After beating metastatic testicular cancer that had already spread to other parts of his body in 1996, all eyes were on Lance Armstrong when he returned to cycling the following year. But it was in 1999 when he won his first Tour de France -- the most prestigious and difficult race in cycling -- that his status was really elevated and he became one of the most revered athletes at the time.
Armstrong became a household name. He became a cause, a movement.
Armstrong was thrust into the international spotlight and helped increase the popularity of cycling globally. He won the Tour de France seven times in a row before retiring at the age of 33. Armstrong came back years later -- though not at the same level of dominance -- and raced in a handful of big races before retiring again.
Despite all his success and glory, Armstrong's career was not without controversy. From the beginning of his dominance in the cycling world, he was constantly accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs -- accusations he vehemently denied. Eventually, however, the truth caught up to him. In 2012, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories following a report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and in 2013, he admitted publicly that he doped during each of his Tour de France wins.
