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From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France
For eight years, the Tour de France, arguably the world’s most demanding athletic competition, was ruled by two men: Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis. On the surface, they were feature players in one of the great sporting stories of the age–American riders overcoming tremendous odds to dominate a sport that held little previous interest for their countrymen. But is this a true story, or is there a darker version of the truth, one that sadly reflects the realities of sports in the twenty-first century? Landis’s title is now in jeopardy because drug tests revealing that his testosterone levels were eleven times those of a normal athlete strongly suggest that he used banned substances, and for years similar allegations have swirled around Armstrong.
Now internationally acclaimed award-winning journalist David Walsh gives an explosive account of the shadow side of professional sports. In this electrifying, controversial, and scrupulously documented exposé, Walsh explores the many facets of the cyclist doping scandals in the United States and abroad. He examines how performance-enhancing drugs can infiltrate a premier sports event–and why athletes succumb to the pressure to use them. In researching this book, Walsh conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with key figures in international cycling, doctors, and other insiders, including Emma O’Reilly, Armstrong’s longtime massage therapist; former U.S. Postal Service cycling team doctor Prentice Steffen; cycling legend Greg LeMond; and former teammates of both Landis and Armstrong.
Central to the story is Lance Armstrong’s relentless, all-consuming drive to be the best. Also essential to this narrative is Floyd Landis, the unassuming, sympathetic hero who was the first winner of the Tour de France after Lance–and the first ever to face the threat of having his title revoked. More than anything else, this book will ignite anew the debate about whether there is room in the current sports culture for athletes who compete honestly, whether sports can be saved from a scandal as widespread as this, and what changes will have to be made.
With a compelling narrative and revelations that will stun, enlighten, and haunt readers, David Walsh addresses numerous questions that arise in that crucial space where sports meet the larger American culture.
Now internationally acclaimed award-winning journalist David Walsh gives an explosive account of the shadow side of professional sports. In this electrifying, controversial, and scrupulously documented exposé, Walsh explores the many facets of the cyclist doping scandals in the United States and abroad. He examines how performance-enhancing drugs can infiltrate a premier sports event–and why athletes succumb to the pressure to use them. In researching this book, Walsh conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with key figures in international cycling, doctors, and other insiders, including Emma O’Reilly, Armstrong’s longtime massage therapist; former U.S. Postal Service cycling team doctor Prentice Steffen; cycling legend Greg LeMond; and former teammates of both Landis and Armstrong.
Central to the story is Lance Armstrong’s relentless, all-consuming drive to be the best. Also essential to this narrative is Floyd Landis, the unassuming, sympathetic hero who was the first winner of the Tour de France after Lance–and the first ever to face the threat of having his title revoked. More than anything else, this book will ignite anew the debate about whether there is room in the current sports culture for athletes who compete honestly, whether sports can be saved from a scandal as widespread as this, and what changes will have to be made.
With a compelling narrative and revelations that will stun, enlighten, and haunt readers, David Walsh addresses numerous questions that arise in that crucial space where sports meet the larger American culture.
- GenresCyclingNonfictionSports
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
23 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 25, 2008
Did convince me (like anyone really needs convincing) just how doping-riddled cycling is, but I think did a much weaker job in the accusation against Lance. And any talk of Landis was seemingly tacked on just to boost sales, or maybe to titillate European readers with the "American doping controversy".
Yes, I did come away believing Lance did dope, but also came away with the belief that he really "had" to if he wanted to stay competitive. There's one odd chapter where Walsh attempts to make his most damning case against Lance, citing poor performances from early in Lance's career against the winner on those stages, like Marco Pantani and Richard Virenque, both of whom Walsh fails to cite as known/convicted dopers. These comparisons are part of an effort by Walsh to prove how ordinary Lance was pre-cancer, and therefore how impossible and super-human his later success was. I would argue that Lance was neither ordinary pre-cancer nor a superman post; he was a very promising young rider who reached his potential when he gained perspective and focus, along with the single-minded pursuit of one goal only - the Tour. Doping may have helped, but it wasn't the cause of his success.
