Giving up on this book, I just can’t stand this guy.

I thought this was a really great book, very emotional, and what seemed at the time to be very honest. And then when I finished it, I thought, wait a minute, Lance Armstrong, I’m not much into cycling, but wasn’t he stripped of all his titles for doping? Then I looked it up, and sure enough, he admitted to doping during his cycling career back in 2013. I felt betrayed, like the last half of the book when he talks about getting back on the bike and winning the Tour de France was a lie. But I gave it three stars because the first part of the book when he talks about getting cancer and chemo, and even how he struggled while in remission was the most honest and heartfelt part of the book.

Despite believing that Lance Armstrong was a drug using cheat, I really enjoyed his first book "It's Not About The Bike". It was a well written, compelling story. Lance is an example for everyone not to give up, not just cyclists or cancer patients, regardless of whether he's using performance enhancing substances or not.

I was pretty blown away by this book when I first read it (it does help that my husband is a cycling enthusiast) . . . but (as stated in the book's title), it's not about the bike, literally. You don't have to know or care at all about cycling (or sports in general) to get something out of this book. The cancer stuff was pretty hard core, and the stories about Lance and his wife's courtship, marriage, and IVF process were as well. It was a page turner. I started it lazily at Borders one Friday evening on my way home from work and read for hours there. When I finally got to the dorm where I was staying that summer, I promptly informed my roommates that I was going for a run . . . at 9:00 on a hot, muggy night in DC on an empty stomach (not my ideal running conditions . . . and probably really dumb of me!). But I had the best, longest run of the summer that night, and I woke up early and finished the book the next morning . . . still inspired to be a better me in every way possible. Of course, that wears off. And it takes away some of the book's power to know that he and his wife have since split up . . . and I definitely don't want to know how much the stories were sensationalized by the person who actually wrote the book . . . but if you're just looking for a pretty amazing story, the book delivers.

I picked up this book at a used book store thinking I was getting a memoir revolving around one of the greatest sports scandals in history.

Turns out, this is the story of a bullish athlete and his fight to beat cancer.

I didn’t know Lance Armstrong was a cancer survivor. I also didn’t know that he won 7 Tour de France titles after a very aggressive fight against cancer. There is one chapter at the end that tells the story of Armstrong’s first Tour de France win. It was epic. He claims to have been clean the whole time.

To read this, and then read his ex-wife’s article “What I wish I had Known about Marriage,” and THEN to watch his 2006 interview with Oprah where he calls his glory days as a survivor, husband, father, and first-time Tour winner a “mythic perfect story” - it’s disappointing.

I believe that the biggest thing Armstrong ever cheated was death. And now, I want the sequel on the scandals that followed.

Definitely confirms what a douche Lance is. Can't say I found it very inspiring for myself.

That being said, I do respect the way Lance fought to come back like he did. It's an impressive feat, I'll hand him that for sure.

I read this shortly after it came out at the urging of my cousin who was in the midst of her first battle with breast cancer. She drew a lot of strength from what he went through and how he came out the other side, and as a close loved one of someone fighting the disease we all want to be inspired and encouraged by how sheer resilience and determination can contribute to healing and surviving. It was a great book. But then some years later we learn that Lance deliberately used performance enhancing drugs on his historic return to cycling, and covered up that use not just for the purposes of his sport but arguably from his fans in the cancer community. Well hell, now what am I supposed to think? When I first read this I was convinced his story was, you know, true. The cancer battle is real but I now question everything else he wrote. I will leave the rating as is because I found it compelling at the time. Perhaps now it should be categorized as a work of fiction, and that makes me very sad.

The doping fiasco notwithstanding, his fight against cancer is nothing short of being truly inspirational. For anyone, who's been directly or indirectly affected by perhaps the most dreaded disease there is, this man is godly and human at the same time. Cancer changes your perspective to life like nothing else ever will. For no matter who you are - all the seemingly important things in life at once become frivolous and the one thing, mere existence, that we so take for granted becomes the single most important thing.

Moving & Touching...but not exactly a Literary Achievement...

To be perfectly honest, Lance Armstrong, has (with the help of Sally Jenkins) written a fine memoir about his recent battles (mostly bike races). His close call with cancer was extremely close and a heartwrenching, touching experience. I certainly feel for him. I used to be an avid cyclist, so I was quite interested in the book after a friend from Ireland (Paul Gourley) told me he loved the book. It's worth reading for anyone dealing with cancer or who loves bicycling. It's just not on my HIGH list as far as literary achievements go. If there's one thing I learned it's that Lance loves to WIN--no matter what the race/game/fight. Now I hear he's dating Sherly Crow, so I wonder what happened to 'the love of his life', the woman who had his child, Luke (wonders never cease as time goes by). Lance is always 'moving on' the the new big WIN...

My partner is a huge fan of Lance so asked me to give it try. I have to say, I did enjoy the book. Had I read it when it was written I would have had more respect for the man. The strength he showed fighting and beating cancer, then getting back on his bike was extraordinary. It’s just a shame how much emphasis he put on the dangers of putting banned substances into his body as we all now know that is exactly what he did do! This somewhat spoiled the book for me as I just kept thinking what a liar he was! Still, I’m glad I read it and there is no disputing that he really was a talented cyclist.

In early 2002, I was going through a rough time--I had just dropped out of college after a semester marked by panic attacks, the inability to leave my room, and a variety of reckless behaviors, and I was convinced that my life was over. I was also convinced that my parents hated me because I was such a failure. It was in this weakened state that I agreed to read It's Not About the Bike (and, later, The Hobbit), because they were recommended by my stepmother (Bike) and my father (Hobbit), and I was desperate for approval and affirmations of their love.

Actually, my stepmother wanted me to read this book because she and my father were arguing about it. I ultimately sided with Dad: for Lance Armstrong, it really is about the bike.

That said, other readers have found his story inspirational, and I'm willing to accept that my review is probably clouded by issues (difficult time in own life, general dislike of memoirs, distrust of by-the-bootstraps narratives and their implications) that have nothing to do with Lance (or the bike).

It was a really good read till the doping scandal hit me.