Photo from: www.lancearmstrong.com

Lance Armstrong was born on September 18, 1971 in the town of Plano, Texas. As a child, Lance participated in a wide variety of youth sports. Athleticism came naturally to him and at age 13 Lance won the Iron Kids Triathlon. A few years later he became a professional triathlete. A triathlon consists of swimming, running, and cycling, and it did not take him long to figure out which one he was the best at; cycling. When Lance was in high school he would take long rides on Saturdays that would often take him to the Oklahoma border where he would have to call his mom to come and pick him up. By the time he was a senior in high school, Lance already had a number of sponsors willing to take him on as their protégé.

At age 31, Lance Armstrong has achieved more than most people have accomplished in there lifetime. In 1992, Lance competed in his first pro cycling race. He came in last place 27 minutes behind the leader in pouring down rain. Lance refused to quit and strived to move up in the ranks in the world of cycling. In 1993 he came back stronger and more determined than ever. He won ten titles that year including the US pro championship, winning the first stage championship in the acclaimed Tour de France, and also that year, Lance became the youngest cycling World Champion ever. Also in 1993 Lance made U.S. racing history by winning the Thrift Drug Triple Crown. He won the 1994 TDS classic, then won the 1995 Tour du Pont and was named American Male Cyclist of the Year by Velo News magazine. In 1999, Lance won a stunning victory at the Tour de France by winning the race 7 minutes faster than his competitor. Lance has won the Tour de France 5 consecutive times in his lifetime and is going for an unprecedented 6th Tour de France win this year, 2004. Lance is also a two-time Olympian. However, none of those wins were hardest thing Lance has ever fought for in his lifetime.

Photo from: www.laf.org

Just shy of his 25th birthday, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer. He was given a less than 50% chance of survival. Remarkably, the chemotherapy killed his cancer but it did not kill his spirit of racing. Unsure of his future in cycling, Lance began training only five months after his diagnosis with cancer. Cancer left him torn emotionally as well as physically. He had never been challenged physically before because of his outstanding athleticism. Lance said, “It was an unexpected gift. Getting cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me.” His viewpoint is shared with many cancer survivors around the world. Cancer survivors say that it was the best thing that ever happened to them because it has since made them appreciate still being on this Earth, and also it changes their whole attitude towards life in general. Cancer truly is Lance Armstrong’s biggest win ever.

A hero to me is someone who has to persevere to achieve success, is a hard worker, is a role model to people, is caring, and does not take his success for granted. Lance Armstrong is the mirror image of all of these traits. Throughout his life, Lance has persevered through his races to be one of the best cyclists in the world today. He has been a hard worker throughout his life ever since he was a kid, always racing and competing in sports to increase his skill level day by day. He is a good role model to me and to people around the world because he is caring and compassionate towards others. In fact, he established the Lance Armstrong Foundation to be a spokesperson and teach people about cancer and his own personal story with it. He also established the Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series to promote cycling among kids. When he got cancer and was not in great physical shape Lance learned that his ability to race well was a gift. He also learned that he should not take his gift for granted or anything else in his life for that matter. Because of cancer, he is not selfish.

When talking about Lance Armstrong, it is hard not to mention the word hero because he embodies compassion and determination in both world class cycling and in his personal life. He is a hero to me in many ways. He is compassionate by creating a non-profit organization to teach about cancer and how to deal with the emotional stress and to help the public realize that early detection is important. Throughout his career he has always been determined to never give up in a race and most importantly, Lance never gave up fighting his battle with cancer. There are not many heroes in the world today. Lance Armstrong is part of a small minority of people that encompass certain traits that make then unique in a different way.