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Summary: A truly unique book
Review: I had heard good things about this book and picked it up to keep me company on an airplane. I knew nothing about cycling, and a little bit about Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, TdF winner, etc. I didn't expect much. WOW. This book blew away my expectations. His story is incredible and an inspiration. Last year, we lost my fiancee's daughter to cancer and are familiar with the roller coaster cancer will put you on. The thing that kept this book so entertaining was the tone of it. This book could have been a conversation with Lance about what he'd been up to the past few years. It's a very light read given the heaviness of the subjects (cancer, chemo, childbirth). I have given this book (in audio) as a gift to my dad. That's how much I enjoyed it.
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Summary: It's about a vision...and hard work!
Review: This book helps put life in a healthy perspective. Actually, I picked up this book while I was in the midst of reading "The Survivor Personality." While the latter book is good, "It's Not About the Bike" masterfully shows what it's like to be not only a survivor...but a thriver. It helped me change my attitude about some challenges that really amounted to nothing more than "mole hills." The book tells more about what it has taken for Armstrong to succeed than some reviews have indicated. Yes, he has natural physiological advantages. But so do all professional athletes. Lance does not have physiological advantages over all of his competitors. The book shows that he has learned to plan, execute his plan...and work his butt off. Does this mean that Armstong has the personality that many people wish he had? No. And the rest of us have personality flaws, too. I much prefer to read about people--especially sports stars and other celebrities--as they are, not as we would like to idealize them. This makes the book's message (about what it takes to become a survivor) much more relevant to me. Most everyone will love this book. You don't have to be a bicycle rider or sports fan. Riding with Armstong down Alps road on a bike at 70 miles per hour...with only a few feet of visibility...moves you into a differernt world. Readers who are offended by occasional expletives are the only ones who should steer clear of this terrific book.
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Summary: Inspirational!
Review: This book is a great read and Lance is quite an inspiration.. and yes, he can be slightly arrogant at times..but we all have our faults. I read this book in a day and have since reccommended it to family/friends. You won't be disappointed!
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Summary: Very well written, hard to put down!
Review: Lance Armstrong is a true American hero. He has conquered an international sport and he has conquered a disease that affects so many people. We all know someone who has or has had cancer and this story is a message of hope. He had about a 1% chance of survival when he was diagnosed. Yet, he was able to overcome the odds and he is now cancer free. He also details his mental struggle with cancer and the trauma of returning to life. Very compelling stuff. For anyone who has ever ridden a bike or watched the Tour de France he is an inspiration. The last chapters are his first hand account of the '99 Tour. Great Stuff!!!
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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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