|
| |||||||||||
What are readers saying about It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life?
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-18 06:44:17.
(Language: English)
 
This book really surprised me! I am not a cycling fan nor do I admire LA. However I do know that I can learn good lessons from a World class champion at bike racing (4X) and a cancer survivor. What I really enjoyed after reading this book is his humanity! He keeps it real! Hard work, disciplined training, mindset & focus and perseverance....how he faces the illness and death...how he faces his defeats in races ...how he pick himself backup for a comeback.... He actually becomes a better person and athlete after the illness. Really enjoyed this book, have much respect now for the sport, its athletes, and especially the "peloton".
|
Yes (0) 
No (0) |
|
A Reader posted a review at 2011-07-11 10:57:30.
(Language: English)
A must read!!!! Inspirational, well written, incredible story... i knew nothing about the cycling world when i picked up this book... his descriptions of the Tour had my heart racing...
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-18 10:36:05.
(Language: English)
its the autobiography of lance armstrong...its all about his courage n very inspirational book..this book honestly reveals about the side of cancer that most of the people dont see.cancer patients r heroes. This book is more abt the cancer than the bike race and most of the chapters deals with the chemotherapy and the books also shows the emotional relationship between mother and a son and also between husband and wife and showed how the lyf of lance got changed after cancer.His continuing pushing of the 'don't give up' theme had an impact on the book that gives it a unique view of Armstrong's life....if u hvnt read this buk then u hv missed smthng gud...
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-07 05:13:17.
(Language: English)
amazing personality..never - die attitude:)
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-02 11:09:51.
(Language: English)
I found this book to be my bible, with my recovery and the operations l had coming up. You can so relate to what Lance is going through. he gives a great analysis of how doctors treat you. How they talk to you. but he would of been treatred a bit better as of who he was. but still he was a patient just like me and had to deal with the same ordeals as any person would. It's amazing how he coopes and battles on. the big thing l took away from it that you have no short cuts, if you want to get back as close as normal as you can I set goals as l had been taught when l was getting coached by dane N. IEven if they were unrealistic, you still had something to strive for, Thanks Lance
|
|
Toshi posted a review at 2010-11-09 08:32:43.
(Language: English)
Focus and passion make difference.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-25 04:02:18.
(Language: English)
I was never really the pedal pushing kind until I read this book. It singlehandedly changed the way I view life and day to day challenges forever! Not too many true stories out there have been published in the English language that would inspire one to completely revamp the way they live, and further, the pain and suffering they would endure to achieve the seemingly impossible! Lance lights more than a few candles under your ass as you turn the pages! You might not win a Tour de France if you read this book, but you certainly won't feel hopeless and alone at your next cholesterol check-up either.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-10 11:17:22.
(Language: English)
Tremendous read, on every level. Admittedly, it would be hard not to make this story - Armstrong's return from a cancer which had attacked testicles, lungs and brain to win five Tours de France - a pageturner, and only a heart of stone would be uninspired by his brute determination. But there's more than that here - it's a beautifully written book, with the ideas and philosophy which emerge from his experience delivered with a real elegance and often wit. Hard too, to escape the feeling that he emerged from his encounter with cancer a better man, and what could be more inspiring than that ? This book seizes with an iron grasp and doesn't let go - I defy anyone, bike fan or not, to put it down unfinished.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-30 08:03:25.
(Language: English)
Awesome book. Inspiring.
|
|
|
Ankur posted a review at 2011-11-21 02:44:17.
(Language: English)
Awesome read. Very inspirational
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-11 10:07:37.
(Language: English)
This is not a good book to start reading 8 hours after you've found out someone you've known for almost a decade has terminal cancer. Only a few pages into the first chapter I read the line "Cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me" and I almost threw the book across the room. I had a rocky start with the book to say the least. I didn't much care for the "pre-cancer Lance", although I think that is likely the authors' intent. It felt like the script to a Tom Cruise movie: gifted but arrogant young cyclist/fighter pilot/race car driver/pool hustler has the world at his fingertips but is humbled by cancer/death of his best friend/etc. and becomes a better person for it. Once he got into the description of the cancer treatment and how absolutely brutal chemo is I got drawn into the book. I also loved the write-up on the 1999 Tour, going through stage by stage. I'm very much missing cable right now and wish I could be watching the Tour! I could have lived without the in-depth details of the IVF, it didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the story, but overall the book is a worthwhile read.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-20 10:21:43.
(Language: English)
Again, not just a book about sports. This is a book about a man who knows the meaning of compassion through suffering. Few people really understand this, but it is essential to finding joy in life. I enjoyed reading this book and being let in on his journey with cancer and cycling. I also developed the opinion that Lance does not dope. T I just think this is a case of genetics conspiring to create a truly unique individual, whose body was broken down by cancer and rebuilt for a single purpose. And it all just worked to his advantage. But the part that gave it away was when he mentioned that he'd had spent days being stuck with hundreds of needles giving him chemotherapy and whatnot, and after that experience, needles just sounded unappealing to him. That's just something you can't say without having been through the ringer, and I believe it is a genuine sentiment. If you like this book I'd like to suggest "Ultra-Marathon Man" by Dean Karnazes.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-19 02:10:02.
(Language: English)
"I won't kid you. There are two Lance Armstrongs, pre-cancer, and post. Everybody's favorite question is "How did cancer change you?" The real question is how didn't it change me? I left my house on October 2, 1996, as one person and came home another. I was a world-class athlete with a mansion on a riverbank, keys to a Porsche, and a self-made fortune in the bank. I was one of the top riders in the world and my career was moving along a perfect arc of success. I returned a different person, literally. In a way, the old me did die, and I was given a second life. Even my body is different, because during the chemotherapy I lost all the muscle I had ever built up, and when I recovered, it didn't come back in the same way.The truth is that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know why I got the illness, but it did wonders for me, and I wouldn't want to walk away from it. Why would I want to change, even for a day, the most important and shaping event in my life?"
