Rating: 
Summary: good content /doesn't go far enough/needs to be more usable
Review: I'm not sure who the target audience is for this book: the fitness rider, or someone out to win races. For either group, this book isn't detailed enough, but what is there is excellent. I think that more experienced athletes won't buy it after a quick browse in the bookstore because there is too much really basic information between the nuggets. The advice about cornering (weighting the outside pedal and shifting your weight, etc.) is something I haven't seen in print before, and I found it to be an awesome technique, having learned about it only at a criterium racing clinic a long time ago (the instructor adapted it from motorcycle racing). Also, the emergency turn advice is a great technique I learned at the same clinic, and it saved me from a few crashes in races. These explanantions, however, could have been aided by a bit more detail, and maybe some useful diagrams and photos. The dramatic and counter-intuitive emergency turn technique is poorly explained, and needs an explanation in terms of the angular momentum of the wheel (you have to take your front wheel off, spin it, and hold it in your hands to understand the technique). The nutrition section encouraged me to be more rigorous in counting calories, which I've never done. That section didn't really tell me anything I didn't know already, but it was a good kick in the seat of the cycling shorts to shape up. On the negative side, the book makes a common mistake in recommending the amount of protein and carbohydrate by percentage. It may be ok for Lance to take in 10-15% protein, but given the total number of calories he needs to take in, he's probably still getting well over 120 grams a day (I need about 130 a day to be healthy at my comparitively modest activity level). But if your caloric requirements are much lower, then be careful - your protein levels must be kept up or you'll get ill. Joe Friel and Loren Cordain both have important things to say about this in their books, who recommend more like 0.8 or 0.9 grams per lbs of lean body mass for athletes (corresponding to about 25%-30% in most diets), as well as the "Protein Power" book by Eades and Eades. The bottom line is: beware of protein/carb/fat ratios. I think James McCullagh's 1984 book "The Complete Bicycle Fitness Book" was a better book for newby riders, though it would be out of date in some areas now and is also out of print, unfortunately. It very nearly lived up to its title and was jammed with information. It's got some cool sections that Armstrong's book should have, like calorie output (and horsepower) vs. bicycle speed, and much more detailed suggestions on a variety of areas. Carmichael measures this stuff (see the Armstrong website for data about Armstrong's scary figures) so why isn't it in his Armstrong book? The Carmichael/Armstrong book therefore comes off as somewhat watered down: what's there is good, but they are only answering some of the common questions. I raced on and off road about ten years ago, and took up running after that (o.k. but far from elite results - a sub 17 minute 5k and a sub 3 hr marathon), so a lot of the training principles are old hat, and I know a lot that isn't in this book, too. But what about the people who can't fill in the spaces? For example, in the climbing techniques section they mention that Armstrong "breathes out through his mouth and nose" and not in, and that he "concentrates on breathing deeply and regularly". This isn't sufficient information to really help someone: What they also need to know is you have to breathe from your diaphragm instead of your upper chest like most people, and that you only exchange 80% of your lung capacity in the first second when exhaling,so you need to increase your Peak Flow; there are abdominal exercises for helping with breathing, plus martial arts techniques, and respiratory devices (eg. The Breather) for strengthening your diaphragm to nearly double the peak flow in some cases, etc. This is what I mean by it not going far enough to be useful for the uninitiated, and it gets frustrating after awhile. In another section they refer to ab workouts and reference the excellent "Stronger Abs and Back" book, but all they show are lousy abdominal crunches, which are painful and difficult for some people, and a very incomplete recommendation as they only isolate one area (and they don't even mention specific ab exercises for helping with breathing). Why talk about it at all if they aren't going to do it right? That doesn't seem to be Armstrong's approach to his racing, so we expect the highest standard from his book. The Armstrong training book is better than the old Lemond book, however, for new riders. I sort of get the impression that both the Lemond and Armstrong books coast a bit on the names, and that's unfortunate. Being a big Lemond fan, I was really disappointed with his book (should have been either stories or advice), as it seemed like something that was rushed out, and I get a similar impression with this one. I'm a bit more surprised at Carmichael than Armstrong, as Carmichael is in the business of training people. Is he trying to keep some of his really good advice proprietary so he can stimulate people to sign up for his coaching programs? Not a nice thought, but surely he knows more than this. I hope that future editions of the Armstrong/Carmichael book take a unblinking look at what's already published, and how usable some of their advice is, and try to do better. But hey, I gave it four stars because what's there is a good start.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book without the mush of most biking books
Review: It seems that every bike book you pick up they spend about 3/4 of the book telling you the same old stuff. This is how you spray oil on the chain.....How to ride a bike ..... This book gets down and dirty and gives some great tips and workouts. It gives the mechanics behind making you a better rider. It seems to be a book that the editor and publisher said write what you want and we won't make you put in all the extra junk. Get it now...
