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

The Race Back To Life, Lance's Uphill Battle.

A man striped of everything that he knows and wants; Lace Armstrong assisted by Sally Jenkins tells the story of his fight back to life and cycling. After faced with three different types of cancer Lance struggles with himself in training and recovery . Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins did an outstanding job describing the uphill battle faced throughout Lance's life. Lance describes his feelings and emotions on and bike and in the recovery room. Lance tells his debate with himself and his conquest to become the world's best cyclist. The book tells Lance's background and family life and how important they are to Lance's success and how without them, he may not have made it through cancer. I liked almost everything about this book, from learning about his family to discovering the feelings felt by Lance during the Tour de France. When I began to read I was instantly swept away by the first sentence and was unable to stop reading. This book can make you cry at the pain Lance was willing to go through to win, and laugh at how it was all worth it. You become connected with Lance and his family and begin to feel the sorrow and joy found in his many life lessons. This book is a great story for any reader looking to be inspired, and without a doubt, gets five stars.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Stellar!!!

This novel is an inspirational story of a young athlete and the struggles and challenges he had to encounter in his life. Lance Armstrong was on his rise to fame in his biking career, when the diagnosis of testicular cancer sends his life plummeting back to the ground. Lance describes how the cancer spread to the rest of his body, how his future as a professional athlete was coming to an end, and his journey through his treatment. He explains how cancer shaped him, made him a better person, and what it was like to pursue his dreams even after a tragic obstacle.
In my opinion, this story was not only fascinating to read, but also very heart-warming and moving. What I enjoyed the most was how cancer really made an impact on the way he lived. It made him look at things from a different perspective and made him learn to appreciate the simple things he used to take for granted. I really admired the courage and motivation Lance had in order to get back on his bike even when he was weak and fragile.
The book not only had an entertaining story but also a great moral. It demonstrated that sometimes the hardest struggles in life can only make us stronger. He portrayed that cancer was such a terrible piece of his life but without it, he never would have really learned to appreciate his life, and he never would have gotten the chance to really live.
I recommend this novel for any athletes, cancer survivors, or anybody who needs a little inspiration in their lives.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's About Living

Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins did an excellent job in this book, from using extreme detail and not sugarcoating the tough parts. This book really shows that no matter your ups and downs, your breakdowns to the point of no return, you can still make it out the other side stronger and a better person. I thought that this was an excellent book telling the tale of Lance's bike racing career as he is diagnosed with three types of cancer. He realizes that even though at first it seemed as if it was about the biking and the racing, it helped him discover who he really was and what he wanted in life. This book shows readers of young and old that giving up is not an option, and Lance chose that it was not the way he was going to live either. I loved the way that Lance and Sally described every detail along the way of his cancer and after his cancer, even the parts that were tough to write about, like when he makes his wife cry because they had to move back to America. That was a very real part of the book in which Lance does not look very flattering and it still helps complete the book as a whole. This novel creates a convivial, challenging, and mentally stimulating scene which keeps you interested and entertained for the whole book and thirsty for more afterwards. It helps you learn more about his biking career and the many challenges of cancer from his testicular cancer and surgery to his cancer of the brain down to his very thoughts during the CAT scan. He began strong as a child, learned what it was like to lose, gave up biking, and rediscovered who he was. And maybe along the way he discovered that it wasn't about the bike. It was about living.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow

I read this book at a time in life when I was feeling rather low, my health was not great and I had little direction. Reading about Lance and his battles and achievements was an absolute revelation. To see someone be put up against so much and not be beaten shows what we are capable of as human beings when we put our minds to something. I read this book while travelling for business and upon returning home I researched and bought a bicycle two days later. I then started cycling to and from work every day regardless of the weather. My fitness improved and my outlook on life as well. I owe a lot to this book for opening my eyes to stop being so pathetic and to get out there and just get to it! This is a life changing read. Even if you are not a fan of cycling, that does not matter as you will appreciate the hard graft that Lance goes through every day for survival and to be the best.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

quick and easy read, entertaining at times

Prior to this book, I didn't know much about Lance Armstrong. I admire Lance's will to beat cancer and to live; However, he is a selfish and arrogant man and at times I found his attitude distasteful. Having said that, I did find this book enjoyable and learned a little something about cycling. Worth a read.