Yes, I did come away believing Lance did dope, but also came away with the belief that he really "had" to if he wanted to stay competitive. There's one odd chapter where Walsh attempts to make his most damning case against Lance, citing poor performances from early in Lance's career against the winner on those stages, like Marco Pantani and Richard Virenque, both of whom Walsh fails to cite as known/convicted dopers. These comparisons are part of an effort by Walsh to prove how ordinary Lance was pre-cancer, and therefore how impossible and super-human his later success was. I would argue that Lance was neither ordinary pre-cancer nor a superman post; he was a very promising young rider who reached his potential when he gained perspective and focus, along with the single-minded pursuit of one goal only - the Tour. Doping may have helped, but it wasn't the cause of his success.
November 9, 2011
I imagine that most people who pick up a book like this are already fans of pro cycling. I heard about it as parts of it are often quoted to support various critics' stances on drugs in the sport. The arguments about drugs in cycling are well-known and well-worn, so the main thing I wanted from this book, I suppose, was something new on the subject, and in that respect I think it delivered.
I'm not sure where I stand in relation to the drugs, to be honest. I began to realise by the early 1990s that something wasn't quite right in the sport. By the late 1990s, and in the light of the 'Festina Affair' of the 1998 Tour de France, I had to face it, as a fan, that most of the sport was rife with cheating, and that it was the cheating that had shaped it into the form it had become; fast-paced, somewhat dangerous, exciting.
The jury is still out on Lance Armstrong's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. In fact, to be fair to Armstrong, the members of the jury haven't even taken their seats. The knowing question is usually something like: What made a relatively unsuccessful also-ran into a seven-times TdF winner after the seeming end of his career at the onset of testicular cancer? The book makes it plain that, on Armstrong's return to the sport, it was obvious to him and his manager, Johan Bruyneel (often seen as one of the major villains of the piece), that there was a 'two-speed race' - dopers in the fast lane and the rest of the bunch ten minutes behind. No matter how hard they trained, dieted, raced or rested, clean riders were destined to failure. The book gives a very vivid picture of this, the choice faced by Armstrong and his largely American cohorts, and how they dealt with it.
The book is very much tied up with the rise of the Americans in cycling, hence the title's seemingly narrow focus. At every point, from first US TdF winner Greg Lemond's observations of how crazy the pace had become, to prime mover Armstrong and high-profile disaster careers such as those of Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, who rode alongside Armstrong, to whistle-blowers like Frankie Andreu, it is Americans who feature prominently. The revelation I was looking for (though I'm sure it was obvious to people more well-informed) was that doping could have gone on quietly in the sport if left to the Europeans - the Festina Affair being a mixture of either bad luck or, it is suggested, a plot by a rival team. The Americans' apparent zeal for the practice took it up to another level, and blew it all wide apart, leading to suspicion aimed at the rather unlikeable Armstrong (who wants to be admired, I think, rather than popular), positive tests and ruined careers for the hapless Hamilton and Landis and, finally, crises of conscience for riders like Andreu.
There are books on cycling that only cycling fans would be bothered with, or would understand, come to that. This is not one of them. David Walsh has a fluid style that mixes journalism with a slight literary flourish, and is very readable - I got through this in a day or so. Consequently, I recommend this book to any reader, as a tale not only of doping in a sport that, let's face it, is off the radar of most people, even for those three weeks in July in France, but also a story of modern greed, achievement, dilemma and moral choices.
I'm not sure where I stand in relation to the drugs, to be honest. I began to realise by the early 1990s that something wasn't quite right in the sport. By the late 1990s, and in the light of the 'Festina Affair' of the 1998 Tour de France, I had to face it, as a fan, that most of the sport was rife with cheating, and that it was the cheating that had shaped it into the form it had become; fast-paced, somewhat dangerous, exciting.
