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Lance Armstrong

Teams, career wins, timeline, and biography

compiled by Erin Teare Martin

Teams 1991–1992: United States National Team 1992–1996: Motorola 1997: Cofidis 1998–2002: U.S. Postal Service 2003–2004: U.S. Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 2005: Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team

At 13, Lance Armstrong won the Kids Iron Triathlon, an event combining swimming, biking, and running. He later began entering triathlons for money, winning $20,000 when he was 15.

As a high school senior Armstrong qualified to train with the U.S. Olympic team. He later made cycling his sport. In 1993 he won ten titles and was called the “Golden Boy of American Cycling.” By 1996 Armstrong was the top-ranked cyclist in the world. But later that year, he was diagnosed with cancer and forced to undergo three operations and chemotherapy. The treatment was ultimately successful, and Armstrong became a powerful advocate for cancer research. He founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation to promote cancer research and awareness, and wrote the best-selling book It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.

In 1998, Armstrong married Kristin Richard of Austin, Tex. They have a son and twin daughters, but divorced in Dec. 2003. In 1996, he also returned to racing, winning the Tour de Luxembourg, the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfarht in Germany, and the Cascade Classic in Oregon. He took fourth place in both the World Championships in Holland and the Tour de Spain. He won a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

In 1999 Armstrong was the surprise winner of the grueling Tour de France, which winds through the Alps and Pyranees. He won the race again in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, becoming the first cyclist to take the Tour for six straight victories and after racing for a seventh win in 2005, he retired.

• More on Lance:
• Lance Armstrong Timeline
• 2005 Tour de France

Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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