Lance Armstrong

The most famous American cyclist of all time and perhaps one of the most beloved athletes in sports history, Lance Armstrong was initially written off when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. His Cinderella-worthy story of a post-cancer return to cycling and subsequent international domination of the sport made him a folk hero, and as the founder and face of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, he earned the goodwill of millions as well as raising immense funds for cancer research thanks to the sales of his yellow rubber "LiveStrong" bracelets. Hugely successful at raising cancer awareness and funds for research on a global scale as well as cycling, Armstrong won the Tour de France an astounding seven times. Famous and respected to an extent rare for a professional athlete and unheard of for a cyclist, Armstrong publicly dated singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow and played himself in films including "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" (2004) and "You, Me and Dupree" (2006). Despite his nearly universal appeal, Armstrong was not without his detractors. In 2010 a federal investigation into allegations of doping by the cyclist was launched. Armstrong denied all charges, but after two years of scrutiny, Armstrong withdrew his opposition to the case in 2012 and was officially stripped of all seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from the sport later that year. He eventually came clean in 2013, admitting to doping. It was a sad footnote to the athlete's career, although the world knew better than to ever assume that Armstrong was down for the count.