Winter 04

Tour de France Champ Pedals for Cancer Research

Long before Lance Armstrong began his string of Tour de France victories, he won the most important race of his life. Armstrong, a survivor of advanced testicular cancer, brought his message of hope and the importance of cancer research to the city that put him back on track to bicycling’s greatest challenge.

“I am alive thanks to the IU Cancer Center,” said Armstrong, speaking to nearly 4,000 cheering onlookers at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Oct. 16. His appearance was part of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope,™ a nationwide tour to promote cancer research awareness. The tour included twenty-six cyclists participating in a relay ride that began in Los Angeles and ended in Washington, D.C. Indianapolis was one of five stops during the relay. Armstrong joined the riders at several points along the route.

Armstrong, who has won five consecutive Tour de France titles since returning to the sport in 1999, was reunited at the event with IU physicians who treated him for his cancer: Lawrence Einhorn, MD, distinguished professor, who developed the chemotherapy cure for testicular cancer in the mid-1970s, and Scott Shapiro, MD, professor of neurosurgery, who performed surgery on Armstrong when the cancer had spread to his brain.

“I owe my life to cancer research and to the patients who came before me,” said Armstrong, whose 2000 book, It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, credits Drs. Einhorn, Shapiro, and other IU physicians and staff, including former IU oncology nurse LaTrice Haney. “We want to let people know that cancer research is worth the ride.”
Armstrong was not the only one receiving a warm welcome from the crowd. Dr. Einhorn received a standing ovation when he was introduced at the beginning of the program. Armstrong exchanged jerseys with Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller, who offered Armstrong No. 5 to commemorate his number of Tour de France victories.

The Indianapolis event was sponsored by the IU Cancer Center, Indiana University Hospital, Clarian Health Partners, and Pacers Sports and Entertainment.