The jury is still out on Lance Armstrong's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. In fact, to be fair to Armstrong, the members of the jury haven't even taken their seats. The knowing question is usually something like: What made a relatively unsuccessful also-ran into a seven-times TdF winner after the seeming end of his career at the onset of testicular cancer? The book makes it plain that, on Armstrong's return to the sport, it was obvious to him and his manager, Johan Bruyneel (often seen as one of the major villains of the piece), that there was a 'two-speed race' - dopers in the fast lane and the rest of the bunch ten minutes behind. No matter how hard they trained, dieted, raced or rested, clean riders were destined to failure. The book gives a very vivid picture of this, the choice faced by Armstrong and his largely American cohorts, and how they dealt with it.
The book is very much tied up with the rise of the Americans in cycling, hence the title's seemingly narrow focus. At every point, from first US TdF winner Greg Lemond's observations of how crazy the pace had become, to prime mover Armstrong and high-profile disaster careers such as those of Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, who rode alongside Armstrong, to whistle-blowers like Frankie Andreu, it is Americans who feature prominently. The revelation I was looking for (though I'm sure it was obvious to people more well-informed) was that doping could have gone on quietly in the sport if left to the Europeans - the Festina Affair being a mixture of either bad luck or, it is suggested, a plot by a rival team. The Americans' apparent zeal for the practice took it up to another level, and blew it all wide apart, leading to suspicion aimed at the rather unlikeable Armstrong (who wants to be admired, I think, rather than popular), positive tests and ruined careers for the hapless Hamilton and Landis and, finally, crises of conscience for riders like Andreu.
There are books on cycling that only cycling fans would be bothered with, or would understand, come to that. This is not one of them. David Walsh has a fluid style that mixes journalism with a slight literary flourish, and is very readable - I got through this in a day or so. Consequently, I recommend this book to any reader, as a tale not only of doping in a sport that, let's face it, is off the radar of most people, even for those three weeks in July in France, but also a story of modern greed, achievement, dilemma and moral choices.
January 25, 2013
Another fascinating look into the secrets of cycling. I recently read Tyler Hamilton's book - the secret race - which is more of an "insider's" viewpoint of cycling and doping. Years ago, I read lance Armstrong's book - about how he won the Tour. I picked up Floyd's book after reading Hamilton's. It was funny to read his because when Floyd talked about somehow having the power to make a climb even though his legs were dead, I just thought - well, yeah...that's what a blood transfusion will do for you...That's what epo will do for you, etc.
This book, From Lance to Landis is a little different - as it was written by a journalist. Even though it is subtitled Inside the American Doping Controversy, it is easy to see that the doping controversy was pretty much widespread. The Americans, thanks to L.A. were just able to finance better "doctors" and drugs.
In the end, I empathize with most of the cyclists. They have a determination and desire that in any other case should be applauded. There is just a point when they lose perspective...And then ethics, morals, and even common sense seem to be thrown out the window.
I'm read this book after the L.A. confession, but I have to congratulate the tenacity and, well, courage of this author and others (Betsey Andreau, Emma O'Reilly, Christophe Basson, Greg, Lemond) who were committed to the truth and clean racing. I hope that now that the truth is being more widely accepted these people (and others) feel a little bit more vindicated.
Anyway - if you are at all interested in ethics, morality, sport, or cycling, this book is recommended. The writing is good, the pace is quick, and you finish just shaking your head.
This book, From Lance to Landis is a little different - as it was written by a journalist. Even though it is subtitled Inside the American Doping Controversy, it is easy to see that the doping controversy was pretty much widespread. The Americans, thanks to L.A. were just able to finance better "doctors" and drugs.
In the end, I empathize with most of the cyclists. They have a determination and desire that in any other case should be applauded. There is just a point when they lose perspective...And then ethics, morals, and even common sense seem to be thrown out the window.
I'm read this book after the L.A. confession, but I have to congratulate the tenacity and, well, courage of this author and others (Betsey Andreau, Emma O'Reilly, Christophe Basson, Greg, Lemond) who were committed to the truth and clean racing. I hope that now that the truth is being more widely accepted these people (and others) feel a little bit more vindicated.
