Lance Armstrong Biography

Lance Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who fell from glory following a doping scandal. Once counted amongst the most illustrious and influential athletes of the 21st century, he became the first American to win the Classico San Sebastian and was ranked as the No.1 cyclist in the world, in 1996. Stricken with a potentially fatal metastatic testicular cancer at the height of his career, he fought all odds to defeat the disease and emerged a survivor. He went on to achieve even greater glory after returning to cycling after his cancer scare. From the years 1999 to 2005, Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles consecutively, making his mark in the athletic world. He accomplished much during his glorious career as a cyclist and retired from racing at the end of the 2005 Tour de France. He returned to competitive cycling a few years later, finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France. Considered to be a hero at the time of his retirement for his cycling achievements and courageous battle against cancer, his image went downhill in 2012 after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charged him with using performance-enhancing drugs. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and is currently banned from competing in all the cycling events, including the Olympics.