Cancer Inspiration   Lance Armstrong’s book It’

Cancer Inspiration
 
Lance Armstrong’s book It’s Not About the Bike My Journey Back to Life is an amazing story that will give you the strength to overcome Life’s challenge and always find the positive in any situation. Lance grew up as a Triathlete and eventually evolved into becoming a world renowned cyclist. As time went on, Lance began noticing that he wasn’t feeling right and ignored the signs in order to keep racing. He eventually went to the doctor and was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and it had spread throughout his body, lungs, and brain. He was faced with giving up everything he had to start fighting for his life. This included countless surgeries and chemo treatments, which in the end made him stronger than he ever was before.
¿This book has some very depressing moments, but in the end it’s the cancer that made Lance the great cyclist that he is today. Cancer taught him to fight to the end, no matter the situation, as long as you believe in yourself anything is possible. Lance said having cancer was more important to him than winning the Tour de France, because without cancer, he would have never become such a good rider or see the world from a viewpoint that other cyclist would never have.
¿This book is so inspiring and goes into so much detail about every cancer fighting situation. The reader is made to feel like Lance as he goes through the trial and tribulations of fighting cancer. I also learned a lot about cycling itself and how much of a team sport it is. This book inspired me to become a better person and to really enjoy every day. One never knows when that might change and turn everyday into a fight for your own life.
I disliked how the book went on after Lance winning his first Tour de France, or his son being born. I felt the details of the second tour and the Olympics, became too repetitive. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a little inspiration in their life to keep pushing through. Lance Armstrong had a 3% chance of living and he survived to become one of the greatest cyclist ever, and used his fame to start a foundation to raise money and cancer awareness.
¿I would recommend reading Lance’s sequel to this book as it goers into further details about his foundation and his life after cancer. I guarantee it will inspire you to become a better person, and turn something bad into something good and then go out and change the world.
 

Inspiring fight to the finish

Giving up was never an option for pro cyclist Lance Armstrong. Throughout his life he was a fighter in everything he did such as competing in triathlons, bike races and even cancer. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had metastasized to his brain and lungs. As he told his story I found it very difficult to put down. I really liked how he incorporated different sections of his life in separate chapters but still related each event back to one another. When I was reading I felt as if I was in the room with him. The book was very well written and truly amazing to read. The only thing I didn't enjoy too much was how in depth he went about some of his races; it was somewhat repetitive. Other then that I would highly recommend reading this novel!

So inspired!

Read this when I was home feeling sorry for myself after my own health problems. It inspired me to get up and do something about it. Lance Armstrong is hero to many I'm sure. Would recommend to anyone who thinks there is no hope.

A battle that made a man better.

From the first word of it to the last word of it I was glued to the book. It talks about how Lance Armstrong's life takes a turn for the worst when he finds out he has cancer and it has spread to his whole body, with little chance of survival. He thinks his career as a professional athlete is over. It then goes on to tell how cancer was the best thing that could have happened to him, how it made him a better man, and how it made him even closer at reaching his goals and make his career better by making him stronger. His obstacles, highs, lows and ever lower points in his life are told about in the book in the best way possible. The author uses the best writing skills to hit your soft spot and to really make you feel exactly what he went through emotionally. I not only liked how the author's syntax was so great, but also how it really made you feel emotional on every page. I honestly have not one dislike of this book. It was amazing in every aspect. I felt really connected. The major theme of the book was, as his mother always used to say "Make an obstacle an opportunity, make a negative a positive." She would tell this to him in his childhood but didn't realize then how much it would impact his life in the future. Even though he got cancer and thought his love of cycling was over he made that obstacle into an opportunity by making cancer be the best thing that ever happened to him. It was an all-time low for him, more negative than anything in his life but he turned that around and made it into something magnificently positive. I recommend that everyone reads this book, even if you don't like cling or even Lance Armstrong, it is just so moving and really changed my views on a lot of things like cancer and just believing in yourself. Reading this book can really change someone; it really touched me and motivated me to live my life to the fullest. I wanted to find something I was so passionate about like Lance was to cycling. In this book its shows that riding it like breathing to Lance. He needs it to live. Every part of this book was moving to me from him not having a true father, being so close to his mom, to him finding love, having a son, and fighting cancer. My overall rating of this book is a five-star must read!

