Top News

Goodbye, Armstrong

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-18 08:16

Legacy unprecedented

Among his achievements was raising the profile of cycling and the Tour in the United States.

"His legacy for our sport is unprecedented. He managed to make an entire country aware of the sport. He put it on the radar screen of a lot of young people and in a sense legitimized it," said USA Cycling Chief Executive Steve Johnson.

Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996 but survived and returned to the bike and went on to become one of the most successful and controversial cyclists of all time.

He won the Tour de France for an unprecedented seven consecutive years, from 1999 to 2005, before quitting the sport at the top.

He made a comeback in 2009 at age 37, saying he partly missed the thrill of competition but was driven by a greater cause, to help promote cancer awareness through his charity Livestrong.

Armstrong enjoyed mixed success but did not add to his record number of Tour de France wins. He finished a creditable third behind team mate Alberto Contador in 2009 then 23rd last year, after moving to the RadioShack team but suffering a series of crashes that ruined his chances.

Armstrong announced late last year that January's Tour Down Under would be his last international race. He planned to compete in a handful of events in the US this year, including the Tour of California, before revealing on Wednesday he was quitting for good.

"My focus now is raising my five children, promoting the mission of Livestrong, and growing entrepreneurial ventures with our great corporate partners in the fight against cancer," he said.

Reuters