He survived a fight with testicular cancer, which had spread to lungs and brain. The cancer was so advanced that he was given less than a fifty percent chance at survival - but he did it!
He's also the only man to have won the legendary Tour de France a record seven consecutive times.
Instead of celebrating and embracing a man who has dominated the most gruelling race and most difficult championships to win in all of sports - most people look at him as a cheat and fraud.
Not me.
Let's get one thing perfectly clear - LANCE ARMSTRONG HAS NEVER TESTED POSITIVE FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS. He has been dubbed "the most tested athlete in sports" and each and every time the results come back clean.
So why the rumors? Why the factually incorrect allegations of Armstrong being a cheat and fraud?
The majority of this witch hunt is headed by L'Equipe - a French sports newspaper that has been after Armstrong since he started to dominate the Tour de France. My theory - and it's only a theory - is that deep rooted anti-american sentiment is polluting their minds and the way they report. They can not stand the fact that an American cyclist is better than the rest and can so easily dominate their Championship event and one of their biggest sports. So they will do anything in their power to taint his victories by suggesting and accusing him of taking performance enhancing drugs - which again, he's never tested positive for.
With all the drug cheats in Major League Baseball, Track and Field, and yes - the many drug cheats in the Tour de France - I guess it's natural for people to question the validity of a dominant victory. But let's look at the facts.
First and foremost, Lance Armstrong is blessed with amazing genes. He has a lung capacity of about 8L - the average is 6. He has a Vo2 max of 83 ml/kg/min (Vo2 max is the highest volume of oxygen a person can consume during exercise). Anything over 70 is considered "Elite".
Armstrong is also addicted to training hard year round. While others may take months to just relax, vacation or get away from the sport, Armstrong would be in the mountains training at his maximum capacity. He was training his body to survive the rigors of the Tour and to develop resistance to the pain and muscles aches that come with it. He's dominant in the mountains because he's trained so much harder than anyone else in that region. He's dedicated and committed to being the best and that means training as hard as he can.
He's also surrounded by some amazing teammates. Teammates who are not only talented but know their role - protect him at all costs from other riders, the wind and all other elements. He has a sophisticated training staff that look for ways to improve his training to cut down even a second from his rides.
Combine the three elements and you can see why Lance Armstrong is so strong and dominate at the Tour de France.
So instead of cutting down a guy who has proven time and time again that he's clean and not on drugs, why not enjoy the fact that he's accomplishing something that we may never again see in our lifetime.
Lance Armstrong - 7x Tour de France Champion.
“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.” - Lance Armstrong.
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