Lance Armstrong

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

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

Lance Armstrong's memoir on his battle with cancer and the events thereafter that led him to win his first two Tour de France titles is an inspirational and eye opening story. I enjoyed his detailed account of the world of competitive cycling, giving me my first peak into the depths, the buzzwords, the politics, and the difficulty in achieving success. Being a recreational cyclist, I have not had any exposure to the road racing culture, and Lance does an excellent job of bringing the novice show more into his world. Now I want to get out there and trade my hybrid in for a full road bike!

The most important piece of his story deals with his account of finding out he had cancer, fighting it for months and then dealing with the psycological effects of survivorship. He doesn't mince words over the mistakes made, the difficulty he had getting back on the bike, and ultimately the epiphony that happened and brought the overwhelming desire to show the world what he is made of. This is also the first time I have heard such a detailed account of the treatment process, what chemo does to your body short and long term, and the mental and emotional effects that come with it. I think his story can be inspirational to anyone in a similar situation, as well as educate those of us who haven't known anyone in our lives that has or had cancer.

I wouldn't hesitate recommending this to cycling afficionados and sports junkies alike. As far as the writting style, it is very conversational and flows smoothly. He has obviously taken the time to be as succinct as possible, does not sugar coat any harsh truths, and still manages to conjur up a very good writing style. 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