Lance Edward Gunderson was born on September 18, 1971, in Plano, Texas. Regarded as one of the greatest sportsmen in history, at the age of seventeen, he received an invitation to train with the Junior National Cycling Team. The Plano Independent School District’s school board claimed that the necessary six-week leave taken during the second semester of his senior year would bar him from graduating and so he withdrew from school (with his mother’s blessing) and went to train with the team. He graduated from Bending Oaks Private Academy in Dallas the following spring. He still harbors resentment towards his hometown school for their decision.
Lance turned professional in 1992 after finishing 14th in the Olympics road race of that year. In 1993, he scored his first major victory as he rode solo to win the World Road Championship in Oslo, Norway. He met the King of Norway, but only after his mother was included in the royal invitation. His successes continued and after winning the Tour Du Pont for the second time in 1996, he was ranked the number one cyclist in the world.
On October 2, 1996, he received the devastating diagnosis of stage three testicular cancer that had metastasized to his lungs and brains. His odds of survival were very poor, but for a man like Lance, odds and victory have nothing to do with each other. Recovery came after opting for a severe form of chemotherapy that was less likely to result in lung damage. His cycling career was thus saved, but to his day, Armstrong cites his return from cancer as his proudest achievement.
Armstrong’s true cycling comeback came in 1999, when he won his first Tour de France. His 2005 Tour Victory took place on July 24th. But perhaps his greatest victory of all lies in the legacy of his terrible bout with a devastating illness. The Lance Armstrong Foundation, which was founded in 1997 (with initial funding from Nike), has done much to support cancer victims and survivors and to raise awareness about cancer.
There are many athletes and many fine champions throughout the world, but none that can equal the personal courage of this gifted athlete and his overwhelming generosity to the public that adores him.