it's all about the bike...

it's not about the bike: my journey back to life.
- lance armstrong

6 time winner of the tour de france (undeniably the most difficult bicycle race on the planet), lance armstrong is to bicycling as wayne gretzky was to hockey, as pele was to soccer, as ed whelan was to hockey broadcasting, as nadia comaneci was to women's gymnastics, as babe ruth was to baseball, as michael jordan was to basketball, as mahatma gandhi was to passive disobedience, as watson and crick was to molecular genetics, as jack the ripper was to mass murderers, as julia childs was to american french chefs.

his achievements are well documented and herculean in scale. he maybe the greatest athlete, ever.

yet, in case you've been living under a rock for the past decade, lance armstrong is very lucky to be alive.

authored by himself, and ghost writer sally jenkins, it's not about the bike: my journey back to life, is a chronology of his life as a young brash american bicyclist. he has everything going for him, living on the proverbial edge, living in the fast lane. until one day he is struck down by cancer. the prognosis is not good. in fact, it sucks (i won't tell you how bad). he fights hard and confronts the disease head on. he undergoes brain surgery. then he suffers incredibly through chemotherapy, detailing each agonizing step. using his biking experiences as a metaphor through out the book, he wins. against all odds and the perception of the biking world, he goes on to win the race of his dreams, the tour de france. the ultimate comeback. the stuff of movies.

well, i'm kind of confused about the book. clearly, it is meant to inspire the reader. however, i found it difficult sometimes to empathize with lance armstrong. maybe i'm just a cold hearted bastard. lance portrays himself as a brash, loudmouth, aggressive, self-serving, arrogant, son of a bitch before cancer is understandable. i think most "successful" athletes must have these attitudes, to have the proverbial "chip" on their shoulders, to carry them to victory. however, naturally i anticipated some softening of these hard edges after his recovery. there's got to be a transformation of some kind to draw in the reader. he's as brash, arrogant, self-serving as before the cancer. maybe it was all about the bike after all. maybe i don't know what the hell i'm talking about.

ok, i'll give the guy a break. not only did cancer ravage him physically, it totally messed with his psyche. there's a whole chapter on "survivorship". in it lance deals with confusion and frustration of figuring what the hell to do after going through hell. give him credit for admitting that he'd be lying if he said that he'd live every day to the fullest after his recovery. all he's after is some normalcy in his life. however, he's racked by doubts about his "normal" life of professional biking and the fear of reoccurrence of the cancer.

maybe this guy is human after all.

the text fleetingly refers to the establishment of his cancer foundation, his closeness with the "cancer community", his charity race in texas, and work with cancer awareness. it would have been nice to devote more time to these aspects of his recovery. it would have served him better. however, the "plot" makes a mad dash to him winning his first "tour". i guess it makes for better book sales.

for the most part, i liked the book. the writing is tight. it's a page turner. it gives a good insight into oncological therapy, the psyche of lance armstrong as a professional athlete/patient/husband/father, and the world of professional biking. i'm not sure whether i'd file this book under sports, biography, medical, or self-help (ugh). i'll leave that up to you.

rating: 3.75 overdue fines out of 5

note: was watching "charlie rose" on pbs today. speak of the devil. yep, lance armstrong was the guest. he seemed to be a nice guy.