Cyclists to Know ---- Lance Armstrong

Posted by tan xiao yan on

Lance Armstrong was an American successful professional.He was born in 1971 in American, raised by his mother Linda and started his career in 1992.And he is known for the following three things.His talent and prizes, his fighting against cancer and his scandal of doping.

Talent and PrizesLance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong has a heart 1/3 larger than the average, and his heartbeat is 35 times per minute, which lengthen the supply of oxygen. His anaerobic exercise capacity is particularly large, his thigh bone is much longer than others so that he can save a lot of energy when riding and his muscles barely produce lactic acid, which is the main reason for pain.In that case, Armstrong is born to be a cyclist. And he really became a cyclist and did a good job.At age 16, Armstrong began competing as a triathlete and was a national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990. In 1992, Armstrong started his career as a professional cyclist with the Motorola team. He had notable success between 1993 and 1996, including the World Championship in 1993, Clásica de San Sebastián in 1995, Tour DuPont in 1995 and 1996, and a handful of stage victories in Europe, including stage 18 of the 1995 Tour de France.During his career, he won lots of prizes, including Tour de France, Tour de Georgia, Tour du Pont, Tour of Sweden and so on.The Tour de France, which many consider being professional sports' most grueling event----a 21-stage race covering more than 3500 kilometers (2175miles) in the heat of the French summer----Armstrong won it seven consecutive times, creating a new record.Prior to Armstrong, no one had won the race more than five times.Except for his talent, he is also very hardworking, in his own words: “I spend a year to prepare for the Tour de France.”

Fighting against cancer
On October 2, 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three (advanced) testicular cancer and cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and abdomen.One doctor said he had 50% of the survival hope and another doctor said there was only 3%.At that time, the boss of his team changed the contract with him and he couldn’t afford all that money but to collect money.After a series of grueling treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy, with his strong will, he recovered in February 1998.At the end of his third course of cancer chemotherapy, he came up with the idea of setting up a cancer fund to help with other cancer survivors. After the end of the chemotherapy in 1996, Armstrong began to set up a cancer fund. He found a sponsor, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation(now the Livestrong Foundation) came into being in 1997.He said: "I just want to tell people to fight resolutely to the end ." Over the past 15 years, with Armstrong’s influence, the foundation with has become a global anti-cancer nonprofit organization and has raised more than 479 million dollars.And the charitable fund is the largest of all sports stars’ foundations.
In the autobiography, he said: "My disease let me feel embarrassed, but also forced me to review my life.I asked myself if I could live, what would I do? I want to live, but whether I can live is a mystery.I feel frightened, and I began to realize that it is not a bad thing to feel frightened for once you are so afraid, you may know how weak you are.” He also has a saying of pain, “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
He is a hero, as a man, with strong power.

Doping Case
Lance Armstrong is a great cyclist.But due to his doping case, he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.
For much of his career, Armstrong faced persistent allegations of doping, but no official investigation was undertaken until 2006. The first break in the case came in 2004, L.A. Confidential, a book written by cycling journalists detailed circumstantial evidence of massive doping by Armstrong and members of his team. From 2010 to 2012, the U.S. federal prosecutors pursued allegations of doping by Armstrong and in June 2012, USADA accused Armstrong of doping and trafficking of drugs based on blood samples from 2009 and 2010, and testimonies from witnesses. In 2012 August, Armstrong forfeited all awards and prizes earned after August 1, 1998, including his seven Tour titles.In January 2013, Armstrong finally admitted his long-term doping defenses.
The anti-cancer hero, the king of cycling, Armstrong was facing the most serious moment of his career. For his "surrender", some media release words ruthless, such as "the end of a generation of legend", "become worthless", "honor sweeping" ... ...
A few days after the referee of the USADA, Armstrong appeared on a mountain bike race. He said, "do not have to cry for me, I am still great, and I will focus on the future, I have children and girlfriend to accompany me and my life will not be affected.”

Lance Armstrong is a lighting rod for controversy and surely a cyclist to remember for those marvels he brought us. To be rational, He is a great cyclist and he did inspire people for fighting against cancer.But his stain will also accompany him forever for we all know, honesty should always before the competition.