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-11 07:24:43.
(Language: English)
This is Lance's story written in his own no-BS style about his journey to becoming a world-class cyclist, then his challenge with testicular/lung/brain cancer which almost killed him at age 25. Lance had a 20% chance of survival. Nonetheless, he challenged cancer and survived it, only to go back and win the Tour De France several times. Lance is not a superman, he is a normal human being, but he shows that human potential and capacity has no limits. What I found particularly remarkable is his comment that "cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me", because it taught him so much about the value of life and about his own self... the book is truly inspirational and a nice read.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-27 02:27:06.
(Language: English)
very awesome presentation in the book about its life story and very inspiring. After reading the book you start loving your life. it shows the importance of life. you start realizing that how your life is important to you. Very awesome book. it not only shows his struggle back to life but sends a meaningful message
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2011-08-05 06:21:57.
(Language: English)
Very helpful during difficult times.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-31 06:20:31.
(Language: English)
I read this book several years ago, and was just looking it over again, thinking about selling it on Amazon. I decided not to, not only because I underlined several sections and wrote in the margins, but because I want to hold onto this book for inspiration when I need it. I also want my 12 and 15 year old sons to read this some day. Lance's fortitude in the face of adversity is inspiring. He does come off as a bit of a jerk and an egomaniac in several places--attributes I do not wish upon my sons--but I think they'll see that for what it is and still learn some great lessons from Lance. I picked up this book because I'm a cyclist and a big cycling fan. I wanted to see the inside story to Armstrong's incredible comeback. I got a lot more from this book. He's gut-wrenching honest. I'm also a writer and a reader, and I found this book one of the best-written books I've read lately.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2011-08-22 11:27:04.
(Language: English)
lately when i feel down and out...this book revs me up..."turn every negative into a positive"...now thats something
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-02 09:06:12.
(Language: English)
I am not big on autobiographies because for the most part, majority of them seem so contrived, like the individual is not really interested in letting you see who they are but more who they wished they were. This one is different, even though it is co-written, the voice is authentically that of Armstrong. He does not sugar coat, does not justify or apologize for his actions. You see a brash, overconfident young man being dealt a harsh blow and rising from it a better, wiser and stronger man, inspiring us to follow suit.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-28 05:29:18.
(Language: English)
Armstrong gives a colorful explanation of his conquests of cancer and Tour de France...and his metamorphosis in this book!It is written well..a good read overall. I read the book wanting to understand his motivation mechanisms and his approach to success. This delivers on both. I expected the cancer mentions to be fleeting but it is the story. That was a bit of a surprise but makes it all the more remarkable. At times though, his writing seemed contrived and it made me question the larger story. Another issue was that the cancer and chemo related information made me queasy and I did not want to read any further. Despite the pockets of doubt and queasiness, I found this book to be thought-provoking!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-25 11:19:32.
(Language: English)
I read this soon after Lance won his first Tour De France. It was a story with grit and a no holds barred. Really tuggs at feelings of pain sadness. However hard it might have been for him to fight through Cancer. His determination was paramount. He beat the odds. I have been a fan ever since. I rate this a 10 Livestrong
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-25 08:23:06.
(Language: English)
This book made me dislike Lance Armstrong for his pompous attitude. He mentions several times how rude he has been to his mom, his ex-wife, his nurses and doctors, so I suppose it is good he recognizes his behavior as poor, which is humbling. This does not change that he still acted like a jerk while others were trying to help. He is an incredible athlete and I aspire to be superhuman like him, however, he is not on my list of people to share a lunch.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2011-07-20 07:38:49.
(Language: English)
A damn good story ... emotional, inspirational, honest, genuine and eloquent.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-11-21 10:53:12.
(Language: English)
Lance Armstrong’s “It's Not About the Bike†is a very compelling read of a hyper competitive person facing a very serious illness. It is written in such a way as to not white wash Lance and make him seem like a hero. By the time I was done reading the book I was very impressed with what he and his doctors had achieved. How hard he had fought, and also left not thinking very much of Lance as a person. As with many truly competitive people Lance comes across as using people for what he needs and moving on. The other note I took from this was how sad it is that doctors and medical institutions are not willing to tailor the meds for patients desires, it is great that Lance was able in his second try to get an institution that cared if he could ride a bike again, but not all patients are so lucky.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-20 04:42:24.
(Language: English)
Where there is a will there is a way, Lance Armstrong a cyclist at the age of 25 was diagnosed with testicular cancer and was given just 40% chance of survival and no hope of being an athlete again. A person like me may not be able to understand what Lance has gone through, the worst i had was Dental Surgery. But this guy takes the cancer challenge head on, he fights with the disease in the same way he used to plan his races.So beating all odds he recovers from cancer and goes on to win the toughest challenge for an athlete and world biggest cycle race "Tour De France" not once or twice but seven consecutive times.Raised by a single mom in a small town fighting his way through cancer and becoming one of the most coveted athletes of all times. His life is an inspiration for people who loose hope due to small setbacks (including me), today he is working as a cancer activist and has a cancer foundation called LIVESTRONG , he also conducts inspirational talks. You can find all about it hereEven though the book is not the one of the best written books I have read but the reality of the story and what a human being can achieve with determination and hard work is truly amazing.A must read :-)
|
Share your views!
Similar books
