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It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life [Hardcover]

Lance Armstrong , Sally Jenkins
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (354 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Feb 6 2002
The inspiring journey of world-class hero Lance Armstrong, from the dark night of advanced cancer through his dramatic victory in the 1999 Tour de France, and beyond.

In 1996, twenty-four-year-old Lance Armstrong was ranked the number-one cyclist in the world. But that October, "The Golden Boy of American Cycling" was sidelined by excruciating pain. Tests revealed advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. His chance for recovery was as low as twenty percent.

Armstrong embarked on the most aggressive form of chemotherapy available and underwent surgery to remove cancer that the treatments couldn't reach. Five months after his diagnosis, he resumed training under a cloud of uncertainty, and the path back to competition wasn't smooth. It took a ride with friends through the mountains of North Carolina for Armstrong to rediscover his genuine love of the sport, and to rededicate himself to its pursuit.

Scarred physically and emotionally, Lance Armstrong considered his cancer "a special wake-up call," one that crystallized for him the blessings of good health, family, friends, and marriage. In October 1999, just months after his astonishing triumph in the Tour, his wife, Kristin, gave birth to their son, Luke David Armstrong.

Filled with the nutritional, physical, emotional, and spiritual details of his recovery, It's Not About the Bike traces the wondrous journey of one of America's greatest athletes to a singularly inspiring appreciation of life lived to the fullest.

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From Amazon

People around the world have found inspiration in the story of Lance Armstrong--a world-class athlete nearly struck down by cancer, only to recover and win the Tour de France, the multiday bicycle race famous for its grueling intensity. Armstrong is a thoroughgoing Texan jock, and the changes brought to his life by his illness are startling and powerful, but he's just not interested in wearing a hero suit. While his vocabulary is a bit on the he-man side (highest compliment to his wife: "she's a stud"), his actions will melt the most hard-bitten souls: a cancer foundation and benefit bike ride, his astonishing commitment to training that got him past countless hurdles, loyalty to the people and corporations that never gave up on him. There's serious medical detail here, which may not be for the faint of heart; from chemo to surgical procedures to his wife's in vitro fertilization, you won't be spared a single x-ray, IV drip, or unfortunate side effect. Athletes and coaches everywhere will benefit from the same extraordinary detail provided about his training sessions--every aching tendon, every rainy afternoon, and every small triumph during his long recovery is here in living color. It's Not About the Bike is the perfect title for this book about life, death, illness, family, setbacks, and triumphs, but not especially about the bike. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

In 1996, young cycling phenom Armstrong discovered he had testicular cancer. In 1999, he won the Tour de France. Now he's a grateful husband, a new fatherAand a memoirist: with pluck, humility and verve, this volume covers his early life, his rise through the endurance sport world and his medical difficulties. Cancer "was like being run off the road by a truck, and I've got the scars to prove it," Armstrong declares. Earlier scars, he explains, came from a stepfather he casts as unworthy; early rewards, from his hardworking mother and from the triathlons and national bike races Armstrong won as a Texas teen. "The real racing action was over in Europe": after covering that, Armstrong and Jenkins (Men Will Be Boys, with Pat Summit, etc.) ascend to the scarier challenges of diagnoses and surgeries. As he gets worse, then better, Armstrong describes the affections of his racing friends and of the professionals who cared for him. Armstrong is honest and delightful on his relationship to wife Kristin (Kik), and goes into surprising detail about the technology that let them have a child. The memoir concludes with Armstrong's French victory and the birth of their son. The book features a disarming and spotless prose style, one far above par for sports memoirs. Bicycle-racing fans will enjoy the troves of inside information and the accounts of competitions, but Armstrong has set his sights on a wider meaning and readership: "When I was sick I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a single day than I ever did in a bike race." Agent, Esther Newberg. First serial to Vanity Fair; BOMC main selection; foreign rights sold in the U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Holland and Japan. (May 22)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I WANT TO DIE AT A HUNDRED YEARS OLD WITH an American flag on my back and the star of Texas on my helmet, after screaming down an Alpine descent on a bicycle at 75 miles per hour. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it Aug 23 2003
By "tuk9"
Format:Hardcover
Having never really been interested in cycling I bought this book since I wanted to know about Lance's fight with testicular cancer which killed my best friend three years ago in his early 30s. I was not just positively surprised but literally stunned and finished the book in two days.

