Lance Armstrong

Born September 18, 1971, Lance Armstrong was raised by his mother Linda, a single parent, in their hometown of Plano, Texas. Gravitating to sports at an early age, Lance won the Iron Kids Triathlon at 13 and became a professional triathlete when he was just 16 years old. In 1999 Armstrong won the Tour de France, setting a new record for speed. By winning the four most important stages of the race, the three time trials and the first mountain stage, he earned a place among the great Tour winners of history. Only four cyclists before him had won the three time trials.

In October 1996 Armstrong was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer. He underwent three operations and one of the most aggressive forms of chemotherapy available. Describing his bout with the disease as "a special wake-up call," Armstrong became a spokesperson for testicular and other forms of cancer and founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation-a non profit organization established to benefit cancer research, awareness and early detection. In 1997 he was declared cancer-free.

In 1998 Armstrong married Kristin Richard. On October 12, 1999, Lance and Kristin celebrated the birth of their first child, Luke David Armstrong.