Customer Reviews

23 Days in July: Inside the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's Record-Breaking Victory

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was expecting a blow-by-blow account of the 2004 Tour, and that's certainly in here, but there is much more here, as well. The behind-the-scenes stuff, the elaboration around major recent cycling events, the history seamlessly interweaving into the present, and the profiles of riders both famous and obscure combine to place this book at the HC level of cycling journalism. Wilcockson deserves a lot of credit for getting out something this good so quickly after the event. In book publishing, that's tough. Because he's reaching for a broad audience, there is a sentence here and there explaining things that most cyclists know. No problem. It's a great book. If you're a cycling fan, get it.

Lance Armstrong won his sixth Tour de France in "23 Days in July". John Wilcockson, well known cycle sports writer has given us the story of these days. Drawn up in yellow, red and purples, the colors of the Alps and Pyrenees. We are allowed a visit into the most famous cycle race in the world Le Tour De France.

John Wilcockson has written a masterly tale of life on the road, so to speak, of five of the most competitive cyclists in the business. There is Lance Armstrong, the American with the story of testicular cancer who becomes obsessed with cycling and goes on to win six yellow jerseys of the Le Tour. He overcomes all he needs to in his life to make this win. Jan Ulrich, the German, who has the best chance of anyone to overcome Armstrong and win Le Tour. Ivan Basso, who proves that He has what it takes and is the man to watch in the future. Tyler Hamilton, the young American, who is one of the better cyclists from the States- he has a young team, but he has a chance to win. And, Iban Mayo, who reaches out to try and make this Tour his to lose. These are the stories of the men and women and the people who make the race. There are interviews with Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong's coach, and the man who builds winners. An interview with the tour director, Jean-Marie Leblanc, who brings understanding to the role of the French. We feel the majesty of the Alps, the sameness of some of the hotels, the day to day crunching and moving on and the excitement of those days of Le Tour. The doping scandal is addressed and it is not glossed over. John Wilcockson takes to task everyone who has a questionable reputation. The pre-cycle preparation and the lives and loves of those who participate. I thought I had a fairly good knowledge of the Le Tour, but I really felt I have come to know the lives of those who participated in the tour by reading this book.

John Wilcockson has been writing about cycle life for over thirty years. He has written several books about cycling. He goes to the head of the class with this book. Highly recommended. prisrob

My review of 23 Days... would probably be more favorable had I not read Lance Armstrong's War first...well, maybe not. While 23 Days... doesn't bore there is most definately something lacking, something a little annoying. It becomes apparent early on that the author likes to tell his story in a particular way, and it's a little annoying. He'll start by telling the happenings of a particular stage in a first person narrative telling what the atmosphere was like, how the racers were feeling and how the stage progressed through most of the day. Then, at the penultimate point of a stage, instead of saying "Basso did this and Armstrong did that,"-in keeping with a first person perspective-, he speedily sums up the stage by saying "in the end Armstrong won, like the true champion he is", as he switches to a third person POV like you would if you were retelling the days stage to your buddy at work.

This way of telling the story is a let down. And even now, just 24 hours after finishing the book there is nothing that stands out in my mind as being special or remarkable. Let's put it this way: there is nothing in this book that would make me recommend it to anyone. Lance Armstrong's War, which covers the same race and a whole lot more, is much more in depth and a much more engaging read.

This was a very enjoyable, well written account of an historic race. What was so enjoyable was learning so much about the tour along the way. It was brilliantly structured to tell not only the story of Armstrong's record win, but of the tour's history and fascinating aspects too. It must have been a race against the clock to put this book out so soon and yet its production and quality are very high. No ripped from the headlines stuff here, just a master sports writer at his best. Great stuff.

If you're looking for a book about the Tour de France that will keep you engaged, this is it. I found myself reading this book till late at night. I enjoy all sorts of outdoor sports and love reading about them as well. This book does a wonderful job of not only covering each days race events but the personal side as well. It is a must read for anyone who enjoys biking. It will go on my bookshelf with all the outdoor classics.

I read this one then immediately read Coyle's "Lance Armstrong's War" and there simply isn't any comparison. "23 Days in July" is "inside" only in the sense that the author was willing to jump some barriers and break some rules. Coyle's book is *truly* inside with insights Wilcockson doesn't even seem to be aware of. That, combined with Wilcockson's incredibly overblown style (he doesn't seem to have ever seen an adjective he didn't use) and his inability to spell "Girona" correctly (he consistently spells it "Gerona"), left me sort of wishing I hadn't bothered.

An experienced cycle racing writer who has covered 36 Tours de France and written extesively for cycling magazines for many years (plus in his earlier days in the sixties also raced in France), John Wilcockson certainly possesses all the knowledge and experience to bring this book to life in covering the 2004 Tour when Lance Armstrong set the all time record of six consecutive Tour wins .

He does so very well by covering the race by a chapter on each day of the 2004 race (hence the title) but interspersing each day's stage race with the origins of the Tour and its governing rules; historic tales about prior winners and tragedies; the tactics used by different teams and riders and along the way covering the impact of training techniques, the amazing terrain covered and its impact on how different riders perform and the influence of drugs in this very physically demanding sport. The story benefits greatly from behind the scenes coverage of each of the main contenders against Armstrong in 2004 as well as having good access to the man himself before and after the race. By the end of the book one certainly appreciates very fully the high mix of luck, excellent fitness and superb team effort needed to win the Tour and the magnitude of what Armstrong has achieved.

While I would have personally liked a bit more on the fundamentals of how the Tour has developed and operates at the team level (bikes, mechanics and sponsors), this is a small gripe for what is an excellently told story.

"23 Days in July" is a readable recounting of the action in last year's ('04) Tour, but does not do enough with regard to context, back story, or broader themes to rate high markings. As other reviewers have mentioned "Lance Armstrong's War" is much better book all-around, covering the '04 Tour and more.

Recommended only for true cycling enthusiasts who would enjoy any books on the subject.

and so does this book. The tour is not a bike race, it is not a circus, it is not a carnival...it is all that combined into a daily 100 mile traveling rock concert...this book does justice to the race, the event, and the experience like no other book that I have read.

Without knowing much about the Tour de France, but excited by the news about this summer's tour and Lance Armstrong's accomplishments, I started reading this book and it captivated my interest right away. Bike racing is such an interesting sport, and I loved learning all the different nuances of the race, how teams work together, the politics, the different jerseys, etc. The book explains everything each step of the way, but the most interesting were all the stories within the story -- the history of the Tour, the past champions and their personal adventures or personal stories, the look at what it took for each rider to get where he is now. The descriptions of the country and each stage of the tour were also very beautifully written. The pictures are also great. I recommend this book to anyone interested in sports, competition, or stories of personal triumph, or anyone who likes good nonfiction.