Lance Armstrong to join Michigan cyclists on ride in memory of five who died in hit-and-run

Lance Armstrong is travelling to Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Tuesday to complete a ride started by a group of nine cyclists who were run down by a motorist last week.

Friends and loved ones of the five riders who died and the four seriously injured will ride the route followed by the group, known as the Chain Gang, which consisted of men and women between the age of 40 and 74.

The group was struck by the pickup truck driven by Charles Pickett Jr, 50, at around 6.30pm on June 7 before the driver fled on foot. He was arrested soon after and charged with five counts of murder on Thursday.

Armstrong told Detroit Free Press that the incident is "by far the worst that I've ever seen."

He added: "For me, this is pretty heavy, thinking the fact that we're going to complete the ride that they set out to is, I'm not sure that I'm equipped for that emotionally."

Armstrong posted on Instagram in the aftermath of the tragedy, writing: "To the ones lost — may you rest in peace. To their friends, families, teammates, partners — my deepest condolences."