lance armstrong tour de france winning margins

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Tour de France

These are records to beat at the tour de france, agence france-presse combs through the record books to find key benchmarks that have stood the test of time at the grande boucle..

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The 105th edition of the Tour de France is just hours away. Our friends at Agence France-Presse took a moment to comb through the record books to find some key benchmarks that have stood the test of time at the Grande Boucle.

Most wins at a single Tour de France: Eight by Charles Pelissier (1930), Eddy Merckx (1970, 1974), and Freddy Maertens (1976) Greatest number of stage victories: 34 by Merckx Greatest number of yellow jersey wearers: Eight in 1958 and 1987 Most days in yellow: 97 by Eddy Merckx Greatest number of Tour de France wins: Five by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. (Lance Armstrong won seven but was later stripped of them.) Most top three finishes: Eight by Raymond Poulidor (three second places and five third places) in 14 competitions between 1962-1976 Greatest win margin (since 1947): 28 minutes, 17 seconds by Fausto Coppi in 1952 Smallest win margin: 8 seconds (Greg LeMond over Laurent Fignon in 1989) Greatest number of green jersey wins: Six by Erik Zabel Greatest number of polka dot jersey wins: Seven by Richard Virenque Longest solo break: 253km by Albert Bourlon in 1947 Biggest time gap on a stage win: 22 minutes, 50 seconds by Jose Luis Viejo in 1976 Fastest time-trial average speed: 55.446kph by Rohan Dennis in 2015 over 13.8km Fastest team time-trial: 57.841kph by Orica in 2013 over 25km Fastest average speed for a stage win: 50.355kph by Mario Cipollini in 1999 over 194.5 km Fastest average speed of an entire Tour de France: 41.654kph by Lance Armstrong in 2005, later downgraded Oldest winner: Firmin Lambot ( 36 years , four months and nine days) in 1922 Youngest winner: Henri Cornet ( 19 years , 11 months and 20 days) in 1904 Oldest stage winner: Pino Cerami ( 41 years, 3 months and 3 days) in 1963 Youngest stage winner: Fabio Battesini ( 19 years , four months and 13 days) in 1931 Most Tour de France participations: 17 by George Hincapie (between 1996-2012), Stuart O’Grady (1997-2013), Jens Voigt (1998-2014), and Sylvain Chavanel (2001-2017)

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The Tour de France: in numbers

1 Team leaders are ones. There are 22 teams in the TdF (18 UCI WorldTour teams and four wild-card teams) with nine riders in each team (198 riders). Last year's winner, Chris Froome, sets off this year with the race number one, and his Sky team of "domestiques" – or support riders – will be numbered to nine. However, the next team's leader is not number 10, but 11, and the following team's leader is 21, and so on.

2 The number of rest days on the brutal 21-stage race, which starts on 5 July in Leeds and ends in Paris on 27 July covering 3,664km in total. Each day's "stage" lasts up to five and a half hours and covers up to 237.5km.

2.59 The biggest winning margin in hours. Actually, 2 hrs 59 mins 21 seconds – stats are sacred in this race – by Maurice Garin in the first-ever Tour de France in 1903. The Tour has run every year since, aside from the war years 1915-1918 and 1940-46.

4 The number of countries visited by this year's TdF: England, France, Belgium, Spain.

5 Record number of TdF wins by one rider (Lance Armstrong's 7 wins were expunged for doping), shared by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain. Indurain is the only rider to win five TdFs consecutively (1991-95).

6.8 The minimum weight of a bike in kilograms, introduced by the UCI in 2000 to guarantee that bikes are robust and safe enough to withstand the rigours of the race. The Pinarello Dogma F8 that Team Sky will be riding was designed in partnership with Jaguar to improve its aerodynamics and stiffness. Although the pros' bikes are custom-built, you can buy for one for just under £10,000.

Lance Armstrong during the 2005 Tour de France

8 seconds The smallest winning margin for a TdF, when Greg LeMond (the first English-speaking winner in 1986) beat Laurent Fignon in 1989.

24.1km/h Slowest average winning speed for a TdF – in 1919 by Ottavio Bottecchia, the first Italian winner of the TdF.

34 Record number of stage wins by any rider, by Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.

35 Number of minutes the riders have after crossing the finish line to present themselves at doping control for a routine urine test.

41.657km/h Fastest average winning speed for a TdF – in 2005 by Lance Armstrong. But, as we now know, he was juiced.

1,450 Number of beds reserved every day for the organisers and teams.

4,500 Number of participants in the TdF, including organisers, teams, media, partners, publicity caravan, service providers.

6,000 Average number of calories burned by tour cyclists a day – three times as much as a normal person. 8,000 calories is the number used in the mountains. Each stage has a feed station along the way, at which riders will grab a musette (bag) of energy bars and gels, as well as sandwiches and drinks from their support team standing by the side of the road.

€450,000 The prize money for the winner. Each stage winner receives €22,500.

12m Spectators lining the route (2012 figures) over the 21 days, of which 68% are men and 32% are women. For the first two stages in Yorkshire, 2 million people are expected to line the route.

3.5 billion Viewers worldwide will tune in to watch the Tour in 190 countries.

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The Legend of Lance: an Armstrong retrospective

He's gone but not forgotten. After winning an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France title,...

Tales from the peloton, August 3, 2005

He's gone but not forgotten. After winning an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France title, Lance Armstrong can lay claim to the title of greatest Tour de France rider in the history of cycling. It's a title not likely to be challenged for many years, and Cyclingnews' European Editor, Tim Maloney, takes a look at what makes Armstrong great.

The fourth oldest Tour de France winner at 33 years and 10 months, Armstrong said in his final Tour de France press conference, 'It's nice to finish your career on a high note. As a sportsman, I wanted to go out on top. I have absolutely no regrets. I've had an unbelievable career. I've been blessed to ride 14 years as a professional...I've been blessed with financial rewards that I never thought would be possible. There's no reason to continue. I don't need more. It's time for a new face...(I have) no regrets."

Armstrong was born September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas. As a youngster, he won the Iron Kids Triathlon at 13 and became a professional triathlete at only 16 years old. In 1988, Armstrong qualified to train with the US Olympic developmental team in Colorado Springs, Colorado and represented the USA at the Junior World Championships in Moscow in 1989. In 1990, he finished 11th in the World Championships in Japan. In 1991 Armstrong was the US National Amateur Champion on the Subaru-Montgomery team, winning the Settimana Bergamasca race in Italy for the US National team. and he remained an amateur competitor during the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona.

Armstrong turned pro for Motorola after the Olympics and in his first pro race, the 1992 Clasica San Sebastian World Cup, he finished dead last. The next week, Armstrong rebounded to finish on the podium (taking second) at the Championship of Zurich World Cup event. In 1993, his first full year as a pro, Armstrong won the US PRO Championship and a few weeks later, his first stage victory in the Tour de France in Verdun. On August 29, 1993 on a cold and rainy Sunday, Armstrong became one of the youngest World Champions in cycling history (21 years, 11 months) with a dramatic solo win in Oslo, Norway.

Wearing his rainbow jersey of World Champion in 1994, Armstrong was runner up in three big races; Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour du Pont and the Clasica San Sebastian, but did win the Thrift Drug Classic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1995, he dominated US racing again with wins in the Tour du Pont and KMart West Virginia Classic. Three days after the tragic death of his Motorola teammate Fabio Casartelli in the Tour de France following an horrific crash, Armstrong powered to a solo win on Stage 18 in Limoges with his fingers pointing towards heaven in a poignant homage to the fallen Italian. A month later, Armstrong took his first and only World Cup career victory at the Clasica San Sebastian in Spain.

Ranked world number one by the UCI as 1996 started, Armstrong soloed to victory in a cold Fleche Wallone, then repeated at Tour Du Pont. Armstrong abandoned the Tour de France and as a favorite in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games, Armstrong's performance was strangely sub-par. He then signed a rich contract with Cofidis, but three weeks later, on October 2, 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and his brain. As agressive with his treatment as he was with his cycling, Armstrong began a chemotherapy programme that was still relatively untested - a "cocktail" of chemicals called "VIP" (Vinblastine, Etoposide, Ifosfamide, Cisplatin) that would offer a chance for a full recovery from cancer with far less danger of losing lung capacity as a side effect. Although he started riding his bike again in the spring of 1997, his battle to beat cancer and the long comeback road ahead would keep Armstrong away from the pro peloton for a year and a half, and Cofidis ended up unceremoniously dumping the recovering Armstrong. The only team that would have Armstrong was the fledgling United States Postal Service pro cycling team, and in February 1998, Armstrong came back to racing at the Ruta del Sol in Spain where he finished 15th.

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A month later, Armstrong was at Paris-Nice race where the bad weather and a crisis of confidence caused the Texan to pull out abruptly and return home to Austin. But a month later, his friend and coach Chris Carmichael organised a training camp in Boone, North Carolina and Armstrong rediscovered his motivation for the sport of cycling. Armstrong won his first race back in Europe, the Tour de Luxembourg, then took the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfarht in Germany and returned to America in August of 1998 to win the Cascade Classic in Oregon. Upon his return to Europe in September, 1998, Arsmtrong was fourth in the Tour of Holland before stepping it up a notch, finishing fourth on GC in the Vuelta a Espana. Under cold rain and wind, Armstrong took two fourth places in the World TT and Road Race Championships in Valkenberg, Holland.

Late in 1998, Belgian Johan Bruyneel had joined the United States Postal Service team as sports director and he changed the game for Lance, telling Armstrong that he thought the American could win the Tour de France. As 1999 progressed, Armstrong took the ITT in the Circuit de la Sarthe and was a close runner-up in Amstel Gold, then rode well in the Dauphine' Libere' and Route du Sud. Entering the 1999 Tour de France as a dark horse, Armstrong took the prologue for his first ever maillot jaune, then proceeded to win three more stages before clinching his first ever Tour de France win. Armstrong repeated his Tour win in 2000, as well as winning a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics in the individual time trial.

