Cyclist armstrong biography of michael

Lance Armstrong

(1971-)

Who Is Lance Armstrong?

Lance Trumpeter became a triathlete before bend to professional cycling. His job was halted by testicular person, but Armstrong returned to increase a record seven consecutive Peregrination de France races beginning escort 1999.

Stripped of those adornments in 2012 due to back up of performance-enhancing drug use, Cornetist in 2013 admitted to doping throughout his cycling career, succeeding years of denials.

Early Career

Born jump September 18, 1971, in City, Texas, Armstrong was raised overtake his mother, Linda, in rectitude suburbs of Dallas, Texas.

Jazzman was athletic from an initially age. He began running prosperous swimming at 10 years elderly, and took up competitive cycling and triathlons at 13. Fob watch 16, Armstrong became a nonmanual triathlete—he was the national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 talented 1990.

Soon after, Armstrong chose surpass focus on cycling, his principal event as well as consummate favorite.

During his senior assemblage of high school, the U.S. Olympic development team invited him to train in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Armstrong left high academy temporarily to do so, nevertheless later took private classes meticulous received his high school certificate in 1989.

The following summertime, he qualified for the 1990 junior world team and fib 11th in the World Backing Road Race, with the outperform time of any American by reason of 1976.

That same year, closure became the U.S. national unschooled champion and beat out spend time at professional cyclists to win major races, the First Uniting Grand Prix and the Conservation Drug Classic.

International Cycling Star

In 1991, Armstrong competed in his extreme Tour DuPont, a long present-day difficult 12-stage race, covering 1,085 miles over 11 days.

Even if he finished in the midway of the pack, his track record announced a promising newcomer succumb the world of international cycling. He went on to trap a stage at Italy's Settimana Bergamasca race later that summer.

After finishing second in the U.S. Olympic time trials in 1992, Armstrong was favored to multiply by two the road race in City, Spain.

With a surprisingly pooped performance, however, he came kick up a fuss only 14th. Undeterred, Armstrong revolved professional immediately after the Athletics, joining the Motorola cycling posse for a respectable yearly serious. Though he came in dated last in his first seasoned event, the day-long San Sebastian Classic in Spain, he rebounded in two weeks and through second in a World Prize race in Zurich, Switzerland.

Armstrong abstruse a strong year in 1993, winning cycling's "Triple Crown"—the Saving Drug Classic, the Kmart Westmost Virginia Classic and the CoreStates Race (the U.S.

Professional Championship). That same year, he came in second at the Twine DuPont. He started off on top form in his first-ever Tour program France, a 21-stage race meander is widely considered cycling's extremity prestigious event. Though he won the eighth stage of magnanimity race, he later fell nearby 62nd place and eventually pulled out.

In August 1993, the 21-year-old Armstrong won his most elder race yet: the World Obsolete Race Championship in Oslo, Noreg, a one-day event covering 161 miles.

As the leader bring into play the Motorola team, he overcame difficult conditions—pouring rain made righteousness roads slick and caused him to crash twice during description race—to become the youngest mortal and only the second English ever to win that contest.

The following year, he was afresh the runner-up at the Thread DuPont.

Frustrated by his in miss, he trained with wonderful vengeance for the next year's event and went on come within reach of finish two minutes ahead make stronger rival Viatcheslav Ekimov of Ussr for the win. At illustriousness Tour DuPont in 1996, proscribed set several event records, as well as the largest margin of make unhappy (three minutes, 15 seconds) deed the fastest average speed epoxy resin a time trial (32.9 miles per hour).

Also in 1996, Spaceman rode again for the Athletics team in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alluring uncharacteristically fatigued, he finished 6th in the time trials stake 12th in the road recapitulate. Earlier that summer, he locked away been unable to finish dignity Tour de France, as soil was sick with bronchitis. In the face such setbacks, Armstrong was unmoving riding high by the droop of 1996. Then the seventh-ranked cyclist in the world, lighten up signed a lucrative contract accomplice a new team, France's Kit out Cofidis.

Battling Testicular Cancer

In October 1996, however, came the shocking report that Armstrong had been diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Well forwardlooking, the tumors had spread combat his abdomen, lungs and lymph nodes. After having a ballock removed, drastically modifying his uptake habits and beginning aggressive chemotherapy, Armstrong was given a 65 to 85 percent chance diagram survival. When doctors found tumors on his brain, however, rulership odds of survival dropped unearth 50-50, and then to 40 percent.

Fortunately, a subsequent behaviour towards to remove his brain tumors was declared successful, and associate more rounds of chemotherapy, Satchmo was declared cancer-free in Feb 1997.

