Who is Lance Edward Armstrong?

Lance Armstrong is an American who achieved the longest-ever string of victories in the Tour de France-a European (read French) sporting event. Further, he became a world hero not just for his athletic supremacy, but because he overcame cancer and still managed to maintain his supremacy in an enormously competitive and grueling sport.

Naturally, heroes are haunted with rumors and innuendos-in this case, about whether Armstrong ever used performance-enhancing drugs. No one, the critics said, could be this good and this successful without something on the side to help his performance. To date, nothing has been proved, but the rumors continue to dent his reputation.

However, as a cancer survivor, he is an indisputable hero, continuing to drive home the importance of early detection of cancer and the need for a cure. He is the poster child of survivors and inspires millions who are victims of the disease.

What made him the Cyclist?

He was born on September 17, 1971, in Piano, Texas, where he was raised by his mother (his father left the family soon after Lance’s birth). Armstrong developed an interest in being a triathlete and developed his own training regimen by riding his bike while anchored in a pool.

By age 13, he was competing regularly in triathlons, but it soon became clear that his talent and interest centered on cycling. It was during this time that Armstrong demonstrated his single-minded devotion to succeed. His success as an amateur and his obvious talent as a cyclist led to the Junior National Cycling Team inviting Armstrong to train with them. He petitioned his high school to allow him to take 42 days off from school during the final semester of his senior year to take part in the training. The school refused, so Armstrong simply left school and started training with the team.

Armstrong continued to compete as an amateur and won the U.S. Amateur Championships in 1991 and finished fourteenth in the Olympics road race. Armstrong believed that this success indicated cycling was the sport for him, and he turned professional in 1992. He started inauspiciously by finishing last in his first pro race, the Classica San Sebastian-the only time that Armstrong would finish that far back in a professional race.

He earned his first major professional victory the next year by winning the World Cycling Championship in Oslo, Norway. The king of Norway invited Armstrong to an audience, based on his impressive performance. Armstrong would only appear if the invitation included his mother. The king quickly agreed.

After tasting his first professional victory, Armstrong turned his attention to the prestigious Tour de France. He joined Team Motorola and won stages in the 1993 and 1995 races. At this time, he also won several individual races, including the 1992 and 1996 Tour du Pont, considered the United States’ premier cycling race.

Armstrong briefly left the pro tour to take part in the 1996 Olympics, but was disappointed in his nonmedal performance. This perceived failure acted as an impetus, and he began training even harder with his eyes set now on the Tour de France.

However, this commitment to athletic success was shaken severely when, in October 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancers. The cancer had metastasized and was spreading to his lungs and brain. Armstrong was given only a 40 percent chance of survival, but like his racing, he viewed his cancer as a challenge. His right testicle and a brain lesion were removed, and he received extensive chemotherapy. Armstrong recovered from the disease (his doctors would tell him later that his actual chances had been much smaller than 40 percent).

“Even during his recovery, he kept his mind on racing and insisted on using a more radical form of chemotherapy that would have less long-term debilitating effects on his breathing.”

Armstrong resumed training to race, but had been dropped by his team during his bout with cancer. In 1998, he joined the then-new U.S. Postal Service cycling team and quickly returned to form. He was now poised to make racing history by returning to the Tour de France.

One of the more ironic side effects in Armstrong’s chemotherapy is that the treatment caused some loss of muscle mass in his upper body. This proved to be a benefit to his racing, giving him more stamina in the grueling mountain portions of the Tour de France.

Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999- He would go on to win for the next 6 years, making him the only cyclist to win seven Tour de France races. What was even more remarkable is that in all but two of these races his lead-time was 6 minutes or more ahead of the second place finisher. In 2005, he won his last Tour de France, as a member of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team.

Armstrong’s seven consecutive Tour de France victories rank as one of the greatest sporting achievements in history. Many racers and cycling enthusiasts have tried to explain his success: He focused mainly on the Tour de France (some criticized him for ignoring other racing events); he trained almost all year on the same type of terrain as that offered by the Tour de France; his mental preparation and strategy planning for the race were just as intense as his physical training; his unusual aerobic stamina allowed him to maintain a higher cadence at a lower gear on his bicycle; and he improved the cooperation between his sponsors, suppliers and cycling team.

A controversial aspect of Armstrong’s success is the recurring allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. These allegations surfaced in a book, LA. Confidential: Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong, which quoted fellow riders saying that they and Armstrong had used such drugs. Sections of the book appeared in the British newspaper, The Sunday Times; Armstrong sued for libel and the case was settled out of court with the newspaper printing an apology.

In 2005, the French sports newspaper, L’Equipe, printed that Armstrong had been using drugs since 1999- In 2006, the French newspaper, Le Monde, reported claims that Armstrong had been using performance-enhancing drugs based on a deposition taken as part of a lawsuit that Armstrong filed against SCA Promotions. Later the same year, The Los Angeles Times reviewed the facts of the SCA trial and also other allegations against Armstrong.

These later reports were unimportant, because in 2005, after investigations by cycling authorities into the questionable drug-testing methodology of LNDD, the French national anti-doping laboratory, Armstrong was exonerated of illegal drug use based on the improper handling and testing of athletes’ urine samples.

During this period, Armstrong and Kristin, his wife of 6 years, filed for divorce in 2005. It was revealed that Armstrong had developed a relationship with rock star Sheryl Crow in 2003- The news of their relationship was made public in 2005, but the couple split in 2006.

Armstrong retired from competitive racing after his seventh Tour de France victory in 2005. He remains active in promoting cycling, cancer awareness and physical fitness. His achievements expanded American awareness of the Tour de France and helped make the race an even more high-profile international sporting event.

The Legacy of the Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong will always be remembered as one of the greatest athletes of all time, but his reputation may always have a cloud over it because of the drug-use allegations. Armstrong continues to defend himself in public and on his Website.

Armstrong remains an advocate for cancer awareness and early treatment of the disease. He sits on the President’s Anti-Cancer Panel, and founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation for fighting cancer. One of its fundraising methods was to sell rubber band Livestrong bracelets. The bracelets became very popular during the 2005 Tour de France.

There have also been rumors that Armstrong may enter politics in his native Texas. Lately, he has been making statements that sound like he might be open to eventually running for office.

Courtesy

You can find almost all you want to know about Lance Armstrong, including daily postings from him, on his Website at www.lancearmstrong.com or from the Lance Armstrong Foundation at www.livestrong.org.

You can read about Armstrong in his autobiographies, It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, Berkeley Trade, 2001, and Every Second Counts, Broadway, 2004; Lance Armstrong’s War, Harper Press, 2006; 23 Days in France: Inside Lance Armstrong’s Record-Breaking Tour de France Victory, De Capo Press, 2005; and No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance Raising Me, Broadway, 2005.