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Summary: It's all about Lance
Review: This is a good book. As an athlete and a person, I appreciated the inspirational qualities of Lance's story. The descriptions of his battle w/cancer are harrowing, but important for understanding the devestation of illness. I was disappointed, however, with Armstrong's attitude. His arrogance quickly became old. I pity the people who were the brunt of his wrath.
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Summary: I Hate Sports Books but Couldn't Put This One Down
Review: What makes this book most powerful is that the author is not afraid to admit his faults and mistakes. You certainly don't end up thinking he is perfect (sometimes you believe his wife should be nominated for friendship). Yet when you finish, what really blows you away is the there really is a sports hero! With so many mindless sports bios where they make claims as to how many thousand women they have slept with, or why their 25 drug arrests were actually mistakes,or the whining that there hotel suite wasn't as good as the next guy, here is a guy with not only ability, but courage and honor to match. A friend gave me this book because I was a very serious cyclist. I probably would not have bought this book on my own, sports bios put me to sleep. As I was working on reading this book, the Tour de France was on, and I would tell my 4 year old that this is the kind of person she should grow up to be. The back story here is so powerful, it had me in tears when I saw him pull ahead of Jan Ulrich in his 3rd tour. This book is more than a good read, it is a great service because the story is one of hope, and the victory has very little to do with biking.
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Summary: This is simply a great book for everyone
Review: Lance Armstrong is a three-time winner of the Tour de France, an achievement that in itself is extremely praiseworthy. But what is amazing about Armstrong's victories is that he achieved them after recovering from cancer - at one stage the doctors had believed his chances of recovery were less than 20%. It's Not About the Bike is the story of Armstrong's life - his growing up, his riding, his becoming a father. Most of all, it is about his battle with cancer, and how it changed him for the better. Don't fear - this is not some airy-fairy new-age hope story. Armstrong is very down to earth about the whole process that he went through, and is not afraid to share details (gory, icky details). This book achieves a lot that other autobiographies miss - he drops some pretty big names and doesn't shy away from comparing himself from the greats in cycling, yet you never feel he is boasting. You get a lot of detail - what goes into chemo treatments; a run through of his 1999 ride of the Tour de France - but it never feels boring or superfluous. Rather, Armstrong comes across as a guy that manages to be amazing and reassuringly normal at the same time - he likes to kick back and drink beer, he loves his Mother, he is proud of being a Dad. He just happens to be one of the greatest sports people competing today, and after reading this book you realise how hard he works to be so good. You don't need to be a cyclist to enjoy this book - while there are sections on his riding, nothing is too technical, and all cycling terms used are explained. As the title says - it's not about the bike. It is about an amazing man that went to hell and back, and made the best of the second chance he was given. I guarantee this book will manage to make you laugh, make you think and inspire you all in the same reading. And there's not much more you can ask from in a book than that.
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Summary: Worth reading, but hardly a hero
Review: I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to read about successful people, what drives their passion and why they succeeded when others did not, this is a frank story of an athlete with fantastic credentials and terrific accomplishments but for me it was not a story of heroism. The book did not dampen my admiration of the feat accomplished, but it did surprise me, living with that much bitterness inside, it was as though his physical cancer was healed but the mental cancer was growing. Here was a man born with a natural physiological advantage, a hardworking mother and supportive mother, numerous people who gave him free equipment, money, support and indulged his personality, friends and family who stuck by him through every challenge in his life, opportunities to travel and see the world at a very young age, but still, he is angry with the world because everything did not come automatically to him. A privilege is anything that sets you apart from the rest of the world and he had countless privileges, but for him the only one that seemed to matter was money and since he was not born into it he hated the world. The endless bashing of anyone who denied him an indulgence he felt entitled to changed what could have been an insipiring story into a spite-fest. This continues after the book, since there is a review on the Amazon page by the co-author who unprofessionally indulges in even more public spite towards anyone who did not like her book. It seemed that humble beginnings did not inspire him towards sympathy for the truly underprivileged but simply gave him the desire to become privileged as fast as he can. Again anyone can desire to be privileged but not everyone has the means, he was born with the means, most people are not. Certain stories particularly bothered me - he was a multi-millionaire, earning millions even while lying in bed fighting cancer, his mother still could not afford to miss a couple of weeks of work; he expected corporate america to subsize his life but despised the people who make up corporate america, those very plano-ites he hated so much go into their offices day after day and the money they make allows a life different from theirs, he did not aspire to a tract house near a strip mall failed to grasp that those homeowners were funding his passions; a millionaire panicking about health insurance, what about the people without the millions or health insurance or a porsche to sell; he had support from millions of unknown people, his family and friends,his knowledge of the treatment that saved his life came from a stranger interested in him and lending him support, what about the lonely, poor people who sit alone in their homes with their cancer; his friend dies of cancer inside three months, hers is incurable, so was his curable all along; he asks for sympathy for his wife alone in France, nothing to do but explore, learn the language, furnish the new house, for many women working in offices to pay Lance his millions, and then rushing home to take care of their families, I think that would be their dreams come true. I do not know the Armstrongs and I do not know how accurately this represents them, this is just my review of a book and the story it told. FOr me this was just a story, a good one and one I enjoyed reading, it was human because it said that successful people were not necessarily great and wonderful human beings, they can be arrogant, spoiled, nasty, oblivious to the rest of the world and still succeed, sort of gives hope to the rest of us, doesn't it.
