Let's Take a Bike Ride
2003 Boaz Rauchwerger
Most of us have taken an occasional bike ride, whether around the block or for a few miles, and enjoyed it.
What if I suggested you take a 2,100-mile bike ride, through incredibly mountainous terrain, and subject you to some extreme weather conditions? And, while on your journey to such an event, how about throwing in a life and death battle with cancer? Fame and fortune await you at the finish line.
Are you ready to sign up for this program? Maybe not. However, let me tell you about someone who did – Lance Armstrong. He won the last four Tour de France bicycle races. His bigger victory was one against cancer. His story, in his book "It's Not About the Bike – My Journey Back to Life," is simply amazing.
If you ever feel depressed, I suggest you pick up this book and see what raw courage is all about. See how one human being dug deep into his soul, survived the biggest battle of his life, and achieved incredible triumphs in his sport.
His story began in Plano, Texas, on September 18, 1971. His mother Linda, a single parent, encouraged Lance as he exhibited a natural athleticism at an early age. Her unbending rule was: "Make every obstacle an opportunity."
His competitive nature, great energy, and an inherent ability, resulted in Lance winning the Iron Kids Triathlon at the age of 13. By the age of 16, he became a professional triathlete. Swimming and running eventually gave way to cycling. As a senior in high school, potential cycling sponsors were calling and his career was taking off.
I like the way Lance expresses his admiration for his mother in this book. He states, "My mother had given me more than any teacher or father figure ever had, and she had done it over some long hard years. When it came to never quitting, to not caring how it looked, to gritting your teeth and pushing to the finish, I could only hope to have the stamina and fortitude of my mother. For her, there was just the knowledge that honest effort was a transforming experience."
At the age of 18, Lance qualified for the 1989 junior world championships in Russia. A 1991 victory as the US National Amateur Champion was followed by Lance competing as an amateur in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona.
Up to that point in his life, cycling had come naturally and with virtually little effort. His first professional race, the 1992 Classico San Sebastian, showed him that professional cycling was not an easy path. Coming in last, it was his mother's encouragement that kept him from quitting.
In 1993 Lance won 10 titles including the US PRO Championship and his first stage victory in the prestigious Tour de France. In the process, he became the youngest road racing World Champion ever. Many other victories followed and, in 1996, he was the number one ranked cyclist in the world.
Life sometimes has a way, when we least expect it, to throw us a curve. Courage and stamina are defined by how we react to challenging times. Lance was about to face a gigantic challenge.
In October of that year, severe pains led to tests that revealed that Lance had advanced testicular cancer. It had spread to his lungs and his brain. In the following weeks, there would be surgery to remove the malignant testicle, and then brain surgery to remove the cancer that had spread.
After surgery, an aggressive form of chemotherapy, with a 50/50 chance of survival, weakened this world-class athlete and called on every bit of mental strength he could muster. In the book, he states: "During our lives we're faced with so many different elements as well, we experience so many setbacks, and fight such a hand-to-hand battle with failure, head down in the rain, just trying to stay upright and to have a little hope."
While undergoing chemotherapy, he had these thoughts: "What is stronger, fear or hope? It's an interesting question, and perhaps even an important one. Initially, I was very fearful and without much hope, but as I sat there and absorbed the full extent of my illness, I refused to let the fear completely blot out my optimism. Something told me that fear should never fully rule the heart, and I decided not to be afraid."
Lance's further thoughts during this incredibly difficult time were profound: "We are so much stronger than we imagine, and belief is one of the most valiant and long-lived human characteristics. To believe, when all along we humans know that nothing can cure the briefness of this life, that there is no remedy for our basic mortality, that is a form of bravery."
Scarred physically and emotionally, he began to ride and train only five months after his cancer diagnosis. His incredible comeback is now history. Many cycling victories, including four at the prestigious Tour de France, have permanently emblazoned the name of Lance Armstrong in sports history.
In the book he says that, as he climbed one of the mountains in the Tour de France, he saw his life as a whole: "I saw the pattern and the privilege of it, and the purpose of it, too. It was simply this: I was meant for a long, hard climb."
If you're currently fighting a hand-to-hand battle with failure, maybe you should pretend you're on a bike, put your head down in the rain, try to stay upright and have a little hope. The road just around the curb could be smoother.
A Daily Affirmation of Bravery
When faced with failure, I keep peddling and look for a smoother road
Article reproduced with permission from Boaz Rauchwerger. You may reprint any of these articles in any publication or Web site so long as you credit Boaz Rauchwerger as the author and include this Web site address, www.Boazpower.com.