Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Inspiring book
Anyone who thinks they've had a tough lot in life should read this book. Lance Armstrong details his early life where he is the son of a single mother, feeling like an outcast in his upper-middle-class neighborhood and high school. He is a restless angry teenager who finds that he has the physical ability and drive to become a great athlete. He finally finds the perfect sport in cycling and relentlessly pursues his goal to be the best. Just as he is gaining some recognition in the sport, he is told that he has testicular cancer. The odds against him are overwhelming, but he researches his options until he finds the hospital which he believes will give him the best treatment. He details the agony of surgery and chemo. and the reader begins to understand just what it must be like to be a cancer patient. Not only does he recover, but he goes back to cycling and becomes the best in the world. This book gives interesting insight into what it takes to be the an outstanding athlete and is inspiring for anyone who is facing difficult odds. It shows the gradual maturing of an impulsive and restless young man who is tempered by illness and who is finally able to be a world-class athlete and a family man.
Rating:  - This is simply a great book for everyone
Lance Armstrong is a three-time winner of the Tour de France, an achievement that in itself is extremely praiseworthy. But what is amazing about Armstrong's victories is that he achieved them after recovering from cancer - at one stage the doctors had believed his chances of recovery were less than 20%. It's Not About the Bike is the story of Armstrong's life - his growing up, his riding, his becoming a father. Most of all, it is about his battle with cancer, and how it changed him for the better.Don't fear - this is not some airy-fairy new-age hope story. Armstrong is very down to earth about the whole process that he went through, and is not afraid to share details (gory, icky details). This book achieves a lot that other autobiographies miss - he drops some pretty big names and doesn't shy away from comparing himself from the greats in cycling, yet you never feel he is boasting. You get a lot of detail - what goes into chemo treatments; his wife's injection & drug regime for IVF; a run through of his 1999 ride of the Tour de France - but it never feels boring or superfluous. Rather, Armstrong comes across as a guy that manages to be amazing and reassuringly normal at the same time - he likes to kick back and drink beer, he loves his Mother, he is proud of being a Dad. He just happens to be one of the greatest sports people competing today, and after reading this book you realise how hard he works to be so good. You don't need to be a cyclist to enjoy this book - while there are sections on his riding, nothing is too technical, and all cycling terms used are explained. As the title says - it's not about the bike. It is about an amazing man that went to hell and back, and made the best of the second chance he was given. I guarantee this book will manage to make you laugh, make you think and inspire you all in the same reading. And there's not much more you can ask from in a book than that.
Rating: - Great Reading for Cancer Patients, as Well as Athletes!
This book clearly deserves more than five stars! This is one of the most inspirational biographies I have ever read, and comes from the truly remarkable life experiences of a determined young man. I loved every word! Early in the book, Lance Armstrong says ". . . that cancer was the best thing that happened to me." He goes on to say, "When I was sick I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a single day than I ever saw in a bike race." Overcoming cancer and becoming an athletic champion in the grueling sport of bicycle racing require a toughness of spirit, mind, and body that is hard for most of us to imagine. This inspirational book portrays beautifully how one can start with the right spirit and overcome enormous obstacles. Although his doctors told him he had a 40 percent chance of surviving stage three testical cancer, this was mostly to keep his morale up. After he had recovered, his doctor admitted that is chances were around 3 percent, instead. While he was being treated for the cancer, no one thought that he might ever race again. He did decide to go through treatments that would leave open the possibility that his lungs (affected by the cancer) would still be functional and his coordination (through delicate brain surgery) would be unaffected. Within two years, he had won the Tour de France, a grueling race he had never done well in before he had cancer. Growing up, Lance Armstrong had little reason to suspect that he would become one of the world's greatest athletes. He was well into high school, still trying pretty unsuccessfully to make the football and swimming teams, before it became clear that he could become a significant cyclist. Pleased with the money that success brought, he had a tough time building the attitude of a champion to go with his remarkable endurance skills. Overcoming cancer helped him with that, as well as seeing the beauty around him. He met his wife at the press conference to announce the beginning of his foundation to fight cancer. They were married during his recovery, and recently became parents through the miracles of modern medicine. Of such wonderful stuff are role models made, something we have too few of these days. The story is told in a very open and matter-of-fact way. He is not trying to make himself into something that he isn't. Clearly, his purpose in writing this book is to help all of us fulfill our potential rather than to glorify himself. Please share this book with people who need this inspiration and encouragement to take on the pain of giving life all you've got.
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