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Summary: Tour de Force - Tour de Lance
Review: By now all of Europe and the Americas know of Lance Armstrong, the Texan who beat cancer and went on to win the leader's jersey of the Tour de France three consecutive years in a row - something never accomplished by an American riding in the European peloton. In part one of his book Armstrong presents a biographical tour of his life from childhood, the relationships which shaped him and the natural abilities as an athlete. He is honest about himself, his character and subsequent flaws. He places a lot of emphasis on the deep and meaningful relationship with his mother. In part two the book deals with the discovery, diagnosis, battle and remission of cancer. Armstrong is once again very open and honest in sharing his emotional state with the reader. He writes in detail about the disease, the process of chemotherapy, and the many professionals, friends and family who supported him through very dark and uncertain times. The third and final part of Armstrong's book is actually too good to be true. In it he describes his recovery or remission, if you will, the fact that he also gets the girl and goes on to prove the entire cycling establishment wrong by winning the 1999 Tour de France as a member of the USPS team. Of course none of the pages are sugar coated. Lance describes in detail what it feels like to be dropped by sponsors, to struggle back into racing shape, and how to cycle arguably the most grueling race in the world. Anyone can clearly profit from reading the book and perhaps even receive an education in sheer courage and determination. Of of the finest quote from his book is this: "If you ever get a second chance in life for something, you've got to go all the way." Lance Armstrong certainly did.
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Summary: You don't have to know anything about cycling to enjoy this.
Review: I enjoyed reading about Lance Armstrong's experiences as a cancer survivor and a champion cyclist. I did not know that fighting cancer or the Tour De France was as long and gruelling as he describes in this book. He has the fierce determination to be successful at whatever he does. This is what makes Lance Armstrong's story so interesting. I loved reading about the main people in his life. The influence that these people. have had on him is so interesting. Being raised by a single mother, Lance learned independence and toughness. He learned that life is precious and should never been be granted. This is of course from the compassionate doctors and nurses who treated him during his cancer treatment. The trials and tribulations Lance and his wife Kik go through trying to have a baby are very personal. Lance Armstrong's greatest victory is not winning the Tour De France 3 times. His greatest victory is his journey back to life as the title of the book states. This is a wonderful read.
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Summary: It's All About The Bike
Review: This book chronicles the life of Lance Armstrong through a fatherless youth, a promising adolescence, a devastating disease, his 1st Tour win, and the birth of his son. It is well written and should be easily understandable even to someone that doesn't care at all about riding a bike. Probably the only criticism I have for this book (and this is true about most autobiographies) is that Lance seems to take particular joy in striking back at everyone he feels has wronged him in his life. So we are treated to stories of incompetent father figures, sponsors that gave him up for dead, and even revenge at high school classmates that dressed differently. Overall it's an incredible story and well worth reading. Despite the title of the book, I found that most of the story did revolve around Armstrong's cycling career (after all, who would read this book if Lance had survived cancer but given up cycling). It is an inspiring story that anyone can relate to, no matter what the hills are in your life.
