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mareswoodbury's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not as much about just Lance, as it is about his rivals and professional cycling. I learned a lot about cycling and feel that I can now better communicate with my husband about his training. I'm glad I read this!
bookshelfintheshire's review against another edition
5.0
So entertaining. As a fan of cycling in general it was an interesting insight into the sport's most famous rider.
mcbethnz's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting insight into pro racing - and not totally focussed on LA
hover2pie's review against another edition
4.0
Really good book. Good details on pro cycling, insight into characters, and flow. Melded a story with contemporary history of the sport, which was nice.
kathykekmrs's review against another edition
2.0
This is my second book on Procycling and unfortunately it is further back in time than my previous read. There are still the allegations of doping, but since this book is focused on the 2004 Tour de France there is no substantial proof. The admittance on Oprah is very recent and that book is not written yet. It will be very interesting to read what the cycling world journalists have to say now that there has been full disclosure.
No, I still do not like the character of Lance Armstrong. He comes off as mean and cocky. The book ends with him suing his former mechanic, Mike Anderson. What kind of a man sues an employee who did not steal from them. Armstrong has nothing nice to say about any former teammates and that is a little strange to me. Maybe I do not understand the sporting world very well. I never hero-worshipped the jocks in school. Celebrity status means little to me. I like what I like. Other people's opinion may influence initial purchasing decisions, but not what stays in my life.
Since this book is about a year in cycling. The year Lance Armstrong won his sixth Tour de France, there are many details about cycling culture. Bicyclists are a superstitious lot and Coyle does describe many rituals and the reasons behind them. There is very human elements in the telling of this year. I think the biggest issue I have with this book is that Lance Armstrong approved it and that is wrong. I guess because of fear of a libel suit it is better to let Lance know what one wants to write about him, but that shows a bias towards his side of the story. There are many books yet to be written about cycling and the decade that Lance Armstrong dominated the sport.
Not to take his celebrity status completely from him. He is a cancer survivor and does raise a lot of money for research. He even meets with a few chosen survivors, but like everything with celebrity He can not please all of his fans. Many people are disappointed and yell at him. It probably is heart breaking to want to meet someone and find out that someone else had the opportunity that you wanted. He can only have so much time with training and resting. It is not possible to meet everyone.
It is interesting in this book as he is dating Sheryl Crow at the time. Because of her rock star status she has more access to him than most wives and girlfriends are allowed by the rules of the peleton. She is taking meals with the team and everything that a woman is not supposed to do by tradition. Of course eight years later and we all know the relationship did not work. Two large egos cannot possibly make a life together because one must give too much of themselves for it to work.
This was a decent read and I learned a lot. I just cannot rate it higher as the subject is not a good upstanding character.
No, I still do not like the character of Lance Armstrong. He comes off as mean and cocky. The book ends with him suing his former mechanic, Mike Anderson. What kind of a man sues an employee who did not steal from them. Armstrong has nothing nice to say about any former teammates and that is a little strange to me. Maybe I do not understand the sporting world very well. I never hero-worshipped the jocks in school. Celebrity status means little to me. I like what I like. Other people's opinion may influence initial purchasing decisions, but not what stays in my life.
Since this book is about a year in cycling. The year Lance Armstrong won his sixth Tour de France, there are many details about cycling culture. Bicyclists are a superstitious lot and Coyle does describe many rituals and the reasons behind them. There is very human elements in the telling of this year. I think the biggest issue I have with this book is that Lance Armstrong approved it and that is wrong. I guess because of fear of a libel suit it is better to let Lance know what one wants to write about him, but that shows a bias towards his side of the story. There are many books yet to be written about cycling and the decade that Lance Armstrong dominated the sport.
Not to take his celebrity status completely from him. He is a cancer survivor and does raise a lot of money for research. He even meets with a few chosen survivors, but like everything with celebrity He can not please all of his fans. Many people are disappointed and yell at him. It probably is heart breaking to want to meet someone and find out that someone else had the opportunity that you wanted. He can only have so much time with training and resting. It is not possible to meet everyone.
It is interesting in this book as he is dating Sheryl Crow at the time. Because of her rock star status she has more access to him than most wives and girlfriends are allowed by the rules of the peleton. She is taking meals with the team and everything that a woman is not supposed to do by tradition. Of course eight years later and we all know the relationship did not work. Two large egos cannot possibly make a life together because one must give too much of themselves for it to work.
This was a decent read and I learned a lot. I just cannot rate it higher as the subject is not a good upstanding character.
nampatel's review
5.0
The most balanced book I've read. Coyle offeres tremendous insight into the Tour, the mental and emotional toll it takes on the riders and on a man. Good for cycling and non-cycling fans.
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