Last Tour de France for Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong has revealed that this year’s Tour de France will be his last.
Armstrong has won the prestigious event a record seven times, winning consecutively from 1999 to 2005.
What made the 38-year-old’s Tour de France victories even more remarkable was that they were achieved after he overcame testicular cancer in the 1990s.
Armstrong originally retired from the sport after winning the 2005 Tour de France, but reversed that decision and returned to competitive cycling in early 2009, saying he missed the thrill of riding a bike.
The American has now, for the second time in his career, decided to call it a day. “And yes, this will be [my] final Tour de France. It's been a great ride. Looking forward to three great weeks,” Armstrong revealed on Twitter.
Armstrong returned to competitive cycling last year, and finished a superb third in last year’s Tour. His teammate Alberto Contador won the race, with Andy Schleck finishing in second.
This year, Armstrong will be the leader of Team RadioShack, a team he formed after falling out with Spaniard Contador at Team Astana.
Last month, Floyd Landis, a former teammate of Armstrong who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping after confessing to using performance-enhancing drugs, accused the American of cheating in 2002 and 2003. Landis later admitted there was nothing to support his claims.
The 97th Tour de France will begin on Saturday July 3rd with a prologue in Rotterdam and will end on July 25th.
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