Ending on a less than satisfactory note, seven-time Tour champion and all around American hero, Lance Armstrong, completed his final Tour with some bad luck. 

Enduring crashes, uphill struggles and a federal investigation into doping and fraud allegations, Armstrong continued to prove he is all mind over matter and kept pedaling through the hardships to finish the race, even though it wasn’t the way he wanted to go out. 

[pullquote quote="The result wasn't ideal, but it would have been a serious mistake to quit on the team." credit="Lance Armstrong"]

Despite coming in at an unsatisfactory 23rd in his 13th Tour de France, quitting wasn’t an option for Lance Armstrong even after multiple crashes, popping a tire and struggling up the Alpine climbs.

“I couldn’t quit. I could have said a dozen things were wrong, but that’s not the commitment that I made. The result wasn’t ideal, but it would have been a serious mistake to quit on the team, to quit on the sponsor, to quit on my fans,” Armstrong commented.

He stated that even with the problems he encountered during the race, he doesn’t regret the way it turned out, coming in 40 minutes after the Tour leader — former teammate and rival, Alberto Contador.

“Obviously, I won’t have a yellow jersey to remember — I’ll remember the team, digging deep to win the team GC (general classification),” he said. “It’s significant for us and the sponsor.”

“I’ll remember having my son here for a week at the Tour,” he added. ”I’ll remember the bad luck, certainly — the crashes. But that won’t be the thing that I’ll take away.”

Taking away the positive from the race, Armstrong said his life won’t change because of his placement in his final Tour or from facing allegations about doping from his former teammate Floyd Landis. Armstrong left a lasting mark on the Tour de France, with his record-breaking seven wins, and his perseverance will continue to inspire athletes around the globe.

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[Source: Yahoo!]