Rating: 
Summary: Ride Like Lance?
Review: Only if you share the same genes. I expected this book to be more about training plans and less about why the Carmichael plan is so great. I would have liked it better if it included some type of planning chart. Still, it's hard to take away the fact that Lance is a champion because of Chris. They must be doing something right.
Rating:
Summary: A very good book (Ignore nay-sayers)
Review: The self-appointed elitists who gave this book a bad review only have themselves to blame if they bought this book only to find out that it wasn't for them. It only took me a few minutes scanning through the book to realize that it was geared more for beginner and recreational cyclists. (although there is good advice even for racers here) Even if you only had this website to go by, (instead of a personal visit to the bookstore) the Edtorial reviews here gave plenty of information to allow one to determine the content of the book.
Many athletes I've dealt-with over the years were guilty of over-training, and neglecting the basics that help prevent injury. This book will be a help to anyone who wants to work and improve at cycling without "killing" themselves every time they head out to train.....or literally killing or injuring themselves because they didn't learn a few riding techniques to stay vertical during turns, pack-riding or emergency maneuvers.
It's an excellent place to start.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting twist on cycling training
Review: There are several books out there regarding training for cycling, but this one is more interesting as a book and just as informative, if not more, than the others. Sure, some of the information in the book is pretty basic, but there are plenty of people who need that information. For those of us who have more experience in cycling, there is still plenty of good stuff for us. The stories and examples given to demonstrate the training principles are much more interesting and timely than any other training book around. This book is a must-read for any fan of Lance or Carmichael, as well as anyone who wants to improve their fitness.
Rating:
Summary: Check out mine and others' caveats...
Review: They are on point.
I am a beginning cyclist, and felt that the information was:
> too basic. -> "Lance likes lycra shorts."
> too vague. -> there is a limited number of high-level training outlines, and there is little or no info on where variations make sense, or explanations of where certain claims come from. The good parts are stories of Lance's victories and some of the technique areas. I also wish there had been greater coverage of warning signs of overtraining. In the end, I felt like this book was an introductory ad for the Carmichael Training System.
Rating: 
Summary: not this book
Review: This book could have been super. However just by Friel's and Eddy B's. read this if you are a pure newbie otherwise forget about it.
Rating:
Summary: Beginners and Novices take notice...
Review: this book is an easy and enjoyable read, and answers all the questions that you might be afraid to ask a newsgroup...
(you'll be flamed). Very helpful
Rating:
Summary: Train better not harder!
Review: This is a book you open and close in one day, and go back to often After ever page turn you want to be on the bike. The new out look on trainning makes you want to train. You find new ways to make your workout better not harder. The diet Ideas will not only change what you eat but how you eat things and the times. I would go on but do not want to give the whole thing away. I will leave you with this. The book will make you want to train though the winter to kick ass next season.
Rating:
Summary: This book will NOT be liked.
Review: This just might be the best book ever written on cycling. The problem is, Armstrong and Carmichael have exposed one of cycling's darkest, dirtiest little secrets: we all overtrain. In simple, clear terms, thankfully absent the mind-numbing details of other cycling books, Armstrong and Carmichael destroy the myth that training harder means going faster. Anyone who thinks that huffing and puffing until your thighs throb and burn is the way to grow stronger, is going to be outraged by this book. "How can you become stronger when it does not feel like you are working out? How can anyone reach ultimate fitness unless they pedal until it hurts?", they will wonder. In a book that covers every aspect of cycling important to a rider, Armstrong and Carmichael lay out is a program for riding slower and riding less, but gaining strength and fitness you cannot reach the old fashion way of continually pushing beyond your aerobic limit. What Lance has proven beyond all doubt by his fitness level is that the key to expanding your aerobic limit is to stay within it. Forget the burn: if you burn you are lactating and if you do so every time you ride then you are loosing fitness, not gaining it. It is a wonder that they decided to publish this book before Armstrong retires. We could have watched him perform for years and never guessed his secret. But his now open secret is safe, because it contradicts decades of training practice, so it is doubtful his opponents will use and capitalize on it. You may not be a world-class rider, but this is certainly a world-class book that will benefit any rider who applies its lessons.
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