It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

Rating:
Summary: A great book in spite of recent news
Review: Up front, I am a father, husband and athlete. I say that so that my comments below do not get dismissed as being from a female perspective. Unlike many of the reviewers, I did not read this book until May, 2003. First of all, this is a great and fast read. It is very entertaining and educational. It is an uplifting story of a son raised by a single mother, who did not fit in with the popular groups in school and who chose cycling as a way to escape, both physically and emotionally. It is a great story of the American Dream come reality. He literally worked to get where he is today, a champion and millionaire. It is also a great account of combat with a deadly disease, complete with excrutiatingly detailed descriptions of the horrific battle cancer patients fight. Simply put, there is much about the book and Lance Armstrong to admire. That said, I agree with many of the negative comments about Armstrong being self-absorbed and self-centered, although that is not relevant to a review of whether this is book worth your reading. After reading a recent magazine article which revealed that he now has been separated from his wife I found the book to contradict reality, at least as it goes to his loyalty to her. There is no doubt that Armstrong suffered and had to fight for his life through cancer, and that his subsequent 4 straight victories in the Tour are a remarkable achievement. But I now find myself questioning some of the things he states in his book. I think the reader will come away with one distinct impression that perhaps Armstrong himself cannot even realize: He has been able to do what he has done due to the love and support of two women, his mother and his wife. Another thing that he seems blind to and takes for granted are the many friends who seem to bend over backward to support him. One disturbing example is his repeated accounts of his previous girlfriend's love and support during his cancer battle. She repeatedly appears at all places, then when he goes into remission, she is dismissed from the book with one or two lines about the battle having burned her out on the relationship. He never mentions her again. Then when he writes about meeting his future wife, he makes it a point to state, "I know I am supposed to say the light changed when I first saw her, but it didn't." Some of the sacrifices made by his wife to support his return to cycling are almost unbelievable. But the fact that he seemingly now has chosen his bike over his family is not surprsing if you read between the lines of the book. That said, he tells a poweful story and is a role model for athletic work-ethic and drive, if not for being a great human being. He is the kind of person you'd want your son to emulate if he is going to be a world-class athlete, but for any other role, I'd avoid his example.

Rating:
Summary: A very good life lesson
Review: This book is a great lesson of ambition, strong will and determination that can be useful to anybody. First, it's about fighting and beating cancer and then on a second level it is about the world of cycling. I am not and have never been a competitive cyclist or even a fan of the sport, but you don't have to be a fan to read this book - it's just a wonderful and emotional testimony of a very dedicated cyclist fighting a deadly disease.

It is not a literary masterpiece, but there is a very good lesson about survival on almost every page of it.

You will find this book very easy to be read, with a style that is simple and concise. But most importantly, you will find out what is like to become sick and unable to do something once taken for granted, from a very active and hard working athlete and then return to the stage and win one of the most difficult contests in the world: Tour de France.

You will find that the best way to win in life is to turn a serious obstacle into an opportunity and make a negative become a positive. I think these are ideas that should guide us all the time.

Was the hero's survival a miracle? Or just determination? Lance wonders himself: "The question that lingers is, how much was I a factor in my own survival and how much was science and how much miracle?...[P]ersonally I'm content with simply being alive to enjoy the msytery."

I recommend you to buy this book: I think it will change your vision of things a great deal and I promise you, you won't put it down until you finish it.

Rating:
Summary: What Life is All About
Review: Lance touches your heart with the real details of his life...he is honest about being an amateur cycling cocky Texan; he is honest about his motives to win; he is honest about what he went through mentally and physically with cancer. He intimately describes the fear, the uncertainty, the determination to recover from his diagnosis and the cancer treatments. Lance opens the door to his life to help others understand the reality of being diagnosed with cancer and the mission to overcome the fear and get on the path to life again....A path to a better life...a more successful life than he would have had or REALIZED if he had not had to take a new perspective because of his cancer diagnosis. Thank you!!

Rating:
Summary: Breakthrough
Review: FANTASTIC book!!! I received this book as a gift right after my first chemo treatment last Christmas- December 2002. It has been my key inspiration over the past six months of chemo, radiation therapy and cranial irradiation. What is "breakthrough" about Lance and his experience is what he has achieved since. Now all Cancer patients (and people worldwide) can reset the bar for what is possible after successful Cancer treatment.

My only caution to patients entering treatment is that there have been great advances in preventing the nausea associated with chemotherapy. Nausea during treatment is not as severe these days due to the addition of steroids to increase the effectiveness of nausea medicine given along with chemo IVs. I had the same chemo and very minimal/treatable nausea in 2003.

When you read about Cancer, always note the copyright of the material. Treatment advances are coming daily.

