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In his fifth tour victory, however, Armstrong was forced to ride a more calculated race, as he was unable to mark all the attacks of some of the fringe contenders, instead preferring to concentrate on main rival Jan Ullrich. This, coupled with a sensational individual time trial by Ullrich midway through the race, made it the closest and most exciting tour for years. Armstrong eventually defeated Ullrich by just over one minute after gaining vital time with a punishing attack on the final mountainous stage and then comfortably holding his advantage during a treacherously wet and windy time trial on the penultimate stage when Ullrich crashed. |
In his fifth tour victory, however, Armstrong was forced to ride a more calculated race, as he was unable to mark all the attacks of some of the fringe contenders, instead preferring to concentrate on main rival Jan Ullrich. This, coupled with a sensational individual time trial by Ullrich midway through the race, made it the closest and most exciting tour for years. Armstrong eventually defeated Ullrich by just over one minute after gaining vital time with a punishing attack on the final mountainous stage and then comfortably holding his advantage during a treacherously wet and windy time trial on the penultimate stage when Ullrich crashed. |
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Like many top international sports men and women, Armstrong has long been dogged by allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs. However, despite being subjected to dozens of drug tests he has never proved positive to any illegal substance, specifically [[Erythropoietin|EPO]] which was once rife throughout cycling. In 1999 he tested positive for a steroid cream, but it was a perfectly legal treatment for a skin complaint, which he had failed to list on his mandatory medical form. Particularly vociferous have been [[Greg Lemond]], the only other American to have won the tour, and the French newspaper [[Le Monde]], who have questioned his association with his trainer, Dr [[Michele Ferrari]], who is presently on trial for providing drugs to Italian cyclists. Armstrong has strenuously and repeatedly denied the allegations. Since then his accusers have produced no hard evidence to substantiate the rumors. In 2004, a great deal of circumstantial evidence was published in the book "LA Confidentiel : Les secrets de Lance Armstrong", by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester, although the authors readily admitted that "There's no smoking gun. It's all circumstantial evidence." Despite that, many still hold doubts about the legitimacy of Armstrong's achievement. Conversely, many have no doubts at all, seeing Armstrong as one of the greatest riders of all time. |
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His achievements have been widely lauded despite the innuendo. In [[2002]], ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine named Armstrong their "[[Sportsman of the Year]]." He was also named [[Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year]] for both 2002 and 2003, and won the [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality]] Award in 2003. |
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Armstrong and his wife Kristin had a son shortly after his amazing comeback victory, and twin girls two years later, but they divorced in 2003. As of July 2004, Armstrong was in a relationship with singer [[Sheryl Crow]]. |
Armstrong and his wife Kristin had a son shortly after his amazing comeback victory, and twin girls two years later, but they divorced in 2003. As of July 2004, Armstrong was in a relationship with singer [[Sheryl Crow]]. |
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For relaxation, Armstrong also enjoys mountain biking and trout fishing, and casual rides on his bike. |
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== Further reading == |
== Further reading == |
Revision as of 02:53, 24 July 2004
Lance Armstrong (born September 18, 1971) is an American cyclist from Austin, Texas. He is most famous for recovering from testicular cancer and going on to win the Tour de France five consecutive times (from 1999 to 2003). The only others to win the tour five times are Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin. Induráin is the only other cyclist to win five consecutively. Armstrong is the current leader of the 2004 Tour, and the favorite to win.
Armstrong was born in Plano, Texas and was raised by his mother, Linda, whose spirit and independence has often been cited by Armstrong as his greatest influence. Armstrong began his sporting career as a triathlete, competing in seniors' competitions from the age of 16. It soon became clear that his greatest talent lay in the cycling leg of the event.
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. The following year he scored his first major victory as he rode solo to win the World Road Championships in Oslo, Norway.
His successes continued with Team Motorola, with whom he won a stage in the 1995 Tour de France and several classic one-day events. In that same year, he won the premier U.S. cycling event, the Tour DuPont, having placed second in 1994. He won the Tour DuPont again in 1996. Later in 1996, however, he abandoned the tour and had a disappointing Olympic Games.
