Can anyone beat Lance Armstrong? The superstar American cyclist2 made cycling history by winning his fifth straight Tour de France. Here's a look at Lance Armstrong: the guy who's defeated cancer, the Alps3 and every other cyclist on the planet.
Lance Armstrong was born on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas. His parents divorced when Armstrong was really young and Lance was raised by his mother, Linda. Lance Armstrong got his first bicycle when he was seven and started riding every day. Some days Armstrong would cycle all the way4 to Oklahoma5 and would have to call his mom to come pick him up. Eventually, Lance Armstrong was able to bike home himself and started entering amateur6 races. During his senior7 year of high school, he moved to Colorado8 to train with the US Olympic development team for cycling.
Lance Armstrong competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona9, Spain, where he placed 14th in the road race. After the Olympics, Armstrong turned pro and joined the Motorola cycling team. His professional career10 didn't get off to a great start, as Lance Armstrong finished dead11 last in his first race. But in 1993, Armstrong won the World Road Race Championship in Oslo12, Norway and by 1996 Lance was the seventh-ranked cyclist in the world.
After competing in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Armstrong started to feel tired and weak and couldn't race as well as he used to. Doctors told Lance he had cancer in his testicles13. Lance Armstrong had one of his testicles removed and started massive14 chemotherapy15. The cancer eventually16 spread to Armstrong's brain and doctors only gave him a 40 percent chance of surviving17. That didn't stop Lance Armstrong from believing he could race again. Armstrong had surgery18 and several more doses19 of chemotherapy and was cancer-free by February, 1997.
Lance Armstrong returned to competitive cycling in 1998, and in 1999 he entered the Tour de France—a 2,274 mile race through the Alps. Armstrong dominated20 the race from start to finish and won the event by nearly seven minutes. Lance's amazing comeback from cancer made Armstrong a world-wide celebrity21 and an inspiration22 for other people with cancer. Since returning to competitive cycling, Lance Armstrong has been the world's most dominant23 force on two wheels. He won the Tour de France from 1999 to 2002 and won again in 2003 for a record-tying24 fifth consecutive25 title.
Interview
Q: What sports did you play as a kid? How did you get interested in cycling?
A: Well, I tried football and a few other sports, but when it came to the ones with balls, I wasn't very good. I was determined to be good at something, though. When I was in the fifth grade, my school had a running race. The night before, I told my mom I was going to be a champ. I won the next day and never looked back. I joined a local swim club and after a year was one of the best swimmers in the state. Not long after that, I entered my first triathlon26 and, without any training, won that. I liked the endurance27, the gritting-it-out28 part of triathlons.
Q: What does it feel like to race in the Tour de France?
A: It is a great feeling to be a part of a race that has such history and tradition. Mental29 toughness30 is also a big part of the race. For three weeks, you need to be ready to ride your bike every day. One bad day can cost you the race.
Q: Have you always been so strong in the mountain stages31?
A: The mountain stages have not always been my strong point. Prior to32 getting sick [with cancer], I was a little heavier, so climbing was a bit more difficult. When I recovered, I had lost some weight, so that made it a little bit easier to compete in the mountains. I have also trained a lot in the mountains. The mountains in the Tour de France are where the race is usually won and lost.
Q: How were you able to overcome cancer and get back to racing?
A: When I was sick, I tried my best to treat cancer like I would a race. I felt that if I was prepared and knowledgeable33, I could handle anything it threw at me. I was determined to win. I hated being sick and watching all the muscle I had built up deteriorate34. While I was taking chemotherapy treatments, I even tried to work out. It was a bit frustrating35 because normally I could ride for hours, but the smallest hills in my neighborhood seemed unmanageable36.
