Lance Armstrong was once the ultimate American hero, a cancer survivor who conquered the toughest race on earth seven times in a row. While the world now knows him as the face of the biggest doping scandal in sports history, his story is far more complex than just a confession to Oprah. For instance, he made a small investment during his retirement that unexpectedly made him more money than his entire cycling career. Furthermore, despite being stripped of his titles, he refuses to take down the yellow jerseys hanging in his home. Prepare to ride with the boss of the peloton.
Lance Armstrong
He survived terminal cancer that had spread to his brain. In 1996, doctors diagnosed him with stage three testicular cancer. It had already metastasized to his lungs and brain, giving him less than a 40% chance of survival. He underwent two brain surgeries to remove the lesions and aggressive chemotherapy that nearly killed him.
He was stripped of seven consecutive Tour de France titles. No other athlete has lost so many major championships at once. The record books now show no winner for the years 1999 through 2005, leaving a massive black hole in the history of the sport.
An early investment in Uber saved his finances. In 2009, he invested $100,000 in a small startup called Uber. He famously admitted that he thought he was buying into a video game company. That share eventually grew to be worth tens of millions of dollars, which helped him pay his massive legal settlements.
He technically “never tested positive” for years. Armstrong often used this phrase as a shield. In reality, he did have suspicious tests, such as one for cortisone in 1999, but he covered them up with backdated prescriptions for saddle sore cream. He passed hundreds of tests by using drugs that vanished from the system quickly, like glowing EPO.
He dated rock star Sheryl Crow for three years. The couple was the ultimate power duo of the early 2000s and even got engaged. They split up in 2006, reportedly because Armstrong, who already had children, did not want more kids at that time, while Crow did.
Lance Armstrong used a “Motoman” to deliver drugs during races. To avoid carrying drugs on the team bus, the team hired a gardener to follow the Tour de France on a motorcycle. This “Motoman” carried a thermos filled with EPO and testosterone, delivering it to the riders in secret locations.
He is banned from all Olympic sports for life. The USADA ban is so comprehensive that it prevents him from competing in almost any organized sport. This crushed his dream of returning to professional triathlon, the sport where he actually started his athletic career.
He keeps his seven yellow jerseys on the wall. Despite the officials erasing his name from the record books, Armstrong still displays the framed jerseys in his media room. He argues that he raced against a field of other dopers, so he still considers himself the winner of those events.
He bullied his own teammates into doping. He did not just cheat alone; he ran the team like a mafia boss. He pressured teammates like Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis to use drugs, threatening to ruin their careers if they refused or spoke out against him.
His podcast is now a major media empire. After his exile from cycling, he launched “The Move,” a podcast where he analyzes races. It has become one of the most popular sports podcasts in the world, proving that millions of fans still value his insight, if not his ethics.
Lance Armstrong tricked the hospital to hide a blood transfusion. During the 2004 Tour, he and his teammates stopped the team bus on a mountain road to infuse bags of their own stored blood. They pretended the bus had broken down to buy time while the drivers hung blood bags from the luggage racks.
He started as a professional triathlete at 16. Before he ever focused on the Tour de France, he was a teenage prodigy in triathlon. He was famously arrogant even then, often challenging older pros and winning national sprint championships before he could legally buy a beer.
The “Livestrong” wristband became a global icon. His foundation sold over 80 million of the yellow silicone bracelets. They became a fashion statement for cancer awareness, although Armstrong eventually had to step down from the charity to stop his scandal from hurting its mission.
Lance Armstrong settled a 100-million-dollar lawsuit for just 5 million. The US government sued him for fraud because the US Postal Service had sponsored his team. He faced financial ruin but managed to settle the case for a fraction of the cost just before it went to trial.
Finally, he returned his Olympic bronze medal. While he fought to keep his Tour titles, he voluntarily mailed back the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was one of the few moments where he complied with the International Olympic Committee’s demands.
