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Lance Armstrong (born on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. He is most famous for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005. These amazing feats were accomplished several years after brain and testicular surgery, and extensive chemotherapy in 1996, to treat testicular cancer that had metastasized to his brain and lungs.

In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from racing at the end of the 2005 Tour de France, but his success prompted some to nickname the event the "Tour de Lance."

His athletic success and his dramatic recovery from cancer inspired Armstrong to commemorate his accomplishments in conjunction with Nike through the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a charity founded in 1997. The now ubiquitous "Livestrong" yellow rubber wristbands first launched in 2004 netting the Foundation tens of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer and helping Armstrong become a major player in the nonprofit sector.

Career

Early career

Armstrong began his sporting career as a very talented triathlete, competing in adult competitions beginning at the age of 14. It soon became clear that his greatest talent was as a bicycle racer. At 17, he received an invitation to train with the Junior National Cycling Team. Plano Independent School District's school board said that the 42 day leave to train, taken during the second semester of his senior year, would bar him from graduating. Armstrong withdrew from Plano East Senior High School with his mother's blessing and went to train with the team. He graduated from Bending Oaks Private Academy in Dallas the following spring. Armstrong still harbors resentment toward Plano because of this and prefers his adopted home of Austin, Texas.

After competing as a cycling amateur, winning the US amateur championship in 1991 and finishing 14th in the 1992 Olympics road race, Armstrong turned professional in 1992. He finished last in his first professional cycle race, the Clasica San Sebastian. However, the following year he scored his first major victory as he rode solo to win the World Road Championship in Oslo, Norway. His victory was so impressive that he was invited to an audience with the King of Norway which he initially turned down after finding his mother was not included in the invitation. Minutes later, the King invited both.

His success continued with Team Motorola, with whom he won stages in the 1993 and 1995 Tours de France and several classic one-day events. Also in 1995, he won the premier U.S. cycling event, the Tour DuPont, after placing second in 1994. He won the Tour DuPont again in 1996 and was ranked the number one cyclist in the world. Later in 1996, however, he abandoned the Tour de France and had a disappointing Olympic Games. These early disappointments spurred him on to the great things he has achieved post-cancer, and he admits that if he had given in on the devilishly difficult Clasica San Sebastian in which he had previously finished last, he could have retired from the sport.

Cancer

On October 2, 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer that had metastasized, spreading to his lungs and brain. His doctors told him that he had less than a 40 percent chance of survival. After his recovery, one of his doctors told him that his actual odds of survival had been considerably smaller (one even went as far as to say three percent), and that he had been given the estimate primarily to give him hope. The date of October 2 was eventually commemorated by Armstrong and Nike, through the "10//2" line of merchandise. One dollar from the sale of each piece of "10//2" merchandise is donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which was founded in 1997. Armstrong managed to recover after surgery to remove his right testicle and two brain lesions, and a course of chemotherapy, performed at Indiana University School of Medicine. The standard chemotherapy for his cancer would have meant the end of his cycling career, because a known side effect was a dramatic reduction in lung function; he opted for a more severe treatment that was less likely to result in lung damage. While in remission he resumed training, but his contract had been canceled by his Cofidis team. He was eventually signed by the newly formed United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, and by 1998, he was able to make his successful return in the cycling world marked by his fourth place overall finish in the Vuelta a España. To this day, Armstrong lists his return from cancer as his proudest accomplishment.

Tour de France success

Armstrong's true comeback came in 1999, when he won his first Tour de France. His final lead times over his closest competitor have been over six minutes every year except for 2003 and 2005. In 2003, he finished 1:01 ahead of Jan Ullrich, following an unusual set of circumstances including a stomach illness at the outset of the race; in 2005, he finished 4:40 ahead of Ivan Basso. In addition to his 7 overall wins, he has won 22 individual stages (1993-1, 1995-1, 1999-4, 2000-1, 2001-4, 2002-4, 2003-1, 2004-5, 2005-1). He has won 11 time trials in the Tour de France; his team has won the team time trial three times (2003–2005).

