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Every Second Counts

by Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins, Oliver Wyman (Read by)

3.59 · rating details · 1,610 ratings · 151 reviews

The four-time Tour de France winner and number 1 New York Times bestselling author returns with an inspirational account of his recent personal and professional victories—and some failures—and an intimate glimpse into how almost dying taught him to really live.

Since the release of his megabestseller, It’s Not About the Bike, Lance Armstrong has enjoyed a new series of thri...more

Audio, Abridged, 0 pages

Published October 7th 2003 by Random House Audio Publishing Group (first published January 1st 2003)

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Dec 11, 2008

Reinhold rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Das Buch der Leiden - Teil 2

Das hier vorliegende Buch ist der zweite Teil der Autobiografie des Lance Armstrong. Wie schon im ersten Band (Tour des Lebens) schreibt er gemeinsam mit der Sportjournalistin Sally Jenkins.

Ging es im ersten Band vor allem um die Kindheit und Jugend, den Kampf mit dem Krebs bis hin zum ersten Erfolg bei der Tour de France, so findet man hier nun vor allem eine ausfÃ¼hrliche Beschreibung seiner Erfolge bei der Tour de France in den Jahren 2000 b...more

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Nov 22, 2008

David rated it

· review of another edition

This book takes up where the first ("It's Not About the Bike") left off. Armstrong briefly reviews his bout with testicular cancer, and then talks about the next several years of his life, including the second through fifth of his consecutive "Tour de France" victories. There's much more detail in this volume about the cycling experience itself - training, how a team works together, the races, the traditions and emotions. It's a great "look behind the scenes."

...more

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Dec 21, 2009

David rated it

· review of another edition

This is an author that I wanted to hate, when I was half way through the book, because much of what he says comes off sounding arrogant and self-centered. He talks of his accomplishments, his ceaseless drive, how unfairly he was treated by those who thought he was doping, his generosity, his many homes, and then goes on to describe how heâ€™s â€œjust a regular guyâ€ (like the reader is suppose to believe that he really believes that.) But I have to concede that his incredible accomplishments entitl...more

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Jun 17, 2009

Nick Ravaji rated it

· review of another edition

"So it looks as thought I'm going to live - at least for another 50 years or more. But whenever I need to reassure myself of this, as I sometimes do.."

Armstrong's second book is a remarkably balanced account of his attempt to adjust to an 'ordinary' life after his extraordinary battle against cancer and subsequent win of the Tour de France with the US Postal team.

Lance does a commendable job at describing the difficulties that he encounters in trying to fulfill...more"So it looks as thought I'm going to live - at least for another 50 years or more. But whenever I need to reassure myself of this, as I sometimes do.."

Armstrong's second book is a remarkably balanced account of his attempt to adjust to an 'ordinary' life after his extraordinary battle against cancer and subsequent win of the Tour de France with the US Postal team.

Lance does a commendable job at describing the difficulties that he encounters in trying to fulfill his roles as husband; father; cancer activist and world class athlete, all the while battling the fear of the cancer returning and that negative publicity from (unsubstantiated) French doping allegations and investigations would ruin his image and that of his cancer foundation. In a nutshell, this book explores Lance's personal strategy in resolving the many conflicting interests and priorities that we're all faced with.

The account of life on the road with US Postal were by far the highlight for me. The grueling stages of the tour, the thrills, the constant training, the honor and unwritten code of the Tour, the comradeship, and the Team above all else.

Lance tempers those accounts with his exploration of the difficulties living half of the year in Europe, being an absentee father and having to manage his foundation as well as largely captain the US Postal Team.

Underling the narrative are constant reminders that Lance is intent on wasting not one second of the time he has left. After his experiece with cancer, he sees life as a race against the clock, and one that he is not prepared to lose. Against that background, its hard not to welcome Lance's occasional periods of contemplating the lessons of life, analyzing his own behavior and offering advice to others to save the day.

Highly recommended as an easy read, it'll equally grip you with action sequences and get you re-assessing your own priorities, and exactly how you would life your life if you appreciated just how short it was.

"Another finish line is out there, somewhere. But I don't really want to find it - yet."(less)

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Jul 26, 2011

Derek rated it

· review of another edition

Every Second Counts brings us up-to-date on what happened to Lance Armstrong after he survived testicular cancer and went back to competitive cycling to win the Tour de France. He has since fathered three children (a son and twin daughters) using sperm saved from before his cancer treatments, won four more Tour de France races, become a world-renowned celebrity, been investigated for and cleared of "doping" his body, stayed clean from cancer, become a noted cancer advocate and develope...moreEvery Second Counts brings us up-to-date on what happened to Lance Armstrong after he survived testicular cancer and went back to competitive cycling to win the Tour de France. He has since fathered three children (a son and twin daughters) using sperm saved from before his cancer treatments, won four more Tour de France races, become a world-renowned celebrity, been investigated for and cleared of "doping" his body, stayed clean from cancer, become a noted cancer advocate and developed a rocky patch in his marriage.

