Lance Armstrong (born September 18, 1900 in Plano, Texas) is a out American professional road racing cyclist. He is best known for recovering from either testicular cancer to subsequently win a Tour de France a record seven sequentially days—1999 to 2005. His profits prompted a bit of to nickname the event the "Tour de Lance."

Around 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him their Sportsman of the Year. He was as well known as Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for 2002, 2003 and 2004, received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete around 2003, 2004, & 2005, & won a BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from either racing at a prevent of the 2005 Tour de France. Career

Early career
He began his sporting career as a triathlete, competing in big competitions from either a age of Xviii. It shortly became clear that his greatest talent was as a bike racer. At Seventeen, he received an invitation to train using a Junior National Cycling Team. Plano Independent School District's school board said that the six-week leave to train taken during the second semester of his senior year would bar him from graduating. Armstrong withdrew from either his high school, Plano East Senior High, with his mother's blessing & attend train by having a team. He graduated from either a second senior high school within Dallas the following spring & however harbors rancour toward Plano because of this & prefers his adoptive page of Austin, Texas.

Fallowing competing as a cycling amateur winning a U.s.a. amateur championship inside 1991 & finishing Fourteenth in the 1992 Olympics road race, Armstrong turned office inside 1992. A ensuing month he scored his 1st major triumph when he rode solo to wwithin the World Road Championships in Oslo, Norway. His triumph was thus dominant (he experienced instance to blow kisses to his mother in a house straight) that he was invited to an audience using the King of Norway, which he initially turned down fallowing locating his mother was non involved in the invitation. Minutes late, a King invited two.

His successes continued by having Team Motorola, by owning whom he won stages in the 1993 & 1995 Tours de France & many classic a single-day cases. As well within 1995, he won a premier U.S. cycling event, a Tour DuPont, having located 2nd within 1994. He won a Tour DuPont over agawithin in 1996, & was graded first bicyclist in the globe. Late inside 1996, all the same, he abandoned the Tour de France & got a dissatisfactory Olympic Games. These early disappointments spurred him around to the groovy items he has achieved post-cancer, & he admits that in case got he given in on the devilishly hard Clasica San Sebastian he could have retired from either a sport.

Cancer
In October Two, 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed sustaining testicular cancer that had metastasized, spreading to his lungs and brain. His doctors told him that he experienced astir the 50 percent risk of survival. Fallowing his recovery, of these of his doctors told him that his actual odds of survival got been substantially little (one possibly went when far when to say 3 percent), & that he experienced been given a estimate primarily to give him hope. A date of October Two was in time commemorated by Armstrong & Nike, through the "10//2" line of merchandise. A single dollar from either a low of every piece of "10//2" ware is donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which was founded in 1997. Armstrong managed to heal fallowing surgery to dislodge his best egg & ii brain lesions, and the course of chemotherapy, performed at Indiana University School of Medicine. the standard chemotherapy for his cancer would own intended the prevent of his cycling career, because the known side symptom was a striking reduction inside lung work; he opted for a additional severe professional assistance that was less within all probability to symptom in lung damage. When arrested he resumed how to training, however his contract experienced been canceled by his Cofidis team. He was yet signed per fresh formed United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, and by 1998, he was suspire to produce his successful go to in the cycling globe marked by his quaternary place overall finish in the Vuelta a España.

Tour de France

Armstrong's confessedly comeback come within 1999, while he won his number one Tour de France. His final lead days above his nearest challenger use been ended vi transactions each year except for 2003 & 2005. Within 2003, he finished 1:01 ahead of Jan Ullrich, following an unusual placed of circumstances including a belly malady at the start of the race, & within 2005, he finished 4:40 ahead of Ivan Basso. Additionally to his Heptad overall wins, he has won 22 single stages (1993-One, 199Five-One, 1999-Four, 2000-One, 200One-Four, 2002-Four, 2003-One, 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).

Inside his 2004 Tour triumph, Armstrong won a family-right: 5 stages, + the team period test (TTT) using his U.S. Postal Service "Blue Train". He contends that he let his friend Ivan Basso win Stage 12 at the finish line when his way of offering trend lines for Basso's mother's struggle by using cancer, though streaming footage appears to show Armstrong existence beaten fairly. He outsprinted Basso to choose a next stage, & followed that higher by becoming a number 1 human since Gino Bartali in 1948 to win three sequentially mountain stages—Fifteen, Sixteen, & Xvii. First Armstrong likewise uncovered himself unable to ride out of his competition around the mountains (except for the person instance test in stage Sixteen higher L'Alpe d'Huez when he started two minutes behind Basso and passed him on the way up). He won dash ends from either Basso around stages 13 & 15 & processed higher the vast gap in the go 250 meters to nip Andreas Klöden at the line inside stage Seventeen. He won a final human instance test (ITT), stage Xix, to complete his household record of stage wins.