Anyway - if you are at all interested in ethics, morality, sport, or cycling, this book is recommended. The writing is good, the pace is quick, and you finish just shaking your head.
April 20, 2009
I'm a huge cycling fan, so it was with a little apprehension that I grabbed this book at an airport book store one day. The book is juicy, so it's a fast read. But it fails to provide a compelling argument for proving that Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis did indeed dope their way to Tour de France victory. Everything seems to be based on hearsay and a creative connecting of various dots. I wasn't sold. I'm still Armstrong and Landis fans. Call me dumb, but I believe they road clean.
January 16, 2013
Most if not all cycling fans by now have formed their opinion of Lance Armstrong as a leader of the most prolific doping scandal ever in sports history. Of course, we will find out more tomorrow on Oprah whether Lance really admits he did the dirty (EPO, corticosteroids, blood transfusions), is he sorry (everyone was doing it), and where does he want to go from here (does he have any triathalon future?).
A few interesting aspects that came out of David Walsh's hours of interviews:
Lance liked hotel rooms with artwork. The artwork could be removed and provided a easy place to hang an IV bag.
Lance's longtime massage therapist provided makeup for Armstrong to cover the bruises from his r-EPO injections on the back of the tricep (not to be mistaken with the legitimate bruises cyclist had on their forearms from IV injection sites for vitamins).
Frankie Andrieu (longtime Armstrong cycling teammate) and his wife Betty sat in Indianda University Hospital October, 1996 prior to chemotherapy with Armstrong. The doctor asked,"Lance did you use PED's (Performance Enhancing drugs?" Lance calmly listed them off: EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, steroids, cortisone...
When Greg Lemond (now the only American winner of the Tour de France) found that Armstrong was working with Italian Doctor Ferrari (known doper) he was deeply dissapointed to see a rising star associated with a dirty doctor. When Lemond was asked to respon, he issued the famous line: "If it is true, it is the greatest comeback in sports history. If it is not, it is the greatest fraud." A few months later Lemond issued a shallow apology (I believe Lance is clean) after having his business with TREK bicycles threatened to be taken away by Armstong.
EPO was a very danger
Lemond won the tour de France in 1986. Supposedly EPO was not used by cyclist until 1989. Lemond had a VO2 max of 95. Armstrong's early V02 max was 82 and then went up to 95 (most physiologists suggest VO2 max is genetically predisposed..but use of EPO can increase VO2max). Lemond never had a hemacrit above 45 (above 50 and get you popped by the UCI drug testers). Lance's Hematocrit was always hovering suspiciously at 49.9.
Lemond couldn't win the Tour De France in 1987. He noticed the average pacing of rides going up to 31 mph despite stops at railroad tracks. Big sprinters were flying up the Alp De Huez. Doping and particulary EPO had gone mainstream.
Doping has been fine tuned. In the early 80's two Dutch riders died within a week during their sleep (presumably from blood clots will their blood thick as syrup from too much EPO). Their deaths were never investigated.
Armstrong did have 6 positive tests for r-EPO in his blood in 1999. The dates correspond with his winning prologue by a staggering 7 seconds and also the 4 major climbing stages in the Alpes and the Pyrenees. Armstrong claimed the samples were spiked. The author sets the odds of that at 1/480.
3 stars for this book. David Walsh is a great investigator and an average writer. Tyler Hamilton's accounts of doping in his book (Refrigerated Panniers, "glowing for 24 hours after micro doses", "drinking diet sodas after 5 hour rides to lose weight", and bragging about hematocrit levels with Armstrong makes for a much better read. Nevertheless, this book has made a clear and forceful case that Lance Armstrong's 7 victories in the Tour De France were directly aided by PED's and is elaborate doping scheme arranged by Dr. Michael Ferrari.
A few interesting aspects that came out of David Walsh's hours of interviews:
Lance liked hotel rooms with artwork. The artwork could be removed and provided a easy place to hang an IV bag.