In 2001, Armstrong added the Tour of Switzerland to his palmares and moved to the top of the UCI rankings, before winning the Tour de France for the third consecutive time with four stage wins. 2002 saw Armstrong equal Eddy Merckx with a hat trick of wins in the Midi-Libre, Dauphine' Libere' and Tour de France, where he and his legendary Blue Train of US Postal crushed the competition and Armstrong won four more stages. Leading up to the centenary Tour in 2003, Armstrong won the Dauphine' Libere', but a crash there caused him to dig deep down into his reserves. The 2003 Tour de France would be difficult for Armstrong, with a major defeat in the Cap Decouverte TT to Jan Ullrich. But Armstrong showed his character and determination to win at Luz-Ardiden and capture his fifth straight Tour de France victory, equaling Tour greats Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. For an unprecedented sixth straight Tour win in 2004, Armstrong came back stronger than ever, winning five stages and totally dominating the Tour, the final win for his US Postal Service squad.

In 2005, Armstrong opened the year by presenting his new team, the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team in Silver Spring, Maryland in January. After a slow start in a cold and snowy Paris-Nice, Armstrong announced his retirement at the end of the 2005 Tour de France in Augusta, Georgia, then helped his Discovery Channel teammate Tom Danielson win the Tour De Georgia. Armstrong and the Discovery squad were ready once again for the Tour de France. After a narrow loss in the opening 19km time trial to fellow Amerian Dave Zabriskie, Discovery Channel took the TTT. The American played his cards close to the chest all race long and only made one major attack, on the ascent to Courchevel. Armstrong finished his Tour with a win in the Saint-Etienne ITT for his 22nd career stage wins, placing him fifth on the TDF all-time stage win list. During Armstrong's seven-year Tour career, he wore the maillot jaune more than his USPS or Discovery Channel team jersey, notching 83 days in the maillot jaune and 64 without.

Tour de France career review and overall career palmares

Seventh Heaven

2005 began with the inaguration of Lance Armstrong's new team, the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. After a busy winter on the social scene at the Grammys, Oscars, etc, Armstrong started 2005 behind in his preparation. At Paris-Nice, the frigid air and hot racing was just the situation he wasn't looking for. Armstrong abandoned and headed back to Texas to train. Armstrong's next appearance was at the Tour of Georgia, where he announced he would retire at the end of the upcoming Tour de France, then helped his teammate Tom Danielson win the Georgia race, taking a step forward in his Tour de France preparations in the process.

As he began the quest for an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France win, Armstrong missed the maillot jaune in the Stage 1 time trial, where young American Dave Zabriskie bested his time by two seconds. Armstrong took over the leader's jersey four days later when his Discovery Channel team took the TTT stage from Tours to Blois as Zabriskie crashed in the final run-in and his CSC squad lost by two seconds. Not really wanting to defend the race lead so early, Discovery did so until Jens Voigt was 'King for a day', then Lance took the Tour de France leader's tunic back on the first mountain stage to Courchevel. His chief rivals Basso and Ullrich were distanced on the ascent, and once Lance had the maillot jaune back, 'Big Tex' went into defensive mode to make sure he would make it to Paris in yellow. Along the way he took the stage 20 time trial, proving his status as the greatest Tour de France champion ever.

2004: The pressure

Like Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, Lance Armstrong was attempting to go where no man had ever gone before. Six wins in the Tour de France would put the record on the shelf and Armstrong wanted it. His season began quietly in Spain, then after third place in the Criterium International in France, he headed back to the USA to be closer to his kids, taking a strong win in the Tour of Georgia while he was there. Back in Europe, Armstrong won Stage 5 atop Mont Saint Clair in the Tour of Languedoc-Roussilon (formerly Midi-Libre) and then a fourth in the Dauphine' Libere' as the Tour approached.

Armstrong was narrowly defeated in the Tour prologue in Liege, but his USPS-Berry Floor came back strongly to take the TTT in Stage 4 and give him the yellow jersey. The next day, the Tour's new leader let Frenchman Voeckler take over the mantle and then sat back and bided his time until Stage 13 to Plateau de Beille, where he exploded into the race and took control of the situation, even though Voeckler still had the maillot jaune.

The valiant young Frenchman hung on to the Tour lead for a few more stages until Stage 15 to Villard de Lans, where Armstrong won the stage and donned the leader's jersey. But Armstrong wasn't done; he dominated the Stage 16 l'Alpe d'Huez mountain time trial, then took a dramatic sprint win on Stage 17 to Le Grand Bornard, then administered the coup de grace in the final time trial on Stage 18 in Besancon. Armstrong had done it! By winning six straight Tours De France, the Texan had established a new record for victories in La Grande Boucle.

2003: The hardest win

In an intense, closely fought Tour de France, Armstrong pulled out his closest win ever, beating Jan Ullrich by just 1'01" to take the Centenary Tour for his fifth straight win, equalling Miguel Indurain's record. With the emotional turmoil surrounding his divorce causing him to lose focus in pre-Tour preparation, Armstrong was beset by minor physical problems at the beginning of the centenary Tour, which started with pomp and circumstance at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Finally, US Postal Service won their first team time trial on Stage 4, making USPS's Victor Hugo Peña the first Colombian to wear the maillot jaune. After a long solo break on Stage 7 to Morzine, Richard Virenque took the jersey from Armstrong's teammate, but it only lasted a day. As a summer heat wave continued to bake Europe, Stage 8 to l'Alpe d'Huez provided the opportunity for Armstrong to charge into the lead ahead of challengers Beloki, Mayo, Ullrich and former teammate Hamilton. On brutally hot Stage 9 to Gap, a fit and focused Beloki tragically crashed out of the Tour, while Armstrong's off-road excursion to avoid the fallen Spaniard on the descent of the Cote de la Rochette entered Tour de France history.

With his main competition out, Armstrong still struggled to take control of the 2003 Tour. As the Tour headed out of the Alps and south towards the Pyrenees, the blast furnace heat increased. At Stage 12's Gaillac- Cap' Découverte TT, a resurgent Ullrich rode himself back into Tour contention with a brilliant TT win over a "not great" Armstrong. Uli was just 34" behind the American as the Pyrenees started, and the American lost time again the next day on the final ascent to Plateau de Bonascre. But little by little, Armstrong began to feel better in the 2003 Tour as the opressive heat began to slacken. On Stage 15 from Bagnères-de-Bigorre to Luz-Ardiden, the legend of Lance enlarged. As the peloton began the steep final 13.4km climb of Luz-Ardiden awaiting an Uli-Lance battle, Armstrong and Mayo crashed as a spectators bag got entangled in Armstrong's handlebars, taking him and Mayo down. Both riders got up and chased back on, and then an energized, adrenalin fuelled Armstrong rode to the dramatic stage win ahead of Ullrich and Mayo, and turned the corner at the 2003 Tour de France. "This has been a Tour of too many problems; too many close calls, too many near misses," he said after his win in Luz-Ardiden. "I just wish it would stop and I could have some uneventful days."

Things were relatively uneventful until the penultimate stage, a 47km time trial from Pornic to Nantes. Ullrich was just 1'05" behind Armstrong and looked poised to give the American a run for his money. In contrast to the weather earlier that July, the day of the Stage 19 time trial dawned wet and windy. Ullrich had a strong ride until his crash on a slippery roundabout, which took away any chance he had of beating the American, while Armstrong was 3rd and clinched his fifth straight Tour win in the most exciting Tour de France for years. At the post-race press conference on the Champs-Elysées, Armstrong said, "It's a dream, really a dream to win my fifth Tour. Now it's difficult to think about it. This year, the Tour was very, very hard - the hardest - but now I'm very happy because it's finished and I'm really tired. But for sure, I'll be back next year. I love cycling. I love my job and next year I'll come back to go for a sixth win. We'll change my programme a little bit for next year and we'll hope for a little good luck next year since we had some bad luck this year."

2002: The year of the team

Armstrong opened his 2002 season well, with a second at the Criterium International, and then a win at the GP Midi Libre and Dauphine' Libere' in June to put his competitors on notice that the American would be very ready to race in July. Jan Ullrich was not on hand in 2002, as the talented German was plagued by a knee problem and other misadventures that kept him at home during July. Lance called 2002 Year Of The Team, as Armstrong fielded a solid squad that included Czech chomper Pavel "Jaws Padrnos and American Floyd Landis for the first time, as well as old pros Ekimov and Joachim, while Armstrong's key support came from a terrific trio of climbers, Roberto Heras, "Chechu" Rubiera and Colombian Victor Hugo Peña. Armstrong flexed his muscles in the Tour de France Prologue in Luxembourg, then gave up the yellow tunic as the Pyrennes commenced at La Mongie. Armstrong and his team steamrolled the peloton, with only Joseba Beloki of O.N.C.E. able to match his pace. The next day, as Laurent Jalabert charged across the Pyrenees to take the Maillot Pois at the Tour, Armstrong rode to his second straight stage win on Stage 12 to Plateau de Beille. As an appetiser for the Alps, Armstrong tried to conquer le Mont Ventoux, but a feisty Richard Virenque win prevented that. Still, Armstrong put almost two minutes into Beloki and solidified his Tour lead with a week to go. From there to the final ITT in Macon, Armstrong's USPS team controlled the race with an iron grip until Lance unleashed his final assault to win the final time test. At the end of Le Tour, it was Armstrong for his fourth straight win with over seven minutes in hand on Joseba Beloki.

2001: Another Triple Crown

Coming into the first Tour de France of the 21st century, Lance Armstrong changed his preparation with a win in the Tour Of Switzerland. The American came into the Tour with the #1 UCI ranking and after finishing third in the wet Dunkirk prologue, Armstrong played his cards close to the chest and on rainy Stage 8 to Colmar, a big break gained 35' and put Francis Simon in the Maillot Jaune. On Stage 10 from Aix-Les-Bains to l'Alpe d'Huez, Armstrong and USPS played poker, bluffing on the climb of the Col du Glandon to get Ullrich's Telekom team to work hard, then blasting away up the 13.9km ascent to l'Alpe d'Huez, where Lance's look back at a struggling Ullrich will be forever ensconced in cycling history. The next day, Armstrong did the double with back to back Alpine wins as he beat Ullrich by 1' in the Stage 11 Grenoble-Chamrousse mountain TT.

