Lance Armstrong is a cyclist, the personality in sport is ambiguous. Having become a true legend in sports, having won various prestigious tournaments, including the Tour de France 7 times, he was accused of doping and lost all the titles that he had previously won.
Childhood and first successes
The cyclist Armstrong was born on September 18, 1971 in the USA (Plano, Texas). At age 12, Lance began to practice triathlon. Armstrong constantly participated in various youth competitions, which contributed to the formation of a strong-willed character. At age 13, he defeated Iron Kids Tritlon, and at age 16 became a triathlon professional. This sport includes running, cycling and long distance swimming. It was easy for Lance to choose one of these three. According to him, he was born to ride a bicycle.
When Armstrong was 16 years old, he was noticed by coaches working in the US Cycling Federation. Lance had good inclinations for a successful sports career. The doctor who examined him once said that he had never met such a volume of lungs. In addition, the amount of lactic acid that provokes muscle pain after physical exertion is lower in Armstrong, which is the case for most people.
Studying at the university and winning titles
The young man combined his studies at the university with intensive training with the Olympic team of the United States. This almost led to his expulsion from the university. However, nothing happened. After graduating from university, Armstrong devoted himself entirely to sports.
Lance showed an excellent result already in 1991, having won the United States Amateur Cycling Championship. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, he finished 14th overall. At the age of 22, the Armstrong cyclist won the World Cup, becoming one of the youngest athletes to do so. In general, 1993 was very successful for the athlete. He brought Armstrong 10 prestigious titles. Lance understood that he was responsible for speaking not only for himself and his team, but for the whole country. And he did not fail his homeland. Armstrong is the first American to win the Classico San Sebastian. He was recognized as the cyclist of the year in the United States in 1995, and the next - No. 1 cyclist in the world. In 1996, Lance signed a $ 2 million contract with the Cofidis team from France.
Scary diagnosis and return to sport
The cyclist Armstrong, whose career began so well, was halfway to triumph forced to temporarily abandon his ambitions. In October 1996, the athlete was diagnosed with advanced scrotum cancer, with metastases in the lungs, abdomen and brain. Doctors gave disappointing predictions for Lance's survival. Despite this, the arm racer Armstrong did not give up. His biography attracts not only sports achievements, but also the perseverance shown in the fight against the disease. This difficult test only tempered the willpower of the athlete. The bicycle racer Armstrong understood that he had nothing to lose, so he agreed to undergo long-term treatment using the latest methods of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The athlete had to undergo several operations. However, literally a few months after the hospital bed, droppers and injections, the exhausted and bald Armstrong again mounted his bicycle.
New contract and new victories
After treatment, his name was almost forgotten in sports. Having not paid the money under the contract, the Kofidis team simply broke off the contract with him. However, this did not break Armstrong. He wanted to prove to everyone what he was capable of. The future champion signed a contract with the US Postal Service, a little-known team. In the Spanish Vuelta, already in 1998, he took 4th place.
The cyclist Armstrong, thanks to his hard work, perseverance and desire for victory, became the champion at the Tour de France in 1999. And from the 8th stage, of which there were 17 in all, he rode in the leader's jersey.
Lance defended his title easily in 2000. He did not leave a single chance to his rivals. The American athlete drove 58.5 km of "cutting" with an incredible speed of 53.986 km / h! This result is the second in the entire history of the "Big Loop". Greg Le Monde, another American, 11 years ago showed a speed of 54.545 km / h, but then the distance was then more than 2 times shorter. Armstrong’s only competitor was Jan Ulrich, but in the end this athlete lost about 6 minutes to Lance.
In 2000, the American athlete took third place at the Sydney Olympics. And this despite the fact that on the eve of the competition Armstrong bumped into a truck during a training session and suffered a spinal injury (it must be said that this was not the only time that Lance had an accident: this fate suffered three times).
Career takeoff
In Armstrong's life, before the third victory in the Tour de France race, a miracle happened - a complete absence of cancer cells was discovered in his body. The American athlete on July 29, 2001 won the Tour de France for the third time. In 2002-2005, he had no equal. For the first time in the history of cycling, Armstrong became the champion of the French stage race 7 times in a row. Fans admired him, sponsors and television idolized. In 2005, Lance decided to end his athlete career, since no one could compete with him.
