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Lance Armstrong is a former American professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005.
See the fact file below for more information on Lance Armstrong or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Lance Armstrong worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Childhood and Early Career
- Born on September 18, 1971, in Plano, Texas, Lance Edward Gunderson was raised by his mother, Linda, and took his step-fatherβs name, Armstrong.
- At an early age, he was already athletic, taking swimming and running at age 10 and three years later, triathlon. At 16, Armstrong is already a professional triathlete, winning the national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990.
- In 1990, he played for the junior world team and placed 11th in the World Championship Road Race
- Before he graduated high school, Armstrong was already recruited by the junior national team of the U.S. Cycling Federation.
- That same year, he became the U.S. amateur champion and won two major races, the First Union Grand Prix & Thrift Drug Classic.
Professional Career
- In 1991, Armstrong competed for his first 11-day Tour DuPont, a long and difficult 12-stage race, covering 1,085 miles.
- The following year, he joined the Motorola team and later he became the second-youngest man to win in world road racing.
- When Armstrong finished second in the 1992 U.S. Olympic time trials in 1992, he was favored to win the road race in Barcelona, Spain, but finished 14th.
- But in 1993, he won the cycling’s “Triple Crown”βthe Thrift Drug Classic, the Kmart West Virginia Classic, and the CoreStates Race (the U.S. Professional Championship).
- That same year, he came in second at the Tour DuPont and also won the 161-mile World Road Race Championship
- In 1994, Armstrong was once again a runner-up in Tour DuPont, so he trained harder to snag the championship, which he did the following year.
- In 1996, Armstrong was plagued with illness and fatigue. He contracted Bronchitis during Tour De France and was visibly fatigued during the 1996 Olympics.
Battling Testicular Cancer
- That same year, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer, with tumors already spreading to his abdomen, lungs, and lymph nodes.
- He underwent chemotherapy and surgery to increase his chances of survival after tumors also appeared in his brain. Within nearly a year, Armstrong was declared cancer-free in February 1997.
- His cancer struggle led to sponsors backing out so he had to be a free agent for some time before signing in with the United States Postal Service team.
Comeback
- Since returning from cancer, critics were skeptical of Armstrongβs future performances. However, in June 1998 he won his first important international race, the Tour of Luxembourg.
- He also placed fourth in the three-week Vuelta a EspaΓ±a (Tour of Spain). With his results, Armstrong changed his training regimen and diet to prepare for the biggest event yet, the Tour de France for the coming year.
- Riding with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) team, Armstrong became the second American to win the Tour de France.
- He repeated that feat in three consecutive years 2000, 2001, and 2002, cementing him as his generationβs most dominant rider. He also bagged the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games.
- After suffering another strike of illness, Armstrong had to miss one year of cycling. He returned a victor on his sixth tour win in 2004, winning five individual stages.
- After capping his astounding run with a seventh consecutive Tour victory in 2005, he retired from racing.
- But in 2008, Armstrong announced that he planned to return to competition and the Tour de France in 2009. He placed third in the race, which gave him the idea of competing again in 2010.
- However, Armstrong finished 23rd overall in his final Tour de France, prompting him to announce retirement for good in February 2011.
Drug Controversy
- Armstrongβs career was not without controversy, however, because as early as 2001, he was already accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.
- Although denying the allegations, when one of his teammates was stripped of the Tour de France title in 2010 after admitting to doping, he accused Armstrong of doing the same.
- The case further escalated in 2012, the U.S Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) brought formal charges against Armstrong. Five of his teammates agreed to testify against him as well, confirming the use of dope.
- After constant criticism and media coverage, Armstrong decided to withdraw his case and declined to enter arbitration.
- Eventually, on August 24, 2012, the USADA announced that Armstrong would be stripped of: (a) his seven Tour titles (b) the other honors he received from 1999 to 2005 (c) his privilege to join any cycling competition, meaning banned.
- He admitted to all the allegations in the Oprah show, hence legally facing the consequences in the following years.
Lance Armstrong Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Lance Armstrong across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Lance Armstrong who was a former American professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005. He was later stripped of these titles for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Outside of cycling, Lance Armstrong is a survivor of cancer and founded the Livestrong Foundation to provide support for cancer patients
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Lance Armstrong facts
- Athlete Data
- Cycling Sport
- Be Like Armβstrongβ
- Tour de France
- Lance Armstrong
- Athletes and Drugs
- Do Whatever it Takes?
- Ask the Public
- Enhancement or Not?
- Virtues of an Athlete
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Use With Any Curriculum
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