Lance's longtime massage therapist provided makeup for Armstrong to cover the bruises from his r-EPO injections on the back of the tricep (not to be mistaken with the legitimate bruises cyclist had on their forearms from IV injection sites for vitamins).
Frankie Andrieu (longtime Armstrong cycling teammate) and his wife Betty sat in Indianda University Hospital October, 1996 prior to chemotherapy with Armstrong. The doctor asked,"Lance did you use PED's (Performance Enhancing drugs?" Lance calmly listed them off: EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, steroids, cortisone...
When Greg Lemond (now the only American winner of the Tour de France) found that Armstrong was working with Italian Doctor Ferrari (known doper) he was deeply dissapointed to see a rising star associated with a dirty doctor. When Lemond was asked to respon, he issued the famous line: "If it is true, it is the greatest comeback in sports history. If it is not, it is the greatest fraud." A few months later Lemond issued a shallow apology (I believe Lance is clean) after having his business with TREK bicycles threatened to be taken away by Armstong.
EPO was a very danger
Lemond won the tour de France in 1986. Supposedly EPO was not used by cyclist until 1989. Lemond had a VO2 max of 95. Armstrong's early V02 max was 82 and then went up to 95 (most physiologists suggest VO2 max is genetically predisposed..but use of EPO can increase VO2max). Lemond never had a hemacrit above 45 (above 50 and get you popped by the UCI drug testers). Lance's Hematocrit was always hovering suspiciously at 49.9.
Lemond couldn't win the Tour De France in 1987. He noticed the average pacing of rides going up to 31 mph despite stops at railroad tracks. Big sprinters were flying up the Alp De Huez. Doping and particulary EPO had gone mainstream.
Doping has been fine tuned. In the early 80's two Dutch riders died within a week during their sleep (presumably from blood clots will their blood thick as syrup from too much EPO). Their deaths were never investigated.
Armstrong did have 6 positive tests for r-EPO in his blood in 1999. The dates correspond with his winning prologue by a staggering 7 seconds and also the 4 major climbing stages in the Alpes and the Pyrenees. Armstrong claimed the samples were spiked. The author sets the odds of that at 1/480.
3 stars for this book. David Walsh is a great investigator and an average writer. Tyler Hamilton's accounts of doping in his book (Refrigerated Panniers, "glowing for 24 hours after micro doses", "drinking diet sodas after 5 hour rides to lose weight", and bragging about hematocrit levels with Armstrong makes for a much better read. Nevertheless, this book has made a clear and forceful case that Lance Armstrong's 7 victories in the Tour De France were directly aided by PED's and is elaborate doping scheme arranged by Dr. Michael Ferrari.
January 23, 2013
Fascinating insight and recap of doping at the Tour
I read this after Tyler Hamilton's book, which references Lance to Landis on a couple of occaisions, and after Nicole Cooke's crushing retirement statement. While I really empathised with Hamilton throughout his confessions (he's such a nice guy!; everyone was doping!; I had no choice!)David Walsh presents his material in an anecdotal format from a variety of sources that leaves you in no doubt: these guys were really good at doping, winning races and not getting caught.
Most of the book focuses on Armstrong, taking a circuitous route to fill in background detail of the people who eventually came forward to provide evidence for USADA. After a while I found this style slightly grating, but it was fairly effective in presenting a juxtaposition between Armstrong's denials and the evidence against him.
The chapter on Greg LeMond really shows up Armstrong as bit of a monster - if the account is accurate - but after "Doprah" who would you believe?
All in all, a really good book, but I found the writing style jarring at times.
I read this after Tyler Hamilton's book, which references Lance to Landis on a couple of occaisions, and after Nicole Cooke's crushing retirement statement. While I really empathised with Hamilton throughout his confessions (he's such a nice guy!; everyone was doping!; I had no choice!)David Walsh presents his material in an anecdotal format from a variety of sources that leaves you in no doubt: these guys were really good at doping, winning races and not getting caught.
