lance armstrong, lance, armstrong, tour of flanders, flanders, de ronde, ronde van vlaanderen, 2010
Nigel Wynn
By Nigel Wynn
published

Lance Armstrong announced last night that this will be his last ever Tour de France. Really, this time.

"And yes, this will be my final Tour de France. It's been a great ride. Looking forward to 3 great weeks," said the seven-times Tour winner via his Twitter feed.

Armstrong retired from professional cycling after the 2005 season, in which he won his seventh Tour de France - the most ever won by a single rider. He won the Tour every year from 1999 to 2005 with the US Postal/Discovery Channel teams in an unrivalled display of domination.

Armstrong, who famously beat testicular cancer in 1996, set up the LiveStrong cancer foundation and concentrated his efforts on his charity work during his retirement.

After a three-year lay-off, Armstrong dusted off his cycling shoes and made a comeback at the age of 38 with the Astana team at the 2009 Tour Down Under, later participating in the 2009 Tour de France. At the time, Armstrong said the comeback was to "launch an international cancer strategy, based on the fact that we lose more than eight million people around the world to this disease."

Armstrong finished last year's race in third, behind Astana team-mate Alberto Contador and Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck. Armstrong and Contador had a widely publicised spat during the race which lead to the American and his long-time manager Johan Bruyneel leaving Astana to form a new team for the 2010 season, RadioShack.

Whether Armstrong elects to make this year's Tour his last ever race remains to be seen. The Texan has been at the centre of fresh allegations of doping after former US Postal team-mate Floyd Landis accused Armstrong of taking performance-enhancing drugs during his career. A federal investigation is currently underway to ascertain whether there is any truth behind Landis's allegations.

Armstrong turns 39 in September this year. 

The 2010 Tour de France starts in Rotterdam on Saturday, July 3, and finishes in Paris on Sunday, July 25.

Click play to watch a video montage of Armstrong's seven Tour wins from 1999 to 2005 

Armstrong at the Tour de France

Stage wins and overall victories

1993

Tour de France; stage 8

1999

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; prologue

Tour de France; stage 8

Tour de France; stage 9

Tour de France; stage 19

2000

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; stage 19

2001

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; stage 10

Tour de France; stage 11

Tour de France; stage 13

Tour de France; stage 18

2002

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; prologue

Tour de France; stage 11

Tour de France; stage 12

Tour de France; stage 19

2003

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; stage 15

2004

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; stage 13

Tour de France; stage 15

Tour de France; stage 16

Tour de France; stage 17

Tour de France; stage 19

2005

Tour de France; overall

Tour de France; stage 20

2009

Tour de France; stage 4 TTT

Related links

Tour de France 2010: Cycling Weekly's coverage index

Lance Armstrong: Rider Profile

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nigel Wynn
Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed. 

Latest