Lance Armstrong raced professionally.
Lance Edward Armstrong ( born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18 , 1971 ) is an American former professional road racing cyclist . Armstrong is the 1993 professional world champion , and won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 . Team RadioShack was a professional road bicycle racing team , with RadioShack as the title sponsor , the creation of which was announced on July 23 , 2009 . The Tour de France ( [ tuʁ də fʁɑ̃s ] ) is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France , while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries .