About book Lance: The Making Of The World�s Greatest Champion (2009)
Quick, enlightening read about a tremendous athlete. The element of the book that I liked most was the perspective on Lance Armstrong's personality and motivation that John Wilcockson was able to present by interviewing so many individuals and family members from his life: childhood through teenage years to professional career (pre and post cancer treatments).It is remarkable that he was competitive against the best of the best professional triathlete's as a high school student. Having discovered an interest in cycling over the last 5-6 years, I've wanted to learn a little more about the king of this sport, Lance Armstrong. I've watched the Tour de France for several years now, and it amazes me to see the endurance and stamina in those participating. What type of person does something like this? To what end do they endure so much pain? I know Lance is not a model human being (it's rare to find a famous athlete who is), but this book described the environment he grew up in and what pressures and obstacles he had to overcome. Lance is a cancer survivor. He had a case of testicular cancer as bad as any of his doctors had ever seen. His triumph over that undoubtedly played a part in his ability to generate so much will and determination to achieve what he has. Many of Armstrong's peers are skeptical of his achievements. Persistent accusations of doping over the past decade have never been proven, despite hundreds of blood tests during his races. This skepticism has made Lance want all the more to prove his natural dominance. I wouldn't describe him as someone whose character I'd want to emulate. He divorced a very good woman for reasons that were never clear -- most likely because he became rich and famous and he wanted to enjoy the "perks" that his status now brought. His latest rival, Alberto Contador, said he respects Lance as a cyclist but not as a person. I believe there are good reasons for that. This book is illuminating, but keep in mind that it was written by a pretty good friend of his. I probably should read a less biased bio to get a better perspective.
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Any thing new about Lance is always a good read, as was this...
—kitty
