Lance Armstrong
Armstrong was born in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, and was raised by his mother, Linda Mooneyham,. His mother was only 17 years old when she gave birth to Lance. He greatly admires his mother and she has often been cited by Armstrong as his greatest influence. His biological father, Eddie Gunderson, has not personally seen Lance since walking out on them when his son was two. [1] (http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=1331)
Armstrong received his surname at the age of three, when his mother married Terry Armstrong. He began his sporting career as a triathlete, competing in seniors' competitions from the age of 16. It soon became clear that his greatest talent lay in racing bikes. At 17, he received an invitation to train with the Junior National Cycling Team. Plano Independent School District's school board said that the six-week leave to train taken during the second semester of his senior year would bar him from graduating. Armstrong withdrew from his high school. Plano East Senior High, with his mother's blessing and went to train with the team. He graduated from another high school in Dallas.Dallas the following spring and still harbors resentment toward Plano because of this and prefers his adopted home of Austin, Texas.After competing as a cycling amateur, winning the US amateur championship in 1991 and finishing 14th in the 1992 Olympics road race, Armstrong turned professional in 1992. The following year he scored his first major victory as he rode solo to win the World Road Championships in Oslo, Norway. His victory was so dominant (he had time to blow kisses to his mother in the home straight) that he was invited to an audience with the King of Norway, which he initially turned down after finding his mother was not included in the invitation. Minutes later, the King invited both.
His successes continued with Team Motorola, with whom he won stages in the 1993 and 1995 Tours de...
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