From Cancer Survivor to The Most Dominant Cyclist of His Era

Lance Armstrong wins his sixth straight Tour de France in impressive fashion.

Paris – Sunday, July 25, 2004

Six Tour de France titles is nothing to sneeze at, let alone six in a row. Lance Armstrong did just that as he rode into Paris with the coveted yellow jersey. Not only that, but he did so with a commanding lead in a race where many thought it would be tough for the Texan to win. Armstrong’s impressive margin of victory over second-placed Andreas Kloden was 6 minutes, 19 seconds, with Ivan Basso in third.

What makes his 6th victory even more impressive was the fact that he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain just 8 years ago. He battled the cancer and eventually won in 1998, when he returned to competitive cycling. Armstrong’s six wins is the most in the tour’s 101-year history.

When asked to comprehend his achievement, even Armstrong had trouble.

"It might take years. I don't know. It hasn't sunk in yet. But six, standing on the top step on the podium on the Champs-Elysees is really special," he said.

• Lance survived far-advanced testicular cancer.
  The medical details of his treatment and recovery are posted here.
  And Lance tells his own recovery story here.
  
  
• Lance's victory is one of the biggest in all sporting history.
  Details of Lance's 6th victory in the Tour de France, are presented as a narrated slide show (with audio) from the New York Times here.
  
  
• In some men, bike riding may be associated with erectile dysfunction (ED).
  See why Professor Irwin Goldstein of Boston University says, "Men should never ride bicycles!"
  
  
• "Knowledge is power and attitude is everything."
  So goes the motto of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, established in 1997 to help educate and empower the 10 million Americans living with cancer.
  Visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation website here.
  
  
• USRF has followed the Lance Armstrong story since his first victory in 1999.
  Here's our original posting.
  
  
• For general information about testicular cancer, a good starting point would be the Testicular Cancer Resource Center or the Medline Plus/NIH site.
  
  
• Tom Green, America's wackiest comedian, sings about his own testicular cancer here.