In his 2004 Tour victory, Armstrong won a personal-best 5 individual stages, plus the team time trial. He became the first man since Gino Bartali in 1948 to win three consecutive mountain stages—15, 16, and 17. For the first time Armstrong also found himself unable to ride away from his rivals in the mountains (except for the individual time trial in stage 16 up L'Alpe d'Huez when he started two minutes behind Basso and passed him on the way up). He won sprint finishes from Basso in stages 13 and 15 and made up a huge gap in the last 250 meters to nip Andreas Klöden at the line in stage 17. He won the final individual time trial, stage 19, to complete his personal record of stage wins.

Armstrong's 2005 Tour victory took place on July 24. His Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team won the team time trial, but he won only one individual stage, the final individual time trial. He looked strong from the beginning of the tour, being beaten in the first stage by only two seconds and passing one of his major competitors, Jan Ullrich, on the road. In the Alps and the Pyrenees he answered all attacks, even when his teammates, whose role was to support him, could not keep pace. Because of wet streets in Paris on the last stage, the referees decided that the final General Classification overall time for the Tour would be taken 50 kilometers before the end, to avoid even more crashes. Armstrong crossed the finish line to cheers of the French and international public, for his seventh consecutive Tour de France win.

Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation

The Lance Armstrong Foundation was formed by Armstrong after fighting cancer. During summer 2004, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (with initial funding from Nike) developed the Livestrong wristband. The band was part of the Wear Yellow Live Strong educational program, intended to support cancer victims and survivors and to raise awareness about cancer. The band sold in packs of 10, 100, and 1200 as part of an effort to raise $5 million for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in cooperation with Nike. Individual bands sold for only US$1 each. Yellow was chosen for its importance in professional cycling, especially as the color of famed leader's yellow jersey of the Tour de France. As of January 2006, over 58 million Livestrong wristbands have been sold. Armstrong has also lent his name to Nike's newest line of footwear, all branded with the familiar "Live Strong" yellow. Armstrong, a member of the President's Cancer Panel since 2002, said in a recent article (7/25/2005) published in USA TODAY "we have the smartest people in the world" working on cures, so his (President Bush) role is to get the funds to keep that research alive.

"Funding is tough to come by these days," he says. "The biggest downside to a war in Iraq is what you could do with that money. What does a war in Iraq cost a week? A billion? Maybe a billion a day? The budget for the National Cancer Institute is four billion. That has to change. It needs to become a priority again."

Armstrong's next steps with the Foundation are yet to be determined. But he seems to be giving thought to using his status as a celebrity and a cancer survivor to become more involved in the political world.

After being named the 2005 Sportsman of the Year, he said "Cancer and what all can be done there, not just in the world of health care, but if it's education or political, this is a very real issue," Armstrong said. "We're at an interesting time in medical research. That would be a serious rush for me if I could affect change there.

"The initiatives to effect change will come out of the foundation," he said. "The think tank is there."

Armstrong points to rock singer Bono's lobbying for help for the world's poor and AIDS-stricken as a prime example of the power celebrity can bring to an issue.

He also realizes that battles involving politics and money could be much more difficult than anything he faced on the bike. He figures he won't be doing it alone, though, noting the 60 million Livestrong yellow bracelets the foundation has sold since 2004.

"I know not all 60 million bought them because of a connection to cancer, but a lot of them did," he said. "When you consider that army, there's a powerful force for change."

These yellow "power bracelets" are sweeping the world and are now a major cutting edge trend.

Other interests, personal beliefs

Armstrong has diverse interests outside cycling. He had a cameo role in the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and has topped the bestsellers' lists with his book "It's Not About the Bike", for which he won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2000. He has also become a spokesperson for survivorship, and he launched his own wristbrand line called " livestrong"

Armstrong drove the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 pace car for the 2006 Indianapolis 500 . Later that same year, Armstrong was given an honorary degree from Tufts University and gave the commencement address .

