Lance Armstrong Timeline

Updated July 22, 2020 | Infoplease Staff
Lance Armstrong

Major events in the life of professional cyclist Lance Armstrong. Read a biography of Lance Armstrong.

by Erin Teare Martin and Beth Rowen
1971-1993 1995-1998 1999-2003 2004-Present
1971

Lance is born on September 18, in Plano, Texas. His mother, Linda Mooneyham, is 17 at the time.

1987

Competes as a sponsored athlete in triathlons, making him a professional athlete at 16.

1989

Focusing on cycling, Lance qualifies to train with the U.S. Olympic developmental team in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Competes at the Junior World Championships in Moscow.

1991

Becomes U.S. National Amateur champion.

1992

Finishes 14th in the individual road race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Future teammate, Fabio Casartelli, wins the event.

Signs with a professional cycling team, Motorola, and finishes last in his first professional race, the Classico San Sebastian.

1993

Wins ten titles including the U.S. Pro Championship, and stage 8 in the Tour de France, and at 22 is the youngest road racing world champion ever.

1995

Named the 1995 Velo News American Male Cyclist of the Year.

Wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France after his teammate and friend Fabio Casartelli is killed in a descent during the 15th stage of that same Tour.

Becomes the first American to win the Classico San Sebastian.

1996

Ranked the number one cyclist in the world.

Becomes the first American to win the Belgian classic Fleche Wallone.

Member of the 1996 Olympic team.

Signs with team Cofidis.

In October, Armstrong is diagnosed with testicular cancer. Learns the cancer has spread to his lungs and brain.

Weeks after his cancer diagnosis, Cofidis cancels his professional contract.

1997

Marks his return to cycling by winning the Sprint 56K Criterium in Austin, Texas.

Founds the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which provides information and support for cancer survivors.

1998

Marries Kristin Richard in Santa Barbara, Calif., who he met the year before while helping promote an Austin, Texas, road race called the Ride for the Roses.

Signs with U.S. Postal, an American professional cycling team.

After dropping out of Paris-Nice, a one day cycling race, goes to Boone, NC, to train with coach Chris Carmichael and former teammate Bob Roll. Decides to continue as a professional cyclist.

Finishes the year by winning the Tour de Luxembourg, the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfarht in Germany, and the Cascade Classic in Oregon.

1999

Wins the Tour de France, including the opening prologue.

Son Luke is born on October 12.

2000

Finishes second at Paris-Camembert and third in the French Dauphine Libere and Classique des Alpes.

Wins the Tour de France over Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani, rivals who did not race in 1999.

Publishes It's Not About The Bike, about his comeback from cancer, which becomes a best seller.

2001

Wins the Tour de France for the third straight year.

Twin daughters Isabelle and Grace are born on November 20th.

2002

Wins the Tour de France, becoming one of five riders who have ever won four Tours de France. This places him among cycling greats, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, and Miguel Indurain.

2003

Wins a fifth Tour de France in five years, just 1:01 ahead of Jan Ullrich. Only Spain's Miguel Indurain has five straight wins.

Divorces wife Kristin Richards.

Publishes Every Second Counts.

2004

Weeks before the start of the Tour de France, Armstrong is accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs in a book written by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester. Even the authors concede that all evidence is circumstantial.

Begins relationship with singer Sheryl Crow.

Helps launch the Livestrong campaign, a fundraiser supported by the sale of millions of yellow bracelets. All proceeds go to support cancer survivors through the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Wins a sixth Tour de France, making him the winningest Tour de France rider ever. He seals the event by winning five stages and the team time trial. He also becomes the first man since Gino Bartali in 1948 to win three consecutive mountain stages.

The Discovery Channel takes over sponsorship of Armstrong's team, formerly sponsored by U.S. Postal-Berry Floor.

2005

On April 18 announces that he is retiring from professional cycling after the 2005 Tour de France.

Wins his seventh and final Tour de France on July 24.

2006

In February, five months after their announced engagement, Armstrong and Sheryl Crow end their relationship. A few weeks later, Crow announces she is being treated for breast cancer.

In May, Armstong is cleared of doping allegations that stemmed from a drug test taken in 1999. The report states that the retesting of the sample fell far below scientific standards.

For the eighth year in a row, an American wins the Tour de France. Former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis wins the tour as the leader of the Phonak team, but later loses the title when he tests positive for synthetic testosterone. Armstrong's team Discovery does not fair well, with Jose Azevedo the highest placed rider in 19th place, more than 38 minutes behind Landis.

2007

In November, Armstrong finishes 232nd in the ING New York City Marathon.

2008

In April, Armstrong finishes the Boston Marathon in the top 500.

In May, Armstrong is recognized as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

In June, the website www.livestrong.com is launched by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Demand Media.

2009

In June, Armstrong places first in the Nevada City Classic—one of the most difficult professional cycling races in the United States.

In July, Armstrong finishes third in the Tour de France, and teammate Alberto Contador won the race.

2011

In February, Armstrong announces—again—that he's retiring from cycling amid continued allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

2012

In June, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) charges Armstrong with using performance-enhancing drugs, and arbitration is set to follow.

Armstrong files suit in federal court against the USADA in July. A judge dismisses the suit, and Armstrong refiles. Armstrong is given the option of going into arbitration over the case.

In August, a federal judge dismisses Armstrong's suit. Armstrong refuses to participate in arbitration and says he will not challenge the doping charges. The USADA bans Armstrong from cycling for life and strips him of his seven Tour de France titles.

The USADA releases a lengthy report in October that details eyewitness accounts of Armstrong not only using performance-enhancing drugs, but also coercing teammates to do so.

2013

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January, Armstrong admits to having used performancing-enhancing drugs throughout his cycling career and "bullying" teammates and others to lie about it. He said he began using testosterone, EPO, and blood transfusions in the mid-1990s and the illegal substances contributed to each of his seven Tour de France victories.


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