Lance Armstrong: From Hero to Zero - The True Story — Transcript

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1. 0:00Lance Armstrong a name synonymous with
2. 0:03cycling and one of the most
3. 0:04controversial figures in all of sport he
4. 0:07rose to Fame in the late 90s and early
5. 0:092000s winning a record seven consecutive
6. 0:13Tour de France titles but his legacy was
7. 0:16forever tainted by allegations of doping
8. 0:19this is the story of Armstrong's rise to
9. 0:22fame and fall from grace
10. 0:31Lance Armstrong born in 1971 in
11. 0:35Richardson Texas began his athletic
12. 0:37career as a promising triathlete however
13. 0:40as a teenager he made the decision to
14. 0:43shift his Focus to cycling this decision
15. 0:46proved to be a wise one as he quickly
16. 0:48established himself as a formidable
17. 0:50competitor in the sport in 1992 at the
18. 0:54age of 21 Armstrong term professional
19. 0:57and signed with the Motorola team he
20. 1:00quickly made a name for himself as a
21. 1:03strong one-day Rider winning several
22. 1:05stages in the Tour de Pont furthermore
23. 1:08he achieved the impressive feat of
24. 1:10winning the 1993 World Championship road
25. 1:13race in Oslo at just 21 years of age
26. 1:17Lance Armstrong's victory in the world
27. 1:19championships was a significant
28. 1:21achievement and serves as a precursor to
29. 1:24his future success in the sport
30. 1:26this first major win was a significant
31. 1:29milestone for him as he defeated some of
32. 1:31the most accomplished Riders of this
33. 1:33time including nickel and dorane the
34. 1:36honorees and yuhan misu prior to this
35. 1:40Victory Armstrong had already
36. 1:42established himself as a top one day
37. 1:44Rider but this win confirmed his
38. 1:46exceptional ability and potential
39. 1:50in the following years he continued to
40. 1:52excel in one day races however as he
41. 1:55reaches mid-20s he was dealt a
42. 1:57devastating blow when he was diagnosed
43. 2:00with testicular cancer
44. 2:02I was diagnosed with testicular cancer
45. 2:08revealed that my condition has spread
46. 2:10into my
47. 2:11admin
48. 2:17for now I must focus on my treatment
49. 2:19however I want all of you to know that I
50. 2:21intend to beat this disease
51. 2:24this unexpected diagnosis forced him to
52. 2:27retire from the sport and the cancer had
53. 2:29spread to his lungs and brain doctors
54. 2:31gave him only a 50 50 chance of survival
55. 2:34despite the overwhelming odds against
56. 2:37him Lance Armstrong fought back from his
57. 2:39cancer diagnosis and returned to
58. 2:42professional cycling with confidence
59. 2:44only a year after beginning treatment
60. 2:47this demonstrated his remarkable
61. 2:49character and determination as well as
62. 2:51his ability to overcome adversity
63. 2:54his return in 1998 was nothing short of
64. 2:58remarkable as he finished fourth in his
65. 3:01first Grand Tour back
66. 3:03Armstrong seemed stronger than ever
67. 3:04displaying a level of climbing ability
68. 3:07that not been seen from him previously
69. 3:09he approached racing with A New
70. 3:12Perspective a newfound appreciation for
71. 3:15life and an unwavering determination to
72. 3:18succeed but was it too good to be true
73. 3:21if you're enjoying this video it would
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76. 3:28out a lot thank you now back to Lance
77. 3:33in 1999 Armstrong made his comeback to
78. 3:37the Tour de France riding for a brand
79. 3:39new team called U.S postal
80. 3:42the team was built and managed by Johann
81. 3:44Brunel a former Rider who even competed
82. 3:47against Armstrong prior to his cancer
83. 3:50diagnosis Brunell Had A New Perspective
84. 3:53on how teams should be run and it proved
85. 3:55to be a perfect fit for Armstrong
86. 3:57although Armstrong was not considered a
87. 4:00favorite for the race a scandal the