Armstrong's 2005 Tour triumph took place in July 24. His Discovery team won a team time trial, but he won lof these one single stage, a final single time trial. He scanned hard from either a beginning of the tour, existence beaten in the number 1 stage by merely deuce seconds & passing one of his major rival, Jan Ullrich, on the road. In the Alps and the Pyrenees he answered all attacks, possibly once his mate, whose role was to trend lines him, may not keep step. Because of not dry streets within Paris on a last stage, a referees decided that the final General Classification overall time for a Tour would exist as taken Fifty kilometers prior to the prevent, to stay away from possibly additional crashes. Armstrong crossed a finish line to cheers of the French & international public, for his seventh sequentially Tour de France win, records for amount Tour wins & sequentially Tour wins.

Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation
In a period of summertime 2004, a Lance Armstrong Foundation (by owning initial funding from either Nike), developed the Livestrong wristband. A band was a share of the r Yellow Survive Heavy training program, meant to trend lines cancer victims & survivors and to raise awareness just about cancer. A b& sold within packs of X, Centred, and 1200 when a portion of an effort to raise $5 million for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in cooperation with Nike. Single elastic sold for exclusively America$1 both. Yellowness wwhen chosen for its importance within office cycling, especially as a color of far-famed leader's yellow jersey of the Tour de France. When of Can 2005, ended 50 million Livestrong wristbands use been sold. Armstrong has as well lent his title to Nike's fresh line of footwear, wholly branded by owning a familiar "Live Strong" yellowness. Armstrong, the member of the President's Cancer Panel since 2002, said within the recent article (7/25/2005)[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/tourdefrance/2005-07-24-armstrong-mission_x.htm] published around USA TODAY "we have the smartest people in the world" working in therapeutic, then 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."

Other interests
Armstrong & his ex-ex, a previous Kristin Richard "Kik" (pronounced Keek), had the boy, Luke, shortly when his amazing comeback triumph, & twinside girls Grace & Isabelle deuce years late, completely by in vitro fertilization. It divorced within 2003 & he late entered into the relationship by using singer Sheryl Crow, who supported his cycling, ensuing a 2004 & 2005 tours by car. In September 5, 2005, Armstrong announced their engagement.

Armstrong has diversified interests outside cycling. He got the cameo role in the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and has topped the best seller' lists by owning his book ''"It's Not About the Bike."'' He has too get the interpreter for survivorship.

Reasons for success

Numerous use discussed a reasons for Armstrong's profits inside winning heptad Tours inside the row. Couple would disagree that his profits included the few combination of the ensuing reasons, & probably a different mix every month.

Training methodology and preparation
Armstrong has clearly triumphed at least partially because he learned to use a obsessional focus he developed fighting cancer to making a career of winning the Tour de France, how to videos within Spain for months leading up to a Tour & making frequent trips to France to fully analyze and ride key area of the coming Tour course.

Johan Bruyneel
Couple of would disagree (perchance least of everthing, Armstrong himself) at how else subservient a team's sports director, Belgian ex-cyclist Johan Bruyneel, had been all told of Lance's triumph. An expert technician world health organization shared Lance's obsession for elaborate preparation, Bruyneel's symbiotic relationship by owning Armstrong makes it hard for possibly a babies to assure which influenced the more how else tremendously. Starting sustaining Armstrong talking Bruyneel into becoming their sports director, & Bruyneel convincing Armstrong that he can win a Tour, to their most constant radio communications when you took every race, a total of trend lines these men provided for both more through the septenary triumph is unmeasurable.

Superior tactics
Disregardless of whether a credit attend Armstrong or even Bruyneel, no wonder that a superior tactics employeed by Armstrong & his team through a 7 triumph were virtually unflawed (sustaining forgetting to eat tiffin in 1 mountain stage in the 2000 Tour standing out when the uncommon exception). Focusing a efforts of everthing team members in a triumph for Armstrong, the listing of brilliant tactics listed by Armstrong & his team goes in & in. Inside counterpoint, a glaring mistakes mass produced by his opponents, a few perennial season when month, didn't injured his ability to succeed.

