“I’m not here to talk about that,” Armstrong told The Associated Press after stepping out of the Coffee Cup Cafe, where he ate half his slice of coconut cream pie.

After finishing his ride Thursday, Armstrong told reporters during a teleconference to wait for the results of Landis’ backup sample.

“I don’t know much about Floyd’s case. I do know that we’ve got a suspicious A sample and we’re waiting on the B sample to be confirmed,” said Armstrong, who was teammates with Landis on the winning U.S. Postal Service teams from 2002-04. “Until that happens I don’t have anything to say. I’m in Iowa to ride RAGBRAI and hopefully talk to people about cancer.”

On Wednesday, Armstrong joined an estimated 20,000 cyclists pedaling 70 miles of the fourth leg of RAGBRAI, a summer ride that stretches across the state and is as much about sampling pie, sweet corn and stopping at beer gardens as it is about cycling.

On Friday, Armstrong will join Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in testifying at a Senate field hearing on cancer research and funding hosted by the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

“Nobody in this audience can say they haven’t been affected by cancer,” said Armstrong, who set up the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise money to find a cure. “This is the time to end the fight, this disease we know as cancer.”

Slide show Year in Pictures 2009 - Sports Experience an audio slide show of the best sports and news images from around the world and close to home.

After getting a late start Thursday, Armstrong biked across the gentle rolling hills, oceans of corn fields and small towns across south central Iowa, waving to onlookers as he breezed through several small towns along the 77-mile route. At midday, Armstrong stopped briefly at the beer garden in Montezuma, where he signed autographs and posed for pictures. He then finished in Marengo and dashed off to spend the night in Iowa City.

News of the latest scandal to jolt the cycling world spread slowly among the riders Thursday.

Some riders expressed doubts about the authenticity of the test or cast it as a product of anti-American sentiment among the European cycling community. Others said the news, if true, is another hit to the sport’s credibility.

“When you find out news like this, of course it’s disappointing,” said RAGBRAI rider Curtis Brown, 43, of Overland Park, Kan.

MORE FROM TOUR DE FRANCE

Tour de France Section Front

Contador defied all, including Lance Armstrong lambastes Contador on Twitter Contador's reign on Tour expected to last In his return, Lance shows a more human side Contador says he ‘never had admiration’ for Lance Astarloza facing 2-year ban after positive B test Opinion: When it counted, Armstrong came through NYT: In the end, France is in love with Lance Spanish Vuelta gets more TV coverage in US   Slideshow from the 2009 Tour de France Tour de France Section Front   Add Tour de France headlines to your news reader: