I gave this book 3 stars because, as someone who is interested in cycling, it gave some good insight into competitive racing including the Tour De France. His story is interesting, however it is hard to get past his level of hubris that seaps into the pages. I suppose writing about yourself and your achievements (which are quite spectacular) despite a cancerous death sentence would be difficult to communicate in a completely humble manner, but I felt at times like he was just trying too hard to show the reader that he is the best cyclist the world has ever seen. He offers some poignant writing on how cancer has changed him and it does seem believable in some sense. But knowing a bit about his family life, especially after the book was written, would cause me to believe that he really missed some of the most important lessons to be derived from a near-death experience.

I bought this book for my sister who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, but I had to read it for myself first. I have to agree with a previous reviewer--for Lance, it IS about the bike, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was really interesting to read about his experience with cancer and chemo and his recovery. I found myself wanting to read a sequel, find out what has happened in the 8 years since the book was published. (I know he now has twin daughters, divorced his wife, is no longer with Sheryl Crow, but what happened?! I love reading that stuff--isn't that horrible?)

I really loved this book. Its probably not what most people consider great literature or anything, but I got a lot out of it. I personally connected with this book and I found its messages beautifully and powerfully simple. This book was spot on for me, and I would recommend it to others, but I think that this is the sort of book that each person will take a different meaning from, so If you read it and think what the heck rosie this is awful keep that in mind and dont go blaming me (k risakoooo :D)

Great book - hard to not love Lance and reading about his fascinating early life and childhood growing up with a single mother before the Tour. I almost feel bad reading the lies related to doping throughout this work.

A part of me thinks it had to pain him every step of the way carrying a cycling career thats greatest successes were essentially built on a cheating scandal and successes that ultimately hinged on the use of EPO. He is still a Hell of a guy with/without the bike. Tough as nails.

هیچ چیز هم که از این کتاب یاد نگیریم، امید را یاد می گیریم، اساسی.

و البته برای خود من جالب بود که دوچرخه سواری اینقدر سخت است!

Well, well !! What do you say to this now ?

I had read it when Lance Armstrong was still a respectable name, highly respectable indeed. The book brings across a man of determination and very strong will. That is where the 'review proper' of the book has to end and the question begins as to how the propensity of taking (calculated) risks is so pronounced in strong willed men. And how the moral view point at a given stage in life is in so much deviation from those held by others and the ones held by the same person at other stages of his/her life ?

To my mind, these are not properly integrated lives. Just that the gifts have been marshalled in a particular direction, but not the 'entire man'.

Interesting chap. Worth a thought. But the book has lost most of whatever value it had.

The lines of the Bard come to mind:

The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

That basically puts the striving for greatness, the achievement and the current ignominy in perspective.

Its a beautifully written book. The book succeeds to manage you in a very interesting tale of perseverance, family love and enthusiasm. The book also explains in detail the strategies, science and politics that goes behind a simple looking sport. The reader tends to stick to the book to know the strong positivity towards his Armstrong's fight against cancer.

I read this book before he admitted charges. And all of a sudden a role model became an actor. The book that looked like a beautiful autobiography suddenly became a highly engaging fiction. But still his fight towards cancer looks inspiring.

Some of the quotes in the book are very beautiful especially from his treatment duration. All in all - a good mix of subtle comedy, strong passion and mother son love that weaves a comeback story that turns it into a book worth reading.

I love this story. So so inspirational and sincer!

Turns out it wasn't about the bike, rather the vast quantities of illegal drugs he was taking...

Lance Armstrong's life with all it's stupendous ups and cruel downs is a true testament to the human spirit and its incredible powers to triumph. In this very descriptive account of his life as a cyclist, son, husband, father and a cancer patient in recovery, he delves into details that will both awe and inspire you. He'll take you through a journey of seemingly insurmountable obstacles which he eventually overcomes with perseverance, determination and the ample love with which he's surrounded. His story is a triumphant experience worthy of telling and it's all laid out in this book. Without doubt, this the most optimistic and inspiring book I've ever read.

Being a man and a cyclist, Lance's life resonates a great deal with me. His fears and doubts are so real that I felt a chill going down my spine reading some of the details of what he had gone through both in the hospital bed and on the bike saddle. When I say he's an inspiration, I truly mean that in the most personal way.

You don't need to be a man or an athlete to enjoy this book. It's is about the human struggle to overcome the hardships of life and actually succeeding. It's also about learning to see the blessing in the most god-awfull situations that life throws at you. It truly is an amazing story worth of every minute of your time.

Inspirational. Sometimes life is gonna knock you down and you've got to think about what really makes you stand back up. It's not about the bike, it's about the ride.

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life was a good interesting book that makes you keep wanting to read it instead of stopping and putting it down. Lance Armstrong told his life story about his obstacles he had to face while going through the process of getting diagnosed with testicular cancer. He talked about wanting to deny the fact he had cancer and wanted to keep riding. It was hard for him to stop riding for a while, but he maintained to try his best to fight for his life and he explains what all he did to make sure God gave him another chance to get back onto his bike.

This book should me that no matter how hard something is in life that you should never ever give up. Even when life is rough and you think you wont be ok, you will be. "Life is just practice to face the main race."(Armstrong) If he can get through cancer, you can get through anything. This book shows a good meaning of life and how to get through hard intervening obstacles.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because you the good life meaning and the story makes you feel good about yourself and it grabs the readers emotions on every page. However, the one thing I did not enough was the jumps from past to present throughout the entire book.