ESPN's 30 for 30 "LANCE," directed by Marina Zenovich
Part 1: 9 p.m. ET Sunday, May 24 on ESPN
Part 2: 9 p.m. ET Sunday, May 31 on ESPN
Livestreaming: ESPN+ and ESPN Player (where available)
The man on a bike in a yellow jersey became way more than that, more than just the very best athlete in his sport. Lance Armstrong was a symbol of inspiration to cancer patients in hospitals and oncology centers. Those patients saw him pedaling with ferocity, and he kindled in them a burning hope. He won the Tour de France seven times in a row before retiring at the age of 33. He was a force on the bike and a movement off it.
Eventually, however, the truth caught up to him. For a man who had little practice at defeat, it was all over. His confession that he cheated was a gut punch for fans who revered the athlete, the man, the symbol.
Rise and fall
After he beat metastatic testicular cancer that had spread to other parts of his body in 1996, all eyes were on Lance Armstrong when he returned to cycling the following year. But it was in 1999, when he won his first Tour de France -- the most prestigious and difficult race in cycling -- that his status was really elevated, and he became one of the most revered athletes at the time. The athlete, the man
Cast of characters
Which characters in "LANCE" should you know in order to fully understand the complicated story? Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, Emma O'Reilly -- they're all here. Armstrong, his family and his former teammates talk candidly about his Tour de France victories, before and after. Casting call
Through the years
Armstrong helped elevate cycling to global popularity. His seven consecutive Tour de France victories, from 1999 to 2005, and his status as a cancer survivor made him one of the most iconic and revered athletes in the world. Armstrong: Through the years
Reading material
Inspired by survivors, Armstrong refuses to give in to cancer. Tim Keown
Why Lance's legacy won't be failing to win eighth Tour. The career
It's no surprise Armstrong needed doping to be superhuman. Tim Keown
By force of habit, Armstrong still trying to shape narrative. Bonnie D. Ford