As the Alps ended and the Pyrenees began, Armstrong was still over 10' behind Maillot Jaune Simon, but he was 3rd on Stage 12 to Plateau de Bonascre and the next day, the American attacked brilliantly on the final ascent to Saint Lary Soulan (Pla d'Adet), winning the stage and finally taking over the Mailliot Jaune from the heroic Simon. In the final 61km Time Trial in St. Armand Montrond, Armstrong blew away the competition and rode into Paris two days later for his third straight Tour de France win. Lance's hat-trick was extra special, as he entered an exclusive club of 'three straight Tour' winners; Louison Bobet ('53,'54,'55), Jacques Anquetil ('61,'62,'63), Eddy Merckx ('69,'70,'71,'72) and Miguel Indurain ('91,'92,'93,'94,'95).

2000: This time, it's for real

Lance Armstrong began his first Tour de France title defence where he had clinched it the year before, at the bizarre Futuroscope amusement park. Armstrong and his USPS teammate Tyler Hamilton had dominated the Dauphine' Libere' and wearing a new USPS jersey design, the American was ready for Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani; both riders were back for the last Tour de France of the 20th century to beat Armstrong. The first man to best the USPS man was Scotsman David Millar, who showed his class and talent by just beating Armstrong in the Futuroscope prologue.

Armstrong cleverly bided his time for eight more stages until the Pyrenees, when he set the race alight on the rainy ascent to Hautacam behind stage winner Javi Otxoa and took over the maillot jaune with a scary display of climbing prowess ahead of the late Jose Maria Jimenez. Ullrich lost over three minutes to Armstrong that day. Armstrong went mano a mano with Pantani a few stages later on Mont Ventoux, where the Italian "won", but the bad vibes between Pantani and Armstrong started a feud that would light up the Alpine climbs. Pantani took the mountaintop stage finish in Courchevel, with Armstrong losing 50" and Ullrich a further 2'30" behind. On the rest day at Courchevel, Armstrong slammed Pantani at a press conference, who retaliated with a mad attack on the next day's 196km Stage 16 from Courchevel to Morzine. Pantani went on the Col de Saises and put Armstrong and his USPS teammates Hamilton and Livingston under a lot of pressure that day in a merry chase by Col des Aravis, Col de la Colombiere and Col de Joux-Plane. Pantani succeeded in cracking Armstrong, who struggled up the Joux-Plane, losing 2' to stage winner Virenque, but the Italian ended up abandoning the Tour and Armstrong kept his yellow jersey, 5'37" ahead of Ullrich.

Three days later, Armstrong took his only stage win of the 2000 Tour de France, dominating the 58.5 km Stage 19 TT from Fribourg-en-Brisgau, Germany to Mulhouse, France, beating Ullrich by 25 seconds. After 21 stages, Armstrong was six minutes ahead of Ullrich, while Joseba Beloki made his first Tour podium appearance for Festina in third.

1999: Comeback surprise

It wasn't a complete surprise that Lance Armstrong won the 1999 Tour de France. With the absence of 1998 winner Marco Pantani (blood control) and 1997 winner Jan Ullrich (crash), the race was wide open, with Swiss rider Alex Zulle as favourite. Third in 1998, Bobby Julich, was riding for the Cofidis team and sported dossard #1 with Pantani and Ullrich absent. After his third place in the '98 Vuelta, Armstrong proved that he could be competitive in a Grand Tour, but no one knew how the cancer survivor would do in the Tour de France. They found out pretty quickly, as Armstrong showed he was the strongest man in the race with an explosive Prologue win in Le Puy de Fou to take his first ever Maillot Jaune. On Stage Three, Armstrong gave up the Maillot Jaune to Kirsipuu, but was on the right side of a huge crash on the slippery maritime causeway of le Passage du Gois, where his main rivals Zulle and Escartin both lost six minutes by the finish in St.Nazaire.

At the first TT in Metz, Armstrong dominated and re-took the Maillot Jaune, while Julich crashed out hard in a moment that would be a major turning point in his career. The next day was the first mountain stage to Sestrieres, where Armstrong cancelled out any doubts about his climbing, winning Stage 9 and affirming that he was the man to beat in the 1999 Tour de France. Armstrong and his USPS team defended the Maillot Jaune well, despite losing Peter Meinert to a bad knee. At the penultimate stage in Futurscope, Armstrong took the time trial and rode into Paris exhausted and incredulous for his first Tour de France win, the sports comeback story of the 20th century.

2005: DISCOVERY CHANNEL: 2 victories

Stage 20 Tour de France: Besancon ITT Final General Classification: Tour de France

2004 US POSTAL SERVICE-BERRY FLOOR: 12 victories

Final General Classification: Tour de France Stage 18 Tour de France: Besancon ITT Stage 17 Tour de France: Le Grand Bornard Stage 16 Tour de France: L'Alpe d'Huez (crono) Stage 15 Tour de France: Villard de Lans Stage 13 Tour de France: Plateau de Beille Stage 5 Tour Of Languedoc-Roussilon: Mont Saint Clair Final General Classification: Tour Of Georgia Stage 3b: Tour Of Georgia: Rome ITT Stage 3a: Tour Of Georgia: Rome 4th Stage: Volta Algarve Portugal ITT 3rd Criterium International Stiphout Criterium: NL

2003 US POSTAL SERVICE: 5 victories

Final General Classification: Tour de France Stage 15 Tour de France: Luz Ardiden Final General Classification: Dauphine' Libere' Stage 3 Dauphine' Libere': Saint Heand ITT Graz Criterium Austria

2002 - US POSTAL SERVICE: 10 victories

Final General Classification: Tour de France Prologue: Tour de France: Luxembourg Stage 11 Tour de France: La Mongie Stage 12 Tour de France: Plateau de Beille Stage 19 Tour de France: Macon ITT Final General Classification: Dauphine' Libere' Stage 6 Dauphine' Libere': Morzine Final General Classification: GP Midi Libre 2nd Criterium International 3rd: Championship of Zurich GP Bittburger Nightime Criterium: GER Stiphout Criterium: NL

2001 - US POSTAL SERVICE: 8 victories

Final General Classification: Tour de France Stage 10 Tour de France: l'Alpe d'Huez Stage 11 Tour de France: Chamrousse ITT Stage 13 Tour de France: Saint Lary Soulan (Pla d'Adet) Stage 18 Tour de France: St. Armand Montrond ITT Final General Classification: Tour Of Switzerland Stage 8 Tour Of Switzerland: Crans-Montana Mountain TT Prologue TT Tour Of Switzerland: Rust 2nd: Amstel Gold World Cup 2nd: Classique des Alpes

2000 - US POSTAL SERVICE: 5 victories

Final General Classification: Tour de France Stage 19 Tour de France: Mulhouse ITT GP Eddy Merckx (w.Ekimov) GP des Nations Stage 11 Dauphine' Libere': ITT 2000 Olympic Games-Sydney, Australia: Bronze medal ITT 2nd: Paris-Camembert 3rd: Classique des Alpes 3rd GC: Dauphine' Libere' (KOM winner)

1999 - US POSTAL SERVICE: 11 victories

1st, Final General Classification: Tour de France 1st, Tour de France Prologue TT: Le Puy du Fou 1st, Stage 8, Tour de France: Metz ITT 1st, Stage 9, Tour de France: Sestriere 1st, Stage 19, Tour de France: Futuroscope ITT 1st, Stage 4, Circuit of the Sarthe ITT 1st, Stage 4, Route du Sud: Plateau de Beille 1st, Prologue TT, Dauphine' Libere' 1st, Draai van de Kaai Criterium Roosendal, NL 1st, Boxmeer Criterium, NL 1st, Heerlen Criterium, NL 2nd, Amstel Gold Race

1998 - US POSTAL SERVICE: 5 victories

1st, Stage 1 + Final General Classification: Tour Of Luxembourg 1st, Final General Classification: Rheinland Pfalz Rundfart 1st, Final General Classification: Cascade Classic 1st, Ride For The Roses Criterium, Austin 2nd, First Union Invitational 4th, Road Race, World Championships 4th, Time Trial, World Championships 4th, Stage Tour of Spain 4th, Tour of Holland

1997: Not Active

1996 - MOTOROLA: 8 victories

1st, Fleche Wallone 1st, five stages & Final General Classification: Tour du Pont 1st, Stage 11, Fresca International Series 2nd, Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2nd, GP Eddy Merckx ITT 2nd GC, Paris-Nice 2nd GC, Tour Of Holland

1995 - MOTOROLA: 9 victories

1st, Stage 18 Tour de France: Limoges 1st, Clasika San Sebastian World Cup 1st, Stage 5 Paris-Nice: St. Etienne 1st, Stage 4, 5 (ITT), 9 + Final General Classification: Tour du Pont 1st, Stage 4 + Final General Classification: KMart West Virginia Classic 2nd: Thrift Drug Classic

1994 - MOTOROLA: 3 victories

1st, Stage 7: Beech Mountain Tour du Pont 1st, Thrift Drug Classic 1st, Stage 5: Beckley KMart Classic 2nd, Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2nd, Tour du Pont 2nd, Clasica San Sebastian

1993 - MOTOROLA: 11 victories

1st, World Professional Road Championship, Oslo, Norway 1st, Stage 8 Tour de France: Verdun (youngest postwar rider to win TDF stage at 21 years, 9 months, 23 days) 1st, Stage 3: Tour Of Sweden: Helmstad 1st, USPRO National Championships 1st, Prologue TT, Wheeling 1st, Stage 1, Wheeling & Final General Classification 1st, KMart Classic, West Virginia 1st, Thrift Drug Classic (Winner, $1 million Thrift Drug Triple Crown Prize) 1st, Trofeo Laigueglia 1st, Stage 5, Tour du Pont: Beech Mountain 2nd, Tour du Pont 3rd Overall, Tour Of Sweden 1st Overall, Tour Of America

1992 - MOTOROLA: 2 victories (pro)

1st, Stage 4a, Vuelta Galicia, Spain 1st, GP Sanson-Marostica, Italy 2nd, Championship of Zurich Professional 8 August 1992 (Clasika San Sebastian) Stage 6: Settimana Bergamasca (amateur) Stage 6 & Final General Classification: Lonsjo Classic USA (amateur)

Total: 92 professional victories

1991 - SUBARU-MONGOMERY (Amateur)

US National Amateur Champion 1st overall, Settimana Bergamasca 1st, Gastown GP: Vancouver BC

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Lance Armstrong wins seventh Tour de France

On July 24, 2005, American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins a record-setting seventh consecutive Tour de France and retires from the sport. After Armstrong survived testicular cancer, his rise to cycling greatness inspired cancer patients and fans around the world and significantly boosted his sport’s popularity in the United States. However, in 2012, in a dramatic fall from grace, the onetime global cycling icon was stripped of his seven Tour titles after being charged with the systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Born on September 18, 1971, in Plano, Texas , Armstrong started his sports career as a triathlete, competing professionally by the time he was 16. Biking proved to be his strongest event, and at age 17 he was invited to train with the U.S. Olympic cycling developmental team in Colorado . He won the U.S. amateur cycling championship two years later, in 1991, then finished 14th in the road race competition at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He turned pro later that year but finished last in the Classico San Sebastian, his first race as a professional. In 1993 he bounced back to win 10 titles, including his first major race, the World Road Championships. That same year, he also competed in his first Tour de France, the grueling three-week race that attracts the world’s top cyclists, and won the eighth stage. In 1995 he again won a stage of the Tour de France, as well as the Tour DuPont, a major U.S. cycling event.

