Lance Armstrong announced yesterday that he will retire from professional cycling after this summer's Tour de France, bringing an end to one of the most impressive careers in sports, in which he overcame testicular cancer to win cycling's most prestigious race a record six straight times.
"Ultimately, athletes have to retire. . . . the body doesn't just keep going and going," Armstrong, 33, said at a news conference in Augusta, Ga.
"Ultimately, athletes have to retire. . . . the body doesn't just keep going and going," Lance Armstrong said.
(Tami Chappell -- Reuters)
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Armstrong said he began thinking about retiring after his victory in the Tour de France last summer. His new two-year contract to race for the Discovery Channel team requires he compete in just one more Tour, which he said he hopes to win.
"I don't want to lose number seven," he said. "It's great to win; it's even tougher to lose."
Armstrong's accomplishments are all the more remarkable because he achieved them in a sport in which Americans are not known for excelling. His six straight titles along with his recovery from testicular cancer in 1998 made him an inspiration and international sports celebrity.
"He's been a godsend not only to American cycling but to cycling around the world," said Gerard Bisceglia, chief executive officer of USA Cycling. "He has such a compelling individual story, backed up by individual accomplishment, that nobody should even attempt to fill his shoes. He should be up there as a reminder of what the sport was before he came into it and what the sport is today, because of him."
Cycling has developed into a hugely popular recreational pastime in the United States. The number of licensed road racers has increased from 27,000 in 2002 to 36,000, an increase of 33 percent in two years, according to USA Cycling.
Armstrong's book became a bestseller. He gave motivational speeches. His face became recognizable everywhere.
"How many athletes, when it comes down to it, are well known by the general public," said Craig Masback, chief executive of USA Track & Field. "There are many athletes who are known, but people's grandmothers have heard of Lance Armstrong. That's because his accomplishments were unusual for an American, were global in stature and involved overcoming incredible odds. People don't understand how difficult it is for an athlete who is not from a stick and ball sport to transcend the public consciousness."
Armstrong's record did not come without controversy, including allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. "L.A. Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong," a book released last year, contained allegations by a former aide to the U.S. Postal Service team that was sponsoring Armstrong at the time who said she applied makeup on his arms to conceal bruises and needle marks, presumably from steroids injections. Armstrong denied the allegations, calling them "absolutely untrue."
The retirement announcement came on the eve of Armstrong's defense of his Tour de Georgia championship. The six-day, 655-mile event he uses as a training tool for the Tour de France, which begins Tuesday.
Armstrong's relationship with rock star Sheryl Crow has also made him the focus of the tabloids and paparazzi. "Sheryl, you've been an amazing woman. For someone who is the queen of rock n' roll, you've been a great cycling fan. . . . a great teammate," he said at yesterday's news conference.
Armstrong's six Tour de France championships put him in the ranks of sports stars such as former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., who played in 2,632 straight games; Al Oerter, who won gold medals in the discus at four Olympics (1956, '60, '64, '68), and English rower Stephen Redgrave, a five-time Olympic gold medalist between 1984 and 2000.
"The legacy will live for several years, but one of these days it will be topped," Oerter said. "It's a great goal for cyclists coming in. What better goal is there than topping Armstrong? If you go after Lance's record, you better be ready."
News services contributed to this report.