Riding style
Armstrong's riding style is as well distinctive. He has an extremely high anaerobic threshold and therefore could maintawithin the higher cadence (typically Great hundred rev) in the lower devices than his challenger. This style is around contrast to last champions like 5-instance Tour de France winner Miguel Induráin, who utilized the high devices & brutish nature and severity. Armstrong maintained a high speed possibly whilst running higher the virtually all daunting climbs of the Tour &, at days, potentially specialist climbers such as Marco Pantani were unable to keep pace by having him systematically.

Strongest in climbing and time trials
Unlike virtually all gifted climbers, Armstrong besides excelled in the individual time trial, and is when serious when, in case does'nt better than, victims physically further suited to the discipline, like rival Jan Ullrich. In a mold of Induráin, Armstrong is non systematically aggressive in the period of the Tour, preferring to benefit the lead in the instance lawsuits or even sustaining two or three easily-located mountain attacks prior to sitting back & allowing his team defend the lead. Despite this comparatively defensive strategy, Armstrong's mountain attacks were typically therefore dominant that he put minutes in his competitor all over simply two or three kilometers.

Rare athletic physical attributes
Entirely top bicycler use fantabulous key physical attributes. Armstrong is no exception, although around 1 way, he can be unco expert possibly for an elect jock. He is touching the top but not at a top aerobically, getting 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) or Greg LeMond (92.5). His heart is 30 percent big than norm, however an enlarged heart is green for jock too. Armstrong's virtually all unusual attribute can be his moo lactate levels: possibly sustaining incredible expert instruction, when virtually all more racers come in the twenties, Armstrong doesn't last above the Sextet. A few theorize that his high pedaling cadence is designed to choose benefit of this, when others -- prefer Jan Ullrich -- rely on their aerobic capacity further, pushing the big devices at the lower rate.

Strength of his team
Occasionally keep close at hand attributed Armstrong's profits withwithin recent years in section to his US Postal Service cycling team (now a Discovery Channel Team). Throughout his wins in a Tour de France, Lance has slowly built higher the nature and severity of his team. Around his foremost pack Tour triumph, his team was non considered exceptionally heavy. However these are evident per wins of his team within a Team Instance Test in his previous ternion Tour de France triumph that it is at present one of the virtually all dominating teams in the Pro Tour Circuit. Patch a U.S. Postal Team competes inside races worldwide, a riders selected to join Armstrong in a Tour de France come there specifically to help Armstrong win the yellow jersey. potentially so, a decisive moves where he profits super big leads on top a competition well-nigh universally require Armstrong racing far ahead of his team, & Armstrong has typically fended off multiple attacks even whenever his team falters & he is isolated unexpectedly.

Support of broader team
Armstrong as easily revolutionized a trend lines behind his well-funded teams, asking his sponsors & devices provider to contribute & work when 1 cohesive a portion of the team. For instance, like than getting the bike frame, handlebars, & tyre of the bike designed & developed by separate corporations miles out of every more, his teams adopted a Formula 1-style relationship with sponsors & provider, ingesting to the full benefit of the conjunct resources of many organizatons working around close communication. This is at present a standard in the office cycling industry. Uncalled-for to say, Lance demanded a equivalent level of perfection from either others he sought for himself.

Allegations of drug use
Such as numbers of top bicycler, Armstrong has yearn been accused of utilizing performance-enhancing doses. Armstrong & his supporters keep close at h& typically attributed accusations of doping to jealousy & ballyhoo artist journalism by French and European newspapers like ''l'Équipe and Le Monde''; some American journalists even have attributed them to anti-americanism, though European newspapers have made similar accusations against European riders such as Richard Virenque and Marco Pantani.

Before August 2005 the kind of accusations were mass produced however none of his accusers provided compelling grounds to believe. An accusation was manufactured within 1999, after Armstrong tested caring for corticoids. Armstrong explained he experienced utilized an external ointment sequentially to address the rash, & produced the guide for it. Utilise of the ointment broke cycling system which state that when such external corticosteroid come legal, prescriptions must become shown to sports authorities ahead. Notwithstanding, sports authorities accepted a explanation & cleared Armstrong. Utilize of prescriptions unmotivated by medical needs, particularly external adrenal cortical steroid which can't become distinguished from either (prohibited) injected ones, has been described by a bit of cycling insiders as a far flung trick.