The 2000s were successful for him, not only in sports. Armstrong's invincibility and his heroic fight against cancer made a huge impression on many companies that offered Lance multi-million dollar contracts. Various publishing companies fought for the right to release a biography of the great athlete. Armstrong at the time was at the peak of popularity.
"Not only about cycling: my return to life"
This book, written by Armstrong, was published in 2000. Its co-author is Sally Jenkins. This is an autobiographical work that talks about Lance Armstrong fighting cancer. According to the authors, the book should give hope and motivation to all patients with this ailment, help them in their struggle. She can also support people who are forced to watch the life of their loved ones fade away. Armstrong's serious attitude to cancer and his desire to help others elevated him to the rank of a hero.
Leaving Sports
The departure of the athlete was very unexpected for both his fans and competitors. The latter were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and begin to look for a new candidate for leadership. But different gossip appeared in society. The main speculation was the idea that the athlete may have been diagnosed with a relapse of cancer. However, Armstrong refuted this conjecture, emphasizing that personal life, family and relaxation are now in the first place for him. Gossip and speculation quickly disappeared, and Armstrong remained a recognizable figure in the world of sports. Lance made a presentation of his book and gave a series of interviews.
Armstrong Returns
In 2008, the cyclist decided to return to the sport. Winning the competition was not his only goal. Armstrong thus advocated the fight against cancer. In 2009, Lance finished third in the Tour de France. At this time he was 37 years old. The following year, at the same tournament, the Team RadioShack team, created by Armstrong, won the championship in the team event. The 40-year-old athlete in 2011 finally completed his career.
Armstrong cyclist disqualified
However, Armstrong's defeats were ahead. It turned out that not quite honest victories were won by the race cyclist Armstrong. The rules of life are such that all the secret sooner or later becomes apparent, and you have to pay for the lie. Of course, there are exceptions, but Armstrong is clearly not among the favorites of fate, to whom fortune sometimes presents unpleasant surprises.
The famous athlete lost everything that he won over many years of training and performances. He was disqualified for life, deprived of all 7 titles on the Tour de France, won by him in the period from 1999 to 2005. The fact is that the athlete was accused of doping. The charge was brought by the American Anti-Doping Agency.
The first question about Armstrong’s use of prohibited substances was raised back in 1999. However, he quickly decided, because the discovered substance was in a cream that was approved for use. In 2011, a new scandal was launched, and in 2012, Lance was specifically charged with doping.
Armstrong has long denied using illegal drugs. However, in January 2013, at an American television show, he admitted to using doping. The athlete said that it’s simply impossible to win the Tour de France 7 times in a row. He also noted that he did not regret taking doping. Armstrong said that all athletes in cycling use illegal drugs, but only he managed to become invincible.
Cancer Care Fund and Contract Break
Lance founded the Cancer Relief Fund. His activity is the rehabilitation of patients with this disease, solving various health problems, as well as supporting medical research. After the scandal that erupted around his name, Lance was forced to resign as head of the Fund in order not to tarnish the reputation of this organization.
However, the problems in Lance Armstrong’s life did not end there. Nike immediately after the recognition of Lance in the use of doping broke the contract with him. After all, no one wants to spoil his reputation when dealing with a dishonorable person.
Despite all the scandals and problems associated with the use of illegal drugs, Armstrong is a cyclist who forever entered the history of world sports.
Personal life
Lance Armstrong, unfortunately, does not belong to those lucky ones who are fortunate enough to live with one person all their lives. The athlete started a family twice. He lived with his first wife for 5 years. It was this woman, Christine Richard, who helped him defeat cancer. She also became an activist of the volunteer movement, whose members worked with cancer patients. The couple had three children, but in 2003, when Lance's career was very successful, the marriage broke up.
American cyclist Lance Armstrong met with the famous singer Sharol Crow, but their relationship did not last long - after 2 years they broke up. His life partner today is Anna Hansen, who gave Armstrong two more children. Thus, by 2010, the athlete became the father of five heirs. In October 2010, his youngest daughter was born, and the eldest son was born in 1999, when his first great success was the Armstrong cyclist. A photo of him with his wife Anna Hansen and children is presented above.