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Summary: An Inspiring Story for Cycling Fans and Fellow Human Beings
Review: Most biographies of athletes tend to focus on their achievements on the playing field, highlighting the records they've broken, the awards they've won, the heights they've reached. But Lance Armstrong's greatest achievements have occurred away from any race course, outside of any competition. He has dealt with and surmounted more challenges in his 29 years than many encounter in a lifetime. Oh, and he happens to be one of the greatest cyclists ever, but that comes in second to what he has achieved as a human being, because as he says, it's not about the bike. Armstrong's voice is clear and honest, yet humorous and poignant as well. He tells his story in a very straightforward manner, not mincing words as he describes the brashness and cockiness of his youth and the devastating, sometimes humiliating lows of his bout with testicular cancer. His current condition makes it hard to believe that Lance Armstrong could have ever been anything other than the healthy, consummate sportsman and gentleman that he is, but his story tells us otherwise, describing a cancer that left him with an extremely low probability for survival, and nearly ended his cycling career, not to mention his ability to have children. But Armstrong has overcome all of those obstacles. Not only did he recover from the cancer (which eventually spread to his lungs and brain), he returned to cycling. And not only did he return to cycling, he won the Tour de France, the most difficult sporting event on the planet. And he did this three years in a row. This book was recommended to me by my father, an avid cyclist and cycling fan. He read it not only because Armstrong casts such an imposing presence upon the world of cycling today, but because of what he has learned about life, both on and off of the bike. You don't have to be a cycling fan to appreciate this book--it is a very human story about a very human person.
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Summary: Tour of Courage
Review: Lance Armstrong is the a Tour D France champion. Lance Armstrong is a cancer survivor. Between those two headlines is a very courageous and complicated American hero. The first person narrative takes you from boyhood to today with emphasis on his struggle to survive and his subsequent struggle in a comeback. What makes this book special is the self-awareness and spriritual perspective he shares from his experience. I was inspired and tearful as he won his third Tour, knowing his road to Paris was a greater challenge than most spectators imagined.
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Summary: The Greatest Sports Hero Ever
Review: If Lance Armstrong isn't the Greatest Sports Hero Ever, who is? Those overpaid ballplayers with gold chains who think they're heroes if they play with the sniffles? Lance Armstrong came back from DEATH to win the world's most grueling sports event three times in a row. And the only chain Armstrong wears was given to him by his friend who later died of cancer. Although Lance Armstrong gets the byline, the book was obviously written by his talented co-author, Sally Jenkins. But the combination of Lance's inspirational story and Sally's engaging writing is unbeatable. Sally weaves Lance's Texas childhood, his horrifying experience with cancer and his European cycling career into a compelling story of man's triumph over adversity. I competed against Armstrong in his first Triathlon in Dallas and can assure you that this book describes cycling perfectly. And, as the cliché goes, a Hollywood producer could not have invented a better story. Lance Armstrong remains his own person. He doesn't pander to the press, hawk merchandise or make stupid appearances at the local mall. He leads by example and gives hope to cancer patients. When you're shopping for sunglasses, remember how the CEO of Oakley forced his insurance carrier to cover Lance when he had lost his previous coverage. And what of Cofidis, the French company that dropped their sponsorship of Lance when he was coming back from cancer? Examples like this show us the true nature of companies and their leaders as opposed to their advertising, PR and celebrity endorsements. And while athletes like Patrick Ewing visited the Gold Club when he was at the last Olympics, Lance Armstrong is completely devoted to his wife and son. When Lance trains in Europe, he brings his family along. I wonder if Ewing took his family to Atlanta? The book deals with sensitive subjects like Lance's testicular cancer and the in vitro fertilization of his wife. However, there is no time for self-pity. Does the book idealize Lance relationship with his mother? Yes, but so what? It's not Lance's fault that he's the son of an angel. Some critics say this book is not about the bike but about Lance. Of course it is! It's his biography. And that Lance has been arrogant, self-absorbed and egotistical. So what? Can an underprivileged kid raised by a single mother climb to the top otherwise? And what do you think brought Lance back from death? My father says his attitude carried him through his own experience with cancer. Like my father, Lance just refused to give up. And they're both alive today. Those armchair experts who criticize Armstrong or accuse him of doping should watch bowling instead or maybe go for a little bike ride of their own. Every cancer patient, every cancer survivor and every person facing adversity can look up to Lance Armstrong. I've respected him since he dropped me in that Dallas triathlon years ago. My father admires this young guy who also beat death with a combination of luck and attitude. And we can all look up to Sally Jenkins for crafting such a wonderful book. This is one of the most inspirational stories of all time.
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