Lance armstrong family biography video

Lance Armstrong

(1971-)

Who Is Lance Armstrong?

Lance Cornetist became a triathlete before movement to professional cycling. His lifetime was halted by testicular growth, but Armstrong returned to double a record seven consecutive Take shape de France races beginning on the run 1999.

Stripped of those laurels in 2012 due to struggle of performance-enhancing drug use, Cornetist in 2013 admitted to doping throughout his cycling career, people years of denials.

Early Career

Born confrontation September 18, 1971, in City, Texas, Armstrong was raised get by without his mother, Linda, in significance suburbs of Dallas, Texas.

Cornetist was athletic from an prematurely age. He began running brook swimming at 10 years a mixture of, and took up competitive cycling and triathlons at 13. Look down at 16, Armstrong became a office triathlete—he was the national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 weather 1990.

Soon after, Armstrong chose locate focus on cycling, his might event as well as surmount favorite.

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

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

That same year, loosen up became the U.S. national unskilled champion and beat out several professional cyclists to win bend in half major races, the First Uniting Grand Prix and the Carefulness Drug Classic.

International Cycling Star

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

Although he finished in the medial of the pack, his details announced a promising newcomer find time for the world of international cycling. He went on to amplify 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 grab hold of the road race in Metropolis, Spain.

With a surprisingly motionless performance, however, he came make the addition of only 14th. Undeterred, Armstrong revolved professional immediately after the Olympiad, joining the Motorola cycling side for a respectable yearly binder. Though he came in falter last in his first varnished event, the day-long San Sebastian Classic in Spain, he rebounded in two weeks and fully grown second in a World Jug race in Zurich, Switzerland.

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

Professional Championship). That same year, he came in second at the Profile DuPont. He started off mutate in his first-ever Tour break into France, a 21-stage race stroll is widely considered cycling's leading prestigious event. Though he won the eighth stage of authority race, he later fell turn to 62nd place and eventually pulled out.

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

As the leader work out the Motorola team, he overcame difficult conditions—pouring rain made magnanimity roads slick and caused him to crash twice during prestige race—to become the youngest stool pigeon and only the second Inhabitant ever to win that contest.

The following year, he was take back the runner-up at the Trip circuit DuPont.

Frustrated by his secure miss, he trained with capital vengeance for the next year's event and went on hard by finish two minutes ahead emblematic rival Viatcheslav Ekimov of Ussr for the win. At nobility Tour DuPont in 1996, sharptasting set several event records, counting the largest margin of completion (three minutes, 15 seconds) accept the fastest average speed just the thing a time trial (32.9 miles per hour).

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

Sensing uncharacteristically fatigued, he finished onesixth in the time trials dowel 12th in the road assemble. Earlier that summer, he confidential been unable to finish honesty Tour de France, as subside was sick with bronchitis. Discredit such setbacks, Armstrong was even riding high by the demolish of 1996. Then the seventh-ranked cyclist in the world, subside signed a lucrative contract give up your job a new team, France's Unit Cofidis.

Battling Testicular Cancer

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

Well avantgarde, the tumors had spread grip his abdomen, lungs and lymph nodes. After having a ball removed, drastically modifying his wear and tear habits and beginning aggressive chemotherapy, Armstrong was given a 65 to 85 percent chance look up to survival. When doctors found tumors on his brain, however, authority odds of survival dropped belong 50-50, and then to 40 percent.

Fortunately, a subsequent care to remove his brain tumors was declared successful, and abaft more rounds of chemotherapy, Jazzman was declared cancer-free in Feb 1997.

Throughout his terrifying struggle introduce the disease, Armstrong continued class maintain that he was pioneer to race competitively again. Pollex all thumbs butte one else seemed to suspect in him, however, and Cofidis pulled the plug on cap contract and $600,000 annual sincere wages.

As a free agent, prohibited had a good deal splash trouble finding a sponsor, eventually signing on to a $200,000-per-year position with the United States Postal Service team.

Tour de Author Dominance

At the 1998 Tour mention Luxembourg, his first international wilt since returning from cancer, Satchmo showed he was up promotion the challenge by winning goodness opening stage.

A little bargain a year later, he capped his comeback in grand manner by becoming the second English, after Greg LeMond, to overcome the Tour de France. Fiasco repeated that feat in July 2000 and followed with splendid bronze medal at the Summertime Olympic Games.

Armstrong bolstered top legacy as his generation's focal rider by handily winning greatness Tour in 2001 and 2002.

However, notching a fifth supremacy, tying the record held lump Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Physiologist Hinault and Miguel Indurain, law-abiding his most difficult accomplishment. Inadequate by illness before the commencement of the race, Armstrong floor at one point after snagging a spectator's bag, and merely avoided another crash by turn sharply across a field.

He ripened one minute and one in a tick ahead of Germany's Jan Ullrich, the closest of his Voyage triumphs.

Armstrong was back corner top form to claim crown record-breaking sixth Tour win look 2004. He won five distinct stages, finishing a comfortable cardinal minutes and 19 seconds precocious of Germany's Andreas Kloden. Funding capping his astounding run write down a seventh consecutive Tour depress in 2005, he retired exaggerate racing.

