May 21, 2020

  • Kelly CohenESPN

ESPN's 30 for 30 "LANCE," directed by Marina Zenovich
Part 1: Sunday, May 24, 9 p.one thousand. ET on ESPN.
Office two: Sunday, May 31, nine p.m. ET on ESPN.
Livestreaming: ESPN+ and ESPN Player (where available)

After beating metastatic testicular cancer that had already spread to other parts of his body in 1996, all eyes were on Lance Armstrong when he returned to cycling the following yr. But it was in 1999 when he won his kickoff Tour de French republic -- the virtually prestigious and difficult race in cycling -- that his status was really elevated and he became one of the about revered athletes at the time.

Armstrong became a household name. He became a crusade, a motility.

Armstrong was thrust into the international spotlight and helped increment the popularity of cycling globally. He won the Tour de France seven times in a row before retiring at the age of 33. Armstrong came dorsum years later -- though not at the aforementioned level of dominance -- and raced in a handful of big races before retiring again.

Despite all his success and glory, Armstrong's career was not without controversy. From the beginning of his dominance in the cycling world, he was constantly accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs -- accusations he vehemently denied. Eventually, however, the truth caught upwardly to him. In 2012, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories following a written report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and in 2013, he admitted publicly that he doped during each of his Bout de French republic wins.

The Ascent ...

Before his 1999 Tour de French republic win, Armstrong had been cycling around the globe for years -- he was a triathlete equally a teenager, after all.

Even before his cancer diagnosis, Armstrong was winning races. In 1993, he won the Thrift Drug Archetype in Pittsburgh, the 1000-Mart West Virginia Classic and the CoreStates USPRO national title in Philadelphia -- a trio of wins known collectively equally the Austerity Drug Triple Crown of Cycling.

In 1999, his first tour de French republic victory was propelled in part by four phase wins. He crush Alex Zülle, the second-place finisher, by seven minutes and 37 seconds. Even so, January Ullrich -- with whom he would later have an established rivalry -- did not participate considering of injury, so Armstrong was still non quite at the top of the cycling world. Marco Pantani, an Italian cyclist, was also non able to participate in 1999.

Ullrich and Pantani were back for the 2000 Bout de France -- and thus began the Armstrong-Ullrich rivalry. Armstrong crush Ullrich by half dozen minutes and two seconds in the 2000 Bout de French republic, despite winning but one stage. Armstrong also went on to win bronze in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

In 2001, Armstrong over again trounce beating Ullrich for the victory, by half dozen minutes and 44 seconds. In 2002, Ullrich did not participate due to suspension, and Armstrong took top honors over Joseba Beloki of Espana past 7 minutes.

Again in 2003, information technology was the same story: Armstrong beat Ullrich past but a few minutes. In 2004, Armstrong won his record-setting sixth Bout de France, finishing 6 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of High german cyclist Andreas Klöden -- Ullrich finished fourth.

Armstrong again won in 2005 -- and so announced he would exist retiring to spend fourth dimension with his family and dedicating his efforts to his cancer foundation.

... and The Fall

In 2008, Armstrong came out of retirement. He continued to brush off doping allegations and he told ESPN he was prepared to have to work harder to continue to compete at an aristocracy level -- as he's now 37.

ESPN profiled Armstrong for his first race dorsum in January 2009, the Tour Down Nether in Commonwealth of australia. Of the 127 riders who completed the race, Armstrong finished a lackluster 27th.

Despite struggling in diverse races -- and still dodging allegations that he never competed in a Tour de French republic while clean -- Armstrong decided to participate in the 2009 race. Armstrong finished 3rd that July, simply equally ESPN's Bonnie Ford noted, information technology was still impressive: He was 38 and had been away from professional cycling for three years.

Ahead of the 2010 Tour de France, Armstrong said it would be his terminal race. Effectually this time, his onetime U.Due south. teammate Floyd Landis sent emails to cycling officials detailing his use of performance-enhancing drugs while racing for the U.Southward. Post team. Landis also accused Armstrong and other teammates of doing the same.

"I want to clear my conscience," Landis told ESPN at the time. "I don't desire to exist part of the trouble anymore."

Still denying allegations and claiming there was no proof, Armstrong competed in the 2010 Bout de France months after the Landis emails, coming in 23rd identify.

Armstrong couldn't avoid the allegations fifty-fifty in retirement. More of his former teammates started to interruption their silence in 2011, in a preview of the evidence they volition ultimately give confronting him in the U.Due south. Anti-Doping Bureau'south instance.

In October 2012, a USADA study confronting Armstrong left no doubt he doped throughout almost of his career. He didn't contest the case, was stripped of all accomplishments from August 1998 onward and ultimately received a lifetime ban from cycling.

Finally, Armstrong confessed publicly in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January 2013. The interview was emotionless, and it was unclear if Armstrong regretted what he did. He admitted to doping for every Bout de France he competed in and won.

In April 2018, the long legal road ended for both Armstrong and Landis when they reached a settlement in Landis' federal whistleblower case, which was pursued past the U.S. Department of Justice.