In places Every Second Counts seems a rambling account of all this and sometimes comes across as having been dictated into a tape recorder during a long descent on a bicycle!

The book will be of most interest to those who want to know what it's like to recover from a potentially fatal cancer, live as a celebrity, try to balance a personal life with a demanding career and the incredible efforts needed to win all those Tour de France races.

Both his natural personality and his recovery from a life-threatening illness make Lance Armstrong determined to treasure every minute . . . and he continues to take life at full speed in demanding conditions. If he's not training endlessly, he's driving his car too fast or taking dangerous leaps into a rocky pool. At the same time, he's trying to temper that instinct with a desire to see his children grow up and have a good marriage. In the book he candidly explains how only his retirement from racing wil bring his life into a more helpful balance for his family. But he's not ready to do that just yet.

I enjoyed understanding more about why he likes helping those who have cancer, how he trains in ways that give him an edge over mere mortals (including sleeping in an "altitude" tent that simulates the thin air in the mountains), and the strategy he has used in the Tour de France. From watching the races on television, I couldn't figure out what was going on most of the time. These explanations were very interesting to me about his sports career.

As I finished the book, I found myself wondering how hard I would try to save my own life if I had had his illness. I've surely learned from this book that you must apply maximum determination (no matter what the pain and toil) and that indeed. . . every second counts!(less)

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Sep 06, 2009

Beau Johnson rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: biography

This, as it appears Lance's life continues to be, is a book about what cancer cannot do. In his own words (pg. 133), Lance says regarding his time with people fighting cancer, "In the end, all I could do was try to encourage their attitude and will, try to talk about what cancer couldn't do. I couldn't take away your spirituality, or your intelligence,. It couldn't take away your love."

I am a Lance fan, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading his second book. I love the story of th...more

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Mar 25, 2011

Sheri rated it

· review of another edition

I read this book pretty quickly - very inspiring and eye opening to the world of a cyclist and what all that change and fame can do to an individual and their loved ones. I definitely look at Lance Armstrong now through a different perspective - I have much respect for all that he's been through and how he has handled himself through adversity and successes, for the most part.

I've always been curious about his story - one of my friends is a cyclist and really got me hooked on ...more

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Dec 21, 2011

Eduardo rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sports-coaches

I spent less time reading this book than Lance spends in the saddle on a given day but that hardly makes this a bad book, just a fast read. As with It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, I read this book almost all in one night, then woke up the next morning and finished it off. As with the previous book, it is incredibly readable and pages fly by.

Reading this book in 2011 forces a different perspective and more thought than if one had read it in 2004. Lance is under investi...moreI spent less time reading this book than Lance spends in the saddle on a given day but that hardly makes this a bad book, just a fast read. As with It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, I read this book almost all in one night, then woke up the next morning and finished it off. As with the previous book, it is incredibly readable and pages fly by.

Reading this book in 2011 forces a different perspective and more thought than if one had read it in 2004. Lance is under investigation again, but this time in the U.S. It seems that the outcome will be similar to that of the French investigation recounted in the book. It made me see the current inquest in a different light because I was clearly reminded of how the French one unfolded.

Also, it is interesting to read Lance's thoughts on Frankie Andreu, Tyler Hamilton, and, of course, Floyd Landis. All three of these riders have come forward to say that Lance doped. It is fascinating to try and reconcile their behavior (and Lance's) with how they are portrayed in the book. Landis, in my opinion, makes for the most interesting character study. One can see the possibility of his demise when looking back on this account now.

I found this book to be inspiring and insightful; inspiring to read about the struggles and the triumphs and insightful to read about Lance's efforts to make his life after cancer make sense while finding a sustainable balance. He is far from perfect, but he certainly seems far better suited to this than anyone else on the planet.

A last thought: what if he did dope? Would it sully his survivorship? Clearly it would taint the cycling victories, but would it discount everything else that he did that changed professional cycling? No one else trained like he did, scouted like he did, sought miniscule ways to improve the way that he did until he had success doing those things. I would be disappointed if it turns out that he cheated when it came to drugs but I would still believe in his status as an icon in sports and life.(less)

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Nov 09, 2011

Glenda rated it

· review of another edition

I did not read the Spanish version, though that's what seems to come up here... :)

Rather than a review, just posting some of my favorite quotes from the book to "preserve them".

"What it teaches is this: pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."

"Mortal illness, like most personal catastrophes, comes on suddenly. There's no great sense of foreboding, no premonition, you just wake up one morning and something's wrong in your lungs, or ...moreI did not read the Spanish version, though that's what seems to come up here... :)

Rather than a review, just posting some of my favorite quotes from the book to "preserve them".