88. 4:02previous year known as the Festina
89. 4:04Scandal led to many top Riders being
90. 4:07banned from the competition this
91. 4:09presented an opportunity for U.S postal
92. 4:12and Armstrong to show the talent to the
93. 4:14world at the tour
94. 4:16the combat of Armstrong in the Tour de
95. 4:18France began with a short prologue which
96. 4:21is typically seen as a formality to
97. 4:23establish the placings for all riders in
98. 4:25the tour however Armstrong came out with
99. 4:28a bang surprising Everyone by beating
100. 4:30all top Riders by seconds this was a
101. 4:34significant shock to the cycling
102. 4:35community and it immediately put U.S
103. 4:38postal on the map
104. 4:40for the first time Armstrong found
105. 4:42himself wearing the coveted yellow
106. 4:44Jersey
107. 4:46when Armstrong took the lead in the Tour
108. 4:48de France many experts and critics were
109. 4:50skeptical that he'd be able to maintain
110. 4:52it when the first real mountains came
111. 4:55along many believe that this fairy tale
112. 4:57combat would come to an end however
113. 5:00Armstrong proved them wrong this was
114. 5:03just the beginning on the final Mountain
115. 5:05to cestriere he demonstrated his
116. 5:08dominance but easily dropping every
117. 5:10competitor making them look like
118. 5:12amateurs this performance silenced his
119. 5:15critics and marked a turning point in
120. 5:18the race however allegations of doping
121. 5:21started to arise and many Skeptics began
122. 5:23to question the legitimacy of his
123. 5:25comeback story and I was in the
124. 5:27pressroom that day
125. 5:29and lots of people were looking and
126. 5:31saying wow Lance has blooming strong
127. 5:34and some other people were looking and
128. 5:36saying come on get real that isn't real
129. 5:39it's a joke now they're asking us to
130. 5:42believe this it's a joke
131. 5:43Armstrong's victory in the 1999 Tour de
132. 5:47France was a moment of celebration for
133. 5:49many around the world who were inspired
134. 5:52by his story his team and his newly
135. 5:55established Livestrong brand which
136. 5:57helped cancer patients all around the
137. 5:59world
138. 6:00he was a great role model and it was a
139. 6:02pleasure to see him succeed however as
140. 6:05his fan base grew so did the number of
141. 6:07Skeptics Armstrong's success was not
142. 6:10only a result of his exceptional talent
143. 6:12and determination also the result of the
144. 6:15team he had built around him he created
145. 6:18a Powerhouse in the cycling industry and
146. 6:21every Tour de France provided new and
147. 6:23exciting moments for fans to look
148. 6:25forward to from the iconic look he gave
149. 6:28Janel Rick up outduez to dropping
150. 6:30pantani back in 2000 to riding through a
151. 6:34field after boloki crashed going
152. 6:36downhill he was an Entertainer at the
153. 6:39highest level what a great bike rider
154. 6:42he's gone across this is unbelievable
155. 6:44I've never seen this before Armstrong
156. 6:46went across the field there he's back on
157. 6:49the road at four kilometers to go what
158. 6:51great reflexes from the man from Texas
159. 6:53Tyler Hamilton coming along there
160. 6:55touching him on the shoulder this is
161. 6:57unbelievable that man was in complete
162. 7:00troll there watch this again this is
163. 7:02yoshiba Milwaukee locking up the back
164. 7:03wheel his tire has come off Armstrong
165. 7:06has gone across this is unbelievable
166. 7:08Armstrong riding across the Apex oh this
167. 7:12is incredible he not only made himself
168. 7:14more famous but also brought Global
169. 7:16attention to the sport particularly in
170. 7:19the United States he was also at the
171. 7:21peak of his career his sponsorships with
172. 7:23Nike Oakley and Trek Bicycle showcased
173. 7:26his success and fame furthermore his
174. 7:29relationship with famous singer Sheryl