Most of the book focuses on Armstrong, taking a circuitous route to fill in background detail of the people who eventually came forward to provide evidence for USADA. After a while I found this style slightly grating, but it was fairly effective in presenting a juxtaposition between Armstrong's denials and the evidence against him.
The chapter on Greg LeMond really shows up Armstrong as bit of a monster - if the account is accurate - but after "Doprah" who would you believe?
All in all, a really good book, but I found the writing style jarring at times.
June 13, 2010
I picked this book up a few days ago. I know David Walsh as a European sportswriter and somebody who is well known to be skeptical and antagonistic of Lance Armstrong (who refers to DW as a 'troll').
It's pretty depressing to read a book that spends 325 pages tearing down the sport and its heroes. I wanted to read it after the recent Landis admission and allegations against L.A.
D.W. systematically picks apart each of L.A.'s arguments over the years and is fairly convincing. The cynic and realist in me believes there is a more than good chance that L.A. has used or is using some form of blood doping or other cheating - not that he wanted to, but having to succumb to the pressure to either compete or be fired, as literally the rest of the peloton was using something since the early 90s.
L.A. has said he will race through 2011. His current case is being investigated anew based on the Landis allegations. What's the chance that he comes clean? If one believes D.W. many people are trusted with part of the secret.
It's pretty depressing to read a book that spends 325 pages tearing down the sport and its heroes. I wanted to read it after the recent Landis admission and allegations against L.A.
D.W. systematically picks apart each of L.A.'s arguments over the years and is fairly convincing. The cynic and realist in me believes there is a more than good chance that L.A. has used or is using some form of blood doping or other cheating - not that he wanted to, but having to succumb to the pressure to either compete or be fired, as literally the rest of the peloton was using something since the early 90s.
L.A. has said he will race through 2011. His current case is being investigated anew based on the Landis allegations. What's the chance that he comes clean? If one believes D.W. many people are trusted with part of the secret.
April 17, 2013
Unfortunately, I made the error of reading David Walsh's other Armstrong book, "Seven Deadly Sins", before this one. Although I understand the author's need to remove his personal experience from the narrative in "From Lance to Landis", there's something that much more engaging about "Seven Deadly Sins" when you get the added dimension of reading about what Walsh, his family, and friends went through during his search for the story behind Armstrong's doping allegations.
Nonetheless, you definitely get a sense for just how groundbreaking this particular book was at the time of release, considering that "L.A. Confidentiel" has yet to be made available here in the states in an English version.
A good read and very in depth analysis of doping within professional cycling and specifically, that of Lance Armstrong. The portion dedicated to Floyd Landis does seem like an afterthought and is essentially only one chapter. However, I think that's primarily due to the fact that his doping scandal was still coming to light and developing at the time of publication.
Nonetheless, you definitely get a sense for just how groundbreaking this particular book was at the time of release, considering that "L.A. Confidentiel" has yet to be made available here in the states in an English version.
A good read and very in depth analysis of doping within professional cycling and specifically, that of Lance Armstrong. The portion dedicated to Floyd Landis does seem like an afterthought and is essentially only one chapter. However, I think that's primarily due to the fact that his doping scandal was still coming to light and developing at the time of publication.
August 15, 2011
News of Lance Armstrong's return to competitive bike racing got me back into the sports after giving it up 20 years ago; after i forgot my drivers license. Being a person moved by what LA has done for cancer, charity, mankind and the sport I was a cynic and thought twice before picking up this book. Many of the evidence provided in the loop are hearsay or circumstantial. Is it true? Does it matter? At the end how much of the book is true doesnt matter to me as the truth is still out there...The US federal agencies has restarted the case against LA and time will tell if author is right. Read this with open mind and its entertaining. Doesnt change my perception that TdF remains one of the toughest annual sporting event. Did Lee Harvey Oswald really shot JFK? If you can answer this question, dont read this book.
January 23, 2013
A tour de force by a very determined, very angry journalist. Walsh exposes utterly the scale of EPO doping in the Nineties and Noughties (now thankfully reigned back by the introduction of blood passports).
