Habits and Hustle, Episode 502: Lance Armstrong on VO2 Max, Endurance Genetics, and Why Cycling Beat Running

Host: Jen Cohen (with Habit Nest)
Guest: Lance Armstrong
Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the extraordinary journey of Lance Armstrong—from his early days as a swimmer and triathlete to his dominance in professional cycling and his perspective on endurance genetics, mindset, and personal reinvention after controversy and health struggles. The conversation covers his early athletic background, transition to cycling, insights on training and endurance genetics, candid reflection on doping, the reality of rebuilding after public downfall, and the roots of his tenacious mindset.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Early Athletic Foundations and Endurance Genetics

• Swimming Roots:

  • Lance got his athletic start as a serious age-group swimmer, training twice daily, all year round.

    "If you're a serious swimmer at that age, you swim what they call age group swimming. Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, they grew up swimming age group swimming." (A, 02:21)

• Transition to Triathlon:

  • Progressed to triathlons, turning pro at just 15, racing and scoring results against adults.

    "I turned pro in triathlon when I was 15...racing against 30 year old men." (A, 03:59)

• VO2 Max and Endurance Genetics:

  • Early testing at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas revealed a remarkable VO2 Max.

    "The physiologist was like, wow, this is. Not sure we've seen a VO2 like this before." (A, 04:49)

  • Current resurgence of interest in VO2 Max due to accessible mobile testing units.

    "VO2 is having a moment again...now they've got these mobile units." (A, 05:00)

2. Why Cycling Over Running?

• Preference and Performance:
  • Lance found he enjoyed cycling more than running and was better at it.

    "I enjoyed cycling more...I quickly figured out that cycling was my strength." (A, 05:39)

  • Described cycling as providing variety, beautiful scenery, and less bodily impact than running.

    "Four or five hours and see 80 miles of beautiful terrain...and no impact on the body versus...15 miles and a lot of it." (A, 05:45)

• Early Competitive Path:
  • After excelling in swimming and on the bike in triathlons but not running, focused fully on cycling, leading to selection for the Junior World Championships (Moscow '89).

3. Tour de France: Training, Danger, and Mental Edge

• First Tour de France Win Age:
  • Won his first Tour in 1999 at age 27 or 28.
• Why Is the Tour So Grueling?
  • The race is a physically and mentally brutal endurance event, but also highly dangerous due to dense competition, technical roads, and constant need for strategy.

    "It's very dangerous. Obviously, it's an endurance event...but there are 200 guys on the road all trying to be at the same place at the same time...strategy, politics..." (A, 07:56)

  • Training involved huge quantities of pre-racing, reconnaissance, and relatively little weight training—endurance is king.

    "We would do...anywhere from 40 to 60 race days before...and then a lot of training, a lot of reconnaissance." (A, 09:33)

• Mindset and Belief:
  • Emphasized the critical role of belief in oneself for performance and resilience.

    "After I got a couple under my belt, I was pretty sure we were...I mean, look, anything can happen." (A, 10:23)

4. Doping: Context, Consequence, and Public Narrative

• Candid Clarification:
  • Offers nuanced perspective, pointing out he was exposed, not caught testing positive, highlighting complexity of the legal versus anti-doping process.

    "Technically, I didn't get caught... I was exp. Certainly exposed but not caught. That's true, if that makes sense." (A, 10:55 and 11:01)

• On Being Made the Poster Child:
  • Believes the narrative fixated on him was media-driven, but notes that within the peloton, there's no animosity or bitterness toward him.

    "The only people that matter are the people who were in the race...the people who were in the war and in the battles...that's all that matters." (A, 12:20)

• Media Myths and Personal Truth:
  • Objects to exaggerated claims of being the “biggest fraud in the history of sport,” emphasizing the reality known by competitors and those close to him.

    "If somebody says that guy right there...that's the biggest fraud in the history of sport...My competitors know that, my teammates know that...They're just jerking themselves off." (A, 14:40)

5. Resilience, Reinvention, and the Role of Mindset

• The Process of Rebuilding After the Fall:

  • Describes a multi-year period focused on patience, reflection, and reinvention after being banned from cycling.