有谁能够战胜兰斯·阿姆斯特朗？这位来自美国的超级自行车选手连续5次赢得环法自行车大赛冠军从而创造了自行车赛事的历史。让我们来好好了解一下兰斯·阿姆斯特朗，这位战胜了癌症、阿尔卑斯山以及所有其他自行车选手的小伙子。
兰斯·阿姆斯特朗1971年9月18日出生在美国德克萨斯州普莱诺市。他还很小的时候父母就离婚了，他由母亲琳达抚养大的。阿姆斯特朗7岁的时候得到了自己的第一辆自行车，然后开始每天骑车。有时候，他会一路骑到俄克拉荷马州，然后不得不打电话给妈妈让她来接他。最终，阿姆斯特朗可以自己骑车回家了，并开始参加业余选手赛。高中三年级的时候，他搬到科罗拉多州，在美国奥林匹克自行车训练队接受训练。
阿姆斯特朗参加了1992年西班牙巴塞罗那奥运会，在公路自行车赛中获得第14名。奥运赛后，阿姆斯特朗成了职业选手，加入摩托罗拉自行车队。他职业生涯的首场比赛得了个倒数第一，可谓出师不利。但是，1993年，阿姆斯特朗获得了挪威奥斯陆世界自行车公路锦标赛的第一名。到1996年，他成为排名全球第七的自行车选手。
参加了1996年亚特兰大奥运会后，阿姆斯特朗开始感觉疲惫、虚弱，不能和平常那样参加比赛了。医生告诉他患了睾丸癌，他不得不切去一只睾丸，接受大量的化疗。癌症最终扩散到他的大脑，医生诊断说阿姆斯特朗只有40%的生存机会，但阿姆斯特朗坚信他能够重返比赛。他接受了外科手术和几次更大剂量的化疗，到1997年2月，癌症消失了。
1998年，阿姆斯特朗重新回到竞技自行车赛场，1999年参加了环法自行车大赛，这项赛事长达2，274英里、要穿越阿尔卑斯山。阿姆斯特朗从开始到结束一直遥遥领先，以差不多7分钟的优势赢得了比赛。阿姆斯特朗战胜癌症、重返赛场，使他名扬四海，也给许多癌症患者带来鼓舞。自从他复出以后，他一直是自行车赛事的主宰力量，从1999年到2003年连续5次赢得环法自行车大赛，平了环法自行车大赛历史上创造的同一选手连续5次获得冠军的纪录。
访谈
问：小时候你参加什么体育运动？你是怎样对自行车运动产生兴趣的？
答：小时候我尝试过橄榄球和其他一些体育运动，但是我对球类运动不是十分擅长，于是我决心在别的运动上玩出点名堂来。五年级的时候，学校举行跑步比赛。比赛的前一天晚上，我告诉妈妈我要得冠军，第二天我赢了，跑的时候我一直没有回头看别人。我还参加了当地的一个游泳俱乐部，一年后就成了全州最好的游泳运动员之一。之后不久，我参加了我的第一个三项全能比赛，没有经过任何训练就赢了。我喜欢三项全能比赛所需要的那种忍耐力、那种咬紧牙关坚持到底的毅力。
问：参加环法自行车大赛是什么样的感觉？
答：参加环法自行车大赛这样有悠久历史和传统的赛事，感觉真棒。精神上的坚韧不拔也是环法自行车大赛很重要的一个方面，连续三个星期你得天天全力以赴地骑，一天不行就全盘皆输。
问：山路赛段始终是你的强项吗？
答：山路赛段不总是我的强项，在我患癌症之前，我有些超重，所以山路我有些吃力。康复后，我减了一些体重，结果爬山稍微容易一些，我还在山路上进行过大量的训练。环法自行车大赛山路地段是真正决定比赛胜负的路段。
问：你是如何战胜癌症、重返赛场的？
答：生病的时候，我努力以参加比赛的态度和毅力来战胜癌症，我感觉如果我有备而来、多方获得有用的信息，我会对付所有降临到我头上的困难，我决心要赢，我不愿疾病压倒我、不愿看到我练出的肌肉慢慢萎缩下去。在我接受化疗的时候，我甚至还努力进行训练，但结果有些让人失望，因为我通常可以骑上几个小时，但我家附近的小山我好像也骑不过去。
1． Tour de Lance法语，意思是The Tour of Lance 这是对Toud de France（环法自行车赛）的仿拟
2． cyclist n． 自行车选手
cycle v． 骑自行车
3． the Alps n． 阿尔卑斯山[欧洲]
4． all the way 自始至终, 一路上
5． Oklahoma n． 俄克拉荷马州
6． amateur n． 业余爱好者
7． senior adj． 高级的
8． Colorado n． 科罗拉多州
9． Barcelona n． 巴塞罗那
10． career n． 事业，生涯
11． dead [ded] adv． 完全地， 绝对地
12． Oslo n． 奥斯陆(挪威的首都)
13． testicle n． 睾丸
14． massive adj． 巨大的
15． chemotherapy n． 化疗
16． eventually adv． 最后，终于
17． survive v． 幸存，生还
18． surgery n． 外科手术
19． dose n． 剂量
20． dominate v． 支配，占优势
21． celebrity n． 名人
22． inspiration n． 鼓舞
23． dominant adj． 占优势的，支配的
24． tie [tai] v． (比赛时的)同分， 平局
record－tying 意为“平纪录的”
25． consecutive adj． 连续的
26． triathlon n． 三项全能运动
27． endurance n． 忍耐(力)，持久(力)
28． grit的意思“咬紧牙关”，grit out是“咬紧牙关，坚持做完”的意思。
29． mental adj． 精神的
30． toughness n 韧性，坚韧
31． stage n． 一段路[旅程]
32． prior to 在前，居先
33． knowledgeable adj． 对……有丰富知识的
34． deteriorate v． 退化，变坏
35． frustrating adj． 受挫的
36． unmanageable adj． 不能控制的，无法处理的
37． cocoon n． 茧
38． back and forth 来来往往，来回地
39． load up 装载货物