Lance Armstrong is a four time winner of Tour de France, cancer survivor, husband, father, son, and most importantly a human being. The book has 289 pages. It is divided into eleven chapters and was published in 2001. I started it on August 30, 2014 and finished it on September 11, 2014.
Lance likes to do everything fast. He takes out his own stitches. He stays totally shaven for when gravel gets into his suit his skin is easier to clean and bandage. When he was twenty five years old he got testicular cancer, and had a forty percent chance of survival. He survived.
He says that cancer was the best thing that ever happened because it made him stronger. The disease made him a new man. A couple of days after his 25th birthday he started coughing up blood.
He couldn't take drugs because the racing forbade it. He was embarressed of his swollen testicle. His testicle was enlarged to three times its size. They had to do a full X ray. This was a very rare disease.
He never had a father-figure. His mother had him when she was seventeen. He was physically abused by his step father. He has said that "A bike is freedom to roam, without rules and without adults."He rode his bike 10 miles before he youst to swim. Then he swam five to seven miles in the morning. His Mom let him do this because she worked and it channeled Lances personality. When he was thirteen he saw a sign for junior triathlon this combined running swimming and biking. He won third in this event. There was another one in Houston. He won that one as well. His step father, Terry went along as well. Lance found writings to another woman. This led to his moms and Terry breaking up. Nevertheless he helped out as much as he could.
His mother was his best friend and organizer and motivation. He liked running traffic lights and once got hurt 3 days before a race. The doctor said he wasn't going to race. However, since he got bored sitting around, he entered the race. During his Senior year of high school he was invited to Moscow. He missed his school so much he was going to be left behind, his mom called every private school and explained. One of them helped. He went to the prom, since his mom never was in a limo she came along with his girlfriend. He rode in some races that older people could race in, and was told not to win because he could get in trouble, but he did. He was racing for Subaru Montgumery, he got in the lead against yhe coaches wishes. He liked to run traffic lights and got hurt once 3 days before a race, told he couldn't race, but did. His team was not in a good financial state. Lance wanted to win, but his manager told him not to. His teammate Chris defended him in winning. He ended up winning the race.
People were asking, "Who was this guy, and what's he all about?" He was the first American to win so he made his own rules of being very colorful, the press loved him for that. Lance asked his Mom to fly to Philadelphia to watch him race, it would cost her $1000. It was like a lottery ticket. If he won she would regret she wasn't there. He blew his mom a kiss on the last lap of the race, he won. He was the youngest to ever win.
In 1992 Tour de France Lances team lost someone very special but they continued in his memory. A total reexamination of Lances life when he got cancer, his mom was sure he was going to be alright. Chemo was moved from a week to Monday because it was spreading fast.
He went to a sperm bank to give and after he was told he has a very low count. He rode while in treatment to forget his situation for a while. His Mom made him food, but everything tasted like the chemicals they put in his body. He learned all about it, so he could beat it. He went to consult a doctor about his options. He had one Chemo therapy session. Some mysterious entity killed the cancer.
All his sponsors stayed with him throughout the Chemo and everything.
He had friends and family emotional support during his Chemo to keep his spirits up. He was active in his recovery. They tried to take his benifits away. The worse he felt, the better he got, which was because of the chemo. He still rode with friends a loop around the neighborhood. He got winded in the middle of a ride and had to be driven home.
Latrice Haney was Lances favorite nurse. She fixed him. He showed her pictures of him riding and all the places he's been. He explained that the bike had to fit your body. Armstrong got his license renewed in the middle of his therapy, to remember how sick he was. To always remember. He used it to brighten up a little boy, who needed encouragement.
Armstrong decided to start a foundation to help others that were in his predicament? His bartender friend helped him out a lot in his free time. He finished chemotherapy December 13, 1996. He met his wife, during a news story about it. She helped launch his cancer foundation. Armstrong became good friends with Kelly Davidson, another cancer patient.
Lisa, Lances wife gave him a kitten which they named Chemo. But then they broke up. Then they got back together. She became his hairstylist. She took him to Europe to The Tour dr France. He felt like he never saw either. He divorced her because they couldn't find any simalarities after his cancer.
Kik, Lances next girlfriend, boss said a disparaging remark about Lance at a party. After the party Lance wrote him a nasty email. Kik was proud of him but at the same time she feared her boss might fire her. When Lance told her they had a long talk over principles and employment.
Bill, who was Lances agent was trying to find him another team he could ride with. It waa difficult because every team said he won't ride as he youst to. Bill finally found one that was just forming, The USPS team. In January he would return to racing. He asked Kik to marry him before he went to Europe. Kik accepted.
Bill, his agent, quit. His first race he came in fourtenth. He almost quit because he didn't like the life style. He wanted to leave. But as for Kik she didn't want to because all her hard work in learning the language and beginning to make friends. Bill, made him wait until the Ride the Roses race in September.
While just riding in France he saw an eerie sight. He saw his name still on the rode, as it was painted on before his cancer. He took his bike on his honeymoon. Nothing bothered Kik very much. She liked the challenges a new place brought on. They wanted children, however Lance was infertile due to the cancer so the needed his sperm when he donated it before. Lance was fine talking about such matters after his testicular cancer, however Kik was very embarressed. Lance had paid $100 a year to keep his sperm. Kik was given viles Lupron to stick herself at 830 daily every night. On the last night she dropped it and panicked and then called the nurse in the hospital. They found a pharmacy that was still open that had Lupron and Kik got it in her at 845.
They were having a baby at the next Tour de France. The cancer completely reshaped Lances body. He wasn't riding in the races he considered of small impact. Some days Armstrong ran out of has in the middle of his training, he would call Kik and she would drive out and pick h up. She also would drive and bring him food on the riding. Och predicted Lances win his next Tour de France.
He was called Mr. Millimeter because of his anal retentiveness. Armstrong would rather have a medal for surviving cancer, then medal for the Tour De France.
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