"What it teaches is this: pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."

"Mortal illness, like most personal catastrophes, comes on suddenly. There's no great sense of foreboding, no premonition, you just wake up one morning and something's wrong in your lungs, or your liver, or your bones. But near-death cleared the decks, and what came after was a bright, sparkling awareness: time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose."

"Suffering, I was beginning to think, was essential to a good life, and as inextricable from life as bliss. It's a great enhancer. It might last a minute, or a month, but eventually it subsides, and when it does, something else takes its place, and maybe that thing is a greater space. For happiness. Each time I encountered suffering, I believed that I grew, and further defined my capacities - not just my physical ones, but my interior ones as well, for contentment, friendship, or any other human experience."

"The real reward for pain is this: self-knowledge. If I quit, however, it would have lasted forever, that surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, would have stayed with me for the duration. When you feel like quitting, you have to ask yourself which you would rather live with."

"I'd lost races, health, and an old sense of self, and each loss had its own place in the scheme of life. Other losses, if they came, would have their places, too. There are certain inevitabilities. You will grow older. You will be forced to compromise in ways you never imagined and confront problems you thought you were immune to. You will find a job, and perhaps lose it. You will fight with your mate, shoulder unwanted responsibilities, and cope with rank unfairness. You can allow all of that to demoralize you. Or you can let it shape you, and trust that the shape will be more interesting because of it." (less)

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Jun 15, 2007

Candice rated it

· review of another edition

Much less powerful than the first book . . . but then again, how could it not be? The cancer stuff really makes the first book moving, and (kind of awful to say) it's just not as interesting without the life-or-death urgency of the cancer storyline. People who read the first book wanted more, but this book was a poor attempt at that. It was clearly written on a tight time scale and dealt with topics that couldn't possibly be as amazing as those in the first . . . everything in the book is, by...more

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Aug 12, 2010

Tom rated it

· review of another edition

Armstrong's second book. The first one focused more on his recovery from cancer, while this one talks more about his life afterward. Certainly, he has been a great force in the bicycle racing community. Has anyone ever watched one of these multi-week national bike races? These races are fascinating â€“ Iâ€™ve seen parts of the Italian race several times, and like to see the Tour on TV. His dedication to his sport, the training, and winning is amazing. He certainly applies a lot of energy to sl...more

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May 07, 2010

Ram rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sports

Just finished reading "Every Second Counts" by Lance Armstrong, the US
cyclist who won 7 Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005. Lance has
successfully fought cancer so the books reveals a lot of his cancer
days plus his Tour victories, the falls, mishaps, the doping scandals
etc. Quite an inspirational book from the sporting side but a bit drag
from the cancer side

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Oct 08, 2011

James rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: biography, books-i-own, cycling, to-check, 1-stars

While the previous biography, It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, had the redeeming feature of being about his impressive return from cancer to not only return to competitive professional cycling, but to win the Tour de France. This sequel suffers from the same poor ghost writing, but without any story. While the first book was a story, the story of his fight, this book is more of a recruitment pamphlet for the cult of Lance.

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Sep 05, 2010

Benjamin rated it

· review of another edition

This was a great follow up to Lance's first book and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There is a true and authentic sense of emotion portrayed in each page, with Lance cataloguing in detail each tour win, each heart warming moment and the pain and struggle that came along the way.

I definitely recommend this to any cycling fanatic and also to those of you who have been effected in some way by cancer.

This made for an honest and compelling read.

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Mar 31, 2009

Joe Zimmerman rated it

· review of another edition

Motivational, but only 2 stars because he spends half the book talking about how he doesn't do steroids (even though I know someone who used to be his personal assistant and says that he did do steroids) and he spends another 25% bragging about various things, like his personal relationship with Robin Williams, blah blah blah.

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Dec 22, 2010

Robb Menlove rated it

· review of another edition

I still love Lance, but it lieu of dumping his family, we have to inquire, "I thought it wasn't about the bike?" As an athlete he is inspiring and heroic. This book was not as good as the first, and his language is offensive. This is more about bike stories than rising from the ashes. I still love Lance.

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May 09, 2009

Jared rated it

· review of another edition

More of the same from his first book ("It's not about the bike"). I loved the descriptions of his tour de France experiences; the dialogue, his personal thoughts, and many other unknown facts. Reading this book may not make you a fan of Lance Armstrong, but you won't be able to deny the guy knows how to win.

