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Cycling
It's the last ride
By JOANNE KORTH
Published June 26, 2005
Lance Armstrong, whose inspiring journey from cancer survivor to cycling champion captivated the world, will try to win an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France in the final ride of his professional career. Already the most successful rider in the century-old event, he has no intention of losing his final Tour.
Armstrong and the Tour were made for each other. The three-week race through the French countryside, including two mountain ranges, delights in pushing men to their breaking points. Armstrong, who welcomes pain like a long lost pal, has yet to find his.
He beat death. What could the Alps do to him?
Diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996 at age 25, Armstrong was given a 40 percent chance of survival. Two surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy later, he was back on the bike. In 1999, he won the Tour for the first time.
He hasn't stopped since.
The Tour is the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, Daytona 500, Indy 500 and Kentucky Derby - combined. Longer than the Olympics, it is 23 days of agony, misery and torment. It is Fear Factor and Survivor and The Amazing Race rolled into one.
Armstrong has won it a record six times, all in succession.
Over the past six years, Armstrong did something even more implausible than winning six yellow jerseys. Something more improbable than beating cancer. He made millions worldwide pay attention to a two-wheeled fringe sport.
He made us care.
Most people can ride a bike. But few understand the complex strategies, the many races within the race, that make the Tour a daily drama. Even fewer can fathom the physical and mental toughness required to climb a mountain on a bicycle, and then climb another, and another, and another.
But we know greatness when we see it. And we're about to see Armstrong for the final time.
It's the last ride.
A look at Lance Armstrong's six victories:
1999
Three years after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, the 27-year-old Armstrong destroyed the field in his return to the Tour. His fickle relationship with the French press began amid speculation that, given his medical history, he won with the aid of illicit drugs.
2000
He showed the world the powerful combination of smart team strategy and tremendous individual skill that would dominate cycling the next several years. The blue-clad U.S. Postal team took control in the mountains and Armstrong aced the time trials.
2001
He made his move with a psychological ploy. One climb after he appeared spent, he broke leading contender Jan Ullrich with an attack on the Alpe d'Huez. As they reached the summit, Armstrong glanced over his shoulder at Ullrich, demoralizing the German.
2002
Proving cycling is a team sport, he dominated with a victory margin of seven minutes, thanks to the precision work of his U.S. Postal teammates. The Texan's fourth win moved him past Greg LeMond as the winningest American in Tour history.
2003
The 100th edition of the Tour was among its most exciting. In Stage 9, he exhibited tremendous skill when he swerved to avoid a rider who crashed in front of him, rode through a recently plowed field, dismounted, jumped an irrigation ditch and returned to the course. Later in the race, he appeared vulnerable and Ullrich was in position to pull away when Armstrong's handlebars caught the strap of a spectator's bag and he crashed. In accordance with Tour etiquette, Ullrich slowed for Armstrong, who not only caught up but powered past to win the stage. He joined the elite group of five-time winners.
2004
With the course designed to give the defending champion trouble - the mountain stages came late and close together - Armstrong and U.S. Postal dominated from the start. In the company of rock-star girlfriend Sheryl Crow, he became a global star and the Tour's all-time greatest rider with his record-setting sixth victory.
LANCE VITALS
Age: 33.
Height: 5-10.
Weight: 170.
Team: Discovery Channel.
Resting heart rate: 32-34 beats per minute.
Maximum heart rate: 201 beats per minute.
CANCER SURVIVOR
In 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed at age 25 with testicular cancer and given a 40 percent chance to survive. He had surgeries, including brain surgery to remove cancerous tumors, and chemotherapy. Three months later, he was back on the bike.
A changed man, physically and emotionally, already blessed with extraordinary lung capacity and low lactic acid levels, he returned to cycling 20 pounds lighter and psychologically stronger. Cancer made him a better rider.
Beyond his cycling accomplishment, he also is a force in the cancer community. The Lance Armstrong Foundation strives to be the world's foremost resource for cancer survivorship. In 2004, with Armstrong heading toward a record sixth Tour victory, yellow "LiveStrong" wristbands - with proceeds from the $1 bands going to the foundation - created an international craze.
PERSONAL LIFE
Armstrong's personal journey has been as wild as a ride through the French countryside. He was raised by a devoted single mom, Linda Armstrong, on a secretary's wage in Texas; his father was not a factor.
He was born Sept. 18, 1971, and was named Lance Edward after then Dallas Cowboys receiver Lance Rentzel and his mother's father. In 1997, a few weeks after he completed chemotherapy, Armstrong met Kristin Richard at a charity event. They married in May 1998 and had three children, Luke and twins Grace and Isabelle. All three were conceived with sperm Armstrong banked before cancer treatment, which left him sterile. The couple's relationship became strained because of his hectic schedule, and the couple announced their separation in February 2003. They were divorced in December 2003.
Shortly after the divorce was final, Armstrong and rock star Sheryl Crow began dating publicly. Armstrong said he will be a roadie on Crow's concert tour after his last Tour ride is over.
GLOBAL SUPERSTAR
With his unprecedented sixth Tour victory last year, he became one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. Also, one of the richest. He tied for ninth on Forbes Magazine's recently released list of the world's richest athletes, earning $28-million between June 2004 and June 2005. Tigers Woods was No. 1 with $87-million. On the magazine's star-power list, which combines earnings and other celebrity factors, Armstrong ranked third behind Woods and Shaquille O'Neal.
Most of his income is from sponsorship deals, including a lucrative Nike contract. Last year, he won $500,000 for his Tour victory but didn't keep a penny. Grateful for the unflagging support of his teammates, the boss put his individual winnings into the pot to be divided among the rest of the team.
DOPING ALLEGATIONS
Though Armstrong is perhaps the most tested athlete on the planet, rumors persist such domination could not be achieved without the aid of illicit drugs. Doping is rampant in cycling, a blight on the sport, but Armstrong's tests are clean and he vehemently denies the accusations, even going so far as to donate money to testing programs. He is tested not only during competitions but randomly during the offseason, when officials ring his doorbell to demand a sample. After his first Tour victory, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in France that eventually was dropped.
PAGE-TURNERS
Books about Lance Armstrong:
* It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, by Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins
* Every Second Counts, by Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins
* No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me, by Linda Armstrong
* Lance Armstrong's War, By Daniel Coyle
* The Lance Armstrong Performance Program: Seven Weeks to the Perfect Ride, by Lance Armstrong
ON THE WEB
Web sites about Lance Armstrong and Team Discovery:
* Lance Armstrong: www.lancearmstrong.com
* Lance Armstrong Foundation: www.laf.org or www.livestrong.org
* The Paceline: www.thepaceline.com
* Team Discovery Channel: http://team.discovery.com
POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR
As Armstrong rides into the sunset, U.S. cycling appears to be in good shape. Former Armstrong teammates Floyd Landis and Levi Leipheimer lead their own teams. In 2007, Tyler Hamilton will be eager to prove his two-year suspension for blood doping was unjust. Chris Wherry recently was crowned U.S. champion, with Danny Pate and Chris Horner right behind on an all-American podium. George Hincapie, Armstrong's right-hand man for several years, has chosen 20-year-old Craig Lewis as his protege.
[Last modified June 26, 2005, 00:34:18]
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