Customer Reviews

Chasing Lance: The 2005 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's Ride of a Lifetime (with 20 photos included)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

One expects a respected author like Martin Dugard to cover the sporting event of the 2005 tour thoroughly and interestingly. But the bonus in "Chasing Lance" is Dugard's magnificently reasoned and masterfully written reason why Lance has transcended sport to become an international icon.

One later chapter is great travel writing. Dugard parallels his process of self-discovery of why HE is chasing Lance with a description of his first-time visit to Lourdes. He interweaves his two thought trains so skillfully that when he finishes his tour of the grotto and winds up his personal and painful train of remembrance and reason, I was gifted with a new insight about myself. The chapter brought me through Lance's struggles to not only renew my appreciation for my cancer surviving wife, but also to see my own dreams and struggles, however meager, in both a more realistic light, and at the same time an even brighter one.

At the time of Armstrong's record 7th straight Tour win, I heard a major American TV business news anchor scoff at Armstrong's advertising appeal saying, "Hey, come on, it's BICYCLE racing!" as if no one cares much about it, not like baseball, for instance. But Dugard convinces the reader (like we needed convicing) that the Lance personna is far bigger than the man--and almost everywhere. What Dugard does so well is not only to describe both the race and the phenomenon, but what it is in US that causes us to hold the IDEA of Lance so special.

So far, Lance has published two volumes of autobiography and his mother's memoirs are also available. Beyond these, teammate Michael Barry offers us a look "Inside the Postal Bus" and outdoor writer Daniel Coyle tracks Lance's 2004 season and the genesis of his darker moods in "Lance Armstong's War". Both are easy reads and have much to offer Lance fans, especially fans of bike racing.

"Chasing Lance", however, is the only one that tries to get at what it is about US, making it a multidimensional examination of this the first mega sports legend of the 21st century, and the first time that cancer survivorship has deservedly resulted in fame and reverence as great or greater than any other human accomplishment.

Considering the wealth of information about Lance in other venues, this is a refreshing and unique perspective of the Tour with Lance as more of a backdrop and unifying theme. Definitely a more humanistic side is examined, and it satisfied my interest in more about the "behind the scenes" of the Tour. Reading Mr. Dugard's articles during the 2006 Tour were similarly incitefull and prompted me to read his book which was equally educational and entertaining.

Marty Dugard does a great job capturing the ambience of this amazing race in print. I've been to the last 10 Tours and what I remember most about my trips to France are the kinds of episodes Mr. Dugard shares with his readers in this book. For those who love the race, it's more than just 189 guys in tight pants crawling up the Galibier; it's the countryside and the food and the spectators and the publicity caravan and 342 days of looking forward to the next Tour. Dugard captures all of it. I'll be there again this year and CHASING LANCE has already got me stoked.

Whether you've had the opportunity to witness the excitement and spectacle of the Tour de France in person, or have always dreamed of doing so, this book is the definitive word on the experience. Granted a coveted all-access pass to the Tour, Martin Dugard takes us on a thrill ride from the Prologue on the shores of Fromentine through the mammoth peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees and on to the finish on the hallowed Parisian cobbles of the Champs. The thing that makes this book so different from any previous works on Lance or the Tour is the way Dugard paints a vivid picture of the French people and places, fans from around the world, and most importantly of the man himself - Lance Armstrong. If you want to re-live your own personal Tour excursion (as my wife and I did), or have always wondered what it would be like - it's all here. As Martin takes us with him in his trusty Citroen along the roads and goat trails of France, you can almost smell the burning clutch as he conquers the Galibier; and you can almost taste the food as he enticingly describes a late-night meal at a rustic inn. Mixed in with his adventuresome stories are very interesting bits of history on the towns and the regions. He also effectively illustrates why the Tour has become the greatest sporting event in the world. Best of all, it's a very up close and personal view of Lance on his farewell Tour. Never before has a book so succinctly captured the spirit of the world's greatest athlete and his incredible life that has inspired hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of followers to travel across an ocean (like my wife and I) just for a glimpse of this man who simply loves to ride a bicycle. Quite simply, it's a must-read that you won't be able to put down. Se magnifique!

Mr Dugard has written an incredible book about the Tour with Lance as his centerpiece. Great background history of both France and the their tour. Insightful interviews, strategy and tidbits. This book is interestingly laid out with each chapter devoted to a stage of the race which adds to the drama, impressive in itself, seeing as we all know what the outcome was.