175. 7:31Crow added to his rock star lifestyle
176. 7:34his U.S postal team dominated the tour
177. 7:38until 2004 when he switched over to team
178. 7:41discovery which was started by Brunell
179. 7:43when U.S postal disbanded he made other
180. 7:46Riders into real tour Legends such as
181. 7:49George hinkapee Floyd Landis and Tyler
182. 7:52Hamilton the latter two who would leave
183. 7:55the team and become competitors in the
184. 7:57later tours
185. 7:58Armstrong was in the pond during this
186. 8:00period and he was considered the best
187. 8:02cyclist in the world he won a total of
188. 8:05seven Tour de France titles in a row a
189. 8:08record which unofficially still stands
190. 8:11as Armstrong Korea progressed suspicions
191. 8:13of dopam began to mount his exceptional
192. 8:16performances in the Tour de France
193. 8:18raised questions about their
194. 8:19authenticity despite Armstrong and his
195. 8:22team denials the allegations persisted
196. 8:24Armstrong argued that he'd never tested
197. 8:27positive for banned substances which was
198. 8:30true at the time in 2011 Armstrong
199. 8:34retired from professional cycling at the
200. 8:36age of 39. after making a comeback in
201. 8:392008 in his comeback he managed to
202. 8:41achieve an impressive third place in the
203. 8:44Tour de France in 2009 demonstrating his
204. 8:48continued skill and ability however his
205. 8:51comeback was not without controversy as
206. 8:53some former teammates from the U.S
207. 8:55postal team were not allowed to ride for
208. 8:57his team Astana due to previous doping
209. 9:00violations these issues continued to
210. 9:03simmer and came to a head only a year
211. 9:06after his retirement
212. 9:09in 2012 the United States anti-doping
213. 9:13agency accused Armstrong of using banned
214. 9:16substances throughout his career
215. 9:18they had a wealth of evidence against
216. 9:20him including witness testimony and
217. 9:22blood tests all of his former
218. 9:25competitors had been caught for doping
219. 9:27in the years after 2005. except Lance
220. 9:30which made them an easy target as his
221. 9:33story to many was unbelievable to begin
222. 9:35with
223. 9:36his former teammates had started turning
224. 9:39his backs on him including Tyler
225. 9:41Hamilton and Floyd Landis
226. 9:43the latter who won the Tour de France in
227. 9:452006 but got stripped due to a positive
228. 9:48doping test just after the tour Floyd
229. 9:51who wasn't as good with arguing and
230. 9:53wasn't as powerful never had the chance
231. 9:56to beat the allegations this never went
232. 9:58down well with Floyd in 2010 he made
233. 10:02some serious allegations against lands
234. 10:04which usada started to investigate did
235. 10:07you see Lance Armstrong using other
236. 10:09performance enhancing drugs at times
237. 10:11yeah different training camps
238. 10:13like what
239. 10:16well there's not a whole lot like I said
240. 10:18that helps with their CPO you can use
241. 10:20and you can use small amounts during the
242. 10:22Tour de France if you need to monitor
243. 10:24certain parameters that are better
244. 10:26tested for I saw Lance Armstrong using
245. 10:28drugs Armstrong ignored delegations
246. 10:31until mid-2012 what he couldn't deny the
247. 10:34evidence anymore he was given the
248. 10:37opportunity to contest the charges but
249. 10:40eventually he didn't choose to and as a
250. 10:42result UCI immediately stripped him of
251. 10:45all his Tour de France titles and banned
252. 10:48him from the sport for life in September
253. 10:50of 2012. Lance Armstrong has no case
254. 10:55UCI will also recognize the sanctions
255. 10:57imposed upon the writers who testified
256. 10:59against Scott's Armstrong
257. 11:01UCI indeed thanks them for telling their
258. 11:04stories but he had still not confessed
259. 11:06publicly to the people but he was about
260. 11:09to do that in early 2013.