With respect to personal beliefs, Armstrong does not belong to any organized religion and appears to be agnostic.

Reasons for success

File:Lance805.jpg

Armstrong on the cover of Sports Illustrated after winning the 2005 Tour de France.

Many have discussed the reasons for Armstrong's success in winning seven Tours in a row. No single factor seems to be responsible, but rather a combination of the following:

Training methodology and preparation

Armstrong has clearly triumphed at least partly because he learned to apply the obsessive focus he developed fighting cancer to making a career of winning the Tour de France, training in Spain for months leading up to the Tour de France and making frequent trips to France to fully analyze and ride key parts of the upcoming Tour de France course.

That he focuses solely on the Tour De France and seldom competes in other major races allows him to train 342 days a year for the 23 days of the Tour, a significantly greater training time than riders who compete in other races.

Johan Bruyneel

The team's sports director, Belgian ex-cyclist Johan Bruyneel, was involved in all of Armstrong's victories. A master tactician who shared Armstrong's obsession for detailed preparation, Bruyneel's symbiotic relationship with Armstrong makes it difficult for even them to ascertain which one influenced the other how much. Starting with Armstrong talking Bruyneel into becoming their sports director, and Bruyneel convincing Armstrong that he could win the Tour, to their almost constant radio communications during each race, the amount of support these men provided for each other through the seven victories was immeasurable.

Riding style

Armstrong's riding style is also distinctive. He has an extremely high aerobic threshold and therefore can maintain a higher cadence (often 120 rpm) in a lower gear than his competitors, most noticeably in the time trials. This style is in direct contrast to previous champions (e.g. Jan Ullrich and Miguel Indurain) who used a high gear and brute strength to win time trials. It is believed that a high cadence results in less fatigue in the leg muscles than a lower cadence requiring more severe leg muscle contractions. Ultimately the cardiovascular system is worked to a greater extent with a high cadence than with a lower, more muscular cadence. Because the leg muscles are taxed less with a high cadence pedaling style, they recover faster and the efforts can be sustained for longer periods of time. Armstrong dedicated a significant portion of his training to developing and maintaining a very efficient high cadence style.

Rare athletic physical attributes

All top cyclists have excellent key physical attributes. Armstrong is no exception, although in one way, he may be unusually good even for an elite athlete. He is near the top but not at the top aerobically, having a VO₂ Max of 83.8 mL/kg/min — much higher than the average person (40-50) but not as high as that of some other elite cyclists, such as Miguel Indurain (88.0, although reports exist that Indurain tested at 92-94) or Greg LeMond (92.5). His heart is 30 percent larger than average, but an enlarged heart is common for athletes as well. He has a resting heart rate of 32-34 beats per minute with a max heart rate at 201 bpm. Armstrong's most unusual attribute may be his low lactate levels: even with intense training, while the levels of most other racers range from 12 μL/Kg to as much as 20 μL/Kg, Armstrong doesn't go above 6 μL/Kg. The result is that less lactic acid accumulates in Armstrong's system, so he likely feels less physical fatigue from severe efforts and/or he is able to sustain the same effort as other elite racers with less fatigue and faster recovery times. Some theorize that his high pedaling cadence is designed to take advantage of this, while others — like Jan Ullrich — rely on their anaerobic capacity more, pushing a larger gear at a lower rate. Further improvements in Armstrong's physical attributes and performance have been attributed to training induced increases in his muscular efficiency indicating changes in muscle myosin type . Some have speculated that the use of drugs he was allowed to use because of his cancer treatment may have contributed to his strength.

