By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter
He's overcome cancer. He's become one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. He's helped raise exuberant amounts of money for charities. He's dated a rock star. He's made appearances in movies and television.
Now, retired cyclist Lance Armstrong is doing something entirely new. For the first time in his life, the 35-year-old American is visiting South Korea.
``I've never been to Korea before,'' Armstrong said during a press conference Friday at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill. ``It was a great honor to wake up this morning and see how pretty Korea is.''
Armstrong is in Korea this weekend to promote the Tour de Korea, a nine-stage, 1,500-kilometer bike race that will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday in Olympic Park and end Sept. 9 in Busan. The Tour, which is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), is expected to draw 132 professional cyclists - that includes eight Korean teams and 14 teams from other countries - along with 5,000 amateurs.
``I'm happy to be here,'' said Armstrong, who won the Tour de France _ cycling's most prestigious race _ seven consecutive times.
His visit to Korea should keep him busy. In addition to being at the Tour de Korea's starting line to see off the participants, his schedule includes visiting cancer patients, meeting young Korean cyclists, and donating equipment for an auction that will raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Korea, before leaving on Sunday.
``It's such a full schedule,'' he said. ``It's hard to tell what to do or what's going on. ... I don't have a lot of free time.''
Armstrong's life story and plethora of accomplishments have made him an inspirational figure throughout the world. A native of Texas, he got involved in endurance sports as a teenager by competing in triathlons. He later focused his attention toward cycling and quickly moved up the amateur ranks, where he captured the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1991. Shortly afterward, he turned pro and continued his rise to prominence in the sport until he entered 1996 as the No. 1-ranked cyclist in the world.
But then his life and career took a shocking turn. After becoming ill, he was diagnosed in October of 1996 as having testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Given less than a 50 percent chance of recovering, he underwent aggressive treatment, which included chemotherapy and surgery.
``I suppose the most important thing is I was given a disease that at the time I got it, it was curable,'' he said.
After an arduous fight to recover, Armstrong not only overcame the cancer, but made a return to cycling that produced unprecedented accomplishments. He won the Tour de France a record seven times from 1999 through 2005, giving him two more Tour victories than any other rider in history. Along the way, he received numerous awards and honors from organizations around the world.
``I always loved my job,'' said Armstrong, who retired from professional cycling in 2005. ``I loved what I did. I loved the bicycle and racing it.''
``The thing I miss the most is the simplicity of it. The job of an athlete is very simple. Their job is to train and win.''
Armstrong's fame isn't limited to cycling, though. After getting divorced from his wife with whom he had three children, Armstrong drew attention a few years ago by dating singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. He's also made movie appearances by playing himself in ``Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'' in 2004 and in ``You, Me and Dupree'' in 2006, along with making television appearances that include hosting the 2006 ESPY Awards.
Armstrong has used his celebrity to promote various charitable causes. Most notably, he's a spokesman for cancer research and has started the Lance Armstrong Foundation, an organization that provides support to cancer patients.
``Right now, my biggest focus is on the disease and trying to make the disease a national priority in the U.S.,'' he said, adding that he hopes countries around the world will work together to improve cancer research.
Armstrong continues to promote cycling, too. While he has no intentions of coming out of retirement, he said he still enjoys riding his bike and watching the sport.
His hobbies also include running. He completed last year's New York City Marathon, and plans to do so again this year.
``I try to do some exercise and stay in shape, and I feel pretty good,'' he said.