Book review: Lance Armstrong Tour de Force

Ullefan

So is anyone reading 'Lance Armstrong Tour de Force' by Dan Coyle?
I had read some excerpts and thought this could be interesting, an insider to Lance writes a book about him. I've only read the first chapter but already drooling over it.

There are many things that I've found out already about Lance I wouldn't have known, like how he had a cold during a training camp but it never got reported to the world. It also suggests Dr Ferrari who is refered to as 'dr evil' was always closer to Lance than you would think, he practically lived in the same building in Girona would you believe.

There must be tons more.....can't keep my hands off this book now.
Lance-fans, Lance-haters....buy it.

noonievut

On the subject of books, I would like to read cycling books that are non-training and (sorry) non-Lance. Other than The Race & The Yellow Jersey, I can't seem to find any worth reading.

If you know of any, especially if you can find them in North America, can you please post here.

Thanks.

P.S. I will get the book you mentioned at some point, but I've some Lance books and would like to read about other riders, cycling fiction, or historic and interesting books.

DiabloScott

"Sweat of the Gods" by Benjo Maso

http://www.mousehold-press.co.uk/de...weatOfGods.html

Newly translated into English from the original Dutch and an English publisher so it's still hard to find in USA... I've only read excerpts. A mostly historical view of Euro pro bike racing with some great stories from an obvious tifoso.

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whiteboytrash

Two of the best non-Lance 'I'm a really nice guy who happens to be a awesome cyclist in my own words' books are below..... if you can read German make sure read Jan's autobiograhphy 'Ganz oder gar nicht'................... great read without the Lance 'pumps his own tyres' parts.... he is honest and open.......


If you want to vomit make sure you read Linda Armstrong's book on rasing Lance ! What a farking crock of shit ! http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...5488111-4540451 - Take a look at her hair she even died it blonde for the photo !
____________

Breaking the Chain: Drugs and Cycling - The True Story - Willy Voet

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...5488111-4540451

- Is a great book, although all about drugs in the sport we love its an interesting read in the different concoctions they made for the Festina team... Willy was the masseur for the team then became full time drug administer... the are some fully sequences of Willy going out to do 'deals' with dodgy doctors..... the poor guy took a massive fall for the team of riders who claimed there innocence.... he's exchanges with Richie V are fantastic.....

Man on the Run: The Life and Death of Marco Pantani
Manuela Ronchi, Gianfranco Josti – http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1861059205/ref=pd_sim_b_dp_2/026-5488111-4540451

- Another good read especially the exchanges between Armstrong and Patani…. also the differences in lifestyle between the two ! Marco was a rock-star who would go on mad training binges and then live the high life for a month and then go training again…… great rider, weird guy ! Read it !

Ullefan

Actually it's not completely about Lance, it's mostly about top cyclists and their lives (background and present), interesting stories you never read on a cycling website. It's also very unbiased, he's not one of Lance's cronies. He talks about the man behind the shades, the men he saw (when they met) and not the crap you read in the books by Sally Jenkins.

azdroptop

After reading both of Lance's books I did not come away with a happy feeling about Lance nor do I feel that's what he promoted. The guy was a cocky, bull headed sob until he had Cancer and SOME aspects of his personality changed for the better. Namely he grew up. As far as good books go they were both excellent. The guy has an amazing will to live and to win. Is he a jerk, probably to most, but he is one hell of an athlete and that's why I like him.

whiteboytrash

Ullefan

I just read that Lance's cronies played undercover 'pro triathlete' to gain access to Jan's TT bike from the 2003 tour. Can you believe that...what is this a government operation all of a sudden? IMO that's fraud! I just lost some respect for Lance's win in 2004.

whiteboytrash

Whats this ? Tell us more......

Ullefan

Basically, Lance's cronies wanted to build the fastest TT bike in the world for the 2004 tour. They had seen Ullrich's success in the 2003 tour. So they went about obtaining a copy of his bike. The bike was made by Andy Walser in Suisse who only made a few frames a year for pros. They knew he'd refuse to sell a frame to trek, so they sent a european salesperson to his shop posed as a 'triathlete'. They got a bike, and by the time Walser discovered his true identity, the bike was already on its way to treks headquaters.

This may seem perfectly legal, but in my eyes that's not right. No-one other than Lance's cronies would go to that extent just to win the tour. Is that what Indurain would do? Is that what Merckx would do? To me that's not the act of a 'hero'.

Bjørn P.Dal

where did you read this? interesting stuff. 'hero'...

rejobako

Maybe not, although I don't think Armstrong is a "hero" in a cycling sense. He's a winner, and by all accounts will do anything within the rules (phrase added for Flyer's benefit) to accomplish the goal of any race participant, which is to win.

In the meantime, if Ullrich's bike-maker truly wanted to keep the technology for Jan's benefit, he wouldn't go around selling it to any triathlete who showed up at the door. If the techology was meant to be kept secret, it should have been guarded by keeping the sold frames within control of Jan and his team, or by requiring persons who purchased the frame to sign agreements that they would not provide access to the frames to third-parties.

If this story is true, it's just another reason why Armstrong reached his prime at the perfect moment in time -- the one man who seemed to have the talent to beat him bungled every advantage.

Ullefan

Cheer-leaders will find a way through everything to save their reality of Lance being this hero. I have a moral objection with his methods here. Humans can make mistakes, humans can be nice and be believers, though you would probably call it 'naivevity.' What they did was almost criminal and evil IMO. He won yes, but at what cost? His champion image has become tainted IMO.

meehs

There you go! Let's show our hatred for Lance by not only ripping on him. We'll go after his mother's hair too! I bet her hair became that color from some PED she took while she was pregnant with Lance to enhance his performace before he was ever even born!