Strength of his team

Some have attributed Armstrong's success in recent years in part to his US Postal Service cycling team (in 2005 the Discovery Channel Team). Throughout his wins in the Tour de France, Lance has slowly built up the strength of his team. In his first few Tour victories, his team was not considered exceptionally strong. Yet it is evident by the wins of his team in the Team Time Trial in his last three Tour de France victories that they are now one of the most dominating teams in the Pro Tour Circuit. While the U.S. Postal Team competes in races worldwide, the riders selected to join Armstrong in the Tour de France are there specifically to help Armstrong win the yellow jersey. However, the decisive moves in which he gains very large leads over the competition almost always involve Armstrong racing far ahead of his team, and Armstrong has often fended off multiple attacks even when his team falters and he is isolated unexpectedly.

Support of broader team

Armstrong also revolutionized the support behind his well-funded teams, asking his sponsors and equipment suppliers to contribute and act as one cohesive part of the team. For example, rather than having the bike frame, handlebars, and tires of a bicycle designed and developed by separate companies miles away from each other, his teams adopted a Formula 1-style relationship with sponsors and suppliers, taking full advantage of the combined resources of several organizations working in close communication. The team comprised of Trek, Nike, AMD, Bontrager, Shimano, and Oakley collaborate for a well-coordinated and technologically cutting edge array of products that produce the fastest Lance Armstrong possible. This is now the standard in the professional cycling industry.

Allegations of drug use

Doping is a chronic problem in pro cycling. Armstrong has described himself as the most tested athlete in the world. UCI pursues an aggressive in and out of season doping test regime. Numerous allegations of doping have been and continue to be made against Armstrong, in common with may pro cyclists, but all remain unproven. He has never tested positive and was cleared by an official inquiry.

In 1999, tests showed traces of corticoid triamcinolone, but these were far below the positive test level. Corticoid triamcinolone is an ingredient of a legal topical skin ointment used to treat road rash and saddle sores.

Filippo Simeoni and Amstrong had been treated by the same doctor, Michele Ferrari. Simeoni testified that Ferrari had helped him with doping. Armstrong stated that he thought Simeoni was lying. During the 2004 Tour de France, Armstrong and his team stopped Simeoni from breaking away from the peloton. Simeoni sued Armstrong for "sporting fraud" and suit and counter-suit for defamation ensued. All the cases were dropped without trial.

In August 2005 the sports paper L'Équipe stated that that six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, when he won his first Tour, had retested positive for EPO in 2004. In October 2005 UCI appointed Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman, who was the head of the Dutch anti-doping agency for ten years, to investigate the handling of urine tests by the French national anti-doping laboratory, LNDD. Vrijman's report exonerated Armstrong and said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the LNDD may have "behaved in ways that are completely inconsistent with the rules and regulations of international anti-doping control testing," and may also have been against the law. . The report said that tests on urine samples were conducted improperly and fell so short of scientific standards that it was "completely irresponsible" to suggest they "constitute evidence of anything.". The recommendation of the commission's report was that no disciplinary action whatsoever should be taken against any rider on the basis of the LNDD research. It also called upon the WADA and LNDD to submit themselves to an investigation by an outside independent authority.

In June 2006, French newspaper Le Monde reported claims made by Betsy and Frankie Andreu during a deposition that Armstrong had admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to his physician just after brain surgery in 1996. Armstrong's statement also suggested that Betsy Andreu may have been confused by possible mention of his post-operative treatment which included steroids and EPO that are routinely taken to counteract wasting and red-blood-cell destroying effects of intensive chemotherapy. The Andreus' testimony was related to litigation between Armstrong and SCA Promotions, a Texas-based company that was attempting to withhold a $5-million bonus; this was eventually settled out of court with SCA paying Armstrong and Tailwind Sports $7.5 million, to cover the $5-million bonus plus interest and lawyers' fees. The Andreau's allegation was not supported by any of the eight other people present, including Armstrong's doctor Craig Nichols , or his medical history, although according to Greg LeMond there exists a recorded conversation in which Stephanie McIlvain, Armstrong's contact at Oakley Inc., said to Greg LeMond, "You know, I was in that room. I heard it.". The context of this is unclear and no charges have been brought as a result.. LeMond later apologised to Armstrong, calling him "a great champion" and stating that his comments had been taken out of context.