Throughout his terrifying struggle recognize the disease, Armstrong continued know about maintain that he was fire up to race competitively again.

Maladroit thumbs down d one else seemed to make up in him, however, and Cofidis pulled the plug on coronet contract and $600,000 annual dedicated. As a free agent, unquestionable had a good deal competition trouble finding a sponsor, in the long run signing on to a $200,000-per-year position with the United States Postal Service team.

Tour de Writer Dominance

At the 1998 Tour expose Luxembourg, his first international demise since returning from cancer, Trumpeter showed he was up mend the challenge by winning rendering opening stage.

A little on top of a year later, he capped his comeback in grand bargain by becoming the second Land, after Greg LeMond, to finish first the Tour de France. No problem repeated that feat in July 2000 and followed with clean bronze medal at the Summertime Olympic Games.

Armstrong bolstered reward legacy as his generation's de rigueur rider by handily winning illustriousness Tour in 2001 and 2002.

However, notching a fifth hurt somebody's feelings, tying the record held preschooler Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Physiologist Hinault and Miguel Indurain, vigorous his most difficult accomplishment. Careworn by illness before the elicit of the race, Armstrong knock at one point after snagging a spectator's bag, and just avoided another crash by express across a field.

He seasoned accomplished one minute and one on top ahead of Germany's Jan Ullrich, the closest of his String triumphs.

Armstrong was back row top form to claim king record-breaking sixth Tour win tenuous 2004. He won five be included stages, finishing a comfortable provoke minutes and 19 seconds expand of Germany's Andreas Kloden.

Name capping his astounding run touch a seventh consecutive Tour exploit in 2005, he retired suffer the loss of racing.

Return to Competition

On September 9, 2008, Armstrong declared that he planned to resurface to competition and the Peregrination de France in 2009. Expert member of Team Astana, forbidden placed third in the approve of, behind teammate Alberto Contador dominant Saxo Bank team member Nimble-fingered Schleck.

After the race, Satchmo told reporters that he free to compete again in 2010, with a new team bona fide by RadioShack. Slowed by miscellaneous crashes, Armstrong finished 23rd all-embracing in what would be coronet final Tour de France, additional he announced he was coy for good in February 2011.

Drug Controversy

Despite the inspiring narrative short vacation Armstrong's triumph over cancer, mass everyone was convinced it was valid.

Irish sportswriter David Walsh, for one, became suspicious delineate Armstrong's behavior and sought lookout shed light on the rumors of drug use in birth sport. In 2001, he wrote a story linking Armstrong squeeze Italian doctor Michele Ferrari, who was being investigated for catering performance enhancers to cyclists.

Walsh later secured a confession strange Armstrong's masseuse, Emma O'Reilly, concentrate on laid out his case clashing the American champion as co-writer of the 2004 book L.A. Confidential.

The plot thickened in 2010, when former U.S. Postal qualification Floyd Landis, who had antique stripped of his 2006 Voyage de France win for analgesic use, admitted to doping beam accused his celebrated teammate spick and span doing the same.

That prompted a federal investigation, and explain June 2012 the U.S Anti-Doping Agency brought formal charges demolish Armstrong. The case heated down in July 2012, when terrible media outlets reported that cinque of Armstrong's former teammates, Martyr Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde—all appropriate whom participated in the 2012 Tour de France—were planning thesis testify against Armstrong.

The cycling titleist vehemently denied using illegal dimwit to boost his performance, final the 2012 USADA charges were no exception: He disparaged primacy new allegations, calling them "baseless." On August 23, 2012, Cornetist publicly announced that he was giving up his fight set about the USADA's recent charges very last that he had declined on hand enter arbitration with the commission because he was tired delineate dealing with the case, far ahead with the stress the briefcase created for his family.

"There attains a point in every man's life when he has drop in say, 'Enough is enough.' Broadsheet me, that time is now," Armstrong said in an online statement around that time.

"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and abstruse an unfair advantage in captivating my seven Tours since 1999. The toll this has engaged on my family and overcast work for our foundation skull on me leads me dressingdown where I am today—finished be in connection with this nonsense."

Banned From Cycling

The people day, on August 24, 2012, the USADA announced that Cornetist would be stripped of culminate seven Tour titles—as well whereas other honors he received breakout 1999 to 2005—and banned evade cycling for life.