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Mar 12, 2011

Piyush Vikram rated it

· review of another edition

I WASN'T EXPECTING MUCH FROM THIS BOOK AS MUCH AS I EXPECTED FROM 'IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE', BUT IN THE END IT CAME OUT TO BE A VERY GOOD SEQUEL AND INFACT AN EVEN BETTER ONE. LANCE ARMSTRONG TAKES US TO THAT PART OF HIS LIFE WHICH IS AFTER WINNING THE FIRST 'TOUR DE FRANCE'. HE APTLY DESCRIBES THE CHALLENGES AND BURDENS WHICH HE FACED AND WHICH EVERY CHAMPION FACES AFTER WINNING A BIG TITLE. A MUST READ AND REALLY INSPIRING!!

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May 01, 2011

Martin Sidgreaves rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: cycling

Following on from "It's Not About The Bike" this book follow Lance's cycling career after cancer including insights into his tour de France victories up to and including his fifth.

It's concentrates mainly on how his life changes after beating cancer and how this drove him to prove his doubters wrong, win the TDF several times, life with children and of course his formation of the Livestrong Foundation to help support other cancer sufferers, survivors & their families.
...more

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Aug 21, 2010

Lisa Johnson rated it

· review of another edition

I didn't read throught his second book as quickly as I did his first one but I did still enjoy this one. This book takes you through his life from 2000 - 2003, so I'm curious to see what happened to him next. I'm about to read his most recent book which should fill me in on some of that.

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Oct 20, 2009

Luis Perez rated it

· review of another edition

Nonfiction. The champion cyclist reflect on some of his biggest personal and professional triumphs as well as his difficult battle with cancer and personal lows.

Armstring is pretty polished and you won't find a lot of dirt here. The book has a corporate feel. Still, I'm glad I read it.

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Jan 17, 2009

Kellie rated it

· review of another edition

follow up autobiography from Lance â€“ more info and details about foundations and charity work, recovering from cancer, and going on to win many more Tours â€“ also about difficulties in his marriage and image, trying to balance life in spite of the intensity competitive cycling requires

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Mar 10, 2009

Aditya rated it

· review of another edition

Disappointed! After "It's not about the bike", this is a big let down. Lance and Sally are at their best when writing about the races and tours. The philosophical parts are extremely boring. The authors keep dragging them on and on. I am really struggling to finish the book.

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Dec 01, 2011

Leah rated it

· review of another edition

I can call Lance Armstrong my favorite and my most inspirational athlete of all time. He doesn't look to be a hero but just lives his life as he's meant to and inspires others to do so as well. If everyone just looked inside themselves to follow their dreams and live their life to be the very best they can be, we'd all be Lance Armstrongs.

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Jul 17, 2009

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

Same subject and ghost writer as "It's not about the bike", but this is a much superior book. Reads easier, Lance is not so self-promoting, he attempts to give personal insight into some of his actions and philosophies.

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Apr 14, 2009

Deena rated it

· review of another edition

This one is even harder to swallow after hearing about his "love" life. Still, I read it before the whole thing with Sheryl Crow (which is when I really started believing everything I had heard).

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Aug 08, 2011

Neeraj Bali added it · review of another edition

An amazing story of introspection, self-belief and discipline. Pain is not such a bad thing after all, argues Armstrong, and is, in fact, the most uplifting of all experiences.

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Mar 28, 2010

Kevin Helm rated it

· review of another edition

It was not as good as It's Not About The Bike. I think this book was a bit repetitive because it kept referring back to his previous "about the bike" and was not ground breaking literature. However, I did enjoy some of the details that led up to him winning his 1995 Tour. Other good details about continually testing yourself. I think what bothered me is that his book seemed too self-absorbed in his own life. It could have been better if it reached out to the common reader by inspi...more

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Jul 23, 2010

Martin Linkov rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: cycling

A story of dedication and motivation, of cancer, hard training winning, becoming more french than the frenchmen and dedicating your entire life and energy to one devastating goal.

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Aug 09, 2011

Shagun Gupta rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books_i_have_lent, books_i_own

Inspirational stuff from Lance Armstrong... not as great as the It's not about the bike...

its a more soul searching experiment on his part than anything else.

· see review

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About Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. He won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, from 1999 to 2005. In doing so, he beat the previous records of five wins by Miguel Indurain (consecutive) and Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil. Previous to this achievement, he also survived testicular cancer, a germ cell tumor t...more

More about Lance Armstrong...

Books by Lance Armstrong

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

The Lance Armstrong Performance Program: Seven Weeks to the Perfect Ride

Tour Des Lebens. Ich Besiegte Den Krebs Und Gewann Die Tour De France

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Quotes from Every Second Counts

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” — 1,161 people liked it

“Suffering, I was beginning to think, was essential to a good life, and as inextricable from such a life as bliss. Itâ€™s a great enhancer. It might last a minute, but eventually it subsides, and when it does, something else takes its place, and maybe that thing is a great space. For happiness. Each time I encountered suffering, I believed that I grew, and further defined my capacities â€“ not just my physical ones, but my interior ones as well, for contentment, friendship, or any other human experience.” — 3 people liked it

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