    "It's been 12, 13 years...a long period, and I say long, I mean 5ish years where I was just patient and I just watched and waited...Primarily reimagining and reassessing." (A, 16:50)

• Surviving Cancer and Its Aftermath:

  • Recalls being diagnosed with cancer at age 25 and given a 20% chance to live; attributes survival and comeback to being “equipped to not quit.”

    "I was equipped to not quit. Right. And so I didn't quit when I was diagnosed and I fought for my life and I got my life back and then I fought to win the Tours and then, and then that story got edited." (A, 18:28)

  • Used positive self-talk to fuel his comeback.

    "I was like, wow, I've been sick for a long time. Like just imagine when I get healthy and I get all of this stuff out of my body...I'm gonna be super badass then." (A, 19:39)

• Upbringing, Grit, and Absorbing Resilience:

  • Credits the example set by his single mother, whose unwavering determination influenced his own.

    "I grew up in a...with a mother, a single mother...she just didn't. She never quit...she's tough. She has grit...I attribute a lot of that to my mother." (A, 21:32)

6. Life After Cycling: Personality and Personal Growth

• Self-Perception:
  • Downplays a “serious” image, describing himself as playful and goofy in private.

    "When people get to know me, I'm a lot goofier than people...I don't take myself very seriously." (A, 23:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Genetics and Talent:

  "You didn't need to be in a lab to, to know that you had some, that I had the DNA or the talent to be an endurance athlete." (A, 04:11)

• VO2 Max Brag:

  "The physiologist was like, wow, this is. Not sure we've seen a VO2 like this before." (A, 04:49)

• Why Cycling Wins:

  "I enjoyed cycling more...if you have the option to...see 80 miles of beautiful terrain versus...15 miles and a lot of it. I just. And I was better at cycling." (A, 05:39)

• On the Doping Narrative:

  "The only people that matter are the people who were in the race...that’s all that matters." (A, 12:20)
  "If somebody says...that's the biggest fraud in the history of sport...My competitors know that, my teammates know that...They're just jerking themselves off." (A, 14:40)

• Mindset and Resilience:

  "I was equipped to not quit. Right. And so I didn't quit when I was diagnosed and I fought for my life and I got my life back and then I fought to win the Tours..." (A, 18:28)

• On His Upbringing:

  "She was dead set on having me. And...she just, she's just. She's tough. She has grit. She's overcome a lot." (A, 21:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Early athletic background & VO2 Max: 02:06 – 05:32
• Why cycling over running: 05:32 – 07:12
• Tour de France experience and mindset: 07:14 – 10:23
• Doping, media, and public narrative: 10:40 – 14:40
• Rebuilding after public downfall: 16:34 – 18:28
• Cancer diagnosis and comeback: 17:34 – 19:39
• Upbringing and grit: 21:32 – 22:48
• Personality and misconceptions: 23:06 – 23:52

Tone and Style

The episode is open, reflective, and sometimes wryly self-aware. Armstrong is candid about both triumphs and scandals, with moments of self-deprecating humor and an undercurrent of defiant resilience. Jen balances curiosity and respect, encouraging practical insights into habits, mindsets, and personal growth.

Summary Takeaways

• Lance Armstrong’s athletic journey was shaped by both exceptional genetics and an environment of relentless perseverance, learned from his single mother.
• Mindset—especially belief in oneself and refusal to quit—was as important as physical ability for his success.
• He is candid about both his controversial past and the process of moving forward, advocating for personal truth over media narratives.
• At his core, Armstrong’s greatest achievements and recoveries are rooted in resilience, adaptability, and a focus on what really matters: the “people in the race” and loved ones.
• Despite the serious image, Armstrong sees himself as playful and approachable in day-to-day life.

For listeners seeking practical lessons from elite performance, personal reinvention, or gritty persistence, Armstrong’s story delivers both provocative candor and moments of inspiration.