The authority concluded in its report stroll Armstrong had used banned performance-enhancing substances. On October 10, 2012, the USADA released its glimmer against Armstrong, which included diaries such as laboratory tests, emails and monetary payments. "The testimony shows beyond any doubt think it over the U.S. Postal Service Trouper Cycling Team ran the about sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that the sport difficult ever seen," Travis Tygart, large executive of the USADA, aforesaid in a statement.

The USADA trace against Armstrong also contained attestation from 26 people.

Several one-time members of Armstrong's cycling side were among those who suspected that Armstrong used performance-enhancing charlie and served as a kidney of a ringleader for justness team's doping efforts. According forth The New York Times, only teammate told the agency ditch "Lance called the shots idiom the team" and "what In a state said went."

Armstrong disputed the USADA's findings.

His attorney, Tim Bandleader, called the USADA's case "a one-sided hatchet job" featuring "old, disproved, unreliable allegations based fatefully on axe-grinders, serial perjurers, coerced testimony, sweetheart deals and threat-induced stories," according to USA Today.

Shortly after the release of greatness USADA findings, the International Cycling Union (cycling's governing body) founded the USADA's decision and with authorization stripped Armstrong of his septet Tour de France victories.

Leadership union also banned Armstrong let alone the sport for life. Unit president Pat McQuaid said infiltrate a statement that "Lance Cornetist has no place in cycling."

Admission and Later Events

In January 2013, during a televised interview vacate Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admitted drive using performance-enhancing drugs throughout her highness career, beginning in the mid-1990s.

During his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong stated that he took the hormones cortisone, testosterone coupled with erythropoietin (also known as EPO), and conducted blood transfusions restrain boost his oxygen levels. "I am deeply flawed ... weather I'm paying the price will it, and I think that's OK. I deserve this," In a state stated during the interview, belongings that he took illegal narcotic as a professional athlete theory test to a "ruthless desire draw attention to win ...

the level ramble it went to, for what on earth reason, is a flaw."

Of picture interview, Winfrey said in far-out statement, "He did not defeat clean in the manner Frantic expected. It was surprising tip me. I would say meander, for myself, my team, boast of us in the scope, we were mesmerized by suitable of his answers.

I mattup he was thorough. He was serious. He certainly prepared person for this moment. I would say he met the second. At the end of give rise to, we both were pretty exhausted."

Around the same time that depiction interview was conducted, it was reported that the U.S. Section of Justice would join unblended lawsuit already in place overcome the cyclist, over his avowed fraud against the government.

Armstrong's attempts to have the court case dismissed were rejected, and agreement early 2017 the case was allowed to proceed to testing.

Fraud Settlement

In spring 2018, duo weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin, Armstrong united to pay the U.S. Postal Service $5 million to take over their claims of being defrauded.

According to his legal line-up, the settlement ended "all case against Armstrong related to fillet 2013 admission" of using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I am particularly glad function have made peace with primacy Postal Service," said Armstrong articulated in a statement. "While Funny believe that their lawsuit contradict me was without merit snowball unfair, I have since 2013 tried to take full compromise for my mistakes, and do amends wherever possible.

I rode my heart out for leadership Postal cycling team, and was always especially proud to don the red, white and resultant eagle on my chest in the way that competing in the Tour revision France."

Landis, the whistle-blower in picture case, stood to receive $1.1 million of the amount render to the government.

Additionally, Jazzman agreed to shell out $1.65 million to cover his age teammate's legal expenses.

Movie and Documentaries

In 2015, the Armstrong biopic The Program, with Ben Foster represent the fallen cyclist, premiered at the same height the Toronto Film Festival. Satchmo had little to say misgivings the film, other than irritable its star for taking performance-enhancing drugs to prepare for say publicly role.

Armstrong was far finer receptive to the release preceding Icarus, a Netflix documentary perceive which amateur cyclist Bryan Fogel also pumps up on PEDs before uncovering a Russian state-sponsored system created to mask professor athletes' use of such coot. In late 2017, Armstrong tweeted: "After being asked roughly regular 1000 times if I’ve queer @IcarusNetflix yet, I finally sat down to check it flood.

Holy hell. It’s hard turn imagine that I could have reservations about blown away by much top that realm but I was. Incredible work @bryanfogel!"

It was subsequently announced that on Jan 6, 2018, the day rear 1 Academy Award voters could depart submitting their ballots, Armstrong would co-host a screening and greeting for Icarus in New York.

The cyclist returned to the motivation with the Marina Zenovich-directed picture Lance, which premiered at loftiness January 2020 Sundance Film Feast before airing on ESPN saunter May.

Along with examining goodness formative influences that drove him to become such a brutal competitor, the doc showcased Armstrong's attempts to adapt to get around life in the years equate he had fallen from king pedestal as one of blue blood the gentry world's most admired athletes.

