Lance Armstrong

"Born to race a bike" Just ask Lance Armstrong's competitors and teammates, and they would say he was. His grace in the saddle and powerful pedal strokes make his two feet on solid ground seem almost unnatural. But to get to two wheels, he first had to tread a little water, literally. In his teen years, Lance was a top swimmer and triathlete until the U.S. Cycling Federation saw the phenom from Plano, Texas, on a bicycle. His triathlon career soon ended, and at 17 he was training with the Junior National Cycling Team.

After fitting in high school graduation, between a trip to the Junior World Championships in Moscow and signing with the Subaru-Montgomery pro/amateur racing team, Lance began meeting the racing world's expectations. After winning the U.S. Amateur Championships, Motorola, the top U.S. cycling team, enlisted him into the world of international cycling. The Texan soon established himself in professional racing, pulling Motorola to a No. 5 ranking in 1993. Lance was not only winning races, but he was winning with an aggressive, fearless style that solidified his reputation as a confident, brash young racer who proved himself on the race course every day. The next three years saw Lance become a true force in international cycling, as well as the top U.S. racer.

In 1996 Lance started the season strong, winning another Tour DuPont and the Fleche Wallone. But in the year he was predicted to win his first Tour de France, Lance's strength and competitive spirit would be tested in ways no race had ever tested him before. In October he was diagnosed with an advanced form of testicular cancer: it had spread to his abdomen, lungs, and his brain. Given a 50 percent chance of survival, Lance was faced with the challenge of his life. He faced this challenge like any other - head on, attacking it like a mountain pass in the Tour de France. Miraculously, after a year of aggressive surgery and chemotherapy, Lance was declared cancer-free in 1997.

Lance's reaction? "This past year has been the greatest of my life." A year of pain, chemotherapy, and fear doesn't sound like the greatest year of anyone's life, but Lance Armstrong has gained a perspective earned only after enduring an experience like his. He is now motivated not only to win bike races, but to compete every day for the gift of life - his own life, as well as the lives of others. Following his diagnosis, Lance formed the Lance Armstrong Foundation for Cancer, capitalizing his high profile position to become a spokesperson in the fight against cancer.

Although Lance Armstrong's seven victories in the Tour de France are sweet, the battle against cancer has just begun - not just for him, but for all cancer survivors and people just like him who think cancer could not affect them. He plans to lead this fight, and he hopes that you join him. This is a life he owes to cancer.