Steve's Reviews > It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong
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it was amazing
bookshelves: non-fiction, cycling-and-running, sports

Long overdue (and subsequently updated) epilogue .... And part of me is relieved .. and definitely not surprised ... to see that others, increasingly, have revised their reviews on this book. Unlike some, however, I'm not deducting stars from my initial rating, ... indeed, I've elevated it to a five-star ... for uniquely personal reasons. In retrospect, I can't think of a single book that more directly, dramatically, and positively impacted my life ... even if it was published as non-fiction, and later had to be re-shelved as fiction... Alas.

I am forever indebted to Lance Armstrong and this book ... for (to some extent) saving my life . As a cyclist and (at the time) a huge Lance fan, I read and enjoyed the book ... and, only later, it was Lance's story, indelibly imprinted on my mind, that led to an early self-diagnosis of (and, thankfully, a successful treatment and recovery from) testicular cancer.

Lance fundamentally changed the conversation - in the US and around the world - about cancer and post-cancer quality of life - and for that I respect him ... and I'm glad to have donated/raised serious money for the cause....

Which makes it all more heart-breaking ... and disappointing ... and disillusioning ... to later find out that so much of it was ... a lie.

Again, alas.
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Reading Progress

Started Reading
January 1, 2001 – Finished Reading
May 22, 2009 – Shelved
October 28, 2010 – Shelved as: non-fiction
April 12, 2011 – Shelved as: cycling-and-running
January 6, 2015 – Shelved as: sports

Comments Showing 1-3 of 3 (3 new)

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message 1: by Monica (new)

Monica I haven't read the book so I don't know what was a lie etc in the book but I don't discount everything that Armstrong achieved because he doped. He was a bully and a liar but he was and is also a brilliant athlete who suffered from testicular cancer. And as you say (even if inadvertently) he did a lot of good through his story, But doping or not he couldn't have achieved what he did if he was not a talented, disciplined and driven athlete. By your own account, this book saved your life. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water. I still admire his talent, he was exciting to watch and he made an awful lot of people rich. He also hurt the sport that I love so much (possibly beyond repair). In my view the bad does not erase the good (in general). But then again, I haven't yet read the book...


Steve Read the book ... it's (surprisingly) good ... and, his co-author, Sally Jenkins (of Washington Post fame) is no slouch....

and ... I mostly agree ... the greatest - and, by far, most inspirational - rider (and Tour rider) of his generation (which, for better or worse, is a tainted generation)....

he broke my heart ... but I still have my (coveted) picture riding alongside him (at a fund-raiser) prominently displayed in my office .... go figure....


message 3: by BlackOxford (new)

BlackOxford I voted for Trump. I know everything he says is a lie. But he told it like it is about that swamp. Totally new conversation ever since he got elected. I’m getting ya’ bro.


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