Strongly recommend. Well-written and well documented. The specifics of the how, when and where of the all-encompassing doping program at the US Postal Cycling team make for very interesting reading. Entirely believable. The book is filled with extended quotes from other Postal riders, Landis, VandeVelde, Vaughters, Andreu, confirming portions of Hamilton's account. What strikes me is how pervasive the ethic of doping was throughout the Peloton. Literally everyone who was competitive in the mid-1990s to 2006 (and anyone on a competitive team) had to be on some kind of program -- whether EPO, transfusions, testosterone or something else. And everyone knew about it -- all the team members, all the staff, all the spouses/girlfriends -- including Hamilton's ex Haven and by implication Kristin Armstrong. [The only wife who was intolerant was the brave and principled Betsy Andreu.] The UCI repeatedly turned a blind eye, whether because of outright corruption (promised payments by Armstrong after a positive test at the Tour of Switzerland) or because of the need for the public perception of a "clean" sport. Therefore unwritten rules governed the ethic of doping within the Peloton. The testers would only show up at certain times. Don't get caught with a hematocrit over 50 and regardless of how suspicious, there would be no violation. As Hamilton says, the dope testing regime became more of an IQ test than a doping test. If you were clever, had the right doctor, or had enough money to cover the logistics of a sophisticated doping program, you would likely not get caught. (transfusing, storing and reinfusing blood before and during the course of the Tour without the blood "going bad" was a complicated process--with life threatening consequences if there was a mistake). And Armstrong and the Postal/Discovery squad had the best doctors (Ferrari), the most money, and the best logistics. As Hamilton says, the mistake the former Postal riders made when they left the team was thinking that they could easily find an equally effective replacement program. Once they left, they usually made a mistake of some kind - -hence Heras being caught, Landis, and Hamilton. Hamilton hypothesizes that his Spanish doping doctor Fuentes mixed up Hamilton's blood bags with those of another rider and that is why Hamilton tested positive for someone else's blood in his system. The book does make one sympathetic for the circumstances under which riders (almost every one) made the decision to dope.
It does not make one sympathetic to Armstrong. To the contrary--Armstrong comes across as a vindictive narcissist. Rather than merely defending himself, he has to threaten and attempt to destroy anyone who mentions the truth -- hence his attacks on Betsey Andreu, Hamilton himself, Landis, and scores of journalists. [after first having encouraged Landis to deny doping after Landis' positive test, Armstrong then emphasized Landis' initial denials of doping to publicly proclaim that Landis lacks credibility]. But perhaps the most damning condemnation of Armstrong is that his urge to win and to destroy was so great, that he felt the need to inform on riders who were achieving independent success (and thereby threatening Lance's domination). By 2004, Hamilton had left Postal and then CSC and joined Phonak (while maintaining his own doping program). In the Dauphine Libere that year, Hamilton beat Lance in the Mont Ventoux time trial by a lot. Soon after, Hamilton got a call asking that he visit the UCI headquarters in Switzerland. There he was told that his blood values were suspicious and the UCI would be watching him. According to Floyd Landis, Armstrong had dropped the dime on Hamilton. Armstrong simply could not conceive that with a level playing field (everybody doping), he could lose a race. So Hamilton must be doing something very different and must be stopped.
Anyway--a great and sobering read. It generates some sympathy for the dopers. It generates contempt for Armstrong. A liar and a bully with unlimited drive, significant wealth and few scruples can go very far in this world. Armstrong was the enforcer of the Peloton, the best and most sophisticated doping practitioner with the most resources and most cutting-edge techniques. He also had the most to lose if caught and therefore fought the hardest and destroyed the most people in perpetuating the fantasy of his supposedly dope-free seven Tour wins. Had Armstrong been revealed as a fraud earlier, any number of clean riders might otherwise have seen success. Who knows how many did not receive contracts or lost sponsors because they declined to participate in the institutionalized doping system that the US Postal Team had perfected under Lance Armstrong's leadership.
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4.6 out of 5
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6,105 global ratings
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Extremely interesting for non-cyclists; essential for riders.
What a great book! 30+ year rider here who used to be a Lance fan from '93-'05.My opinion changed over the years, not because he doped, but because he lied and was a jerk.After reading Tyler's book, and watching several documentaries, my opinion is that Armstrong is a bad, bad dude. Mean, vindictive, lying, cheating, a fraud.But the book is really about Tyler Hamilton. I always liked him when he rode, but back then, everyone took a back seat to Lance. Lance, Lance, Lance!Tyler has much more respect from me now. His broken collar bone ride in '03 was great, but it's nice to learn so much more about him. I now think it would have been nice for Tyler to have been in Lance's place at the very top (and if you read the book, you'll find that almost happened!)A very great book, with citations, spanning a decade of the most tumultuous time of cycling's history. It even has suspense and drama (in a good way.)A great book for anyone, and an essential book for cycling and sport fans around the world.Great job, Tyler Efing Hamilton!(My photos were taking on my sleeping bag, in a tent. I couldn't stop reading, even while camping!)
Top reviews from other countries
André Biasuz
Great writing about the cycling world
Reviewed in Brazil on May 23, 2017
