Armstrong Lance life and biography

Lance Edward Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is an American professional road racing cyclist who is best known for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support. He currently rides for UCI ProTour team Team RadioShack.

Winning the Tour de France an unprecedented seven consecutive times after a bout with testicular, brain, and lung cancer hasn’t slowed down Lance Armstrong in the least. Upon his retirement from the world of bike racing in 2005, he plans to not only run marathons, but to pursue a political agenda to raise awareness and funding for the worldwide battle against cancer.

Lance Armstrong was a super-athlete even in his teens. Already on the cover of tri-athlete magazine by the age of 17, he entered the world of bike racing because it was his best and favorite event. After being forced to quit high school in Plano, Texas, in order to train, Armstrong started with the Junior National Cycling Team. He then graduated from high school in Dallas that following year.

In 1991, young Lance won the US Amateur championships. He came in last in his first bike race and by the following year, he won the World Cycling Championships in Norway. He then joined Team Motorola and in 1995 won the esteemed Tour DuPont. However, in 1996, Lance was diagnosed with cancer. After countless surgeries and chemotherapy, Armstrong entered racing again in 1998. After winning the Vuelta de Espana, he won the Tour de France in 1999. He went on to win the Tour de France each and every year thereafter. It became the Tour de Lance and was the only race Armstrong would train and compete in each year, giving him much more rest and focus-time for the intense training required for the world’s most famous bike race.

During his plight with cancer and his amazing seven wins in the Tour de France, Armstrong turned his focus to helping out organizations who help fight the battle of cancer. Lance and Nike started the Lance Armstrong Foundation, whose goal is to raise millions of dollars for the fight against cancer. Armstrong went to start his own line of yellow-colored wristbands under the name of Livestrong, which sold millions. He then signed a deal with Nike to promote Livestrong foot and active wear.

In the autobiography of Lance Armstrong, called It’s Not About the Bike, he discusses much of his internal battles to beat cancer, which he says is his proudest and most difficult accomplishment – even harder than winning the Tour de France. Even with his amazing physioanatomy, Armstrong takes each stride as a personal battle where he has never been beat, even against the most impossible odds.

In 1999, he was named the ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2000 he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Sports. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the years 2002–2005. He received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France, but returned to competitive cycling in January 2009, and finished third in the 2009 Tour de France.

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