Lance Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist. He is best known for winning the Tour de France a record seven times consecutively, from 1999 to 2005. He is also the founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a cancer support charity.
Table of Contents
1. Early life
2. Cancer diagnosis and treatment
3. Professional career
4. Tour de France successes
5. Retirement and doping ban
6. Later life
7. Personal life
8. Charity work
9. Legal issues
10. Legacy
11. Top Lance Armstrong Quotes
Early Life
Lance Edward Armstrong was born on September 18, 1971, in Plano, Texas. He was raised by his mother, Linda, and stepfather, Terry Keith Armstrong. His biological father, Eddie Gunderson, left the family when Lance was two.
Lance began cycling at age 12, and by 16 he was a national sprint-course triathlon champion. He turned professional in 1992, and in 1993 he became the first American to win the world road racing championship.
Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
In October 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and abdomen. He underwent surgery to remove the cancerous testicle, and began a course of chemotherapy.
In February 1997, Armstrong was declared cancer-free. He resumed his professional career in 1998, winning the Tour de France that year.
Professional Career
Armstrong began his professional career in 1992 with the Motorola Cycling Team. He had his first major victory in the 1993 Tour de France, winning stages 8 and 10. He finished the race fourth overall.
In 1998, Armstrong made his comeback to professional cycling, winning the Tour de France. He went on to win the Tour de France a further six times, setting a new record for the most consecutive victories.
Tour de France Successes
Armstrong’s first Tour de France victory came in 1999. He went on to win the race a further six times, setting a new record for the most consecutive Tour de France victories.
Retirement and Doping Ban
Armstrong retired from professional cycling in 2011. In 2012, he was banned from professional cycling for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, after being found guilty of doping.
Later life
Since his retirement from professional cycling, Armstrong has been involved in a number of business ventures. He is a co-founder of the eco-friendly luggage company RYOT, and he has also launched a fitness app and a line of fitness equipment.
Personal Life
Armstrong has been married three times and has five children. His first marriage was to Kristin Richard, with whom he had three children. His second marriage was to Anna Hansen, with whom he had two children. He is currently married to Ashley Olsen, with whom he has no children.
Charity Work
Armstrong is the founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a cancer support charity. The foundation has raised over $500 million for cancer research and support services.
Legal issues
In 2013, Armstrong was sued by the U.S. government for tens of millions of dollars, for allegedly defrauding the government by using banned performance-enhancing drugs. The case was settled in 2018 for $5 million.
Legacy
Armstrong is considered one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is also one of the most controversial athletes, due to his doping past.
Top Lance Armstrong Quotes
“One can’t predict the weather more than a few days in advance.”
“There is a real danger that computers will develop intelligence and take over.” We urgently need to develop direct connections to the brain so that computers can add to human intelligence rather than be in opposition.”
“Time travel was once considered scientific heresy, and I used to avoid talking about it for fear of being labelled a ‘crank.”
“My father was a research scientist in tropical medicine, so I always assumed I would be a scientist, too.” I felt that medicine was too vague and inexact, so I chose physics.”
“My goal is simple.” It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”
“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”
“My discovery that black holes emit radiation raised serious problems of consistency with the rest of physics.” I have now resolved these problems, but the answer turned out to be not what I expected.”
“Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein’s general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out.”
“I think it quite likely that we are the only civilization within several hundred light years; otherwise we would have heard radio waves.”
“I was never top of the class at school, but my classmates must have seen potential in me, because my nickname was ‘Einstein.”
“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star.” But we can understand the Universe.” That makes us something very special.”
“People who boast about their I.”Q.” are losers.”
“The universe is governed by science.” But science tells us that we can’t solve the equations, directly in the abstract.”
“Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.”
“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail.” There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
“In my school, the brightest boys did math and physics, the less bright did physics and chemistry, and the least bright did biology.” I wanted to do math and physics, but my father made me do chemistry because he thought there would be no jobs for mathematicians.”
“Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.”
“If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, it would have recollapsed before it reached its present size.” On the other hand, if it had been greater by a part in a million, the universe would have expanded too rapidly for stars and planets to form.”
“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”
“I was born on January 8, 1942, exactly three hundred years after the death of Galileo.” I estimate, however, that about two hundred thousand other babies were also born that day.” I don’t know whether any of them was later interested in astronomy.”
“Even if it turns out that time travel is impossible, it is important that we understand why it is impossible.”
“I believe everyone should have a broad picture of how the universe operates and our place in it.” It is a basic human desire.” And it also puts our worries in perspective.”
“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well and don’t regret the things it interferes with.” Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”
“A few years ago, the city council of Monza, Italy, barred pet owners from keeping goldfish in curved bowls… saying that it is cruel to keep a fish in a bowl with curved sides because, gazing out, the fish would have a distorted view of reality.” But how do we know we have the true, undistorted picture of reality?
“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.”
“Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill.”
“Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”
“I think we have a good chance of surviving long enough to colonize the solar system.”
“Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at that beauty.”
“I believe in universal health care.” And I am not afraid to say so.”
“If I had to choose a superhero to be, I would pick Superman.” He’s everything that I’m not.”
“If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, it would have recollapsed before it reached its present size.” On the other hand, if it had been greater by a part in a million, the universe would have expanded too rapidly for stars and planets to form.”
“Science is increasingly answering questions that used to be the province of religion.”
“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet.” Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist.” Be curious.”
“We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.”
“No one undertakes research in physics with the intention of winning a prize.” It is the joy of discovering something no one knew before.”
“There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet.”
“We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity.” We cannot remain to look inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet.”
“People won’t have time for you if you are always angry or complaining.”” Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.”
“In the past, there was active discrimination against women in science.” That has now gone, and although there are residual effects, these are not enough to account for the small numbers of women, particularly in mathematics and physics.”
“Not only does God play dice, but… he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.”
“The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities.”
“Time can behave like another direction in space under extreme conditions.”
“There could be shadow galaxies, shadow stars, and even shadow people.”
“Imaginary time is a new dimension, at right angles to ordinary, real time.”
“God not only plays dice, He also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.”
“Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease from which I and many others suffer.” The fact that the cells may come from embryos is not an objection, because the embryos are going to die anyway.”
“If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.”
“Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.”
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