I started the book liking Lance Armstrong and unfortunately I ended with not liking him. I still think he is an amazing athlete that overcame many odds. But now I know that we would not get along well in real life. I think the idolized version of Armstrong as a terminal cancer survivor that came back to win the most prestigious race in cycling not once, not twice, but a record-setting 7 times is a story better told in a short news clip. When it becomes a full story written out in detail about the man that achieved that victory it seems less miraculous and more familiar. Lance appears to be little more than an egotistical, bitter, pampered, jerk with an unsurpassed hostility with authority. He was mostly raised by Mom who was his friend, not parent and anyone that tried to be a parental figure to him was met with rebellion and resistance. Even a very dear, kind neighbor who helped Lance get his first bike, and then his first car, was disregarded and not spoken to for five years when he tried to teach Lance a much-needed lesson in responsibility. He claims he is antagonistic to organized religion because his step-father was a “religious” man and a hypocrite so therefore, Lance became an atheist. That seemed like a lame excuse to me when I read it originally. Then at book club, Lance’s problem with authority was discussed and we all agreed that that was the real reason he is an atheist. He believes in a God (he prayed during Chemo), he would just rather pretend there is not one so he doesn’t have ANY being usurping control over Lance Armstrong! That is also why I think he even became a cyclist in the first place. It is mostly an individual sport and there is no boss to tell him what to do. Any coach learned the hard way that you do not tell Lance Armstrong what to do. You make suggestions, and Lance tells you what Lance is going to do. That is why after the cancer, Lance went back to cycling. He couldn’t imagine doing any other career, he wasn’t good at anything else. Not to mention any start-up job would require he would have to listen and do what he was told. Good thing his body is not designed like most people (he has a far higher VO2 max and produces less lactic acid than average) so he could recuperate so quickly.
What I learned from this book . . . I learned more about cycling. It is a team sport. Like most European sports, it is a gentleman’s game (no wonder so many other riders cannot stand Lance). The big group of riders is called the peleton. Professional cycling racing does not save energy at all because every rider has a car following with the coach giving feedback. Athletes are more likely to be humble when they believe in a God. At least that way, they understand they are not the greatest being to ever walk the Earth and they also realize that all men are created equal in the eyes of God. Atheists do not have that perspective. Parents need to be parents in more aspects than just loving and providing for their children. Lance has a great relationship with his mom but has never known what it was like to have a parent.

It might seem cheesy to read a book about cancer when you're going through cancer but this book was such a good read from beginning to end especially for one written by an athlete. Not only did I gain so much more respect for the author himself, I received so much hope and encouragement from it because of how normal and down to earth his upbringing was and the similar experiences that every cancer patient suffers through as well as the psychological fears and thoughts that consume the mind during such a trying time. This was a form of therapy for me and I'd recommend it to anyone but especially to those who are young and experiencing cancer. He got it when he was 25. And there's not a lot of us that go through it during our 20s, so I think his perspective and insights from a youthful standpoint are unique and helpful for those fighting this fight so young. Great great read. PS I'm also a cycling expert after that read. Yay learning.

i don't normally read non fiction or biographies but this was given to me by a friend over the weekend and i started it in the morning and i was finished with it by dinner time. it is emotional, human, philosophical read about a lot of things - a sincere attempt to survive, to live life 'carpe diem' way, to accept suffering as a part of life, to beat against the odds.

the first half of the book had tears welling up in my eyes after every page or two. as i said those very human moments told in first person by Lance Armstrong just get you.
it was very inspirational and i'd suggest everyone to read this book. no matter your age or what genre you prefer, this will never fail to inspire.

I knew about his doping confession before I started the book, but I assumed that he did that after recovering from cancer (to get back into competitive racing). Even the language used in the book sort of validated this assumption. It was midway when I became curious about his case, and scoured the internet about his case. I found out that he was doping at as early as 21 years of age, around the time of the start of his professional career, and that the drugs could be a reason for his cancer.

After reading this, the book becomes very hard to complete, because the trust you have in the person while reading an autobiography is lost. Everything he said sounded empty, meaningless. Overall its a zero star autobiography, because it has the 'cockiness' of an 'invincible', but story of a 'coward'.

Nevertheless, I rated this two star on Goodreads because of two key takeaways -
1. His cancer story is still real and made me understand about the process of diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
2. The book did educate me on the process of IVF, and I felt it did a pretty decent job (Its not an ELI5 though).

Would love to hear from you if you've read this and why you like it (or parts of it)