In October that year he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had metastasized. He was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. One of his doctors told him after his recovery that his actual odds of survival were considerably smaller, and that he had been given the 50 per cent estimate mainly to give him hope. Armstrong managed to recover after invasive surgery to remove brain lesions, and a severe 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 found himself unceremoniously, if unsurprisingly, dropped by his Cofidis team. He was eventually signed by the newly formed US Postal Service team, and by 1998, he was able to make his successful return in the cycling world.
His true comeback came in 1999 when he won the first of his Tours de France. Armstrong has proved all but invincible since then, due to his unique abilities as both time triallist and mountain climber. He has made a career of the Tour de France, training in Spain for the year leading up to the tour, and making frequent trips to France to fully analyze and ride key parts of the upcoming tour course. While the success of Armstrong's year is solely determined by his tour performance, other cyclists must compete in many events to earn a living, which decreases their ability to prepare for the tour.
His riding style is also distinctive. Pedalling very quickly in a very low gear, he is able to rapidly accelerate away from his main rivals who tend to use higher gears but pedal more slowly while riding uphill, unlike Induráin who would power a huge gear at a low cadence. Armstrong can maintain incredible speeds even when going up the most daunting climbs of the tour and at times even specialist climbers are unable to keep pace with him on a consistent basis. However, unlike most gifted climbers, Armstrong is also exceptional in the individual time trial, as good as, if not better than, those physically more suited to the discipline, such as rival Jan Ullrich. Also, unlike many of the past tour winners, Armstrong is very aggressive during the mountainous stages, preferring to take the lead and attack spectacularly. Although these attacks usually come towards the end of stages, he is capable of opening immense leads over his rivals and leaving the rest of the field scattered behind him down the mountainside.
In his fifth tour victory, however, Armstrong was forced to ride a more calculated race, as he was unable to mark all the attacks of some of the fringe contenders, instead preferring to concentrate on main rival Jan Ullrich. This, coupled with a sensational individual time trial by Ullrich midway through the race, made it the closest and most exciting tour for years. Armstrong eventually defeated Ullrich by just over one minute after gaining vital time with a punishing attack on the final mountainous stage and then comfortably holding his advantage during a treacherously wet and windy time trial on the penultimate stage when Ullrich crashed.
Like many top international sports men and women, Armstrong has long been dogged by allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs. However, despite being subjected to dozens of drug tests he has never proved positive to any illegal substance, specifically EPO which was once rife throughout cycling. In 1999 he tested positive for a steroid cream, but it was a perfectly legal treatment for a skin complaint, which he had failed to list on his mandatory medical form. Particularly vociferous have been Greg Lemond, the only other American to have won the tour, and the French newspaper Le Monde, who have questioned his association with his trainer, Dr Michele Ferrari, who is presently on trial for providing drugs to Italian cyclists. Armstrong has strenuously and repeatedly denied the allegations. Since then his accusers have produced no hard evidence to substantiate the rumors. In 2004, a great deal of circumstantial evidence was published in the book "LA Confidentiel : Les secrets de Lance Armstrong", by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester, although the authors readily admitted that "There's no smoking gun. It's all circumstantial evidence." Despite that, many still hold doubts about the legitimacy of Armstrong's achievement. Conversely, many have no doubts at all, seeing Armstrong as one of the greatest riders of all time.
His achievements have been widely lauded despite the innuendo. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named Armstrong their "Sportsman of the Year." He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for both 2002 and 2003, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003.
Armstrong and his wife Kristin had a son shortly after his amazing comeback victory, and twin girls two years later, but they divorced in 2003. As of July 2004, Armstrong was in a relationship with singer Sheryl Crow.
For relaxation, Armstrong also enjoys mountain biking and trout fishing, and casual rides on his bike.
Further reading
- Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins: It's Not About The Bike (ISBN 0425179613), Putnam 2000. Armstrong's own account of his battle with cancer and subsequent triumphant return to bike racing.
- Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins: Every Second Counts (ISBN 0385508719), Broadway Books 2003. Armstrong's account of his life after his first Tour triumph.