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Summary: It is definitely not about the bike, it is about Lance
Review: In this book LA tells you his story... Everything from how he got his first bike, how he raced on it, what he felt, what he thought, all the way to his come back after cancer. I greatly recommend this book for inspiration and to help you understand what a GREAT athlete is made of.
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Summary: It's NOT about the bike...
Review: There's truth in the title: it's not about the bike, not even about Lance, although he's the one generating the narrative, and a good one it is. Joseph Campbell spoke about the "Hero's Journey", which is what this book outlines. Some come to enlightenment through study, others through life-altering experiences, most never get there at all. With feet of clay, and a pretty good-sized ego (necessary for world-class athletes), and help from more gods and humans than anyone has a right to expect, Lance arrived on that windswept peak that overlooks life in this world. I thank him for sharing that with us, as painful as it was, and for helping us understand that we all can rise to that peak, but we cannot do it alone.In the words of the Hollywood reviewers, "I laughed, I cried, I was changed." If you read this and aren't, you're not human.
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Summary: Inspirational but the Ego Detracts from the Message
Review: I went into my read of this book practically worshipping this guy. His accomplishments both on and off the bike are nothing less than extraordinary. The book does have an inspirational message, but I found myself often distracted from it by a constant thread of egomania. Where there is modesty it tends to ring false. If anyone is entitled to feel good about himself it is Lance, but enough already.
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Summary: A lesson about life
Review: I red this book on a flight to Miami almost two years ago.
It has became my bible: this is not about the bike at all. It's about the love of a single parent raising her only child facing so many challenges, it's about true friendship (something that is really hard to find nowadays...), it's about passion and efforts to reach a goal in one's life. It makes you think about how easly your life can change and you cannot avoid it, all you can do is find the energy to fight back as good as you can. I red this book over 25 times, I now it all. Forward and backward. And it still suprises me and I can still discover parts that give me a new impulse. It changed my life. I keep this book right beside my cupboard. And now I'm waiting for Lance's sixth victory. sabyne moras
Rating: 
Summary: Honestly Inspiring
Review: Lance Armstrong, whose basic story will be well known by nearly anyone who picks up this book, surpised me. I of couse knew that he was a multiple winner of the Tour de France and had conquered cancer, but this story delves much deeper into the incredible hurdles that faced him in both situations. His honesty about the disease, his relationships and the consequences of cancer (sterility and a failed romance most notably) was refreshing and made this story much more immediate and moving then I had expected. It also made him much more real and seem more amazing then I already imagined him to be. Of course, this is a biography and Armstrong has a healthy ego to begin with, so it is of course biased in his favor, but at no point did that lessen my appreciation for what he has suffered through or accomplished. This book is not very well written (though there is nothing wrong with it at all, in fact it is very easy, quick reading) and it is a bit self serving at times, but its message of hope and can-do spirit is inspiring. I respect Lance Armstrong a great deal after reading this book and appreciate what he'd done more then ever before. I think everyone will appreciate this book and get something from it, whether you are a biking fan, a cancer survivor, an endurance athlete looking for motivation or someone who is interested in pop culture and notable people. It is a very well presented story and does not require much time or effort to complete.
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Summary: He's a hero, but, uh ... it IS about the bike
Review: Mr. Armstrong is a world-class athlete and champion, and he battled back from a deadly disease that should have taken his life. He's highly disciplined in a manner I can scarcely imagine and he regularly engages and overcomes adversity. He is an inspiration to all and especially to those in the throngs of cancer. What does not work is this underlying pretense epitomized with the book's title. He is only about the bike, or rather himself. Every other character in the book seems to be an object he can manipulate or castigate. Of course, he is no different from any other successful athlete, businessman, or president... Such success requires an intense, self-absorbed focus. I recommend this book for the inspirational value, but be prepared for the surface sentiments and contradictions.
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Summary: Is there a Grand Scheme?
Review: This book is raw, candid, and often moved me to tears. I knew Lance in name only before the book. I admire his honesty in this book. Lance (and his wife) experienced seemingly more Miracles in the shortest amount of time than most people experience in a lifetime. He is blessed to have had so many people (including his wife) who "put it on the line" for him, yet I can't help but wonder if he truly appreciates it. Lance is a "take charge" kind of guy and we get to see that at its depth as he takes us through his cycling and cancer challenges. Both of which, in his case, are extremely amazing feats. When that much is demanded of you, or demanded of yourself, is something lost? Lance Armstrong seems torn throughout the book about his role in his life. Never discount a Miracle or Who it came from.
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Summary: Read it
Review: Having never really been interested in cycling I bought this book since I wanted to know about Lance's fight with testicular cancer which killed my best friend three years ago in his early 30s. I was not just positively surprised but literally stunned and finished the book in two days. Lance's life from his upbringing to early achievements, his fight with cancer to becoming the King of the Tour de France are written honestly and interestingly. Reading the book took me along the entire emotional spectrum and I enjoyed every minute of it. With a less than 3% chance to survive I am convinced that contrary to the title, his survival is about the bike. It tought him to fight, to personalize the challenge and to give it everything he has got. Being German, I wanted Jan Ullrich to win the tour this year but having read what Lance has overcome and seeing him on the crucial day after falling due to spectator involvement, I now hope that he will win his sixth (and final?) Tour in 2004 to take his rightful place as the best rider who ever lived. I felt compelled to write this review since I read some of the other reviews. While I understand some of the comments about him being egoistic, that is part of him too. He is not claiming to be perfect, far from it, and I do not judge the man but simply recommend his book as an uplifting and interesting read.
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Summary: Breakaway into reality
Review: In the opening chapters we are introduced to an athlete driven by success. Someone with an inflated self-serving ego who was obstinate, insulting and ruthlessly competitive. His mouth had no gatekeeper to prevent the insolent, unkind remarks he hurled at others. Then came a diagnosis of cancer. It jolted him into a new reality; one where other people shared an importance that he held exclusively for himself. Reading about his cure and transformation were both encouraging and inspiring. After the cure he expressed his gratitude by serving others unselfishly and magnimously. On a different, more entertaining note, I really enjoyed reading about the Tour de France. At the book's conclusion, I felt Armstrong should be awarded an honorary degree in philosophy from a distinguished university. His learning experience, which he shares through his candid autobiography is anything but abstract. It is life altering. Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins have written a tour de force. I give it high marks for content and style. Reading each page felt like having a personal conversation, except my comments to Lance went unheard. I look forward to a sequel.
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Summary: It's Not About the Bike
Review: An inspirational book. Not just for the bicyclist. My wife started it as soon as I was finished. She couldn't put it down either. A look at Lance Armstong's inner make-up. What he wants you to know about anyway. A great book.
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