Lance Armstrong Overcame Cancer

LANCE ARMSTRONG OVERCAME CANCER to win the 1999 Tour de France. But the following year, the question remained whether he could endure the pain and repeat as the champion of the world’s most famous bicycle race.

The Texan began training for that year’s 23-day, 2,256-mile endurance contest seven months prior to its beginning. Shunning all fattening foods, including his favorite—peanut butter, Armstrong committed to a weight-loss program and trained by cycling over every mountain in the physically demanding French course.

During the 87th annual Tour de France’s early stages, Armstrong stayed in the pack to conserve his strength. By day nine, he had fallen to 16th place. But the defending champion shot into first place by 4:14 as the bikers entered the Pyrenees Mountains.

Adorned with the leader’s yellow jersey, the 28-year-old cyclist extended his lead by almost five minutes with a run up Mont Ventoux. Moving into the French Alps, Armstrong increased the margin to over seven minutes with only six stages remaining.

Despite losing two minutes the following day, Armstrong refused to yield. On day 19, he won his only stage and upped the lead to 6:02. On the day’s final run, which began at the Eiffel Tower and ended at the Champs Élysées, American students painted their faces with stars and stripes and cheered for their countryman. Lance Armstrong had won the 2000 Tour de France.

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POINT Lance’s discipline paid off. His willingness to forego simple pleasures like his favorite food helped bring victory. Armstrong’s biking over every single mountain on the 2,000-plus mile course gave him unprecedented experience and endurance.

Few individuals in life choose to exercise the self-discipline needed for incredible success. Most choose moderate discipline and moderate success. But in the Bible, Jesus told his followers to deny themselves and follow him.

GOAL! Make a list of your favorite foods.