Publisher : Perfection Learning
Publication Date : 2001 01
>> Great book
This book is great if you want to know why Lance is so famous His story of the battle with cancer love and cycling is inspiring
>> Puts a human face on a machine like athlete
I agree with some of the reviewers here that Armstrong comes across as very headstrong at times and is not exactly modest about his achievements But I m sure that s exactly the reason why he came back from cancer to win seven Tours De France If nothing else this autobiography demonstrates the incredible self belief confidence and downright pig headedness that are necessary to succeed as an elite athlete
There are basically three parts to the book the first and third dealing with cycling and the second a more personal study of his cancer and his then wife Kik s attempts to conceive via IVF
The most interesting parts of the cycling sections are the discussion of tactics and the hierarchical structure of each team Every person in team cycling has a specific role and Armstrong goes into some detail describing the various strategies that each team and each individual within the team employs Armstrong portrays himself as someone who started riding purely out of anger and boredom and it is only gradually that he develops the experience focus and discipline to become a truly great rider culminating in his Tour de France wins Another interesting aspect is the almost gentlemanly traditions of the European classics such as not winning too many stages yourself allowing other riders to win their home Stage or not attacking when the leader is making a pit stop
The second part of the book deals with his cancer treatment and recovery And here we see Armstrong s bull headedness work against him the symptoms of testicular cancer with brain/lung mets were there for a while but it was only when his swollen testicles affected his riding that he admitted something was wrong His descriptions of the side effects of chemo the helpless frustration of remission and his aborted first attempt at a comeback are very affecting Another eye opening part of the book deals with he and his then wife Kik s attempts to conceive via IVF it s certainly not a simple process and what Kik goes through in the way of injections and examinations is quite disturbing To be honest I think it s pretty poor that Lance by now back cycling couldn t be around more to support her given her support for him during his remission
Armstrong is certainly no shrinking violet and you can call his enormous self confidence and belief arrogance if you want But Not About The Bike puts a human face on Armstrong s machine like determination and presents quite a well rounded picture of the man He s certainly not perfect but he is interesting and that s all that counts
>> A book to read before you die regardless of interest in cycling
I simply could not put this book down it s a shocking and inspirational story Many thanks to Lance and Linda his mom
