Sport's Supreme road warrior takes a weekend spin through Texas' capital city.
Since this is a road warrior story, let's start with a road - specifically I-35 South, which slices through the heart of Texas. In 1989, that road carried Lance Armstrong from his hometown in the Dallas suburb of Plano to the state capital of Austin. He chose Austin because its Hill Country setting presented more challenging training terrain than flatland Dallas, where, as a teenage professional triathlete, he'd cycle so far into Oklahoma he'd have to call his mother to pick him up. By 1996, Armstrong was the world's top-ranked cyclist. But just before turning 25, he was forced off his bike by excruciating pain. It turned out to be testicular cancer, which had already spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain. Given a 50 percent chance of survival, Armstrong took the cancer as a wake-up call, and became a true warrior, not only beating the disease, but going on to win the prestigious Tour de France a record three times. Back home, a month after his last chemotherapy treatment, he met and eventually married Kristin Richard of Austin. They had a son, Luke, and, last year, welcomed twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace. Here's a weekend with the 30-year-old Armstrong in the city where his road to victory began.
FRIDAY
LODGING
The nicest hotel we have is the Four Seasons. If somebody came into town, it's where I would direct them. It's downtown on Town Lake. The bar there is fantastic. Great couches, great chairs, big fireplace. Not too bright, not too dark. The hotel has a little bit of a Hill Country feel. It's right on the hike and bike trail, which is pretty much dominated by runners. The other hotel downtown is The Driskill. It has a great history and newly remodeled rooms, suites, restaurant, and bar. It's right on Sixth Street, which is probably one of the more well-known places in Austin for nightlife."