Rating:
Summary: What an Inspiration!
Review: One of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring books I've read in ages! It is extremely well written, easy to read, and a "can't-put-down" kind of book! I found it had a great balance of technical details about bike racing (even though I'm no cyclist, it was easy to understand), but more importantly, Lance's emotions and feelings came through in EVERY chapter. His strength of character and will to live, and love of life was totally inspiring to me, as well as to my entire family who read this book (including 2 teenage sons who read very little!) We all loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful, gripping, page-turner.
Review: This book grabs you from the get-go and never lets go. It quickly pulls you into Lance's world, makes you feel the shock of learning about cancer, and makes you feel the struggle and pain of getting through it. Not for the squeamish, the descriptions get into gritty detail. The parts about racing really have you in the saddle--you can practically feel like you're straining up the mountain or screaming down the descent with Lance. A hard book to put down; great insight for fans of Lance as to his drive and personality, and an inspiration for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: A life raft for survival
Review: I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 49. My father died of cancer at the age of 52. I was beyond stunned or numb. Catatonic would have been a relief. An attending Doctor and bicycling enthusiast, recommended this book to me at the time of my greatest fears and doubts. As I read what this other Texan went through when dealing with a most undesireable period of his life, I found myself getting stronger and more determined to find a way to beat this temporary diversion. Lance Armstrong's epiphany moment with the doctors in Bloomington Indiana, has become the touchstone for everything I now encounter. My Doctor friend echoed this same theory from the book: Anyone, regardless of their position, education or authority, who is not positively contributing to your overall success; fire em'! Life is about what you determine to make it, and what you can make it for others. We don't have time to waste on pithy, trivial "what if's" or "maybes" or "but I might fail". We may not have control over everything that happens to us in our lives, but we don't have to simply lay down and take it either!
I am now 51 years old and recovering quite well from my cancer experience. I now believe that a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence, but negative or limited thinking can be. Lance Armstrong has my most profound gratitude for having the guts to speak his mind on a subject few people even want to acknowledge; the value of every day in this life.

Rating:
Summary: What makes Lance tick
Review: This is an excellent book about an outstanding person. Yes, Lance is a cycling hero by any standard, having already won the Tour de France four times, but to have showed such perseverance in the face of life threatening and body wrecking cancer is just amazing. Most people would have never considered making a comeback after something like that, but Lance not only came back- he triumphed. This book gives the reader all the details of the battle with cancer, and much much more. By reading it, you get to know Lance as a person, and get inside the psyche of this great champion. The book is a real page turner, too, as I hardly put it down. An excellent read even if you have no interest in cycling. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

Rating:
Summary: I can do anything I set my mind to doing
Review: This is not a profound book, and it is not great literature. It's not even an objective account of Lance Armstrong's life and career. But what it is is more important than all that: the book is an inspiration with few peers. I have read it more than once, and each time I read the last page I close the cover, put the volume aside and think: I can do anything I set my mind to doing.

As the title says, the story is not (only) about the bike, as its lessons of hope and perseverance are relevant to anyone facing adversity. But it is probably best enjoyed by those familiar with cycling, since it also offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of someone who does what he does better than anyone else.

If there is anyone who doesn't already know the general outline of Lance Armstrong's history, he overcame a deadly battle with cancer to win the Tour de France, considered by some the most grueling and difficult endurance test in the world. And it's a story that is still current: Lance won the tour twice more after the book was published and will be vying for a record-tying fifth title this summer.

As I wrote at the beginning, don't buy this book if you want a philosophical tome about overcoming a life-threatening illness, or a spin-free look at the complex life of an athlete who is probably still under appreciated in his home country and at once admired and resented in Europe, where he spends most of his time. But if you want an easy-to-read real-life story to inspire you and illustrate what is possible -- and what could be more important than that? -- this is the book you want.

Rating:
Summary: An American Sports Hero
Review: "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" is an autobiography written by Lance Armstrong, a four time winner of the Tour de France. The book explains the many struggles that he dealt with in his lifetime, mostly his struggle with cancer.

I am not the least bit interested in cycling, but Armstrong's story was extremely entertaining and interesting. From the first page, to the last page, I could not put the book down. The book was well organized with simple language which allowed the book to flow very nicely. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone between the ages of 14 to 45. Everyone's hearts will be touched by Armstrong's story. It has a universal message, to overcome any obstacle with high spirits and courage that pertains to all age groups. Armstrong discusses the feelings he had during his cancer recovery that make you want to cry because you feel so bad for him. By overcoming cancer and then winning the Tour de France four times, he definitely has all the characteristics of an American hero. The determination that is derived from Armstrong's love for life and cycling is evident throughout the entire story. A definite must read!