Family

Lance Armstrong met his first wife, Kristin Richard, in June 1997. They were married in May 1998 and had three children: Luke, born in October 1999, and twins Isabelle and Grace, born in November 2001. The couple filed for divorce in September 2003. Kristin Armstrong cited several reasons for the dissolution of their marriage, including her husband's rapid rise to celebrity, his comeback from cancer, and their constant movement between multiple homes in different countries.

Lance Armstrong began dating singer Sheryl Crow sometime in the autumn of 2003, and publicly revealed their relationship in January 2004. The couple announced their engagement in September 2005, and their split in February 2006. According to Men's Journal's July 2006 cover story, Armstrong had struggled to grapple with Crow's breast cancer diagnosis on February 20, 2006 but after talking almost daily for a while, they have again gone separate ways. "I still think about her every day. Primarily now because of her health and hoping that everything works out. And I'm fully confident that it will," he said.

Armstrong was a host on Saturday Night Live in October 2005, when the musical guest was his then-fiancée Sheryl Crow.

Political possibilities

In an interview with the New York Times, teammate George Hincapie hinted at Armstrong possibly running for Governor of Texas after retiring from cycling. In the July 2005 issue of Outside magazine , Armstrong himself hinted at possibly running for Governor, although "not in '06." By Texas political standards, he would almost certainly run as a Democrat, as he has described himself in the past as being "middle to left," "against mixing up State and Church," "not keen on guns," opposed to the Iraq War, and pro-choice. U.S. Senator John Kerry, interviewed on OLN at the 2005 Tour de France, stated Armstrong has the potential to be successful in politics. "I think he'd be awesome, he'd be a force. I just hope it's for the right party," Kerry said on OLN. President George W. Bush, a Republican and fellow Texan, also considers Armstrong to be a close friend. President Bush called Armstrong in France after his 2005 victory to congratulate him and in August 2005 The Times (Can this bike ride be Bush's tour de force?) reported the President had invited Armstrong to his Prairie Chapel Ranch to go mountain biking.

Armstrong was quoted by The Times in 2004 about his views on Iraq: "I don't like what the war has done to our country, to our economy. My kids will be paying for this war for some time to come. George Bush is a friend of mine and just as I say it to you, I'd say to him, 'Mr President, I'm not sure this war was such a good idea', and the good thing about him is he could take that."

Most recently however, beginning in August 2005, Armstrong has hinted that he has changed his mind about possibly entering politics. In an interview with Charlie Rose, that aired on PBS on August 1st, 2005, Armstrong pointed out that running for Governor would require the type of time commitments that caused him to decide to retire from cycling. Again on August 16, 2005, Armstrong told a local Austin CBS affiliate that he is no longer considering politics. "The biggest problem with politics or running for the governor -- the governor's race here in Austin or in Texas is that it would mimic exactly what I've done: a ton of stress and a ton of time away from my kids. Why would I want to go from pro cycling, which is stressful and a lot of time away, straight into politics?"

Even more recently, Armstrong has begun to clarify that he intends to be involved in politics as an activist for change in cancer policies. In a May 2006 interview with Sports Illustrated, Armstrong is quoted as saying "I need to run for one office, the presidency of the Cancer Fighters' Union of the World.". Sports Illustrated also quotes Armstrong as saying that he fears halving his influence with legislators if he chooses one side in American partisan politics. His Foundation is becoming more involved in lobbying on behalf of cancer patients before Congress, and Armstrong himself has said that he hopes to model his efforts in the area of cancer in much the same manner as U2's Bono has done on behalf of poverty, AIDS, and hunger. His efforts might be limited in the interim as Armstrong told The Associated Press on April 19, 2006 that he plans to compete in the New York City Marathon on November 5, 2006.

