Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong one of the most vivid and descriptive writers I've ever known.

In his book, Its not about the bike, he describes clearly his battles with cancer. Before this, though, he gives us a picture of his life. He was a young man who had no good father figure. He had a stepfather (from whom he got his last name Armstrong) who was very strict and used to beat him. He lived in Texas and had no coordination at all as far as sports are concerned. He couldn’t play any ball sports because of his coordination. He found one thing, though, that he shined in the day his mother bought him his first bike.

This was the beginning. Lance begins to describe how he loved his bike, and how he had been through many trials with it, in accidents (like getting hit by a truck in which he describes the heat and black exhaust you experience), in triumphs, and in competitions and triathalons. He talks about his feelings of victory and defeat, and his special victory pose–raising his hands in the air and swinging his fists. He began to win competition after competition and learned more and more as a biker as he started to join national and world cycling teams.

When Lance first discovered his cancer, it was during a conversation with a friend of his on the phone, when he began to stutter and cough, tasting a thick metallic substance in the back of his throat. He ran into the bathroom and coughed up a large wad of blood, and fear siezed him as he stared at the blood splattered in the sink. He went to the doctors and got X-Rays and chemotherapy; thankfully he lived through this.

His mother is one of the most wonderful women in the world. She loves Lance with all her heart, and supports him in everything she does. She stands by his side, through thick and through thin. She bought him his first bike, and traveled with him when he traveled all over the world–to France, Italy, and other European countries as well as middle eastern countries– for his cycling competitions. She was a strong woman; noone could get over on her. When Lance had cancer, she was with him the whole time, comforting him and loving him. She was a bit taken at first, but was willing to battle it out with him, for she said to him, “Son, you never give up.”

I admire Lance Armstrong. He is a perfect example of a person who perseveres. Not just perseveres, but perseveres beyond human capabilities (what do you expect from someone who was born with a body more powerful than the average human?). He never gives up. It is almost as if he cannot be destroyed. It is amazing how much will power he has. He beat cancer, and won Tour de France 5 times in a row afterwards. For anyone who needs encouragement to persevere, look at someone who has been to Hell and back, like Lance Armstrong.