July 25, 1999: The Miracle Man

PARIS - Lance Armstrong had a champagne flute in his hand, taking a pleasant ride with his teammates along the Champs-Élysées. The Tour de France was effectively over, this last stage simply a celebration of the event. The smile on his face was deceptive, hiding that fact that in the span of 22 days, this man had transformed from inspirational cancer survivor to dominating cycling force.

Actually, it didn't even take that long. Armstrong was in first place overall after Stage 8, having won the first two time trials in the 1999 Tour. His lead was a modest 2 minutes, 20 seconds as the Tour dipped into Italy for Stage 9. Facing the riders that day was a monster, a 133-mile ride through Sestrières outside Turin that finished with a massive uphill climb.

It was on this mountainside in the Italian Alps where Armstrong entered into legend, where the cancer survivor made the move that put him on top of the cycling world for nearly a decade.

Halfway through the race, Armstrong and the other overall leaders were riding together in a pack, about 30 seconds behind a couple of riders who had gone ahead in the stage. Armstrong decided that was enough. With the rain coming down, and in clear view of his closest challengers, Armstrong went after the stage leaders, trying to run them down. It didn't take long, and soon he was in the group of three stage leaders as they continued the climb.

But Armstrong wasn't done. Knowing that the Tour de France might very well be decided on this mountain, and knowing that the other overall leaders were struggling to keep up, Armstrong pushed his advantage, continuing to press his lead and daring anybody to keep up with him. Nobody could. By the time he crossed the finish line, nobody was within 30 seconds of him on the road. He had pushed his overall lead to 6 minutes. Even though there were 11 stages left to race, the Tour was effectively over.

By the time Armstrong got to Paris for the final stage on July 25, the race had turned into a celebration. It was a celebration for the miracle man who had been diagnosed with cancer just three years before, who was believed to be on his deathbed not long after. It was a celebration of the man who had never before seriously competed at the Tour, and who was now being hailed as its champion. He would go on to win an unprecedented six more Tour championships and become the most admired athlete in America, the face of the fight against cancer. And it all started with a climb up a rain-soaked mountain in Italy.

July 22, 1990: Three shades of yellow

PARIS - Greg Lemond had two shotgun pellets in the lining of his heart during the 1990 Tour de France. There are lots of injuries or illnesses that athletes have overcome in competition, but having two shotgun pellets lodged in the lining of your heart is pretty unique.

Lemond was the defending Tour champion in 1987 when his brother-in-law accidentally shot him in the back while turkey hunting. He missed the next two tours while recovering, making it back in time for the 1989 event.

Hoping for nothing more than a top-20 finish, Lemond found himself in contention in 1989, entering the final time trial in second place, just 50 seconds behind the leader. Lemond then rode the fastest time trial in Tour de France history, coming from behind to claim his second yellow jersey.

As the defending champion in 1990, Lemond got off to a terrible start, ending up 10 minutes behind the leader after the first stage. The rest of the Tour saw him slowly chipping away at the lead, cutting seconds and minutes off the pace as the riders went through the mountain stages. Entering the final time trial, Lemond was only 5 seconds off the lead, a deficit he easily made up for his second straight win and third overall.

In winning the 1990 Tour, Lemond achieved the relatively rare accomplishment of winning the Tour de France without actually winning a stage. After becoming the first non-European winner in 1986, he also became the first non-European to win three titles, and only the sixth man overall to claim a three-peat.