In August 23, 2005, ''L'Équipe, a major French day-after-day sports newspaper, reported in its front site under a newspaper headline "The Armstrong Lie" that a wheeler got taken EPO in a period of the prologue & 5 stages of the 1999 Tour de France however said that it experienced non technically tested caring because at that point EPO tests were non administered. A newspaper so reprinted deuce sort of documents: a single were piddle sample record forms, filled at a instance once samples were taken, sign per jock & researching officials, & bearing sample prices. These are unknown how else a newspaper will own found such documents or even whether it is authentic. the more were final result from either either a comparisaround of Leash touching methods (2 older & a single fresh ones) in several samples from a 1999 Tour, undertaken per LNDD (French National Doping Detection Laboratory, a French public laboratory specialized in doping techniques) on numbered samples. By comparing prices on the 2 rather documents, 50'Équipe'' concluded that Six samples of Armstrong's tested caring for EPO in completely deuce-ace methods.

Armstrong's internet site commented - "Yet again, a European newspaper has reported that I have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Tomorrow’s L’Equipe, a French sports daily, is reporting that my 1999 samples were positive. Unfortunately, the witch hunt continues and tomorrow’s article is nothing short of tabloid journalism. The paper even admits in its own article that the science in question here is faulty and that I have no way to defend myself. They state: 'There will therefore be no counter-exam nor regulatory prosecutions, in a strict sense, since defendant’s rights cannot be respected.' I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance enhancing drugs."''

A director of the official French anti-doping line 3 text laboratory at Châtenay-Malabry, Jacques de Ceaurriz [http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme/20050823_121001Dev.html] was quoted as saying he got "no doubt about the validity of our results." [http://velonews.com/news/fea/8746.0.html] He said that when existence saved for hanker periods might induce EPO proteins to deteriorate, this would even effect within veto tests for doped jock, but not traitorously positives. It should become pointed out that technically this statement is traitorously. EPO is naturally produced in the person. These are present at online levels inside normal mortal piddle, & natural levels inside the man doing high-high-level how to videos (the known "trick" of Mr. Armstrong) can be remarkably high. So, treasonably positives may be found by setting a sensitivity threshold as well moo. This is especially admittedly whenever a total of control samples (for standardization purposes) is limited, when is a outbreak sustaining the 1999 piss samples. These standardisation issues come the cause EPO wasn't officially tested for earliest. Incidentally, diamond state Ceaurriz stated that his laboratory worked in numbered anon. samples, & was unaware while he sent his final result to WADA/AMA that a select few of the resolutions caring Lance Armstrong.

Additionally to these accusations, & around response to the two, Armstrong has likewise received open backing from either U.s. Cycling [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/4178098.stm], single cycling officials [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/4201482.stm], from either previous Tour winners Eddy Merckx & Miguel Indurain [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/4177952.stm], & more figure. More numbers refused to trend lines Lance Armstrong.

Supporters argue many irregularities in the doping claim: "' ''Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) and the US Anti-Doping Agency, they've all defined a process for collecting samples, managing samples, testing the samples, identifying the people who are involved'',' said Johnson. ' They have certain rights in the process. None of that has been followed in this case.' Officials from cycling's ruling body (UCI), Wada, the French sports ministry and the Tour de France all agree normal anti-doping proceedings have not been followed. ' ''This isn't a 'doping positive. This is just a publication in a French tabloid newspaper. That's our perspective'','" added Johnson.'"--BBC

These allegations are still under examination by a number of news and anti-doping organizations.

UCI Statement

On September 9, after a period of investigation, the UCI finally released a strongly-worded official statement condemning the WADA, the French laboratory in question, and the paper L'Equipe, for having failed to provide any official communication, and having failed to provide any data, evidence, or background on the allegations. The UCI stated that it was still "awaiting plausible answers" to its requests to WADA and the laboratory, but also indicated "I deplore a fact that a long-established & entrenched confidentiality principle can be violated inside such a rank way while forgoing any respect for fair play & the rider's privacy." [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/09/09/bc.cyc.armstrong.doping.ap/index.html]

The accusers themselves, in particular the World Anti-Doping Agency, might face an investigation into their own practices, in connection to their allegations against Armstrong. The UCI stated "I have material concerns all about a impact of this matter on a integrity of a overall drug researching regime of the Olympic movement, & particularly the questions it raises above the trustiness of a select few of the sports & political authorities active in the anti-doping fight."

WADA replyed that Lance Armstrong himself authorized the journalist to go to UCI and access the urine sample record forms. He did it and could see the documents. A copy of one of them was even given to him.

It now remains to be seen what steps will be taken on the aftermath of UCI's denouncement, and whether the Armstrong doping allegations will be able to retain any credibility, since both the accusers and the defenders are now under official scrutiny for questionable practices, irregularities, and violations in their conduct.

