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ACCORDING to www.allamericanspeakers.com, Lance Armstrong commands a staggering $200,000 and above for one session of motivational speaking! Initially, I felt that was that is a ridiculous amount to pay considering that the average speaker commands only about $20k-30k.

But when I read his book, “It’s Not About The Bike”, I realize why he is worth that much.

Lance Armstrong is a champion of champions - he not only won the most grueling of races – the Tour de France a record seven times; he also successfully overcame the odds of a three percent survival rate Cancer.

In the book, Lance Armstrong spoke passionately about the following points:

• his relationship with his mother
• pre-cancer career
• his journey with cancer
• post-cancer career and Tour de France

Linda Armstrong was Lance Armstrong’s greatest supporter and teacher

Linda Armstrong gave birth to a 9 pounds, 12 ounces Lance Armstrong when she was just 17. Everybody would tell her that they would not go far in life, as they would attach a social stigma with a mother and child born out of wedlock. But Linda Armstrong raised her beloved son with just one rule “Make Every Obstacle n Opportunity”.

Lance Armstrong never really had a dad. His natural dad left before he was born. His stepfather, Terry Armstrong, married his mother when Lance was three and adopted Lance, hence Lance’s surname. But this marriage did not last long. Not that it mattered to him. His mother was the only person that mattered to him as far as parental guidance is concerned.

She was the one who imbued in him the “Never Say Die” spirit. Every time Lance felt like quitting a race, she would say “Son, you never quit.” Young Lance Armstrong would walk to the finish line in tournaments than to fall out and not complete races. It was his mother that cultivated in him an unrivalled determination that would serve him well in years to come.

Pre-Cancer Career

If you have never seen how Lance Armstrong looked like before cancer, you probably would not imagine how muscular he was.

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