Lance's life from his upbringing to early achievements, his fight with cancer to becoming the King of the Tour de France are written honestly and interestingly. Reading the book took me along the entire emotional spectrum and I enjoyed every minute of it. With a less than 3% chance to survive I am convinced that contrary to the title, his survival is about the bike. It tought him to fight, to personalize the challenge and to give it everything he has got.

Being German, I wanted Jan Ullrich to win the tour this year but having read what Lance has overcome and seeing him on the crucial day after falling due to spectator involvement, I now hope that he will win his sixth (and final?) Tour in 2004 to take his rightful place as the best rider who ever lived.

I felt compelled to write this review since I read some of the other reviews. While I understand some of the comments about him being egoistic, that is part of him too. He is not claiming to be perfect, far from it, and I do not judge the man but simply recommend his book as an uplifting and interesting read.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Nov 4 2004
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
"My Journey Back" is an uplifting/inspirational book that makes you feel the worry,the sadness,the fear and the triumph!! I could not put this book down until it was finished. I rank it up there with other books such as Nightmares Echo,Dry,Lucky,A Child Called It and Running With Scissors-each book is a very courageous read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars It's not about the bike, it's about the Life! Feb 1 2004
By mouli_5
Format:Hardcover
Never I've heard of a celebrity discuss his negative sides also in such a detail. He never hides the fact that he, too, was really afraid that he'd die because of cancer. It may be an obvious fact, but how many of the so called "celebrities" are willing to accept their weakness? Though the author blatantly criticizes those who were unsupportive during crisis periods, he heartily remembers everyone who have played a major role in moulding him as a person. This is very rare to see even in ordinary guys, leave alone a person of world fame.
One thing this book teaches is that even the people who have made it big are still human beings with all kinds of joy, sorrow, weakness and other countless emotions. It instills belief in the reader. After reading it, I feel life is a great gift and make it truly joyful for myself and others in the world.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars What a Man !
Sometimes, someone, writes a book & it really inspires you. It's Not About the Bike does just that. This guy won the Tour De France, big deal or so what you may say? Read more
Published on Jan 30 2004 by John McBride
1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT listen to the audio version with children present
We bought this book on tape for a long road trip - thought it would be good inspiration/a good role model for our daughter; however, within minutes were exposed to foul language. Read more
Published on Dec 7 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars From another cancer survivor and biker
I didn't know anything about Lance Armstrong until I got cancer last spring. Lying on my couch, sick from chemo, I watched the Tour de France. Read more
Published on Oct 17 2003 by Cynthia R. Knowles
4.0 out of 5 stars Lance's Incredible Journey
In Lance Armstrong's book "It's not about the bike" I thought it was an excellent book.
The book is very well written. Read more
Published on Oct 17 2003 by Justin Forristall
5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing athlete
It is easy to see why Lance has been so successful in his life. He has an amazing capacity for attacking any obstacle that gets in his way, whether it be cancer or the French... Read more
Published on Oct 16 2003 by music lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Life Happens to Champions, Too.
Meet Lance Armstrong, the illegitimate son of a single teenage mother in Texas, who became the fastest thing on a racing bike this planet has ever seen. Read more
Published on Oct 6 2003 by Cedric's Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars Breakaway into reality
In the opening chapters we are introduced to an athlete driven by success. Someone with an inflated self-serving ego who was obstinate, insulting and ruthlessly competitive. Read more
Published on Aug 19 2003 by Tony Theil
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
This book was one of the most inspiring books that I have ever read. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Published on Aug 3 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
One word. EXCELLENT!

It doesn't matter if your a fan of bike riding or not. Lance's book is just plain excellent and he is extremely inspiring!!

Published on July 22 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars What a ride.....

Like a lot of Americans, I didn't have a clue about The Tour de France until Greg LeMond won it in 1986.

After that, I became a fan. Read more

Published on July 20 2003 by Terry Mathews
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