Teams and victories

Teams

1991–1992: United States National Team
1992–1996: Motorola
1997: Cofidis
1998–2002: US Postal Service
2003–2004: US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
2005: Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team

Palmarès

1992: First Union Grand Prix; GP Sanson; Fitchburg Longsjo Classic (overall, 1 stage win); Thrift Drug Classic; Vuelta La Riberia (overall, 3 stage wins); Trittico Premondiale (1 stage win)

1993: World Cycling Championship - World Cycling Champion; USPRO National Road Championships - United States National Cycling Champion; Tour de France (Stage 8); Tour of America (overall); Vuelta Ciclista a Galega; Trophee Laigueglia; Tour duPont (1 stage win); Tour of Sweden (1 stage win); Kmart West Virginia Classic (overall, 2 stage wins); Thrift Drug Classic*

*The Thrift Drug Classic included 3 separate 1-day races. One in rural Pennsylvania, the next day in New Jersey and the last day in Philadelphia to determine the U.S. Pro Champion, also known as the CoreStates Cycling Race. Thrift Drug said it would award $1 million to a rider, if he won all 3 races. It had never been done before, until Lance Armstrong came around. He won all 3 races. At the USPro Championship race, on the final lap circuit, he sat up on his bicycle, took out a comb, combed his hair and smiled for the cameras.

1994: Thrift Drug Classic; Tour du Pont (1 stage win)

1995: Tour de France (Stage 18); Clasica San Sebastian; Paris-Nice (Stage 5); Tour duPont (overall, 3 stage wins); Kmart West Virginia Classic (overall, 1 stage win); Tour of America (overall)

1996: Tour duPont (overall, 5 stage wins); La Flèche Wallonne

1998: Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt (overall); Tour de Luxembourg (overall, 1 stage win); Cascade Classic

1999: Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins); Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (ITT) (Prologue); Route du Sud (Stage 4); Circuit de la Sarthe (ITT) (Stage 4)

2000: Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win); GP des Nations; GP Eddy Merckx; Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (ITT) (Stage 3); Bronze medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics Individual Time Trial, Men

2001: Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins); Tour de Suisse (overall, 2 stage wins)

2002: Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins); Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (Stage 6); GP du Midi-Libre

2003: Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win, Team Time Trial); Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (overall, Stage 3 ITT)

2004: Tour de France (overall, 5 stage wins, Team Time Trial); Tour de Georgia (overall, 2 stage wins); Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon (Stage 5); Volta ao Algarve (ITT) (Stage 4)

2005: Tour de France (overall, 2 stage wins, Team Time Trial, Individual Time Trial)

External links

Lance Armstrong's Official Website
The Lance Armstrong Foundation
Lance Armstrong News
Lance Armstrong Drives Corvette
Nike and the Lance Armstrong Foundation's "Wear Yellow - Live Strong" campaign
Photos and Videos of Lance & The Tour De France at NowPublic
USA TODAY: Tour de France; Fighting cancer is new mission for Armstrong.
The main website for info about the Discovery Channel team
BBC Sport Profile Lance Armstrong
Cycling News: The Legend of Lance: an Armstrong retrospective, August 3rd, 2005
Lance Armstrong Article
U.S. Olympic Team bio ... four photo galleries
Lance Armstrong's Relationships with Product Brands
Listing of Lance Armstrong Audio Books, Podcasts and Videos
Lance Armstrong Wins
United Athletes Magazine Armstrong's physical qualities and abilities
Armstrong threatened LeMond's life

Preceded byGianni Bugno	World Road Racing Champion 1993	Succeeded byLuc Leblanc
Preceded byMarco Pantani	Winner of the Tour de France 1999-2005	Succeeded byincumbent
Preceded byBarry Bonds	Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 2002-2005	Succeeded byTBD
Preceded byDerek Birley	William Hill Sports Book of the Year winner 2000	Succeeded byLaura Hillenbrand

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