261. 11:16in 2013 Armstrong was compelled to
262. 11:19confess to doping in an interview with
263. 11:21Oprah Winfrey in the highly publicized
264. 11:24interview he admitted to using
265. 11:26performance-enhancing drugs such as EPO
266. 11:29blood doping human growth hormone and
267. 11:33testosterone it did not even feel wrong
268. 11:37scary did you feel bad about it
269. 11:41no
270. 11:42even scarier
271. 11:45a revelation that came as a surprise to
272. 11:47many but was not unexpected by some of
273. 11:50his former teammates such as Hamilton
274. 11:52Landes and Frank Andrew who had
275. 11:55previously heard him admitting to using
276. 11:57drugs in a hospital in 1996.
277. 12:00Armstrong famously stated
278. 12:02I didn't live a lot of lies but I lived
279. 12:06one big One the Fall From Grace was now
280. 12:09complete people around the world started
281. 12:11to hate lands the Skeptics got their
282. 12:14answers but as fans who supported him
283. 12:16through the years felt betrayed
284. 12:18Armstrong had now lost everything his
285. 12:21titles his sponsors and his reputation
286. 12:25he'd gone from being a hero to a villain
287. 12:28in a space of a few months
288. 12:30the impact of Armstrong's fall was felt
289. 12:33throughout the psyching World erased
290. 12:35questions about the culture of doping in
291. 12:38the sport and led to a push with
292. 12:39stricter anti-doping measures it also
293. 12:42brought into question The credibility of
294. 12:44Armstrong's previous victories and left
295. 12:47a cloud of Suspicion over the sport for
296. 12:49years to come
297. 12:51Armstrong admitting to cheating had a
298. 12:54significant impact on his finances as
299. 12:56well he lost millions of dollars in
300. 12:59sponsorship deals and had to pay out
301. 13:01settlements to sponsors who were felt
302. 13:03misled by his deception in addition he
303. 13:06had to pay legal fees associated with
304. 13:08the lawsuit brought against him one of
305. 13:11his most significant losses was his
306. 13:13sponsorship deal with Nike the company
307. 13:15had been one of his biggest sponsors and
308. 13:17had supported him throughout his career
309. 13:19after his doping admission they decided
310. 13:22to terminate the contract causing
311. 13:24Armstrong to lose millions of dollars he
312. 13:27also lost his sponsorship deals with
313. 13:29other companies such as track bicycles
314. 13:31and Oakley in addition to losing
315. 13:34sponsorships Armstrong also had to pay
316. 13:36settlements to SCA promotions a company
317. 13:40that ensured the Tour de France bonuses
318. 13:42and had to pay in 12 million dollars in
319. 13:45bonuses he also settled a lawsuit with
320. 13:48the U.S government for five million
321. 13:51dollars after they joined a
322. 13:52whistleblower lawsuit against him
323. 13:55despite these Financial setbacks
324. 13:57Armstrong has managed to maintain a
325. 13:59comfortable lifestyle he has a number of
326. 14:02business ventures including a bike shop
327. 14:04and a media company he also has a number
328. 14:07of real estate properties and continues
329. 14:09to make money from speaking engagements
330. 14:11and book deals also has a net worth
331. 14:14estimated to be around 50 million
332. 14:16dollars
333. 14:18Lance Armstrong's story is one of
334. 14:21triumphant tragedy he overcame cancer to
335. 14:24become one of the greatest Grand Tour
336. 14:26cyclists of all time but his legacy will
337. 14:29forever be tarnished by doping he will
338. 14:32always be a true divider in the sporting
339. 14:34World some people saying he deserves the
340. 14:36Tour de France wins due to everyone
341. 14:38doping at the time others saying what he
342. 14:41did was cheating and he deserves every
343. 14:44bit that came for him