Armstrong began 1996 as the number-one-ranked cyclist in the world, but he chose not to race the Tour de France and performed poorly at that year’s Olympics. After experiencing intense pain during a training ride, he was diagnosed in October 1996 with Stage 3 testicular cancer, which had spread to his lungs and brain. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, then began training again in early 1997. Later that year, he signed with the U.S. Postal Service team. After he quit in the middle of one of his first races back, many thought his career was over. However, after taking some time off from competition, Armstrong came back to finish in the top five at both the Tour of Spain and the World Championships in 1998.

In 1999, to the amazement of the cycling community, Armstrong won his first-ever Tour de France and went on to win the race for the next six consecutive years. In addition to his seven overall wins (a record for both total and consecutive wins), he won 22 individual stages and 11 individual time trials, and led his team to victories in three team time trials between 1999 and 2005. After retiring in 2005, Armstrong made a comeback to pro cycling in 2009, finishing third in that year’s Tour and 23rd in the 2010 Tour. He retired for good from the sport in 2011 at age 39.

Over the years, Armstrong’s intense training regimen and his famed dominance in the difficult and treacherous mountain stages of the Tour de France inspired awe among both fans and opponents. His cycling cadence, which averaged 95 to 100 rotations per minute (rpm) but reached as high as 120 rpm, was considered remarkable, particularly during climbs. In addition to being an exceptionally talented climber, Armstrong performed extremely well in time trials.

Throughout his career, Armstrong, like many other top cyclists of his era, was dogged by accusations of performance-boosting drug use, but he repeatedly and vigorously denied all allegations against him and claimed to have passed hundreds of drug tests. In June 2012 the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), following a two-year investigation, charged the cycling superstar with engaging in doping violations from at least August 1998, and with participating in a conspiracy to cover up his misconduct. After losing a federal appeal to have the USADA charges against him dropped, Armstrong, while continuing to maintain he had done nothing wrong, announced on August 23 that he would stop fighting the charges. The next day, USADA banned Armstrong for life from competitive cycling and disqualified all his competitive results from August 1, 1998, through the present.

On October 10, 2012, USADA released hundreds of pages of evidence, including sworn testimony from 11 of Armstrong’s former teammates, that the agency said demonstrated Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service team had been involved in the most sophisticated and successful doping program in the history of cycling. A week after the USADA report was made public, Armstrong stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer awareness foundation, and also was fired from many of his endorsement deals. On October 22, Union Cycliste Internationale, the cycling’s world governing body, announced that it accepted the findings of the USADA investigation and officially was erasing Armstrong’s name from the Tour de France record books and upholding his lifetime ban from the sport.

After years of denials, Armstrong finally admitted publicly, in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on January 17, 2013, he had doped for much of his cycling career, beginning in the mid-1990s through his Tour de France victory in 2005. He admitted to using a performance-enhancing drug regimen that included testosterone, human growth hormone, the blood booster EPO and cortisone.

READ MORE: 9 Doping Scandals That Changed Sports

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Armstrong Wins a Record Sixth Tour de France

Brian Naylor

All Things Considered audio

Lance Armstrong won a record sixth straight Tour de France. Reuters hide caption

Lance Armstrong on his way to a six-straight win in the Tour de France. Reuters hide caption

American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France in Paris, setting a new record with six victories. The final margin between Armstrong and his nearest competitor, German Andreas Kloden, was 6 minutes, 19 seconds.

Last year's runner-up, Jan Ullrich, placed fourth in the three-week race, behind Ivan Basso. Hear NPR's Brian Naylor and John Wilcockson of Velo News.

Lance Armstrong Wins Seventh Tour de France

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

It’s over. Seven Tours de France in seven years. Eighty-three yellow jerseys. Twenty-one stage victories.

Discovery team portrait

With a smile the size of Texas, Lance Armstrong crossed the finish line in Paris after 86 hours, 15 minutes, and two seconds of riding over 2,242 miles, etching his name into history as the most dominant rider ever in the Tour de France, and leaving his career as a professional cyclist on the zenith of his powers. The 33-year-old took the podium with his three children at his side, kissing his final pair of models, and held his final spoils—the trophy, a bouquet, the saffron stuffed lion, and the yellow jersey he has virtually owned since 1999, the year Armstrong won his first Tour after recovering from testicular cancer. Team CSC’s Ivan Basso finished second, and German Jan Ullrich, Armstrong’s greatest rival over the past seven years, was on his left in third place as the Star-Spangled Banner rang out over the Champs-Elysees. “For me to end a career with this podium is perfect. It’s really a dream podium,” Armstrong told the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), addressing the crowd from the tallest of three awards platforms. He thanked his sponsors and competitors, then alluded to the cavernous hole that will exist in the peloton next year by his retirement. “Ivan, maybe this is your step or Jan, maybe this is yours. I’m out of it, so it’s up to you guys.” Rain on the final day in Paris caused race referees to stop the clock due to fears that the riders would crash en masse on the eight laps and tight turns around the Champs-Elysees. The decision gave Armstrong the victory without the need to ride hard for the finish line. However, after Armstrong won the individual time trial yesterday—his first stage victory of the year—his win was sealed. Armstrong rode part of the day with a glass of champagne in hand, flashing the number seven to the cameras. The referees’ decision to kill the clock didn’t stop the sprinters in their fight for the final stage victory of the Tour. T-Mobile’s Alexandre Vinokourov, the national champion of his native Kazakhstan, who has continually challenged the leaders with bold attacks throughout the Tour, blasted out of the peloton with just under a mile to go. He held off Bradley McGee of Francaise des Jeux and Fassa Bortolo’s Fabian Cancellara to win his second stage of the Tour. Behind him, Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) was sprinting to fend off Cofidis’ Stuart O’Grady and Davitamon-Lotto’s Robbie McEwen in the points competition—the only jersey left undecided coming into Paris. Though Hushovd was beaten by both, the lion’s share of points went to Vinokourov, and with 194 collected over the course of the Tour, Hushovd kept the green jersey he has worn since the previous leader, Tom Boonen (Quick-Step), abandoned the race in Stage 12. O’Grady was just behind him with 182 points. Confusion lingered about the overall standings behind Armstrong even after the last riders had crossed the line. With the clock stopped, the referees had originally announced that riders would not be given time bonuses for placing highly in the intermediate sprint to the finish line. That appeared to mean Gerolsteiner’s Levi Leipheimer, who was just 77 hundredths of a second ahead of Vinokourov, had clinched fifth place and there would be no head-to-head sprint between the two elite riders. But the sun came out and dried the course along the Champs-Elyssees over the final laps. After Vinokourov crossed the line, the judges announced that the usual time bonuses would be awarded for the day’s top positions. The critical seconds Vinokourov was awarded for winning the day shot him into fifth, ahead of Leipheimer, who finished sixth. In the overall standings Armstrong beat Basso by 4:40, the second slimmest margin of his seven Tour victories. Ullrich was 6:21 behind in third, and Illes Balear’s Francisco Mancebo finished 9:59 back. After a powerful showing in the Alps and Pyrenees, riding with and even ahead of Armstrong through the mountain stages, Mickael Rasmussen won the polka dot climber’s jersey. Discovery Channel’s Yaroslav Popovych was awarded the white jersey for the best young rider. The award for the most combatitive rider of the race was given to Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) who launched the most aggressive attacks, winning one stage and finishing close in several others. He finished 10th overall. T-Mobile, the team boasting the likes of Ullrich, Vinokourov, and Andreas Kloden, who abandoned in Stage 17 with a broken wrist, won the overall team competition, finishing with a cumulative 14:57 ahead of Armstrong’s Discovery Channel team.

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Lance Armstrong wins seventh consecutive and last Tour de France

Lance Armstrong closed out his amazing career with a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory today — and did it a little earlier than expected.

