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Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion

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This is an outstanding book! Author John Wilcockson has written an absolutely fascinating, wonderfully informative, and totally engaging biography of one of the premier sports figures of our (or any) time, Lance Armstrong. The story of Armstrong's humble childhood (he was the product of a broken family) through his initial successes as a triathlete and eventually, a bicycle racer, is especially engrossing--as is the story of his absolutely incredible comeback after having one of the most severe cases of cancer his doctors had ever seen. One really gets a sense of the incredible grit and tenacity that would lead Armstrong to an unprecedented seven (and at this time, a possible--or probable--eight) victories in the Tour de France. Wilcockson fills out the biography with extensive quotes derived from interviews with all of the major protagonists in Armstrong's life: his family, friends, coaches, romantic interests, professional colleagues--this gives a wonderfully rich texture to the book and lets us really know the man rather than just the sports icon. In addition, Wilcockson doesn't shy away from addressing Armstrong's personal "foibles" (e.g., a certain recklessness and hauteur) and especially, the "doping" controversies that have surrounded Armstrong and many other successful athletes in the sport--he gives a fair and balanced picture of this thorny issue and convinces the reader that a combination of careful and relentless training, unyielding support from family, friends, and teammates, and the almost fanatical will to overcome obstacles has alone propelled Armstrong to the pinnacle of his success. In the final analysis, this book is a real inspiration (whether the reader happens to be athlete or not) and is very highly recommended indeed!

This is a very interesting book about Lance Armstrong's incredible cycling career and life. As Elizabeth Edwards points out, the level of success that he has achieved in an immensely physically demanding sport is phenomenal and to have achieved that success as a cancer survivor is even more remarkable. The writer clearly knows Armstrong well and appears to have had unrestricted access to his family and friends.

The first hundred pages deal with Lance's childhood and early triathalon/ cycling days. It gets more interesting once Lance turns professional, although I did feel that there was a bit too much focus on the details about the races he participated in and not enough on how he was developing as a cyclist and an individual. It's only in the final quarter of the book that we read about the seven victorious Tour de France campaigns. It also discusses his racing techniques (although We Might As Well Win: On the Road to Success with the Mastermind Behind Eight Tour de FranceVictories is a better choice if this is what you are interested in).

Wilcockson spends a lot of time talking about the allegations of performance enhancing drugs that persistently dogged Armstrong's career. He makes a strong case for Lance never having taken them. He points out that from the earliest days Lance had brute strength and natural ability, which he later honed as he developed a better bike sense and riding skills. The loss of upper body muscle mass after his battle with cancer enabled him to rise to the next level. Wilcockson also points out that Lance's secrecy about his training techniques worked against him in terms of reducing others' suspicion.

The majority of the book is very much about Lance the cyclist. I wish the author had been as interested in getting to the heart of Lance the man as he was in all those drug allegations. The most interesting parts for me were the most personal: Lance's battle with cancer, his devastation when his teammate Casartelli was killed, his relationships with his wife and with Sheryl Crow.

The picture of Lance that emerges is a highly charismatic, very private, intensely driven and somewhat humorless man who was very much the hands-on CEO of his team. For many years his life revolved around the Tour de France: he rarely read a book or even lay down on a couch. His teammates respected him but were also somewhat afraid of him. While immensely talented, he also trained obsessively and made extremely smart decisions about the team of people that he surrounded himself with.

The book doesn't spend a lot of time on Lance's relationships. He is clearly still very close to his ex-wife Kristin. The reasons for their break-up are not really explained here although Wilcockson suggests some theories. Nor is it very clear why he and Sheryl Crow split up - there is reference to their relationship being volatile but it's not really explored. His relationship with Anna Hanson who is the mother of his baby son Max is only briefly mentioned at the very end of the book. It would have been interesting to know more about her.

The book opens with Armstrong's decision to return for the 2009 Tour de France. I thought it was odd that Alberto Contadour is never mentioned in the book and nor is Bruyneel's reaction to Lance's return. The ending does feel a little rushed. Nevertheless, a worthwhile read about an incredible champion.

John Wilcockson has written quite a few books about the sport of professional cycling, and in particular the Tour De France, as well as about Lance Armstrong, whom the author has known for many years. In particular good is his 2005 book "23 Days in July' (about Lance's record-breaking 6th Tour de France win in 2004). Now comes this book, which purports to give a look at Lance the person.

"Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion" (411 pages, including 16 pages of full-color pictures) brings a straight-forward chronological portrait of Lance Armstrong, from his early days in Dallas, to his eventually move to Austin, where Lance laid the foundation of his professional cycling career. But the book really takes off (and at the same time fails to deliver) when Lance gets testicular cancer, which almost killed him. Retells one of the doctors: "We found mostly embryonal cells, and those at that time were not curable. So I spoke with [a colleague doctor] and we were saying, this is what we got and what should I tell him? And he said 'Well, tell him 20 percent.' I said 'Okay' but in my view the chances were zero, or almost zero." The entire cancer episode is dealt with in a mere 16 pages in the book, and it just seems too quick and too rushed. The next 24 months in Lance's life are an incredible up-and-down, again dealt with hurriedly, although noting that "It was Lance's good fortune to skip the '98 Tour since that was the one devastated by doping scandals". There is very little revealing about Lance's personal life, including his stll-mysterious divorce from wife Kristin, and the equally baffling and sudden end to his relationship with Sheryl Crow. As the author is a good friend of Lance, it's clear he simply decided to stay clear from that, but as this purports to be a book about Lance the man, it leaves you wondering.

As someone who has been a fan of professional cycling for all of my life, I felt somewhat disappointed in the book. Lance is an incredibly fascinating person, yet somehow it didn't come through all that much in this book. As a fan, I much more enjoyd this author's "23 Days In July" as well as Johan Bruyneel's "Might As Well Win It". The 2009 Tour de France ended today, with Lance finishing in 3rd place, very respectful given his 4 year absence from the Tour. Lance has already announced that he will come back to the Tour in 2010, in a new team (persuambly with team manager and long-time confidant Johan Bruyneel again at his side). Can't wait for that.

I have known Lance Armstrong since he was a junior and have followed his surprising career both as fan and friend from the start. John Wilcockson's book is illuminating, extremely well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. It chronicles Lance's journey in detail but it's so well-written and absorbing that at times you might think you are reading a novel. As a lifelong student of cycling (and Olympic champion in 1984), I found many of the training details to be fascinating. I learned some lessons throughout and came away with even more respect for Lance the man. No other athlete has done as much for so many as Lance both on and off the bike.
Read it. Share with friends. The perfect gift for any cycling fan or enthusiast.

Lance Armstrong - Making of THE Champion

Author, writer and bike rider John Wilcockson delivers a story that weaves his intimate knowledge of a sport with authority and mastery, delving beneath the surface to deliver the punch of what really makes a champion. I found the writing style and contents to be engaging and insightful -not an easy achievement given the plethora of other writing on this man who has captured the imagination of almost anyone who has watched or read about the incomparable sport of cycling.

It has been many years that I have picked up a book and literally read it cover to cover over (more than 400 pages!) in just a few days-the subject matter was compelling as was the writer's seemingly never ending source of reference materials from a spectrum of individuals who whether as family members or close friends, to direct competitors displayed unreserved respect for L.A.'s tenacity in pursuing his goal to prevail no matter what the obstacles that presented themselves. I found Wilcockson's interviews with L.A.s relatives particularly interesting in revealing the underlying reasons for unreserved drive and determination to excel. Whilst it might have been more "entertaining" to read about family problems that were not directly addressed in greater detail in this book, I think that the writer stayed true to his intent to provide an informative narrative of what made Armstrong the champion that he is.

In a world of increasing competition to uncover, dissect and disseminate "the dirt" on icons such as L.A., I found this book a refreshing analysis of what made/makes a champion. The Press today seems to be more consumed in becoming part of the story than reporting it-nothing is truer than what has become almost an obsession of some in the media in Europe trying to tear down this man and his accomplishments with unsubstantiated allegations. An epiphany for me in reading this book was the author's revelation that what drove Armstrong to greater accomplishments was his direct reaction to disproving the invectives and accusations that were leveled at him by subsequent crushing successes!
That alone made the book.

Beyond such considerations, what really gives me a new (and greater) appreciation for the remarkable accomplishments of what I readily agree is the world's greatest athlete, are the compelling illustrations of the man's dedication and hard work to become and remain the best. The book shows years of sacrifice and preparation as the underpinnings of later, smarter, gruelling training rides in miserable conditions with a team of coaches and managers who understood what drove a champion and his metamorphosis to becoming THE champion.
Non est ad astra mollis e terris via : there is no easy way from the earth to the stars. This is what Wilcockson drills down to in his book. A compelling and thoroughly captivating read!

Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion is an awesome book. I enjoyed reading it so much that I even read it twice, the second time being 3 weeks later.

To get the biggest complaint out of the way: I'm not sure the book is completely objective. I think the author makes an effort to represent the doping suspicions fairly, but I also think the same author is a big Lance fan. Just like I am. So if you expect a fully objective investigative report, this is not it.

Everything else about the book is absolutely awesome. The writing is clear, crisp, and well-organized, well-researched. There are many, many original interviews and first-hand / primary source telling of stories. The book's author, John Wilcockson, is a familiar figure. If you follow the Tour, even just on TV (as I do), you will know his voice and presence. His knowledge of the industry is very high, and his connections enabled a lot of the first-hand interviews that make up this book.

The book covers Lance's youth, including his formative teenage years. His initial racing success, his battle with cancer, his return. His training regimen with a lot of details, and his big race success, especially in the Tour. It's all there. In glorious detail, if you're a tech geek like me.

Note: I'm not actually a bicycle rider. I can ride, obviously, but I don't enjoy it much. I get bored. I have a lot of respect for people who are real riders, like my friends and colleague Jeremy. But I am not a rider myself and I know next to nothing about what it takes to be one.

Lance's return from cancer is obviously inspiring to a lot of people. But reading how close he was to death, and how hard he's been working to get back in shape and stay there, makes it all the more inspiring.

(Also posted on my blog.)

John Wilcockson, America's (and possibly the world's) most experienced cycling journalist, has put all his decades of insight and experience and polished writing style together to produce this most penetrating appraisal yet of this most enigmatic of sports heroes. That Lance has amazing physical attributes goes without saying. Less obvious are all the subtle influences acquired while growing up that have made Lance who he is. It's assumed the reader is already familiar with Armstrong's cycling accomplishments, so they are only referred to to help illustrate the more personal story. Here, however, are revealed the key personalities in Lance's youth, his early competitions in triathalons, his stupendous battle with cancer, his duel with those determined to prove him a doper, and his episodic romantic relationships. Not all questions the reader might ask are answered, but Wilcockson's book is probably about the best a mere mortal will be able to produce. In the end, Lance Armstrong is still a fascinating mystery, but after reading this ultimate tome on the subject that mystery will be of a whole different order. For all the distractions, this is one man who can collect his whole life and bring it to a level of focus the rest of us can hardly imagine. In short, the man deserves respect!

John Wilcockson's Lance is, hands down, the supreme champion of books about the supreme champion of his sport, giving an unrivaled portrait - up, down, and sideways - of bicyclist Lance Armstrong in all his complexity, incontestably the world's greatest champion athlete. I recommend this book without stint!

What I like most about this book is how with focus, simplicity, and clarity it does exactly what it promises to do: show everything that made Lance the world's greatest champion. Wilcockson highlights the events, the people, the quirks of fate, Armstrong's physical and emotional makeup, his intense training, and even his tragedies and losses, since they, too, helped him reach the pinnacle of his sport. The book begins even before Armstrong does -- with vignettes revealing Linda, his teenage pregnant mom, who is woven throughout the book as a leading motivator and manager of Lance; and with a unique look at Lance's biological and adoptive dads --neither of whom he has contact with now. As the story continues, we hear the voices of a myriad of friends, rivals, teammates, coaches and lovers, and their stories are often filled with pathos, humor, insight, or surprise. What amazes me is how Armstrong's life IS a story, a story still unfolding; and the author not only captures Lance's spirit, but also gives destiny its due.

First off I have to say that I am a huge Lance fan. I have the utmost respect, awe and admiration for the guy. I found this biography to be severely lacking though. A great biographer doesn't just tell you WHAT happens to the subject of his biograhpy but also tells you the WHY behind the facts. A good biography should give us deep insights into the personality, fears, desires, goals, dreams, relationships of the subject. While Wilcockson goes into great detail about almost every step of Lance's career, we rarely learn about Lance's motivations and what makes him tick. For example, I am still baffled as to what caused the huge rift between Lance and Terry Armstrong, basically the only father Lance had ever known. All Wilcockson tells us is that Lance found some love notes to another woman that Terry had written to someone other than Lance's mother-to whom he is fiercely loyal. WE get no sense of Lance's feelings or how that experience affected him emotionally. All we know is that Lance didn't speak to him for 20 years. This book is filled with quotes and interviews from many people, but it all just feels like hearsay after a while.