It's Not About The Bike

posted by Marv


Just finished up reading Lance Armstrong's best-selling book,

It's Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life.

If you are into edutainment(educational entertainment), then this is definitely a must-read for you. Mr. Armstrong does an excellent job of giving the reader a glimpse into the life of a young man raised solely by his mother, who through his adolescent years finds out he has been gifted with a physiology that is custom-built to conquer endurance racing, yet tragically discovers that he has also been gifted with the blight of testicular cancer and overcomes it to learn not only how to harness his inner strength, but to channel it to heights greater than he could ever imagine.

If you have always wondered at what makes a cyclist tick, this book is for you. If you have ever wondered what a person feels when they contract, but ultimately survive a bout with cancer, this book is for you. If you want to know what kinds of trials and tribulations a couple goes through when they opt for in-vitro fertilization, this book is for you. This book is all that and more, and is worth a read for anyone who wants to peer into the heart of a champion. Surprisingly or not, he is just as flawed if not more flawed then the rest of us.

While he waxes on about his triumphs and conquests of his sport, in It's Not About The Bike, Lance Armstrong does not forget to recognize those who have helped him along the way. From the bike shop owner who gave him his first gig, to the nurse who cared for him in the cancer ward at an Indiana hospital, all of Armstrong's "guardian angels" are revealed so that we understand who and what shaped him to the man he is today. Furthermore, he shares intimate details and technical information on nearly every challenge that he had to overcome (cycling, cancer, fathering his first child, and others). For this reason, the edutainment value of the book is beyond measure.

Beginning with his adolescent years, follow Lance through his formation and transformation into a world-class cyclist. The book was published in 2000, and therefore only covers the first two of his seven-race winning streak of the Tour De France. But that is more than enough to inspire hope and courage into all but the most pessimistic person out there. Relive every detail, from his training to his actual races, all broken down into digestible chunks (even minute-by-minute in some cases). You will share in his exhilaration at victory, and agonize with him in his defeats. Experience the life challenges he went through, maintaining a relationship with is wife-to-be, worrying about his mother, and ultimately the joy he experienced at the birth of his son Luke.

So does the hype of Lance Armstrong deliver? Only if you're willing to recognize that this is one man's take on how to turn lemons into lemonade, and that regardless of whether or not you are a world champion athlete, you too were born to become a champion at something. Attitude determines one's altitude in life, and It's Not About The Bike shows some good examples of how this mantra helped one person overcome some of the longest odds that anyone can imagine.

Are you inspired yet? No? Then you might just want to give this book a spin, and see if it gets you thinking of what you are truly capable of.