PARIS — Lance Armstrong closed out his amazing career with a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory today — and did it a little earlier than expected. Because of wet conditions, race organizers stopped the clock as Armstrong and the main pack entered Paris. Although riders were still racing, with eight laps of the Champs-Elysees to complete, organizers said that Armstrong had officially won. The stage started as it has done for the past six years — with Armstrong celebrating and wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey. One hand on his handlebars, the other holding a flute of champagne, Armstrong toasted his teammates as he pedaled into Paris to collect his crown. He held up seven fingers — one for each win — and a piece of paper with the number 7 on it. When it was over, Armstrong saluted the race he’s made his own. “Vive le Tour, forever,” he said. Armstrong choked up on the victory podium as he stood next to his twin 3-year-old daughters — dressed in bright yellow dresses, appropriately — and his son. His rock star girlfriend Sheryl Crow, wearing a yellow halter top, cried during the ceremony. “This is the way he wanted to finish his career, so it’s very emotional,” she said. Looking gaunt, his cheeks hollow after riding 2,232.7 miles across France and its mountains for three weeks, Armstrong still could smile at the end. He said President Bush called to congratulate him. Armstrong’s new record of seven wins confirmed him as one of the greatest cyclists ever, and capped a career where he came back from cancer to dominate cycling’s most prestigious and taxing race. Standing on the podium, against the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe, Armstrong managed a rare feat in sports — going out on the top of his game. He previously said that his decision was final and that he was walking away with “absolutely no regrets.” Armstrong mentioned Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan and Andre Agassi as personal inspirations. “Those are guys that you look up to you, guys that have been at the top of their game for a long time,” he said. As for his accomplishments, he said, “I can’t be in charge of dictating what it says or how you remember it.” “In five, 10, 15, 20 years, we’ll see what the legacy is. But I think we did come along and revolutionize the cycling part, the training part, the equipment part. We’re fanatics.” Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan eventually won the final stage, with Armstrong finishing safely in the pack to win the Tour by more than 4 minutes, 40 seconds over Ivan Basso of Italy. The 1997 Tour winner, Jan Ullrich, was third, 6:21 back. “It’s up to you guys,” Armstrong said, forecasting the Tour future. Armstrong’s sixth win last year already set a record, putting Armstrong ahead of four other riders — Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, Belgian Eddy Merckx and Spaniard Miguel Indurain — who all won five Tours. Along the way, he brought unprecedented attention to the sport, and won over many who had dismissed it. “Finally, the last thing I’ll say for the people who don’t believe in cycling — the cynics, the skeptics — I’m sorry for you,” Armstrong said. “I’m sorry you can’t dream big and I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles. But this is one hell of a race, this is a great sporting event and you should stand around and believe.” Armstrong’s last ride as a professional — the closing 89.8-mile 21st stage into Paris from Corbeil-Essonnes south of the capital — was not without incident. Three of his teammates slipped and crashed on the rain-slicked pavement coming around a bend just before they crossed the River Seine. Armstrong, right behind them, braked and skidded into the fallen riders. Armstrong used his right foot to steady himself, and was able to stay on the bike. His teammates, wearing special shirts with a band of yellow on right shoulder, recovered and led him up the Champs-Elysees at the front of the pack. Organizers then announced that they had stopped the clock because of the slippery conditions with more than 10 miles to go. Vinokourov surged ahead of the main pack to win the last stage. He had been touted as one of Armstrong’s main rivals at the start of the Tour on July 2, but like others was overwhelmed by the 33-year-old Texan. Armstrong’s departure begins a new era for the 102-year-old Tour, with no clear successor. His riding and his inspiring defeat of cancer attracted new fans — especially in the United States — to the race, as much a part of French summers as sun cream, forest fires and traffic jams down to the Cote d’Azur. Millions turned out each year, cheering, picnicking and sipping wine by the side of the road, to watch him flash past in the race leader’s yellow jersey, the famed “maillot jaune.” Cancer survivors, autograph hunters and enamored admirers pushed, shove, and yelled “Lance! Lance!” outside his bus in the mornings for a smile, a signature, or a word from the champion. He had bodyguards to keep the crowds at bay — ruffling feathers of cycling purists who sniffed at his “American” ways. Some spectators would shout obscenities or “dope!” — doper. To some, his comeback from cancer and his uphill bursts of speed that left rivals gasping in the Alps and Pyrenees were too good to be true. Armstrong insisted that he simply trained, worked and prepared harder than anyone. He was drug-tested hundreds of times, in and out of competition, but never found to have committed any infractions. Armstrong came into this Tour saying he had a dual objective — winning the race and the hearts of French fans. He was more relaxed, forthcoming and talkative than last year, when the pressure to be the first six-time winner was on. Some fans hung the Stars and Stripes on barriers that lined the Champs-Elysees on Sunday. Around France, some also urged Armstrong to go for an eighth win next year— holding up placards and daubing their appeals in paint on the road. Armstrong, however, wanted to go out on top — and not let advancing age get the better of him. “At some point you turn 34, or you turn 35, the others make a big step up, and when your age catches up, you take a big step down,” he said Saturday after he won the final time trial. “So next could be the year if I continued that I lose that five minutes. We are never going to know.”

Tour de France facts: stats from the world's biggest bike race

We all know Armstrong was a long term cheater and that a win from Bernal this year would go down in history - but records go back much further...

Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas finish stage 20 of the Tour de France 2019 (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

With the Tour de France caravan upon us, a long August and September of racing stretches out ahead of the peloton and its fans.

>>> Tour de France 2020 route

The French Grand Tour is the most famous of the three, and attracts record audiences - with a claimed 3.5 billion people in 190 different countries reportedly tuning in annually.

We're now embarking upon the 107th edition of the race, which first took place in 1903 - as a marketing ploy to up the sales of the newspaper L'Auto.

We've come a long way, since. Here are some of the perfect stats to accompany your next Tour watching pint...

Fastest Tour de France: 41.7 kph

Unsurprisingly, the fastest ever race, overall, came in the Armstrong years. Lance rode 3592.5 km in 86 hours 15 minutes 02 seconds - at an average speed of 41.7 kph (25.9 mph). He had some support.

Individual stages can be even faster.

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The fastest road stage was the 194.5km stage from Laval to Blois in 1999, which was won by Mario Cipollini at a blistering 50.4kph.

Rohan Dennis holds the fastest time trial crown, with his 2015 stage one performance at 55.45kph. He did only have to ride 13.8km, though.

Slowest Tour de France: 24.1km/h

On the other end of the scale, in 1919, Firmin Lambot won the race with the slowest ever winning average speed of 24.1km/h.

Longest Tour de France: 1926

In 1926, the route was 5745 kilometres long - that's 3570 miles. That year, there were only 17 stages, but the longest of them was 433 km from Metz to Dunkerque. At least it was flat.

The 2019 route is 3460km/2150m - and the longest stage will be on day seven, at 230km from Belfort to Chalon-sur-Saône.

Most impressive cheating effort: Unawarded

It's hard to choose one winner of this subjective category.

The Lance Armstrong era is of course renowned for its cheating history, with the seven time winner being stripped of all his titles gained from 1998 and 2005 following his admission of doping .

However, cheating at the Tour de France far pre-dates the late 90s. In fact, the race's first winner, Maurice Garin was stripped off his second title in 1904 along with eight other riders.

>>> 14 Tour de France rules you probably didn’t know

The cheating was arguably more creative then - including (but not limited to), the use of public transport (trains), being motor paced by a vehicle (attached to the rider via a cork and wire mechanism, held in the mouth), sabotaging the competition with itching powder and having on-side fans throw tacks onto the road in front of rivals.

So - who should win the competition? Hard to say, but Garin and his contemporaries certainly win for inventiveness.

Participation award: Sylvain Chavanel

The French cyclist started 18 editions of the Tour de France, between 2001 and 2018. He didn't finish in 2007 or 2012, but still holds the award for most finishes, jointly with Dutch rider Joop Zoetemelk.

The two had been ousted by George Hincapie, but his doping disqualifications put pay to his place in the chart.

Most stage wins: Eddy Merckx

AKA: The Cannibal

Mercx famously has 34 stage wins to his name. It's no secret that surpassing this target is a goal for Bahrain McLaren's Mark Cavendish - however the 35-year-olds non-selection for the 2020 Tour de France has put his pursuit of the goal on hold.

Merckx also holds the title for most days in the yellow jumper - at 96.

Most overall wins: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain

It's a tie between these four big hitters, who have each won the Tour five times.

Chris Froome (Team Ineos) had hoped to try to equal them and get into the quintet club this year, but he didn't make the cut for Team Ineos as he still recovers from his 2019 crash .

Most stage wins, nationally: France

Riders from the home nation have successfully got their hands in the air 702 times.

Unfortunately for the French, the country's last GC winner was Bernard Hinault, back in 1985 - that's 34 years ago now.

Smallest winning margin: 8 seconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzjv1XpGJnc

Entering the final stage of 1989 Tour de France, two-time winner and Frenchman Laurent Fignon led by 50 seconds.

But using aerobars and a new sleek aero helmet, Greg LeMond managed to complete the course 58 seconds up on him, to take the overall by just 8s, after over 2000 miles of racing.

It's long been noted that Fignon's ponytail, which caught the wind throughout, may well have cost him his third win.

Largest winning margin: 2 hours 49 minutes 45 seconds

That was the difference between 1903 winner Maurice Garin and second placed Lucien Pothier.

Oldest rider to win: Firmin Lambot

The oldest ever winner of the Tour de France was Firmin Lambot, at 36-years-old when he proved himself the fastest in 1922.

He's not the oldest Grand Tour winner, however, that title goes to Chris Horner who took the top step at the Vuelta a España aged 41 back in 2013.

Youngest rider to win: Henri Comet

The naysayers suggest that Team Ineos' Egan Bernal is just too young to win this year's Tour, at 22-year-old. But the bookies favourite would be far from the youngest. Comet was 19-year-old when he won in 1904.

Admittedly, that was following the eight disqualifications that took place for cheating that year.

>>> Tour de France commentator bingo

Arguably, though, Comet's shoes are not the best to aim to fill. The following three years, he did not finish, coming eighth in 1909, before another DNF, then 16th, 12th and 28th from 1910 to 1912.

Last female winner: Emma Pooley

The last edition of the Women's Tour de France took place in 2009 - and it was won by Britain's own Emma Pooley. Nicole Cooke won twice, in 2006 and 2007 too.

The lack of a women's Tour de France is a bone of contention for many. Organisers, ASO, finally agreed to put on a one day race ' La Course ' in 2014.

However, they've never let it get beyond a two-day event, with the decision to opt for a 'pursuit' style handicap time trial in 2017 a particular disappointment.

But now, the women's Tour de France has been given the go ahead for 2022 by the head of the UCI, David Lapartient.

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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!

I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.

It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.

After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.

When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.

My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.

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Lance Armstrong Wins Sixth Tour de France

PARIS – Lance Armstrong ( search ) rode into history Sunday by winning the Tour de France ( search ) for a record sixth time, an achievement that confirmed him as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time.

His sixth crown in six dominant years elevated Armstrong above four champions who won five times. And never in its 101-year-old history has the Tour had a winner like Armstrong -- a Texan who just eight years ago was given less than a 50 percent chance of overcoming testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain.

Armstrong's unbeaten streak since 1999 has helped reinvigorate the greatest race in cycling ( search ), steering it into the 21st century. And the Tour, as much a part of French summers as languid meals over chilled rose, molded Armstrong into a sporting superstar.

No. 6. The record. The achievement was almost too much even for Armstrong to comprehend.

"It might take years. I don't know. It hasn't sunk in yet. But six, standing on the top step on the podium on the Champs-ElysÄees is really special," he said.

