| By the time Lance Armstrong told me he had cancer, the two of us had
known each other for seven years. We had traveled around the world together, coach and
athlete, to several World Championships, two Olympic Games, and countless other events. We
were friends who had been through a lot together, and we trusted each other a great deal. So
when Lance told me he had cancer, I reacted first as his friend. I tried to be supportive
and helpful, compassionate and caring. Part of my job as his cycling coach had been to
motivate and encourage him, but now I found myself coaching Lance in an entirely different
place, a hospital room.
Lance beat cancer because he had great doctors, a positive attitude, and a lot of
luck. He also had a lot of great friends and the unending support of his mother to see him
through the rounds of chemotherapy and surgeries. But beating cancer was only the first
step, the next challenge was figuring out how to live life as a cancer survivor.
As a bike racer before cancer, Lance won races because he was confident that no
one could beat him. He could stand on the start line, look at the other racers, and say to
himself, "I am the strongest, smartest, most prepared rider in this race. I can win
today." The cancer had changed him, he wasn’t the same man he was a year before.
His body was a shell of what it had been and he wasn’t so sure of himself anymore.
As his friend and his coach, I noticed he had changed, but I also knew that the
part of Lance that made him a champion was still there. The heart of a champion still beat
in his chest and his brain still remembered the feeling of winning. He just needed to find
his inspiration again, rekindle that competitive fire within him.
Lance’s comeback from cancer to bike racing wasn’t easy, and it
wasn’t without its setbacks. But he slowly regained his strength and rediscovered the
joy he felt riding a bicycle. In 1998 we sat together and talked about his plans. He was a
world-class cyclist again, but what did he want to do?
Lance decided that winning the biggest race in the world was the best thing he
could do for other people dealing with cancer. A lot of people helped him through his
struggle against the disease, and he wanted to return that support to as many people as he
could reach. He trained with incredible commitment and focus. He didn’t miss workouts
and he was careful about what he ate. He made sure to get enough sleep, usually going to
bed around 8 pm. The following summer, I watched and cheered as my very determined and
courageous friend won a 23-day-long bike race through the mountains and plains of France.
Lance won a personal victory by beating his own cancer, and a victory for all
cancer patients by winning the Tour de France. He showed the world that cancer does not
have to be the end of life; it can be the birth of new, productive, and happy life.
Chris Carmichael |
