Lance Armstrong has been a top athlete since he was a teenager, a champion in triathlons when he was as young as 16. He became a professional cyclist in 1992 when he was 21.

In late 1996, after he had already won 2 Tour de France stages, Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The cancer had also spread to his brain and lungs. After extensive treatment, chemotherapy, and removal of his testicle and brain tumors, he was declared cancer-free in early 1997. This was the same year he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation which raises money for people affected by cancer.

For most of his career, Lance faced allegations of doping. In 2004, reporters Pierre Ballester and David Walsh published a book alleging he had used performance-enhancing drugs. Other cyclists have also accused Armstrong of taking drugs as well. He adamantly denied all allegations.

In 2005, Lance announced his retirement from cycling. But of course he wasn’t done yet. He was back to compete in the 2009 Tour de France.

Finally from 2010-2012 US Federal prosecutors pursued allegations of doping by Armstrong. They acquired statements from former team members and other associates. In February 2012, the prosecutors officially dropped their criminal investigation with no charges.

However, the closing of the case did not come without controversy. In June 2012, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accused Lance of doping and trafficking drugs based on blood samples and testimonies from witnesses including former teammates. In August 2012, Armstrong was stripped of his titles from 1998 to present and the USADA issued a lifetime ban from any elite professional sport.

On January 17, 2013, Lance Armstrong sat down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss the controversy and fess up to the doping allegations. She asked a series of yes or no questions regarding his use of EPO, human growth hormone, and other performance-enhancing drugs. He confessed to using all of them during his cycling career.