Lance Armstrong

Call this revisionist history if you like, but there are consequences for completely misrepresenting yourself in print. I originally gave It's Not about the Bike 3-stars, feeling that it did a good job of explaining his fight against cancer and recovery, it came across as Lance being a bit full of himself. Oh boy, was that an understatement in retrospect.

The revelations of just how low Lance Armstrong stooped to win titles and make millions sounds almost like fiction. Worse is the list of show more people in the sport who had the misfortune to call him out on what turned out to be the truth, only to be vilified by Lance's army of myopic fans. To this day, Lance seems uninterested in make any amends to those he wronged.

While Lance's recovery from cancer might be inspiring to some, there are frankly hundreds of thousands of other people with inspiring stories of surviving cancer who had huge obstacles to overcome and did it without lying, cheating sponsors out of millions, cheating competitors out of victories and ultimately cheating millions of fans out of a hero. The fact that he then has the audacity to act like he didn't do anything all that bad - a shrug and a 'what's the big deal' - demonstrates how egotistical and out of touch Lance Armstrong really is.

Ultimately, it turns out that It's Not about the Bike is really a work of fiction. While he did indeed have cancer and he did indeed struggle to survive it, the things he espouses in this book as lessons turn out to be a public relations campaign rather than anything from the heart. The accusations that he insisted were lies turned out to be the truth. The adulation he gladly soaked up turned out to be misplaced.

Some will argue that Lance Armstrong and is foundation did great things for a lot of people. That is possibly true. However, let's be careful giving him credit. Giving him a free pass in spite of his lies is basically stating that the end justifies the means, which is a slippery slope leading to justifying all behaviors, no matter who gets hurt. And yes, a whole lot of people got hurt by Lance's lies and actions. This book represents a crime that was not without victims. As a result, It's Not about the Bike should be left in the dust pile of history and we need to celebrate the survivors who did so without mortgaging their humanity in the process. show less

I don't normally read nonfiction, but I am an avid cyclist. At one time, cycling was my life, but not to the extent that it is Lance Armstrong's life. I won't even pretend to have been that devoted to it.

After giving up cycling and settling into a sedentary lifestyle for a lot longer than I should have, I can credit this book with waking me up and getting me off my growing backside and back into an active lifestyle. The story of Armstrong's conquering cancer and coming back to win a Tour de show more France convinced me that my relatively minor problems would not be an obstacle to me enjoying myself.

Along with the medical motivation, Armstrong's story is a true American dream story. Raised by a single Mother on a meager salary, Lance learned the meaning of perseverance and keeping yourself focused on the payoff. We also learn that he is an arrogant and sometimes not so nice person, but this serves to make him all the more human. The faults come with the good side and you either take the whole package or reject him.

Well told, well illustrated and very inspiring. Three words can sum up my recommendation: "Go For It!" show less

Before I started this, I wasn’t sure what to make of Lance Armstrong. He’s well known as the cancer survivor who now practically owns the Tour de France, certainly the hardest cycle race in the world. I think he’s won it seven times now, although when this book came out, he’d merely won it three times. Cycling is a notoriously drug-riddled sport, so there have been lots of questions about how Armstrong has dominated the Tour for so long. I must confess I’m among the non-believers, show more although recognise my inconsistencies (I’d never believe it possible of Sarah Ulmer, for example). I half expected Armstrong’s story to be along the lines of “I survived cancer because of my extraordinary willpower” and because he’s American, I thought there’d be a lot of God in there too. But, no, his story is nothing like that, and he’s a cheerful atheist. He comes across as a hard bastard, but you’d expect that, given his chosen sport. He’s candid about what happened to him, and the luck he had along the way. If you have to get cancer, you’d want to get it in the States, where he had the choice of treatment regimes and oncology specialists. But he doesn’t skim over the hard stuff. You end up cheering for him as he fights his way back to full health, with the realisation that “full health” is as much mental as physical. Written in a slightly clipped, no-nonsense style that is much like the man, I expect. Recommended. show less

Lance Armstrong is a multiple 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 show more 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. show less