23 Days in July

John Wilcockson

For twenty-three days in July 2004, an enthralled global audience watched Lance Armstrong battle to victory in the Tour de France. Armstrong had pledged to win a record-breaking sixth consecutive Tour, a feat no one had achieved in the event's 100-year lifetime. The resulting Tour was riveting, as following a nervous opening week of multiple crashes, Armstrong bulldozed his way to the head. The American cyclist is no stranger to single-minded determination. After being diagnosed with cancer in 1996, it took only six months before he was back racing, revealing the mental resources that make him a cycling legend.