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etopiei's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I raced (ha) through this book. It was an enthralling read, and I was amazed at the lengths cycling teams went to in order to be the best.
sterlinglacroix's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best sports book I've ever read. If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of how doping was so widespread and how the riders of that era dodged hundreds of tests, then pick this up. You'll also hear fascinating stories about daily life and culture of those now infamous US Postal teams. Always tell the truth!
kumipaul's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating story of how professional cyclists got themselves sucked into the vortex of illegal doping and performance enhancing activities. I always loved watching the Tour de France, and was always amazed at how the riders could go day after day at such intense speeds, even up the steepest hills. And I remember when a huge percentage of the Tour got popped one year, and feeling devastated even as an observer. I do not believe Lance Armstrong's apparent lies. I do believe that Tyler Hamilton told the truth in this book, and it was quite an amazing story.
christinajl_gb's review against another edition
1.0
I'll start out by saying that I'd never buy a book by an ex-doper as I don't believe in rewarding those who cheat. However, a friend lent me the book to read.
My thoughts on the book:
- Nothing shocks me anymore as to the depths people will go to in order to cheat for personal gain.
- 'It felt fair to break the rules, because we knew others were too.' is a rubbish excuse for doping.
- given the choice between putting drugs in my body so I could win and walking away from a career, I'd take the latter as I was brought up not to cheat.
The book was reasonably well written by the author Daniel Coyle but I'm giving it one star because for me, Tyler Hamilton shows no remorse for taking drugs and seems to think it was ok to do so because lots of others did the same.
My thoughts on the book:
- Nothing shocks me anymore as to the depths people will go to in order to cheat for personal gain.
- 'It felt fair to break the rules, because we knew others were too.' is a rubbish excuse for doping.
- given the choice between putting drugs in my body so I could win and walking away from a career, I'd take the latter as I was brought up not to cheat.
The book was reasonably well written by the author Daniel Coyle but I'm giving it one star because for me, Tyler Hamilton shows no remorse for taking drugs and seems to think it was ok to do so because lots of others did the same.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
The Secret Race was lent to me by my very good friend Colleen while we were in Paris to watch the arrival of the Tour de France on Champs Elysées this past July.
The Secret Race was lent to me by my very good friend Colleen while we were in Paris to watch the arrival of the Tour de France on Champs Elysées this past July.
bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I'm not usually one for the "celebrity scandal/confession" type of book, but I do love those peeks into the power-struggles and self-rationalizations of criminal organizations...and if doping is a crime, then surely most of the pro-cycling world was a collection of criminal organizations in the '90s and early 2000s. Did I cheer for the US Postal cycling team back then? Of course. Did the idea of using performance-enhancing drugs seem at the time reprehensible, something undertaking by isolated, lazy and immoral riders? Yeah. Yet the truth is so much more complicated...and still it makes a lot of sense that ALL the top riders would have to be dabbling in EPOs and blood transfusions, when there is so much money AND national pride on the line, and when winning on "only bread and water" is impossible.
So, was pro-rider Tyler Hamilton a rule-breaking, anything-to-win doper? Yes. After reading this book, does he gain back a little of my respect? Absolutely. He isn't making excuses for himself because he declares outright, yes, I did that. But he lays out the entire story of his fall into doping and shows that there's a lot more to it than using drugs and transfusions as "lazy outs." If anything, the willingness to suffer beyond the average mortal is a hallmark of bike racers, and conveniently carries into the doping world.
The writing here, thanks to the help of Mr. Coyle, is very good, even gripping--down to the last gory detail of what it is like to accidentally transfuse a "dead" bag of blood that hasn't been stored properly (shudder). The most interesting part to me, though, was the Mafia-like power plays of Tyler's former teammate Lance Armstrong contrasting with the submissive, yes-men behavior of people like Tyler, who don't care quite as much about winning as they do about being part of the team. I'd recommend this one even to readers who don't follow sports or the Tour.
So, was pro-rider Tyler Hamilton a rule-breaking, anything-to-win doper? Yes. After reading this book, does he gain back a little of my respect? Absolutely. He isn't making excuses for himself because he declares outright, yes, I did that. But he lays out the entire story of his fall into doping and shows that there's a lot more to it than using drugs and transfusions as "lazy outs." If anything, the willingness to suffer beyond the average mortal is a hallmark of bike racers, and conveniently carries into the doping world.
The writing here, thanks to the help of Mr. Coyle, is very good, even gripping--down to the last gory detail of what it is like to accidentally transfuse a "dead" bag of blood that hasn't been stored properly (shudder). The most interesting part to me, though, was the Mafia-like power plays of Tyler's former teammate Lance Armstrong contrasting with the submissive, yes-men behavior of people like Tyler, who don't care quite as much about winning as they do about being part of the team. I'd recommend this one even to readers who don't follow sports or the Tour.
creativerunnings's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, and Mental illness
loftyace's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0