The Fight For and Against Life

Weak, yet determined, Lance Armstrong shows just how difficult it is to come out alive and happy from the fight against childhood, cancer, heart-break, childbirth, biking, and unbearable stress. According to Lance, cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him. Some people may know of his previous reputation, a disrespectful, inexperienced biker, yet a natural winner. From the time he walked into his very first chemo treatment to the time Lance won his first Tour, his world was flipped upside-down. He gained new perspectives of the universe as the world was wildly chasing after him. His whole life, Lance had been the under-dog, something most of us can relate to. This seven time winner of the Tour De France is a super hero is the eyes of the fans. But aside from all the trophies, he is a human being just like all of us. Some topics of this book may not be the most comfortable subjects to discuss, but they are the truth. I truly enjoyed how this genuine Texas boy sees no reason to sugar coat anything that may be awkward to discuss. And why should we? It is the truth of life that not all things are joyous to talk about. If at first you are offended by the book, do not put it down! I also disliked how Lance's attitude was that of a stereotypical super star, but you will be completely stunned by his transformation. All that is written on those pages are relevant to the fight of life we all go through. From this book, I learned that life isn't about living for as long as you can. You just have to be able to live with yourself and your decisions as long as you do live. The story appeals to all people because just like Lance, everyone can relate to an instance where they questioned a situation that has occurred. It is definitely not a light hearted read, but it must be read. Life is a wonderful experience, but it is not easy. The novel helps teach how to cope with and fight against even the toughest happenings in our lives. Another thing which I observed in this book was the fact that Lance was not alone in his fights. Throughout it all, he had his number one stronghold, his mother and he also had friends and his wife. Men were not made to be alone. We are meant to have friends stand beside us in difficult situations where we would lose if we were all alone. This book helps you concentrate on the things that truly matter in life. No matter what comes your way, you must put up a fight. If you go into a situation hopeless and heartless, you will lose. I personally would not read a book simply about this miraculous man's life. The books need an insight on the person's deepest emotions. But any other biography resembling this one, I would definitely read!

Great story with a touch of hope and despair

"Its Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong is a autobiography about Lance and his fight through cancer.The book commences through Lance's childhood when he lived in a small town out of Austin Texas. Then the book skips a decade and a half to his doctors visit that changed his life forever. After learning he had cancer Lance went through years of recovery. The hardships included weeks of constant vomiting or odds of survival less that 25%. The book finishes by describing Lance's first and second amazing victory of the Tour de France. The book tells people that no matter what the situation people must continue through the hardships. Lance wants every one to keep going and most importantly not to give up. Through this book I also think Lance is tying to push people to believe in others and support those people to reach their goals. Just as Lance after his treatment immediately started to help people with cancer through the Live-strong Foundation. Finally I believe the most important lesson is to keep a upbeat attitude towards life. Lance was able to do this through his cancer and then he had a survival rate less than fifty percent. He would say "I'm going to beat this thing." This is what Lance is teaching in his book and what we should all aspire to do. Lance was very good at explaining his struggle through not only his cancer but also his troubles with sponsors or the other bikers. The book was extremely well written. I loved the endless stories about his biking carrier and cancer survival. I also enjoyed learning more about the world of cycling. However the book had a very choppy flow. It would start talking about Lance's bike carrier and then skip to a story of him and his nurses during his recovery. This book was a solid 5 I loved the intimidating sorties of the Tour de France or the explanation of the "poisons" Lances body had to withstand during chemo therapy. The book contains a perfect mix of hope, sorrow, and a little victory hidden in the print. If you love the science behind cycling or a remarkable recovery then this book is for you. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Lance, his awe-inspiring Tour de France victories or his extraordinary fight back to health. I would also recommend other books about Lance such as "Every second counts" a book about cycling or "Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion" his book about the live-strong foundation. Over all this is a great book that covers a wide spectrum of topics. Such as surviving, love and just a touch of despair. I recommend it to every one but especially to people who love a five star book in correlation with a great man named Lance.