Published years before Armstrong's 2013 mea culpa, this is a condemnation of the lazy and/or cowardly journalists who ignored all the publicly available evidence amassed by Walsh, Ballester, Kimmage and others, only to jump on the bandwagon in August 2012. If they had done their jobs properly, USADA would might had had to intervene. But let's not forget the UCL. This book lays out the evidence that they had done their job, and they could have, Armstrong might never have even won his first yellow jersey.
It is not all negativity, Walsh also celebrate the moral strength and determination of rider like Christophe Bassons, surely one of the unsung greats of modern sport.
Published years before Armstrong's 2013 mea culpa, this is a condemnation of the lazy and/or cowardly journalists who ignored all the publicly available evidence amassed by Walsh, Ballester, Kimmage and others, only to jump on the bandwagon in August 2012. If they had done their jobs properly, USADA would might had had to intervene. But let's not forget the UCL. This book lays out the evidence that they had done their job, and they could have, Armstrong might never have even won his first yellow jersey.
It is not all negativity, Walsh also celebrate the moral strength and determination of rider like Christophe Bassons, surely one of the unsung greats of modern sport.
August 21, 2008
with the understanding that this author did several books on Armstrong, none of which are in a favorable light, I am trying to read this with a grain (pound?) of salt. Not that I am a huge Armstrong fan, but, I'll try to reserve judgement... there is one more book that we have to read, on Floyd Landis, I believe..
Update 8/21 - Having finished this book, my thoughts were that of course, in Lance's book, he would not have mentioned the doping, but this one makes a pretty good case that he must have - but then also makes it seem that doping was the unspoken culture of the pro-cyling life. I can't say with absolute certainty that Armstong did or did not; especially now that I'm mostly thru the Floyd Landis book... (see comments there)
Update 8/21 - Having finished this book, my thoughts were that of course, in Lance's book, he would not have mentioned the doping, but this one makes a pretty good case that he must have - but then also makes it seem that doping was the unspoken culture of the pro-cyling life. I can't say with absolute certainty that Armstong did or did not; especially now that I'm mostly thru the Floyd Landis book... (see comments there)
July 7, 2007
you kiddin' me? i love this stuff!! who cares if they're dopin'?! the tour dee france is the greatest sportin' spectacle on earth!!!!
whoa! this dude suggests that ol' lance got nut cancer from dopin' as far back as when he was a junior racer. YIKES!!!
lance's gonna be pissed about this book. he already hates the author.
the evidence adduced is pretty persuasive though.
but again--who cares. it's great to watch!!
finished da book. i love lance don't me wrong--and floyd too and tyler too (though not as much), but these guys are serious SERIOUS dopers. even by the standards of the professional peloton. floyd maybe not as much though. i'm fixin' to read his book now.
whoa! this dude suggests that ol' lance got nut cancer from dopin' as far back as when he was a junior racer. YIKES!!!
lance's gonna be pissed about this book. he already hates the author.
the evidence adduced is pretty persuasive though.
but again--who cares. it's great to watch!!
finished da book. i love lance don't me wrong--and floyd too and tyler too (though not as much), but these guys are serious SERIOUS dopers. even by the standards of the professional peloton. floyd maybe not as much though. i'm fixin' to read his book now.
June 12, 2012
Cycling is my passion, it feeds my soul and makes me a strong person both physically and mentally. I picked this book up in the beginning of my introduction to the sport of pro cycling, not short after I had found my own passion for the sport. I was struck at first by the reality that the sport I loved so was laced with drugs and performance enhancing agents, but the more I read, the more educated I became on the history of it in the sport and in many others. Do I think that doping is illegal yea, but I also now realize that almost every professional sport is effected by it. So I will always love cycling and will continue to be amazed by those who ride professionally.