I highly recommend this book!

Chasing Lance is a good title for the book because it is mostly about a guy and his sports-writing pal chasing around France trying to cover the Tour de France. The book is more travelogue than anything. Covering the Tour for a foreigner comes across as difficult and chaotic: trying to navigate the confusing roads and differing terrain, finding open and unoccupied hotels and restaurants in the small towns that the Tour frequents, and dealing with the bureaucracy of the Tour. And this is for a guy who had the highest ranking press credentials allowing him to circumvent some of the roadblocks (literally in cases) and who had done this before.

The Tour is followed on a stage-by-stage basis but without the minute-by-minute detail of each stage race that some enthusiasts want. The author is more interested in Armstrong's relationship with his team, ex-team members (not good), and rivals. Armstrong's determination and will-to-win are emphasized, but there is very little of a concrete nature of his actual preparation for the tour. Armstrong comes across as more mysterious than understandable in this account. The difficulty of the Tour is repeatedly touched upon. The author discusses bicycling strategy in general and specific team tactics as the Tour unfolds. Other cyclists, mostly American, are looked at as they are trying for a day in the sun.

The author provides some interesting historical tidbits for various towns dating back to the time of the Romans as he traverses the country in a clockwise direction - the direction always taken by the Tour in odd-numbered years.

The book is brief, easily read in a matter of hours. It does tend to be an overview with a bit of this and a bit that in it. The idea is to give a hint at the flavor of the tour from both the spectator and participant standpoints. For some, the book will be found wanting. It needs to be more grounded - less unreal, less chaos, more consistent details.

I've never been to the Tour, but now I feel like I have after reading this excellent work by Martin Dugard. The fascination of pro cycling comes through when you discover what goes on behind the scenes and understand the personalities of the riders.

Dugard's book is a fun read because he adds the personal touch of relating his own adventures following the Tour. He also has great access to key observers and participants, including Lance and other top athletes. Highly recommended for any cycling fan or anyone who wants to understand deeper what Lance and his Tour de France reign was all about.

It's hard to not appreciate what journalists must go through when covering the three grand cycling tours of Europe, especially the largest Tour de France. Add to that the announced retirement of the sport's most successful Tour de France rider in history and the coverage of the event is even greater. It's more than three weeks of every day starting in one place, then having to travel 100 or so miles away to beat really fast cyclists through traffic of centuries-old towns and villages if you want to see the finish. More often than not, the journalists skip one (usually the beginning) and watch it on TV from the end. Naturally, the story has Lance Armstrong as its focus and includes some fascinating tales of this and past races, but you could get that from any other sports book on the event. I bumped this up to four stars because of the journalism angle. Covering this event with daily stories has to be one of the most difficult assignments in sports. It's not the intended center of the book's storyline, but it's what allowed me to give it a recommendation.

The 2005 Tour will always be remembered as Lance's last grand stand in the Tour de France, winning an improbable (and most likely never to be equalled record) 7th straight win. It made for great TV viewing (as I experienced it).

In "Chasing Lance: The 2005 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's Ride of a Lifetime" (240 pages), author Martin Dugard brings us what it's like to live and experience the Tour day-to-day. The overwhelming sense I got is that it's a three week logistical nightmare, getting from one stage finish to another, and quite an exhausting feat at that. On that level, the book works quite well, as the author describes how it's like staging the SuperBowl... 23 days straight. As for the race itself, the book can never match the excitement of seeing the race, with all of its colors and the fans' excitement, on TV. Dugard does bring a great episode of standing along with the crazed Spanish Basques fans in the Pyrenees mountains. As for tidbits on Armstrong, Lance's dislike of Greg Lemond's comments (regarding Lance's possible performance-enhancing methods--which Lance has strongly denied) stick out.

As a race fan, I am looking forward to the 2006 Tour de France, even without Lance. The race will, for the first time in a long time, be wide open, without a clear pre-race favorite. That said, "Chasing Lance" is a pleasant read, but certainly not an "essential" read. For that, we'll have to wait for the definitive Lance-authored or Lance-approved book.

What a fantastic read! I loved Mr. Dugard's account of the most amazing athletic event and the most amazing athlete in the world. After spending countless hours watching the Tour on OLN over the years, this book really brought to life in vivid detail the experience of being a spectator at the Tour. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed his cultural, historical, geographical and personal-interest perspectives along the journey. Finally, a Tour book that is more than just race statistics and strategy.