Incredible Novel

It's Not About the Bike is an incredibly inspirational novel based on the life of Lance Armstrong, and the challenges he faced throughout his career. Lance was always a great athlete, and was on his way to becoming the best cyclist America has ever known when he was suddenly diagnosed with testicular cancer. While battling the disease, he gains a new love, new friends, and a new dream. Throughout the novel, he explains how this terrible event breaks him down, and rebuilds him into a better man.
This book proves that Lance Armstrong is human spirit and courage personified. Throughout the long years of his near-fatal experience he never gives up on his dream of becoming a professional cyclist. He demonstrates how the cancer changed him, and states that, while the disease did reduce him to a shell of a man, he came out twice as strong as ever before. One phrase used often in the book is "Whatever doesn't kill us, makes us stronger." For Lance, this couldn't be more true. He shows that the cancer actually altered his perspective on life, and made him appreciate all the little gifts that life has to give. After surviving cancer, he believes that every day, no matter how terrible or abysmal, is a miracle. Even after winning the Tour de France more than any other person in history, all after surviving testicular cancer, he still retains a humble viewpoint. He remembers that even the strongest man can be brought to his knees, and it is not physical strength but mental endurance that truly makes a man strong. This book is not only entertaining, but is also a message of inspiration. Throughout his sickness, Lance tries harder than ever to succeed, pushing his body to the peak of human endurance. He struggles to survive not only for himself, but for the sake of those close to him as well. This is a book suited for everyone, be them athletes, cancer survivors, or those who simply need a new perspective on life. You connect instantly to Lance and his struggles from page one. As I read deeper into the life of Lance Armstrong, I found that I also connected with his family friends and mentors as well. Even in some of the more depressing parts of the novel, when Lance makes himself out to be almost a villain, I could still relate to my own life. Lance doesn't sugarcoat the hard parts of the novel, and that is why the book is such a masterpiece. It definitely deserves five stars. Even those who are not fans of cycling will love this book, because in the end it's not about the bike. It's about life.

Overcoming life's obstacles.

This novel is a heartwarming story told by Lance Armstrong about his struggles through life's trials and how he overcomes them. As I began to read this book, I was hooked. This life changing story had a major impact on the way I viewed life's difficult obstacles. Reading about how Lance was able to pursue through a rough childhood without support of a loving, biological father and a mother who went to school and worked all the time, really opened my eyes and let me see that I am very blessed to have loving and caring parents. Although a kid, Lance was very strong and didn't let this rough situation concerning his parents affect him. As Lance grew up, he began to take an interest in sports. He was a swimmer and a biker. He wasn't a very good swimmer in the beginning but he went from being the last one to finish an event to finishing 4th in a state swimming event! He was able to achieve by practice. He didn't give up. He would swim 6 miles and bike 10 miles every day. He was willing to do whatever it took to improve. Lance's example of perseverance encouraged me to also push myself to become better and improve in my sports. I play lacrosse and volleyball and ever since I've read this book I push myself harder and harder at every sport practice I go to because I believe I can improve if I put forth my effort, just as Lance did. As the years passed and Lance began to build up in his cycling career, he began to develop headaches and he began to feel like there was something not right about him. He went to the doctor and he found out he had cancer... From one day to the next, Lance had an unexpected shift in his life that could end it. But it didn't. He fought the battle of cancer alongside the ones he loved the most. He didn't give up and his attitude towards life took a HUGE turn. Lance was a cocky guy who would cuss and complain about life but after having cancer, he became a totally different person. This change in him let me see and understand our own bitterness towards life's obstacles as the impossible. We get caught up with our daily problems and forget that the reason we're living life is to learn how to overcome hard trials and obstacles. Reading this book definitely encouraged me in sports and in overcoming life's difficult obstacles. I give this book a five star rating. This is a motivational and inspirational story that will surely motivate and inspire others. I highly recommend it. You will love it! (:

"I figure the faster I pedal, the faster I can retire." An excellent story about the life of Lance Armstrong.