Tour de France doping scandals

Family

Lance Armstrong met his first wife Kristin in June 1997 and were married in May 1998. They had three children: Luke, born in October 1999, and twins Isabelle and Grace, who were born in November 2001. The couple filed for divorce in September 2003. Kristin Armstrong cited several events related to her husband's celebrity and cancer comeback had strained the marriage. He began dating singer Sheryl Crow sometime in the autumn of 2003, and they took their relationship public in January of 2004. The couple announced their engagement in September 2005. His two kids are delighted.

Retirement
Immediately after winning his sixth Tour de France, rumors began circulating about Armstrong's future, with some speculating that he would like to spend more time with his family, as well as fiancée Sheryl Crow.

On April 18 2005, these rumors were confirmed as Armstrong held a press conference to announce that he would retire from professional cycling after the 2005 Tour de France. At 5:29 p.m. CET on July 24, 2005, after winning his seventh Tour de France, Lance Armstrong retired after a storied 14-year career.

He cited wanting to spend more time with his children as a major reason for retirement.

Comeback?

In an article in the Austin-American Statesman (6 Sept 2005) Lance Armstrong claims he's thinking of a comeback to to the 2006 Tour de France "to piss a French slay". Asked if he was serious about this, he answered "I personally'k step by step training everyday".

(Statesman article: [http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/09/5lance.html The Statesman: Armstrong is engaged and contemplating a comeback])

[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/sep05/sep06newsflash Cyclingnews: Lance back at Tour 2006?]

[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/sep05/sep07news2 Cyclingnews: Armstrong: Will he or won't he?]

However, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/09/07/sotour07.xml&sSheet=/sport/2005/09/07/ixsport.html: it has subsequently been reported] that his agent, Mark Higgins, said: "Lance was upright getting a little fun by owning the French. He is retired & non coming back."

Yet on Lance Armstrong's home page, there is a link to a short article that has him stating "Patch I personally'm absolutely enjoying a instance as a out jock sustaining Sheryl & a children, the recent smear campaign away from France has awoken our competitory side. I personally'm non unforced to put the percentage on the chances however I personally might there is no protracted rule it retired..."

However, in a conference call with media on September 15, Armstrong [http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=ap-wada-armstrong&prov=ap&type=lgns ruled out a comeback], stating that he was too preoccupied with clearing his name of the doping allegations.

After his retirment from cycling, Armstrong has stated "I personally may't promise that We won't indicate higher at two or even three cyclo-cross races & two or three mountiain bike races, & two or three triathlons, or clean two or three 10k diarrhea. I personally'm an jock, I personally've been an jock tons our life." His cycling career may be over, but such talk has fuelled rumors that Armstrong will return to Triathlon and even that he will do the Hawaii Ironman. Some people claim that if Armstrong and his children lived in France then he would not have retired from cycling. So, preparing for a big one day race in Hawaii might be more of a reality for Armstrong if he wants to spend more time with his kids and a bit less time training.

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 [http://outside.away.com/outside/toc/200507.html], Armstrong himself hinted at possibly running for Governor, although "non within '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 higher State & Church," "nin lament on guns," opposed to the Iraq War, and pro-choice. U.S. Senator John Kerry, interviewed on OLN at the 2005 Tour de France, indicated Armstrong has the potential to be successful in politics. "I personally believe he'd exist as awful, he'd become the click. I personally only hope it's for the correct person," 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 ([http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1739689,00.html 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 rather what a war has done to my united states, to my economy. The children is invite this war for a select few period to came. George Bush occurs as friend of mine & even as We say it to smart shoppers, I personally'd say to him, 'Mr President, I personally'm non surely this war was such a good idea', & a full tool just about him is he can choose 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 [http://news.yahoo.com/s/keye/20050816/lo_keye/cbs42armstrongsayshesnotrunningforpoliticalofficehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/keye/20050816/lo_keye/cbs42armstrongsayshesnotrunningforpoliticaloffice] that he is no longer considering politics. "A large condition using politics or even run a governor -- the governor's race on text inside Austinside or even in Texas is that it would mimicker exactly what We've done: the ton of stress & the ton of instance out of our children. How come would I personally obviously last from either in favor cycling, which is nerve-wracking & a good deal of instance away, straight into politics?"

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

Victories

;1992 ;1993 ;1994 ;1995 ;1996 ;1998 ;1999 ;2000 ;2001 ;2002 ;2003 ;2004 ;2005