September 5, 2012
3.5 stars rather than 4... There seemed to be a lot of repetition, but that could be just that every time I click a link on some of my twitter lists I read similar stories of doping in pro-cycling. I can't imagine I won't continue to watch pro-cycling, but I'll probably be hate-watching if some of these villains still have their fingers in team pies. Hey, at least for the 2013 Tour I'll actually be in France.
I rushed through it to get to Tyler Hamilton's book, which is launched today... but not in e-book format. Bugger.
I rushed through it to get to Tyler Hamilton's book, which is launched today... but not in e-book format. Bugger.
October 5, 2011
Walsh has an axe to grind against Lance Armstrong, the focus of this book on doping in professional cycling. He gathers all available evidence, much of it circumstantial, and presents his case. It's fascinating stuff, really. I enjoyed the book, but preferred Jeremy Whittle's Bad Blood.
March 14, 2013
Pretty good coverage of doping and performance enhancing drugs in cycling. Now that the Lance Armstrong has admitted to doping, so much of this book seems to ring more true than in previous years when professional cyclists were in denial. The book is primarily focused on Lance Armstrong, but covers a lot of history and culture of professional cycling and the "win at all costs" attitude of individuals, teams, sponsors, and the sport itself.
January 13, 2013
Interesting expose into the world of cycling. As a lover of conspiracy theories I struggled to put thid down. Reads like a tv soap with Lance one of the villians. References to the olympic games of yesteryear makes one realise that no matter which side of the iron curtain you were born certain personality types will do whatever to win.
August 26, 2007
The stories about Lance and Landis are the least interesting parts about this book. The stories from former cyclists about how they got involved in doping, however, are extremely interesting and valuable for cycling fans. The chapter about Andreau is worth the price of the book alone.
October 6, 2007
I must admit I was naive about the doping culture in professional cycling. I couldn't put this book down. A must read for cycling enthusiasts....though the professional sport will leave a bad taste in your mouth (if watching The Tour already hasn't).
July 29, 2008
This book was written from an insider's perspective and revealed a lot about the world of professional cycling. While, I learned quite a bit, I would have to say that ignorance is bliss and I preferred not knowing some fo what was discussed in the book. Some of my heros fell in my eyes.
August 10, 2008
Interesting, tough to look at that era of cycling the same afterward, but its also quite clear that the author has a hard on for bringing down Armstrong, which makes you take this with a grain of salt.
Still broken hearted about Landis.
Still broken hearted about Landis.
August 1, 2010
So many assertions the reader is asked to take for granted. A shame, there is obviously so much to be told about drugs in cycling (and not just pro), but this book amounts to little more than tawdry storytelling.
Pro athletes are not heroes and role models, no news here.
Pro athletes are not heroes and role models, no news here.
November 16, 2012
If I had read this book earlier I would not have found it anywhere near as hard to believe that Armstrong was a champion doper.
I'm glad that investigative journalists like Walsh still exist. Few journalists were able to stand up to the bullying of Armstrong and Co.
I'm glad that investigative journalists like Walsh still exist. Few journalists were able to stand up to the bullying of Armstrong and Co.
July 26, 2018
Interesting to read different perspectives on doping. Disappointed in the cycling body for shying away from the issues for decades. Hopefully one day drug testing will be as routine as weigh ins after races.
July 6, 2007
This is a very compelling and well researched book. Dave Walsh has done a good job at getting behind the scenes and weaving together an engaging story.
Read
July 11, 2008One word..."wow!"
I am now definitely convinced Lance Armstrong doped.
I am now definitely convinced Lance Armstrong doped.
January 21, 2011
This book is less about Armstong and Landis' transgressions and more about the culture of drugs and next level cheating that goes on in Pro Cycling. A fast credible read.
February 3, 2011
Should be required reading for every fan of professional cycling. In light of Landis's confessions, the book has even more credibility now than when it was published.
July 29, 2011
Interesting perspective of the doping seen with all the new stuff surfacing it is more interesting then ever. You need to know about cycling to understand this book.
September 1, 2012
David Walsh, take a bow son.
Chapeau!
Chapeau!
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