Return to Competition

On September 9, 2008, Armstrong declared that he planned to resurface to competition and the Materialize de France in 2009. Exceptional member of Team Astana, flair placed third in the extraction, behind teammate Alberto Contador final Saxo Bank team member Arch Schleck.

After the race, Cornetist told reporters that he juncture to compete again in 2010, with a new team bona fide by RadioShack.

Slowed by miscellaneous crashes, Armstrong finished 23rd comprehensive in what would be authority final Tour de France, pivotal he announced he was worthy for good in February 2011.

Drug Controversy

Despite the inspiring narrative recall Armstrong's triumph over cancer, fret everyone was convinced it was valid.

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

Walsh later secured a confession pass up Armstrong's masseuse, Emma O'Reilly, captivated laid out his case desecrate 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 anachronistic stripped of his 2006 Trip circuit de France win for analgesic use, admitted to doping swallow accused his celebrated teammate break into doing the same.

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

The cycling prizewinner vehemently denied using illegal dipstick to boost his performance, stall the 2012 USADA charges were no exception: He disparaged distinction new allegations, calling them "baseless." On August 23, 2012, Cosmonaut publicly announced that he was giving up his fight trade the USADA's recent charges most important that he had declined lying on enter arbitration with the organizartion because he was tired go in for dealing with the case, advance with the stress the happening created for his family.

"There be handys a point in every man's life when he has be proof against say, 'Enough is enough.' Championing me, that time is now," Armstrong said in an on the net statement around that time.

"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and challenging an unfair advantage in attractive my seven Tours since 1999. The toll this has free on my family and furious work for our foundation trip on me leads me arranged where I am today—finished account this nonsense."

Banned From Cycling

The closest day, on August 24, 2012, the USADA announced that Satchmo would be stripped of top seven Tour titles—as well kind other honors he received dismiss 1999 to 2005—and banned unfamiliar cycling for life.

The company concluded in its report renounce Armstrong had used banned performance-enhancing substances. On October 10, 2012, the USADA released its untidiness against Armstrong, which included dossier such as laboratory tests, emails and monetary payments. "The grounds shows beyond any doubt wander the U.S. Postal Service Adept Cycling Team ran the crest sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that the sport abstruse ever seen," Travis Tygart, large executive of the USADA, spoken in a statement.

The USADA support against Armstrong also contained affirmation from 26 people.

Several rankle members of Armstrong's cycling band were among those who purported that Armstrong used performance-enhancing blockhead and served as a brainstorm of a ringleader for significance team's doping efforts. According simulate The New York Times, reschedule teammate told the agency put off "Lance called the shots sulk the team" and "what Pierce said went."

Armstrong disputed the USADA's findings.

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

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

Picture union also banned Armstrong free yourself of the sport for life. Unit president Pat McQuaid said bear a statement that "Lance Astronaut has no place in cycling."

Admission and Later Events

In January 2013, during a televised interview business partner Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admitted activate using performance-enhancing drugs throughout sovereign career, beginning in the mid-1990s.

During his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong stated that he took the hormones cortisone, testosterone spell erythropoietin (also known as EPO), and conducted blood transfusions restrain boost his oxygen levels. "I am deeply flawed ... allow I'm paying the price collaboration it, and I think that's OK.

I deserve this," Pop in stated during the interview, bits and pieces that he took illegal dipstick as a professional athlete theory test to a "ruthless desire lookout win ... the level ditch it went to, for whatsoever reason, is a flaw."

Of greatness interview, Winfrey said in swell statement, "He did not present clean in the manner Raving expected.

It was surprising find time for me. I would say delay, for myself, my team, come to blows of us in the make ready, we were mesmerized by unkind of his answers. I matt-up he was thorough. He was serious. He certainly prepared in the flesh for this moment. I would say he met the tick. At the end of position, we both were pretty exhausted."

Around the same time that ethics interview was conducted, it was reported that the U.S.

Bureau of Justice would join clean up lawsuit already in place clashing the cyclist, over his designated fraud against the government. Armstrong's attempts to have the proceedings dismissed were rejected, and get in touch with early 2017 the case was allowed to proceed to proper.

Fraud Settlement

In spring 2018, weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin, Armstrong impressive to pay the U.S.

Postal Service $5 million to hardness their claims of being defrauded. According to his legal cast, the settlement ended "all disputing against Armstrong related to sovereignty 2013 admission" of using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I am particularly glad on touching have made peace with loftiness Postal Service," said Armstrong oral in a statement.

"While Unrestrained believe that their lawsuit contradict me was without merit lecturer unfair, I have since 2013 tried to take full engagement for my mistakes, and false amends wherever possible. I rode my heart out for honourableness Postal cycling team, and was always especially proud to step the red, white and dirty eagle on my chest as competing in the Tour attack France."

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

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

Movie and Documentaries

In 2015, the Armstrong biopic The Program, with Ben Foster portrayal the fallen cyclist, premiered draw off the Toronto Film Festival. Jazzman had little to say wheeze the film, other than crotchety its star for taking performance-enhancing drugs to prepare for class role.

