Folk rave about the women's soccer world cup, as well they should. But here is the real American champion.
Armstrong Wins Tour de France
Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. (AP)
By Jocelyn Noveck
The Associated Press
Sunday, July 25, 1999; 12:42 p.m. EDT
PARIS (AP) – Lance Armstrong rode to victory in the Tour de France on Sunday, capping an amazing comeback from cancer and becoming just the second American to win cycling's showcase race.
Near death two years ago, Armstrong sprinted to the finish line on the Champs-Elysees to claim the inspirational victory that had seemed certain for days.
"The emotion is incredible," the smiling Texan said. "I never expected to be here. I never expected to win. It's a wonderful feeling."
The finish under brilliant skies couldn't have been more different from last year's. The 1998 race ended in rain after a disastrous drug scandal nearly ended the event and placed the entire sport under suspicion.
In fact, Armstrong was dogged in the last three weeks by accusations in the French media that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Many people couldn't believe that a cyclist recovering from testicular cancer could prevail in one of the most grueling competitions in all of sports.
There was no proof, however. The sport's ruling body, which tests the cyclists during the race, said the only drug Armstrong used was an approved prescription cream for saddle sores.
His victory was simply a remarkable example of grit and determination.
"It's a great honor," Armstrong said of his victory ride into Paris. "For American cycling, and for the cancer community."
The only other American to win the Tour de France was Greg LeMond, a three-time champion whose last victory came in 1990.
Armstrong's mother, Linda, was shaking and waving a small U.S. flag as she watched her son wave from the winner's podium. She called his cancer a "minor setback," and said "it was never in our minds" that he wouldn't recover.
Armstrong went into the audience to hug and kiss his wife, Kristin.
"He worked so hard to get this," she said. "He deserves it, every last bit."
Armstrong had a commanding 7-minute, 37-second lead over his top rival, Alex Zulle of Switzerland, going into the 20th and final stage, and only a disastrous fall could have denied him victory.
The stage was won by Australia's Robbie McEwen. He edged Germany's Erik Zabel in a furious sprint. Armstrong finished 86th – in the 86th Tour de France.
On Saturday, Armstrong won the race's final time trial just as convincingly as he'd won the other two in the race, further cementing his lead.
Armstrong, 27, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, and the disease spread to his brain and lungs.
After four rounds of chemotherapy and two operations – one to remove a testicle and one for brain lesions – he began his comeback early last year. His doctors say there is a tiny chance the cancer will return.
One of the keys to Armstrong's Tour de France victory was his ability to master the challenging mountain climbs that had always given him trouble. After he easily won the first stage in the Alps, he became the prohibitive favorite.
Alex Zulle finished second in the overall standings, and Spain's Fernando Escartin came in third at 10 minutes, 26 seconds behind.
Sunday's stage was a fairly easy 89-mile ride from Arpajon up to Paris, and then past many of the city's grandest sights: the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens with their giant summer ferris wheel, the arcaded Rue de Rivoli, the Place de la Concorde with its Egyptian obelisk, and then up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe for a loop that was repeated 10 times.
At the start of the stage, it was a time for humor and camaraderie in the pack. French national champion Francois Simon had dyed his hair the red-white-and-blue of his jersey. And not only was Armstrong clad in the yellow shirt of the leader, his wheel was, too, spokes and all.
Later, Armstrong was to lose that newly decorated wheel to a puncture, but his loyal teammates on the U.S. Postal Service team helped him back to the pack.
Asked as he rode off whether he ever imagined he'd achieve this victory after being so ill, he replied: "No, never."
The race was disappointing for the home country. French cyclists did not win a stage for the first time since 1926.
But it was a huge boost for American cycling. Even when LeMond won the race, it was not with an American team.
The 4-year-old U.S. Postal Service team had been euphoric throughout the race. Early on, team managing director Mark Gorski called an overall victory akin to a team of French players winning the Super Bowl.
But Armstrong was most concerned about what the victory would mean for cancer survivors.
"I hope it sends out a fantastic message to all survivors around the world," he said. "We can return to what we were before – and even better."
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press |
