Lance Armstrong: Tour De Force
Product Details | Similar Products | Customer Reviews | Author: Dan Coyle List Price: £7.99 Our Price: £5.99 You Save: £2.00 (25%) Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours  |
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 | Product Details: Paperback 346 pages Release Date: 15 May 2006 Publisher: HarperSport ISBN: 0007195281 Rating:   Sales Rank: 17925 | | Look for similar books by subject:
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| | Customer Reviews: Brilliantly written and entertaining (01 January 2009)Brilliantly written insight into the lives and personalities of Armstrong but also many other leading cyclists The best Armstrong book so far! (09 August 2008)As per the title, this is the best Armstrong book so far. Coyle is a very talented writer and I could have easily carried on reading if the book was twice the size. It's obvious after reading this book that a lot of research has gone into it. (In fact, the author upped his family from their home in Alaska and relocated in Spain just so he could write this book!). There's not a page goes by without the reader learning something new, or something interesting. I found myself wanting to finish it as soon as possible because it was so good, but I was also not wanting it to end. For those that aren't familiar with cycling terms there's a glossary at the back which explains it all for you. Just a note about a previous review which mentioned the author's mean spiritedness in betting with his wife as to how long Armstrong & Crow's relationship would last. LA had full access to the writing at every stage and, in the epilogue of this book, the author talks about a meeting he had with LA where he handed over a final draft for his approval. Likewise, I don't think much was made of Walsh's book because of two things, 1) It's a lot of sensational claims with absolutely no evidence to back it up other than 'hearsay', and 2) In Coyle's book LA's thoughts and feeling on the subject are well documented, his anger at such things being written about him and secondly, his decision not to sue. Anyone who knows of LA's life/history etc will know that he's not shy when it comes to legal action & sueing people etc, but he decided that Walsh's book was just rubbish and why give them the (much needed) publicity anyway? I'm not trying to spoil the other guys review in anyway, it's just what I made those observations from the book. Anyway, I've read all the books currently available about LA and I'd have to say that this is definitely the best. Well, joint best with "It's not about the Bike," although this one merely touches on LA's battle with cancer where the above mentioned INATB goes into it in depth. Well worth your money! wow (15 February 2007)i am somewhat going through a period of obsessively reading books about the tour, and about lance. As a result I have read much that is highly repetitive. Tour De Force has been a fantastic find - it is full of facts other books saw no reason to include. I started it 2 days ago and am half way through and desperate to get home to it... In the frat house with Lance (16 January 2007)I'm really not sure what book those other reviewers were reading but this was very disappointing. The author just seemed to be so grateful to be in the presence of Armstrong - gosh, and talk to him! and see his rock star girlfriend! and see his new bike! - that it seemed more the gushing of a frat brother about the cool kid in the house than an insight into a world-class athlete. I don't remember an ounce of criticism - constructive or otherwise - or hard insight into his training methods or what happens when you don't agree with Armstrong (as can be seen by some of the people he has blanked in the past). There were some interesting parts to the book - considering what has happened with Tyler Hamilton since the book was written, that for me was the most interesting bit - but there are better books about cycling out there. Don't get too caught up in Coyle's love fest. Excellent (12 December 2006)The title of the book suggests that this is a Lance Armstrong biography, but it's more than that. It's a look at the whole world of professional cycling, covering one season, and culminating in the Tour de France. For a `factual' book, it reads like a crime thriller with the plot twisting and turning every which way it can. It contains suspense, politics, conspiracy theorists, bad guys, mad scientists and love and romance. Like every crime thriller, it has its hero: Lance Armstrong, but the book would be no where without it's rich supporting cast of cyclists like Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton, Alexandre Vinokourov, Iban Mayo, Floyd Landis and Ivan Basso. The book examines their lives in almost as much details as Armstrong's: their backgrounds, how they train, and how they perceive Armstrong. It also includes a cast of none-cyclists: trainers like Dr. Michele Ferrari (aka Dr. Evil), Armstrong's ex-mechanic Anderson, now ex-girlfriend Sheryl Crow (aka Jaunita Cuervo) and many more. We see how Armstrong has to contend with more than just winning the Tour de France; he has to contend with the multitude enemies, seemingly lead by journalist David Walsh, that are just out to get him: those that want to `prove' that he took performance enhancing drugs and in doing so make there own fortunes. We also see Armstrong's response to these allegations, which, to my mind, only serve to make him harder and more determined than ever to become the cycling equivalent of the unstoppable Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film `Terminator' and to win the race. `Lance Armstrong tour de force' is excellent: the best book I've read all year: can't wait for the movie. | |
