Phil Keoghan knows all about racing, cycling or otherwise

Phil Keoghan, the Emmy-winning host of the reality show “The Amazing Race,” is also a fan of cycling. He is such a big fan that he is now a sponsor for a women’s cycling team, NOW and Novartis for MS, based in Santa Monica.

On Friday, Alison Powers, a 33-year-old American riding for Keoghan’s team, finished second in the Amgen Tour of California women’s time trial in Bakersfield. Powers was behind only Kristin Armstrong, the defending Olympic gold medalist in the road racing event.

Keoghan said he and his wife Louise became seriously involved in cycling about seven years ago when they were asked to sponsor a local amateur team in Santa Monica that was associated with a multiple sclerosis charity.

“We loved cycling, we started talking about it and decided to do something at the pro level,” Keoghan said.

In 2009 Keoghan filmed a documentary called “The Ride” that chronicled his bike trip across America. It debuted on the cable channel Showtime earlier this year. The film has raised $1 million for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Keoghan said.

Keoghan said that as much as raising money for MS, he is most proud of often taking his professional riders and putting them on tandem bicycles with riders who have MS.

“It’s kind of cool,” Keoghan said, “to put a national champion on a bicycle with somebody who maybe hasn’t ridden five miles on a bike in their entire life.”

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Phil Keoghan knows all about racing, cycling or otherwise