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CNN Sunday Morning

Lance Armstrong Is Expected to Win Tour de France Bicycle Race for the Third Time

Aired July 29, 2001 - 08:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Lance Armstrong is expected to win his third Tour de France bicycle race when he pedals down the Champs Elysee today.

VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: Armstrong is truly one of the more amazing comebacks in the annals of sports, riding from certain death to certain victory.

Laura Okmin of CNN "Sports Illustrated" has his remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OKMIN (voice-over): He pedals into the light towards cycling immortality, a combination of obstacles overcome and dreams come true. Already a two-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong seems assured of a third, another chapter in one of the most remarkable stories in sports.

LANCE ARMSTRONG, CYCLIST: It's a continuous story. To win one time is nice. But to continue to survive the illness and to continue to be successful is even more important.

OKMIN: Armstrong's medal comes from an intimate understanding of his own mortality. Diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer in 1996, he endured brain surgery, two other surgeries, and intensive chemotherapy. Doctors predicted less than a 50 percent chance of survival.

Once his cancer receded, Armstrong found a ride with the U.S. Postal Service team and decided to train again for the grueling three- week, 2,151-mile Tour de France. Fifteen pounds lighter and pain hearty from his medical ordeal, Armstrong discovered he was stronger than before the illness. He won the 1999 tour by excelling in his former Waterloo, the mountains. It is a trade that has become his cycling signature.

ARMSTRONG: That's significant weight when you're talking about going over the Alps and the Pyrenees and things like the tour. But the biggest part and the most important part was the mental side of it. And the way I approach the sport now, the way I approach the bike now, my training, my diet, races, psychologically it was a good thing for me to be so scared and so fearful, to be given another chance. OKMIN: Armstrong's journey back hasn't been without its potholes, real or imagined. Cycling has been tainted by a doping scandal that has engulfed the sport in recent years. And even though Armstrong has said he tested clean 30 times during the 1999 and 2000 tours, no rider has been able to truly separate himself from the controversy.

ARMSTRONG: You know, cycling is something that I do now. But in 10 years' time, I won't do this anymore. And I won't be known as a cyclist. And I won't be known as somebody that wins bike races. I'll be known as Lance Armstrong. And hopefully for a long time to come, I'll be known as a cancer survivor.

OKMIN: Four other athletes in the Tour de France's 88-year history have won three straight races, but likely none as inspirational or as remarkable as Lance Armstrong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CELLINI: Well, Paris is a place that knows how to throw a party. Parisians and American tourists are preparing for a big one right now for Lance Armstrong.

CNNSI's Patrick Snell is there and he joins us live on the phone with the very latest. And Patrick, I wonder if this final celebration will be perhaps something taken away, because you know Armstrong had this thing wrapped up several days ago. Tell us the latest.

PATRICK SNELL, CNNSI CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Vince, it's probably pretty much coming to the conclusion we all expected. The riders are probably 45-minutes or so from coming into the Champs Elysee for that final stretch, that famous stretch down in the center of the French capitol and it's a very relaxed Lance Armstrong that has been riding so far today, chatting with his fellow cyclist, probably knowing that this third Tour de France is in the bag. He's very happy, and he seems very relieved, because he knows he's creating yet more history, Vince.

CELLINI: Patrick, you do you get the sense that even his greatest rival, like Yon Ulrich (ph), looks at Lance Armstrong in amazement, thinking this guy came back from near death, a cancer survivor, and what he has done, not only to just live but to compete at this level.

SNELL: That's right. I think it's fair to say that the German's would probably almost certainly have been right up there and been many people's favorite to win this, but for the presence of the 29-year-old from Texas. And it is this belief, this inner strength, that Lance Armstrong will admit continues to drive him forward.

And he's not done yet. He's already said that, you know, should he win this year's event, he wants to be back certain next year, for definite, and somewhat worryingly for all his rivals, Vince, he's already said he won't be settling for second place. Pretty chilling words, I think, for all his fellow competitors. CELLINI: Well, you have to believe him. And, Patrick, you know, this cycling, people who are not familiar with the sport don't realize the tremendous effort it takes. In fact, some of these cyclists in a certain stage may burn up to 10,000 calories or more. So, Lance Armstrong, at this amazing level, using amazing strength, I guess some of that weight loss, though, from the cancer may have helped him strategy-wise.

SNELL: That's right. I mean, he's said that he's, you know, he's come back from his illness. He was several pounds, I think it was 15 pounds lighter, and it has forced him to sort of consider the way he reconditions himself and the way he approaches the race and while obviously he has been through a very, very serious illness, he's come very close to death, but it's a great tribute to the man. He's come back and he's won three Tour de France.

The spirit, this man's inner self belief, inner drive, is there, and it really is a marvel for all his fellow competitors. They have nothing but admiration for him. And that, I feel, is one of the grips, the psychological edge that he has over them. And I think he will continue to have over them, Vince.

CELLINI: Well, an amazing story. Thank you very much. Patrick Snell in Paris, covering the finish of the Tour de France.

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