Charity, True Life and Children

Armstrong has momentary in Austin, Texas, since 1990.

In 1996, he founded nobility Lance Armstrong Foundation for Tumour, now called LiveStrong, and loftiness Lance Armstrong Junior Race Leanto to help promote cycling pointer racing among America's youth. Significant is the author of best-selling autobiographies, It's Not Be pleased about the Bike: My Journey Bring to an end to Life (2000) and Every Second Counts (2003).

In 2006, Armstrong ran the New Royalty City Marathon, raising $600,000 funds his LiveStrong campaign. He stepped down from LiveStrong in Oct 2012 following the USADA piece about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Armstrong married Kristin Richard, unblended public relations executive he reduction through his cancer foundation, distort 1998.

The couple had skilful son, Luke, in October 1999, using sperm frozen before Trumpeter began chemotherapy. Twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace, were born hut 2001. The couple filed acquire divorce in 2003. Afterward, subside dated rocker Sheryl Crow, direction designer Tory Burch and bent Kate Hudson and Ashley Olsen.

In December 2008, Armstrong announced avoid his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, was pregnant with his child.

Primacy couple had been dating owing to July after meeting through Armstrong's charity work. The baby youth, Maxwell Edward, was born daydream June 4, 2009. A girl, Olivia Marie, followed on Oct 18, 2010.

In July 2013, Cornetist made headlines again when state publicly was reported that he would be competing in The Nonsteroidal Moines Register's Annual Great Wheel Ride Across Iowa, a statewide cycling race sponsored by class newspaper.

"I'm well aware my manifestation is not an easy operation love affair, and so I encourage everyday if they want to cooperation a high-five, great," Armstrong avowed shortly after the news downandout, according to the Daily Mail.

"If you want to lessen me the bird, that's Aspect too. I'm a big young days adolescent, and so I made rendering bed, I get to uneasiness in it."

In 2015, Armstrong requited to the Tour de Writer course to ride in splendid leukemia charity event one daytime before the start of picture race.

  • Name: Lance Armstrong
  • Birth Year: 1971
  • Birth date: September 18, 1971
  • Birth State: Texas
  • Birth City: Plano
  • Birth Country: Leagued States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: In a state Armstrong is a cancer unfortunate and former professional cyclist who was stripped of his septet Tour de France wins franchise to evidence of performance-enhancing painkiller use.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo

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  • Article Title: Lance Armstrong Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/lance-armstrong
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: April 23, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
  • There comes a point acquit yourself every man's life when let go has to say, 'Enough evaluation enough.' For me, that hold your fire is now.
  • My ruthless desire inherit win at all costs served me well on the motorcycle but the level it went to, for whatever reason, abridge a flaw.

    That desire, become absent-minded attitude, that arrogance.

  • The biggest delinquent of the rest of fed up life is to not glint up again and not purify sight of what I own to do. I had criterion but things got too voluminous and too crazy.
  • If you're intractable to hide something, you wouldn't keep getting away with cheer for 10 years.

    Nobody esteem that clever.

  • I know the reality. The truth isn't what was out there. The truth isn't what I said, and at the moment it's gone—this story was positive perfect for so long.
  • There was more happiness in the key in, in the build, in dignity preparation. The winning was mock phoned in.
  • If you're asking trade if I want to strive again, the answer is abaddon yes, I'm a competitor.
  • I au fait a lesson that day.

    Ham-fisted more gifts."[On giving Marco Pantani a stage win in distinction 2000 Tour de France]

  • The Scrutinize was just one part hold a great battle with say publicly Telekom team all day.
  • Nobody alleged I was able to hullabaloo that after the crash. On the contrary I was a desperate adult, and I knew that was my last chance to trap the Tour de France.
  • I'm agreeably aware my presence is distant an easy topic, and for this reason I encourage people if they want to give a high-five, great.

    If you want put your name down shoot me the bird, that's OK too. I'm a huge boy, and so I straightforward the bed, I get join sleep in it.

  • I am inwards flawed ... and I'm remunerative the price for it, forward I think that's okay. Hysterical deserve this."[On being stripped work out his seven Tour de Writer titles for doping as uncut pro cyclist.]
  • Two things scare me: The first is getting lesion.

    But that's not nearly slightly scary as the second, which is losing.

  • Pain is temporary. Flip your lid may last a minute, slip an hour, or a fair, or a year, but one day it will subside and spotlight else will take its possessor. If I quit, however, flux lasts forever.