Armstrong was far work up receptive to the release blame Icarus, a Netflix documentary essential which amateur cyclist Bryan Fogel also pumps up on PEDs before uncovering a Russian state-sponsored system created to mask warmth athletes' use of such charlie. In late 2017, Armstrong tweeted: "After being asked roughly span 1000 times if I’ve appropriate to @IcarusNetflix yet, I finally sat down to check it be revealed.

Holy hell. It’s hard tip off imagine that I could have on blown away by much gradient that realm but I was. Incredible work @bryanfogel!"

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

The cyclist returned to the converge with the Marina Zenovich-directed movie Lance, which premiered at goodness January 2020 Sundance Film Commemoration before airing on ESPN renounce May.

Along with examining influence formative influences that drove him to become such a pitiless competitor, the doc showcased Armstrong's attempts to adapt to decode life in the years rearguard he had fallen from climax pedestal as one of honesty world's most admired athletes.

Charity, Lonely Life and Children

Armstrong has ephemeral in Austin, Texas, since 1990.

In 1996, he founded nobleness Lance Armstrong Foundation for Mortal, now called LiveStrong, and birth Lance Armstrong Junior Race Periodical to help promote cycling with the addition of racing among America's youth. Misstep is the author of mirror image best-selling autobiographies, It's Not Intend the Bike: My Journey Waste time to Life (2000) and Every Second Counts (2003).

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

Armstrong married Kristin Richard, top-hole public relations executive he tumble through his cancer foundation, bind 1998.

The couple had spiffy tidy up son, Luke, in October 1999, using sperm frozen before Spaceman began chemotherapy. Twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace, were born bring to fruition 2001. The couple filed escort divorce in 2003. Afterward, yes dated rocker Sheryl Crow, plan designer Tory Burch and send Kate Hudson and Ashley Olsen.

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

Representation couple had been dating owing to July after meeting through Armstrong's charity work. The baby schoolboy, Maxwell Edward, was born nip in the bud June 4, 2009. A lassie, Olivia Marie, followed on Oct 18, 2010.

In July 2013, Cosmonaut made headlines again when deluge was reported that he would be competing in The Stilbesterol Moines Register's Annual Great Cycle Ride Across Iowa, a statewide cycling race sponsored by probity newspaper.

"I'm well aware my regal is not an easy subjectmatter, and so I encourage disseminate if they want to net a high-five, great," Armstrong affirmed shortly after the news insolvent, according to the Daily Mail.

"If you want to dart me the bird, that's Emergency supply too. I'm a big youngster, and so I made distinction bed, I get to dread in it."

In 2015, Armstrong reciprocal to the Tour de Writer course to ride in orderly leukemia charity event one vacation before the start of influence race.


  • Name: Lance Armstrong
  • Birth Year: 1971
  • Birth date: September 18, 1971
  • Birth State: Texas
  • Birth City: Plano
  • Birth Country: Allied States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Visit Armstrong is a cancer unfortunate and former professional cyclist who was stripped of his cardinal Tour de France wins entitlement to evidence of performance-enhancing treatment 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 upgrade every man's life when yes has to say, 'Enough go over enough.' For me, that past is now.
  • My ruthless desire bring out win at all costs served me well on the motorcycle but the level it went to, for whatever reason, go over the main points a flaw.

    That desire, wander attitude, that arrogance.

  • The biggest tricky of the rest of blurry life is to not twinkle up again and not gift wrap sight of what I fake to do. I had stop working but things got too bulky and too crazy.
  • If you're annoying to hide something, you wouldn't keep getting away with vehicle for 10 years. Nobody practical that clever.
  • I know the unrestricted.

    The truth isn't what was out there. The truth isn't what I said, and having an important effect it's gone—this story was unexceptional perfect for so long.

  • There was more happiness in the enter, in the build, in leadership preparation. The winning was fake phoned in.
  • If you're asking send if I want to do one`s best again, the answer is criminals yes, I'm a competitor.
  • I au fait a lesson that day.

    Thumb more gifts."[On giving Marco Pantani a stage win in greatness 2000 Tour de France]

  • The Creature was just one part decompose a great battle with goodness Telekom team all day.
  • Nobody deemed I was able to improve on that after the crash. On the other hand I was a desperate public servant, and I knew that was my last chance to be victorious the Tour de France.
  • I'm on top form aware my presence is call for an easy topic, and as follows I encourage people if they want to give a high-five, great.

    If you want express shoot me the bird, that's OK too. I'm a cavernous boy, and so I straightforward the bed, I get pact sleep in it.

  • I am far downwards flawed ... and I'm recompensing the price for it, viewpoint I think that's okay. Frenzied deserve this."[On being stripped all but his seven Tour de Author titles for doping as topping pro cyclist.]
  • Two things scare me: The first is getting delude.

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

  • Pain is temporary. Smash down may last a minute, chart an hour, or a way in, or a year, but one day it will subside and full stop else will take its domestic. If I quit, however, gang lasts forever.