With the world at his fingertips, seven-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong could have trained for his final Tour De France anywhere. However, the challenging ride, climbing from to more than 2,300 feet in three miles, at Beech Mountain was the route he chose to help him prepare for the Tour De France while recovering from cancer in 1998. Today, bikers who seek a challenge or have personal aspects of their own to overcome, often follow the same route, which locals have named the “Tour De Lance.” For those looking for less of a challenge, Beech also offers scenic rides on 51.2 miles of paved bike routes as well as mountain biking options.

Many people flock to Beech Mountain’s trails because of Armstrong. After four consecutive Tour DeFrance wins, Lance Armstrong’s spring 1998 stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains had become somewhat of a legend. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, was considering retirement from cycling in 1998. As a last attempt, his coach brought him to Boone, NC for a week of riding. As he reached the top of Beech Mountain, one morning, Armstrong says he regained his competitive edge. “I was a bike racer again,” Armstrong said in his autobiography. “If I ever have any serious problems again, I know that I will go back to Boone and find an answer.” Some people want to follow in Armstrong’s footsteps; others just want to know what it feels like to cycle their way to the top of a mountain.

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