For him, the final ride into Paris and its famous tree-lined boulevard was a lap of honor he savored with a glass of champagne in the saddle. Even Jan Ullrich, his main adversary in previous years who had his worst finish this Tour, gulped down a glass offered by Armstrong's team manager through his car window.

Belgian rider Tom Boonen won the final sprint, with Armstrong cruising safely behind with the trailing pack to claim his crown. Armstrong's winning margin over second-placed Andreas Kloden was 6 minutes, 19 seconds, with Italian Ivan Basso in third at 6:40. Ullrich finished fourth.

Armstrong opened a new page for the Tour in 1999 just one year after the race faced its worst doping scandal, ejecting the Festina team after police caught one of its employees with a stash of drugs.

Armstrong's victories and his inspiring comeback from cancer have drawn new fans to the race. His professionalism, attention to detail, grueling training methods and tactics have raised the bar for other riders hoping to win the three-week cycling marathon.

Eye-catching in the bright yellow race leader's jersey he works so hard for, Armstrong donned a golden cycling helmet for a relaxed roll past sun-baked fields of wheat and applauding spectators into Paris from Montereau in the southeast.

He joked and chatted with teammates who wore special blue jerseys with yellow stripes. They stretched in a line across the road with their leader for motorcycle-riding photographers to record the moment. The team was the muscle behind Armstrong's win, leading him up grueling mountain climbs, shielding him from crashes and wind, and keeping him stoked with drinks and food.

With five solo stage wins and a team time-trial victory with his U.S. Postal Service squad, this was Armstrong's best Tour, one in which he was forced -- once again -- to defend himself against accusations that he might be taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Armstrong built his lead from Day 1, placing second in the third-fastest debut time trial in Tour history. That performance silenced doubts that Armstrong, at 32, was past his prime.

Even more so than in other Tours that he dominated, he finished off rivals in the mountains -- with three victories in the Alps, including a time trial on the legendary climb to L'Alpe d'Huez, and another in the Pyrenees. He also took the final time trial on Saturday, even though he his overall lead was so big he didn't need the win.

"We never had a sense of crisis, only the stress of the rain and the crashes in the first week," Armstrong said. "I was surprised that some of the rivals were not better. Some of them just completely disappeared."

Basque rider Iban Mayo peaked too early when he beat Armstrong in the warm-up Dauphine Libere race three weeks before the Tour. Mayo crashed in the Tour's rain-soaked, nervous first week, racing toward a treacherous stretch of cobblestones that Armstrong crossed safely. Mayo finally abandoned the race after the Pyrenees, his morale shot after two disappointing rides in the mountains where he'd hoped to win in front of Basque fans.

Former Armstrong teammates Roberto Heras, left trailing in the mountains, and American Tyler Hamilton, badly bruised in a crash, also went home.

"The little guys, the pure climbers -- Mayo, Tyler -- the first week is very hard on them, always fighting for position, the wind. A lot of acceleration through villages at the finish. This becomes a problem for them after 10 days," Armstrong said. "That's the beauty of the Tour. If the race was 10 or 12 days long, they'd be much better. You have to do it all."

Ullrich, the 1997 champion and a five-time runner-up, never recovered from seeing Armstrong zoom into the distance for two straight days in the Pyrenees.

The only rider to stay with Armstrong there was Basso, a 26-year-old with the makings of a future winner. He came out of the Alps, where Armstrong for the first time in his career won three consecutive stages, in second place overall.

But Kloden, the German champion and Ullrich's teammate, outdid the soft-spoken Basso in the final time trial, placing third behind Armstrong and Ullrich. That ride propelled Kloden, who did not complete last year's Tour, into second spot on the podium, pushing Basso back to third.

"I never would have predicted Kloden before the Tour. But you could see he was really strong and skinny in the first week," Armstrong said.

Armstrong still hasn't decided whether he will back next year to compete in the race he loves above all others, for which he trains relentlessly, leaving his three children in Texas, with former wife Kristin, while he pounds the roads in Europe.

"I don't know what I'll do next summer. I suspect I'll be here. It's too big of a race. My only hesitance is I think the people and the event perhaps need a change, new faces, a new winner," he said. "If I'm here, I race to win."

Seven victories would be like owning seven sports cars, nice but not necessary. Armstrong says he's interested in trying other races -- the Tour of Italy, Classics, and beating the one-hour cycling world record held by Britain's Chris Boardman.

After more than 1,900 miles of racing, riders mostly took it easy on the 101-mile final stage, until they reached the crowd-lined Champs-ElysÄees. Some took souvenir photos of themselves as they rode, and Armstrong even stopped by the side of the road momentarily to adjust his saddle.

He also chatted to Belgian rider Axel Merckx, whose father, Eddy, is one of the five-time champions Armstrong passed. The others are Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil, and Spaniard Miguel Indurain.

Victory in France has brought Armstrong fame, wealth and softened some of the brashness he displayed as a young rider. He's picked up rudimentary French and says his love of the Tour won't end when he eventually retires.

"I'll definitely watch the Tour on TV, always," he said.

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Armstrong Ends Career With Seventh Tour de France Win

By Samuel Abt

July 24, 2005

PARIS, July 24 - Once more, and for the last time, Lance Armstrong swept into Paris today as the winner and undisputed champion of the Tour de France.

Protected by Discovery Channel teammates on his way to victory and retirement, Armstrong finished the last of 21 daily stages and mounted his final podium after a day of intermittent cold rain.

He stood there with his three children, Luke, 5, and twin daughters, Isabel and Grace, 3. Both girls wore yellow dresses to go with their father's jersey while the boy was in blue with a yellow logo.

In a brief speech after a French military band played "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the American flag was raised on the Champs-ÃlysÃ©es, Armstrong praised the two riders flanking him on slightly lower steps, Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich. Basso, the Italian leader of CSC from Denmark, finished second by 4 minutes 40 seconds and Ullrich, the German leader of T-Mobile from his homeland, was third, 6:21 behind.

"It's really a dream podium," Armstrong said. He called Basso "not only my rival but a special person. It's tough to race against a friend." The Italian beamed as he held his young daughter, Domitilla.

Ullrich, who has a young daughter too but broke the family atmosphere by leaving her at home, also came in for praise from Armstrong. He then thanked his teammates, team officials and a host of others. "Vive le Tour," he concluded. "Forever."

If the ceremony had a familiar ring after Armstrong's seventh consecutive victory before his immediate retirement, the concluding stage was a rarity.

Instead of the usual mass sprint finish, the 144.5-kilometer, or 90-mile, race from the suburb of Corbeil-Essonnes north into the capital was won in a surprise breakaway by Alexandre Vinokourov, a Kazakh with T-Mobile.

He sped away from the 154 other riders with three kilometers to go on the eighth and final circuit on the Champs-ÃlysÃ©es. Registering his second daily victory in this 92nd Tour, Vinokourov easily held off the chasing pack and the two riders nearest him, Bradley McGee, an Australian with FranÃ§aise des Jeux, and Fabian Cancellara, a Swiss with Fassa Bortolo.

The victory gave the Kazakh 20 bonus seconds, enabling him to move into fifth place over Levi Leipheimer, the American leader of Gerolsteiner, by just that margin. Earlier, Vinokourov picked up six bonus seconds in an intermediate sprint, with Leipheimer second, gaining four seconds, as his teammates failed to help him by swarming over the line ahead of the Kazakh.

"Wow," Armstrong said when he greeted Vinokourov after the stage.

The winner was timed in 3 hours 40 minutes 57 seconds, a speed of 39.2 kilometers over roads made treacherous by the rain.

Among other crashes, two of Armstrong's teammates and bodyguards, George Hincapie and Yaroslav Popovych, went down just before the race reached Paris and Armstrong had to slither around them, nearly running over Hincapie.

As is the custom, the opening part of the final stage was marked by general hilarity and conversations in the pack. Armstrong even shared a Champagne toast en route with his Discovery Channel team director, Johan Bruyneel, who was driving a car. Neither did more than clink glasses.

Once the hijinks were over, the race turned serious in Paris, with frequent attacks and careful bike handling on the wet cobblestones of the broad Champs-ÃlysÃ©es.

There was a lot at stake even if the final overall victory was not. The fight for the green points jersey was not settled until the finish, with Thor Hushovd, a Norwegian with CrÃ©dit Agricole, first, Stuart O'Grady, an Australian with Cofidis, second, and Robbie McEwen, an Australian with Davitamon, third.

The climbers' jersey was won by Mickael Rasmussen, a Dane with Rabobank and the victim of two crashes and three bicycle changes on Saturday in a time trial that sank him from third place over all to seventh. Second for the white jersey with red polka dots was Oscar Pereiro, a Spaniard with Phonak.

Popovych was the top rider under 26, followed by Andrei Kashechkin, a Kazakh with CrÃ©dit Agricole.

For his labors, Armstrong won 400,000 euros, or $500,000, in addition to a handsome bowl just like the six others at home in Austin, Tex.

Factoring in prizes for his days in the yellow jersey, three individual stage victories, including the time trial on Saturday that Armstrong won, and first place in the team time trial, Discovery Channel earned 545,640 euros to be distributed among riders, but not the leader, and team workers. That contrasted with the lowest haul among the 21 teams, 9, 310 euros for Euskaltel.

Armstrong took no part in the duel at the finish, coasting over his final line with a smile on his face as a crowd estimated at half a million watched.

His time for the 3,593 kilometers that were covered in three weeks was 86 hours 15 minutes 2 seconds, a speed of 41.6 kilometers an hour. If that seems high considering the many mountains transited, the riders were sometimes pushed by strong tailwinds, the roads are often resurfaced before a stage and bicycles are constantly being improved.

Although this was Armstrong's seventh triumph in the world's toughest bicycle race, it was in many ways, as he has said, just more icing on the cake. His sixth victory last year broke the tie he was in with four other dominators: Jacques Anquetil, a Frenchman; Eddy Merckx, a Belgian; Bernard Hinault, another Frenchman; and Miguel Indurain, a Spaniard.

They were the Tour stars of the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's. This new century has belonged to Armstrong, who was stricken in 1996 with testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain, underwent chemotherapy and, after nearly two years away from the sport, began his comeback in 1998.

The next year he won his first Tour de France. Now he has won his last one.

"There was nothing on the line this year, no history, no record, no financial reward, just a promise," he said Saturday, explaining his participation. When Discovery Channel signed on as sponsor for three years this season, replacing United States Postal Service, Armstrong promised to ride the Tour one more time.

