Lance Armstrong stretches shirtless inside his home gym in the January/February 2009 issue of Men’s Health, on stands December 23. The 37-year-old talks about his return to racing (he’ll bike this summer in the Tour de France), who he trusts and his crusade to end cancer. Here are some interview highlights:
On who he trusts: “I would say there are probably a dozen people I trust 100 percent. I’d trust them with my life. Outside of that it drops off a lot. Just like going into war, you have to know who’s committed. Beyond that, you just don’t know.”
On racing in the next Tour de France: “I’m so loyal to Johan [Bruyneel], there’s no way I’d cross him or race against him. This is a more interesting scenario in terms of our loyalty, the fact that I’m not the clear-cut winner anymore. But I’m a fair person. If I’m not the strongest, I’m not going to expect everyone to lay down. For me, it’s more important to be honorable and fair throughout this process.”
On his Livestrong campaign: “There’s a long way to go, and there are days when I think, geez, what did I bite off? But it gives me something to work for so I won’t have to walk into hospitals 20 or 30 years from now.”
On training: “Back in the day, people trained on just their feelings. Now you have heart rate, altitude, lactic acid, all measured on one unit. That’s how I knew I was ready to win the Tour. If I stepped on the scale in the morning and it said a certain weight and the power output was where it was supposed to be when I tested at the end of the day, it was over. Nobody close.”
