Lance Armstrong - 7th Tour de France Victory! - (from Danzfamily.com)

I hope you've been following the career of Lance Armstrong, because in your lifetime there will never be another athlete...another person...like him. When you are old and passing down stories to your grandchildren, other than telling them embarrassing things about their parents, or what you were doing on 9/11, there won't be a better or more powerful story to share with them than that of Lance Armstrong.

 

In 1993 and 1995, Armstrong won stages in the Tour de France with Team Motorola. He won the Tour DuPont, the premier U.S. Cycling event, in 1995 and 1996. Armstrong's early career peaked in 1996 when he was ranked the number one cyclist in the world. But, later in 1996 Armstrong abandoned the Tour de France and had a disappointing Olympic Games. While Armstrong was physically talented in his early career, he didn't yet possess the mental discipline and dedication necessary to consistently compete at the highest levels of cycling.

 

 

Then on October 2, 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had metastasized (not a good thing), spreading to his lungs and brain. He was told he had a 50 percent chance of survival. After his recovery, one of his doctors said Armstrong's chances were maybe as low as three percent but that he was told 50 percent in order to give him hope. Treatment included sawing two silver dollar size holes in his scull to remove brain lesions as well as removal of a testical. Standard chemotherapy would have ended Armstrong's career as one side effect is reduced lung function. So Armstrong opted to undertake a more severe radiation regiment which was less likely to damage his lungs but which resulted in burns on the inside of his skin.

 

Despite the odds, Armstrong survived his battle with cancer and, with a new found dedication, he won three races in 1998 and the Tour de France in 1999. If the story ended here it would be the greatest comeback story of all time.

 

But, Armstrong went on to win seven Tour de France races an impossible feat even for someone healthy their whole life. In the 102 year history of the Tour de France (only 92 races due to war), four other riders have won five times: Belgian Eddy "the Cannibal" Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil. No one has won six, let alone seven, other than Lance Armstrong. (The list of five time winners might have included a German by the name of Jan Ullrich if not for the American from Texas.)

 

 

 

Cycling is very much a team sport and thanks and accolades unquestionably go to Armstrong's teammates: José Azevedo, Manuel Beltran, George Hincapie, Gonzalez Benjamin Noval, Pavel Padrnos, Yaroslav Popovych, José Luis Rubiera, and Paolo Savoldelli.