As for his retirement, he said, "Absolutely no regrets."

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Lance Wins Tour de France

July 18, 2002 / 1:05 PM EDT / AP

Lance Armstrong won his fourth straight Tour de France title on Sunday, claiming one of his biggest and smoothest victories to date in the grueling three-week event.

The Texan crossed the finish line on the Champs-Elysees in the bright yellow leader's jersey he has worn since taking control of the race 10 days ago. He finished with a whopping lead of more than 7 minutes.

The victory put the 30-year-old cancer survivor one win short of equaling the event record of five titles.

Armstrong was lost in the main pack as riders completed the 20th stage from Melun, outside Paris, to the tree-lined Champs-Elysees, where thousands of fans gathered, many of them waving American flags.

His overall lead after the final stage stood at 7 minutes, 17 seconds.

It was Armstrong's second biggest winning margin since first taking the Tour in 1999 with a 7:37 advantage of Alex Zuelle of Switzerland.

Spain's Joseba Beloki was second overall and Raimondas Rumsas of Lithuania third.

Armstrong's tranquil ride to the finish mirrored the rest of his title campaign, in which neither rivals nor the demanding 3,277.5-kilometer (2,032.05-mile) course seemed to test the Austin native.

He seized the race lead in the first mountain leg at La Mongie in the Pyrenees, and nearly doubled it by sprinting up a grueling climb to the Plateau de Beille in the next day's 12th stage.

On the formidable Mont Ventoux in the southern Provence region, he placed third but took an almost unbridgeable lead of 4:21 by finishing nearly 2 minutes in front of his top rival, Spain's Joseba Beloki.

"Armstrong has shown he has the blood of champions flowing through his veins," the director of Beloki's Once team, Manolo Saiz, said after the Ventoux. "He is much stronger than us, we see it day after day."

It was Armstrong's fifth unsuccessful attempt at winning on the Ventoux, but what mattered was stretching his race lead, rather than taking spectacular — and tiring — stage victories.

"The smart thing to do is to ride conservative now," the U.S. Postal Service rider said as he headed to the Alps. "This is not a race to win by as many seconds or minutes as possible, it's a race just to win. So there's no need to be aggressive."

That didn't stop him adding 45 seconds in the last three mountain stages and winning a blistering final time trial that extended his advantage by more than 2 minutes.

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The closest winning margins in Tour de France history

We take a look at the tightest battles and biggest thrashings since the Tour de France began in 1903.

Words: Joe Timms

The Tour de France now has well over 100 editions under its belt, in a lifespan that's just shy of 120 years. Over this period, the race has changed dramatically. In the good old days, riders often raced over 400km per day and had to make any mechanical repairs themselves (though many argue that the illicit use of trains, planes and automobiles often played its part).

So, through the years of the ever-evolving race, between dozens of riders racing hours apart, to tightly-tuned team strategies targeting bonus seconds here and there, what are the closest finishes in Tour de France history?

The smallest winning margin at the Tour de France

Laurent Fignon at the 1989 Tour de France

Laurent Fignon in 1989 (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Greg LeMond - 8 seconds, 1989
Alberto Contador - 23 seconds, 2007
Oscar Pereiro - 32 seconds, 2006
Jan Janssen - 38 seconds, 1968
Stephen Roche - 40 seconds, 1987
Bernard Thevenet - 48 seconds, 1977
Chris Froome - 54 seconds, 2017
Jacques Anquetil - 55 seconds, 1964
Carlos Sastre - 58 seconds, 2008
Tadej Pogacar - 59 seconds, 2020

The closest ever Tour de France took place in 1989, where Greg LeMond defeated Laurent Fignon by just eight seconds in one of the most pulsating finishes to a Tour you are ever likely to see. In contrasting fashion to modern-day racing, that race featured five time trials, including the opening prologue in Luxembourg and a mammoth 73-kilometre individual time trial between Dinard and Rennes, where LeMond and Fignon were first and third respectively.

The duo seesawed between the top two positions throughout the race, regularly taking turns in the yellow jersey before handing it back to their rival. LeMond regained the lead after the stage 15 time trial to Orcières-Merlette, but Fignon grappled the yellow jersey back on Alpe d’Huez and entered the final stage with a 50 second lead.

Nowadays, this would mean that Fignon was the winner of the Tour de France as no time can realistically be won and lost — the final stage is used as a celebration before a sprint finish. However, in 1989, Paris hosted a 24.5-kilometre time trial which concluded on the Champs-Élysées.

LeMond and Fignon finished the stage first and third respectively again, but LeMond had averaged 54.5 kilometres per hour and defeated Fignon by 58 seconds. The margin was enough for LeMond to win the Tour de France by just eight seconds. Fignon, who had won the Giro d’Italia earlier that year, never returned to a Grand Tour podium again, though he did win stage 11 of the ‘92 Tour.

The Tour de France has never concluded with a time trial since, but will do so in 2024. The riders face a 35km hilly time trial in the south of France as the traditional finish in Paris is moved to accommodate the Olympic Games.

The largest winning margin at the Tour de France

In contrast, the largest margin between the winner of the Tour de France and the runner up occurred at the 1903 Tour de France, the first edition of the race. Maurice Garin finished two hours, 59 minutes and 21 seconds ahead of Lucien Pothier. For context, the same time gap separated Tadej Pogačar and Greg Van Avermaet at the 2020 Tour de France, who finished first and 50th respectively.

In general, the margin of victory at the Tour de France has decreased as time has passed. Prior to the Second World War, the Tour de France was regularly decided in hours rather than minutes. The first Tour de France post-World War II took place in 1947 and was the first Tour not organised by L’Auto . Since, the time gap between the winner and runner-up has never been more than 30 minutes.

Fausto Coppi, 28 minutes and 17 seconds, 1952
Gino Bartali, 26 minutes and 16 seconds, 1948
Hugo Koblet, 22 minutes, 1951
Eddy Merckx, 17 minutes and 54 seconds, 1969

Luis Ocaña, 15 minutes and 51 seconds, 1973

(Largest Tour de France winning margins since 1947)

Fausto Coppi won the 1952 Tour de France by just over 28 minutes, which is the largest margin since the Tour de France restarted after the Second World War. Coppi also won five stages that year in a dominant performance.

Cover image: Jean-Yves Ruszniewski/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

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Lance armstrong timeline: cancer, tour de france, doping admission.

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MONTAIGU, FRANCE - JULY 04: TOUR DE FRANCE 1999, 1.Etappe, MONTAIGU - CHALLANS; Lance ARMSTRONG/USA - GELBES TRIKOT - (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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A look at the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong , who beat testicular cancer to win a record seven Tour de France titles, then was found guilty of and admitted to doping for the majority of his career ...

Aug. 2, 1992: Armstrong, then a 20-year-old amateur cyclist who had left triathlon because it wasn’t an Olympic sport, makes his Olympic debut at the Barcelona Games. He finishes 14th in the road race as the top American, missing a late breakaway. “I don’t think it was one of my better days, unfortunately,” Armstrong said on NBC. “Last couple weeks, everything has been perfect, but today, I just didn’t have what it took.” A week later, Armstrong finished last of 111 riders in his pro debut.

Aug. 29, 1993: Wins the world championships road race, becoming the second U.S. man to win a senior road cycling world title after three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond . Armstrong prevails by 19 seconds over Spain’s Miguel Indurain , who won five straight Tours de France from 1991-95. “I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a Tour racer,” Armstrong said, according to the Chicago Tribune . “I love the Tour de France; it’s my favorite bike race, but I’m not fool enough to sit here and say I’m going to win it. For the time being, I’m a one-day rider.”

Aug. 3, 1996: After failing to finish three of his first four Tour de France appearances (and placing 36th in the other), is sixth in the Atlanta Olympic time trial. “This was a big goal and something that I wanted to do well in and wanted the American people to see success,” Armstrong said on NBC. “The legs just weren’t there to win or to medal. I have to move forward and look to the next thing.”

Oct. 2, 1996: Diagnosed with testicular cancer. A day later, he undergoes surgery to have the malignant right testicle removed. Five days later, he begins chemotherapy. Six days later, Armstrong holds a press conference to announce it publicly, saying the cancer spread to his abdomen (and, later, his brain). He described it as “between moderate and advanced” and that his oncologist told him the cure rate was between 65 and 85 percent. “I will win,” Armstrong says. “I intend to beat this disease, and further, I intend to ride again as a professional cyclist.”

Oct. 27, 1996: Betsy Andreu later testifies that, on this date, Armstrong told a doctor at Indiana University Hospital that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs; EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, cortisone and steroids. Andreu said she and others were in a room to hear this. Her husband, Frankie Andreu , an Armstrong cycling teammate, confirmed her recollection to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Armstrong, in admitting to doping in 2013, declined to address what became known as “the hospital room confession.”

January 1997: Establishes the Lance Armstrong Foundation, later called Livestrong, to support cancer awareness and research. Is later declared cancer-free.

Feb. 15, 1998: Returns to racing. Later in September, finishes fourth in his Grand Tour return at the Vuelta a Espana, one of the three Grand Tours after the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

1999 Tour de France: Achieves global fame by winning cycling’s most prestigious event in his first Tour de France start since his cancer diagnosis. Armstrong was not a pre-event favorite, but he won the opening 4.2-mile prologue to set the tone. He won all three time trials and, by the end, distanced second-place Alex Zulle by 7 minutes, 37 seconds in a Tour that lacked the previous two winners -- Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani . Armstrong faced doping questions during the three-week Tour. An Armstrong urine sample revealed a small amount of a corticosteroid, after which Armstrong produced a prescription for a cream to treat saddle sores to justify it. “There’s no secrets here,” Armstrong said after Stage 14. “We have the oldest secret in the book: hard work.”

2000 Tour de France: With Ullrich and Pantani in the field, Armstrong crushed them on Stage 10, taking the yellow jersey by four minutes. He ends up winning the Tour by 6:02 over Ullrich, who over the years became the closest thing Armstrong had to a rival. In a Nike commercial that debuted in January that year , Armstrong again attacked his critics, saying, “Everybody wants to know what I’m on. What am I on? I’m on my bike, busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?”

