1993 - Armstrong stuns a host of established rivals to win the world road race crown in Oslo, adding a significant win to his first Tour de France stage at Verdun, although he did not finish the race.

1994 - Armstrong continues to make his mark in the European peloton with Motorola, but wins no significant races and fails to finish the Tour de France for the second year running

1995 - Armstrong wins the Tour DuPont in the United States, and five stages. At the Tour de France however tragedy strikes his Motorola team when teammate Fabio Casartelli crashes and dies on a descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet. Armstrong goes on to win a stage, and dedicates it to the fallen Italian. Armstrong finishes the race for the first time at 36th place overall, and finishes off the season by winning the San Sebastian one-day Classic in Spain

1996 - Armstrong wins the Fleche Wallonne one-day classic, comes second in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Paris-Nice stage race - but he fails to finish the Tour de France for the third time. In Autumn 1996, shortly after signing for the French team Cofidis, he announces he has testicular cancer, which later spreads to his lungs and brain. He begins his long battle against cancer.

1997 - Armstrong does not compete, and eventually leaves the Cofidis team.

1998 - After almost two years of treatment a much leaner Armstrong returns slowly but steadily to cycling with his new team, US Postal, winning his first race in his hometown of Austin before placing fourth in the world championships road race, and the time trial. He also shows encouraging signs by finishing fourth overall in the Tour of Spain.

1999 - Armstrong lines up for the Tour de France with a new team and a new ambition - to win the race. He begins to focus entirely on the Tour, previewing all of the key stages. Missing the injured Jan Ullrich, who goes on to win the Tour of Spain later that season, Armstrong goes on to claim four stages, and win his first Tour with a lead of 7min 37secs on Switzerland's Alex Zulle after wearing the yellow jersey for the race's last 12 days.

2000 - Jan Ullrich returns to the race but ends up finishing second best as Armstrong coasts into Paris with a glass of champagne in hand having defended his crown despite winning just one stage - the Belfort time trial on stage 19. Ullrich finishes runner-up at 6:02.

2001 - Armstrong's hunger for stage wins returns as he takes four on the way to defending his title and becoming the first American to claim a consecutive yellow jersey hat-trick. Rivalry with Ullrich intensifies after their battle up the Alpe d'Huez, then Armstrong's time trial victory up to Chamrousse. Ullrich finishes second at a massive 6:44.

2002 - Armstrong wins another four stages and becomes the first American four-time winner of the Tour after leaving Spaniard Joseba Beloki down in second place in the race at over seven minutes. His arch rival Jan Ullrich does not take part due to a ban after the German tests positive for amphetamines.

2003 - Armstrong joins an elite club of five-time winners which includes Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. But he almost comes a cropper in the stage nine crash which ends Beloki's race and sees the American ride through a field. More drama, prior to his only stage win on the race at Luz-Ardiden in the Pyrenees, simply underlines the American's determination. An epic stage in which he leaves Ullrich and Spaniard Iban Mayo trailing despite crashing into a roadside spectator then his shoe unclipping momentarily from his pedal further up on the climb. Ullrich, back with a new team, Bianchi, wins the time trial on the 12th stage and finishes a close second in the general classification at just over a minute behind.

2004 - Armstrong returns for a record-setting sixth victory, which he achieves in style as Ullrich finishes off the podium for the first time in his career. Despite a divorce from his wife Kristin and US Postal announcing the end of their team sponsorship, Armstrong turns on the style by climbing, sprinting and time trialling his way to five stage wins before securing overall victory ahead of Ullrich's teammate Andreas Kloden.

2005 - Armstrong's first and last year with his new team, Discovery Channel, proves a success. Again, his rivals Ullrich and Ivan Basso fail to live up to the American's stunning performances. Armstrong hit them hard on the first time trial then on the first day in the Alps, after which he had the leisure of watching teammates George Hincapie and Paolo Savoldelli race to their respective first stage wins on the race. Basso finished second overall, while Ullrich finished third.

Source: China Daily