Sept. 30, 2000: Takes bronze in the Sydney Olympic time trial, behind Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov (a teammate on Armstrong’s Tour de France teams) and Ullrich. Armstrong would be stripped of the bronze medal 12 years later for doping. “I came to win the gold medal,” he said on NBC. “When you prepare for an event and you come and you do your best, and you don’t win, you have to say, I didn’t deserve to win.”

2001 Tour de France: Third straight Tour title. In Stage 10 on the iconic Alpe d’Huez, Armstrong gave what came to be known as “The Look,” turning back to stare in sunglasses at Ullrich, then accelerating away to win the stage by 1:59 over the German. “I decided to give a look, see how he was, then give a little surge and see what happened,” Armstrong said after the stage. Also that year, LeMond gives a famous quote to journalist David Walsh on Armstrong: “If it is true, it is the greatest comeback in the history of sport. If it is not, it is the greatest fraud.”

2002 Tour de France: Fourth title in a row -- by 7:17 over Joseba Beloki sans Ullirch and Pantani -- with few notable highlights. Maybe the most memorable, French fans yelling “Dope!” as he chased Richard Virenque (another disgraced doper) up the esteemed Mont Ventoux. Armstrong would be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

2003 Tour de France: By far the closest of the Tour wins -- by 1:01 over Ullrich -- with two very close calls. In Stage 9, Armstrong detoured through a field to avoid a crashing Beloki, who broke his right femur and never contended at a Grand Tour again. In Stage 15, Armstrong’s handlebars caught a spectator’s yellow bag . He crashed to the pavement, remounted and won the stage, upping his lead from 15 seconds to 1:07 over Ullrich.

2004 Tour de France: Record-breaking sixth Tour de France title. Jacques Anquetil , Eddy Merckx , Bernard Hinault and Indurain shared the record of five, and now share the record again after Armstrong’s titles were stripped. Earlier in 2004, the Livestrong yellow bracelet/wristband is introduced. Tens of millions would be sold. He skips the 2004 Athens Olympics, which began three weeks after the Tour ended.

April 18, 2005: Announces he will retire after the 2005 Tour de France. “My children are my biggest supporters, but at the same time, they are the ones who told me it’s time to come home,” Armstrong says. On the same day, former teammate and 2004 Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton is banned two years for blood doping.

2005 Tour de France: Finishes career with seventh Tour de France title. Armstrong remains defiant until the end. In his victory speech atop a podium on the Champs-Elysees, he says with girlfriend Sheryl Crow looking on, “The last thing I’ll say, for the people that don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the skeptics, I"m sorry for you. I’m sorry you can’t dream big. And I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles.” A month later, French sports daily newspaper L’Equipe publishes a front-page article headlined, “Le Mensonge Armstrong” or “The Armstrong Lie.” It reports that six Armstrong doping samples at the 1999 Tour de France showed the presence of the banned EPO.

Sept. 9, 2008: Announces comeback, the reason being “to launch an international cancer strategy,” in a video on his foundation’s website . In his 2013 doping confession, Armstrong says he regrets the comeback. “We wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t come back,” he tells Oprah Winfrey on primetime TV.

2009 Tour de France: Finishes third, 5:24 behind rival Astana teammate and Spanish winner Alberto Contador . “I can’t complain,” Armstrong said on Versus after the penultimate stage finishing atop Mont Ventoux. “For an old fart, coming in here, getting on the podium with these young guys, not so bad.” USADA later reported that scientific data showed Armstrong used EPO or blood transfusions during that Tour, which Armstrong denied in 2013 when admitting to doping earlier in his career.

2010 Tour de France: Finishes 23rd in his last Tour de France. Armstrong races after former teammate Floyd Landis admits to doping and accuses Armstrong and other former teammates of doping during the Tour de France wins. “At some point, people have to tell their kids that Santa Claus isn’t real,” Landis says in a “Nightline” interview that aired the final weekend of the Tour.

Feb. 16, 2011: Announces retirement, citing tiredness (in multiple respects) at age 39. “I can’t say I have any regrets. It’s been an excellent ride. I really thought I was going to win another Tour,” Armstrong said, according to The Associated Press. “Then I lined up like everybody else and wound up third.”

Aug. 24, 2012: USADA announces Armstrong is banned for life , and all of his results dating to Aug. 1, 1998, annulled, including all seven Tour de France titles. Armstrong chose not to contest the charges, which were first sent to him in a June letter, though he did not publicly admit to cheating. USADA releases details of the investigation in October. The International Cycling Union chooses not to contest USADA’s ruling, formally stripping him of the Tour de France titles. “Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling,” UCI President Pat McQuaid says. In November, a defiant Armstrong tweets an image of him lying on a couch in a room with seven framed Tour de France yellow jerseys on the walls.

Jan. 17, 2013: Admits to doping during all of his Tour de France victories in the Oprah confession that airs on primetime TV. “I viewed this situation as one big lie that I repeated a lot of times,” Armstrong says in a pre-recorded interview. “It’s just this mythic, perfect story, and it wasn’t true.” Armstrong said he did not view it as cheating while he was taking PEDs because others did, too. On the same day, the International Olympic Committee strips Armstrong of his 2000 Olympic bronze medal.

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Tour De France
Lance Armstrong Takes on the Tour de France
Lance Armstrong introduces himself as seven-time Tour de France winner
Lance Armstrong’s 1999 Tour de France Triumph Takes a Dark Turn
Lance Armstrong Stripped of 7 Tour de France Titles
Lance Armstrong

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Armstrong's Tour De France victories
A race-by-race breakdown of Lance Armstrong's seven Tour De France victories: #1 - 1999 ... Winning margin - 6 minutes, 19 seconds over Andréas Klöden, Germany. 3rd: Ivan Basso, Italy.
History of the Tour de France by numbers
Greg LeMond's win in 1989 came by the narrowest margin in Tour de France history ... Lance Armstrong's seven Tour wins are the most by any ... Smallest winning margins (since 1947) 8 seconds: 1989 ...
List of Tour de France general classification winners
The Tour de France is an annual road bicycle race held over 23 days in July. Established in 1903 by newspaper L'Auto, the Tour is the best-known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours"; the others are the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The race usually covers approximately 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi), passing through France and neighbouring countries such as Belgium.
The closest Tours in history
A look back at the smallest winning margins in Tour de France history ... winning margin in Tour history. 1 min 1 second. 2003: Lance Armstrong beat Jan Ullrich. The closest Tour the American was ...
These are records to beat at the Tour de France
Fastest average speed for a stage win: 50.355kph by Mario Cipollini in 1999 over 194.5 km. Fastest average speed of an entire Tour de France: 41.654kph by Lance Armstrong in 2005, later downgraded. Oldest winner: Firmin Lambot ( 36 years, four months and nine days) in 1922. Youngest winner: Henri Cornet ( 19 years, 11 months and 20 days) in 1904.
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Lance Edward Armstrong (né Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist.He achieved international fame for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005, but was stripped of his titles after an investigation into doping allegations, called the Lance Armstrong doping case, found he used performance-enhancing drugs ...
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In the overall standings Armstrong beat Basso by 4:40, the second slimmest margin of his seven Tour victories. Ullrich was 6:21 behind in third, and Illes Balear's Francisco Mancebo finished 9: ...
Lance Armstrong wins seventh consecutive and last Tour de France
PARIS — Lance Armstrong closed out his amazing career with a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory today — and did it a little earlier than expected. Because of wet conditions, race ...
Tour de France facts: stats from the world's biggest bike race
Fastest Tour de France: 41.7 kph. Unsurprisingly, the fastest ever race, overall, came in the Armstrong years. Lance rode 3592.5 km in 86 hours 15 minutes 02 seconds - at an average speed of 41.7 ...
Lance Armstrong Wins Sixth Tour de France
PARIS - Lance Armstrong ( search ) rode into history Sunday by winning the Tour de France ( search ) for a record sixth time, an achievement that confirmed him as one of the greatest sportsmen ...
Tour de France records and statistics
This is a list of records and statistics in the Tour de France, road cycling's premier competitive event.. One rider has been King of the Mountains, won the combination classification, combativity award, the points competition, and the Tour in the same year - Eddy Merckx in 1969, which was also the first year he participated. Had the young riders classification, which replaced the combination ...
The Tour de France and Lance Armstrong
Prior to 1999, Armstrong had a poor record in the Tour de France, having a best finish of 36 th overall. However, he went on to win his first Tour de France in 1999 by a huge margin. In the year ...
Armstrong Ends Career With Seventh Tour de France Win
PARIS, July 24 - Once more, and for the last time, Lance Armstrong swept into Paris today as the winner and undisputed champion of the Tour de France.
Lance Wins Tour de France
Lance Wins Tour de France. July 18, 2002 / 1:05 PM EDT / AP. Lance Armstrong won his fourth straight Tour de France title on Sunday, claiming one of his biggest and smoothest victories to date in ...
The closest winning margins in Tour de France history
The smallest winning margin at the Tour de France. Laurent Fignon in 1989 (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images) Greg LeMond - 8 seconds, 1989. Alberto Contador - 23 seconds, 2007. Oscar Pereiro - 32 seconds, 2006. Jan Janssen - 38 seconds, 1968. Stephen Roche - 40 seconds, 1987. Bernard Thevenet - 48 seconds, 1977. Chris Froome - 54 seconds, 2017.
Lance Armstrong timeline: cancer, Tour de France, doping admission
A look at the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong, who beat testicular cancer to win a record seven Tour de France titles, then was found guilty of and admitted to doping for the majority of his career .... Aug. 2, 1992: Armstrong, then a 20-year-old amateur cyclist who had left triathlon because it wasn't an Olympic sport, makes his Olympic debut at the Barcelona Games.

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Tour de France facts: stats from the world's biggest bike race

Fastest Tour de France: 41.7 kph

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Slowest Tour de France: 24.1km/h

Longest Tour de France: 1926

Most impressive cheating effort: Unawarded

Participation award: Sylvain Chavanel

Most stage wins: Eddy Merckx

Most overall wins: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain

Most stage wins, nationally: France

Smallest winning margin: 8 seconds

Largest winning margin: 2 hours 49 minutes 45 seconds

Oldest rider to win: Firmin Lambot

Youngest rider to win: Henri Comet

Last female winner: Emma Pooley

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The largest winning margin at the Tour de France

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