Lance Armstrong's, It's Not about the Bike was an amazing story on overcoming life's greatest obstacles. Written by Lance himself, this book was very well written. The story starts out in the middle of his life, when Lance finds out his life will most likely come to an end in a short amount of time due to testicular cancer. After the short glimpse of what is to come later in the story, the book jumps all the way back to the very start of Lance Armstrong's life and goes on from there. From living with his mother and her many companions in their loved town of Plano, Texas to pursuing a career in bike riding, Lance's life was full of both good and bad events. This man had less than a 50% chance of living when he was only in his mid twenties. He had many goals set for himself, to ride in the Olympics, and eventually the Tour de France. When he heard the news about his illness, Lance was shocked. But he had more determination than anyone I have heard about. He pushed through his painful surgeries and medications so he could continue on with his life. His mother stood beside him the entire time, his biggest support. Lance Armstrong's story of overcoming a great illness and then becoming the world's best biker was amazing. I chose this book to read for school, not knowing what it was about or if it would actually be a good read. I barely knew anything about Armstrong except that he was a good bike rider. I had no idea he survived cancer. I especially enjoyed this book not only because of the miraculous story, but because it had all the contents I look for in a book. Drama, comedy, romance, you name it. Lance has a great sense of humor full with much sarcasm even when he was nearly on his death bed. Kik and Lance's experiences together made the perfect romantic tale. The two make a perfect couple. Overall this book was fantastic. I highly recommend it for any age.


A few memorable quotes by Lance:
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell."

Inspirational and Encouraging book

It's Not about the Bike, by Lance Armstrong is about Lance Armstrong's life, His accomplishments and his struggles but mostly about his fight for cancer. He was a Professional Bike racer American champion who won the Tour De France and several other bike races ever since he was in 2nd grade. He was very athletic and a hard worker. He was great at self motivating and would never give up. This book is very Inspirational and Encouraging. Lance Armstrong had a hard time fighting through cancer but even when times were hard, he was such a positive person and always told himself he's going to make it through this. He survived with a little chance to live! I personally enjoyed this book because it encourages me to do better. I'm currently in cross country, and I play basketball and track. He is a professional bicycle rider. He always was a positive person when it came to the hardest races he would tell himself he can do it. It encourages me to do better and to try my hardest in sports because he fought through cancer and still races exhalent. Sometimes when I feel like giving up or if I can't do something I'll just remember Lance Armstrong fought through cancer. He survived cancer because he truly believed he would and he had his mind set of surviving. He has great methods of pushing yourself to the next level. If it works for him I feel that it would work for me too.

Inspiring Resurrection

From the emotional moments that Lance shared about his cancer diagnosis to the intense, inspirational and spiritual moments he experienced while fulfilling his passion, bike riding, Lance Armstrong's memoir, "Its Not About the Bike", was a moving biography. Lance's past stories and experiences were definitely entertaining, but they had a purpose behind them as well. For example, he clearly admits some of his actions such as speeding his Camaro IROC Z28 down 30mph roads, were not the best. He also supplied a moment of near failure, like when he had to walk to the finish line of one of his triathlons (yes, Lance Armstrong walking); his memories of these moments draw every kind of reader to his story because it shows that he is human, just like the rest of us, and if he can pull through tough times, so can we. I personally enjoyed Lance's colloquial style of writing, which made it easy for me to understand what type of cancer he had and the complex facts; instead of acting all scientific, like he knew what was going on with him right away, he clearly displayed the fact that he didn't know what the heck was wrong with him, which made me feel as if I were personally on the journey with him. He had a clear and distinct voice that I found very relatable and funny, which balanced out the very dramatic and harsh realties of the illness he endured. Lance does a fantastic job relating to all people who have had to overcome a great struggle and life, whether it be an illness or not. Readers who are looking for a fun, occasionally blunt (the cussing is not for the faint of heart or sensitive) but inspirational biography will love Lance Armstrong's story of stubbornness, perseverance, but most of all, the love of life itself within the pages, "It's Not About the Bike".

It's not about the Bike, it's all in the Heart

The book was very enjoyable. I like all the facts and honest thought. I liked the way it was written, it was like being right next to Lance Armstrong the entire way. I disliked where the pictures were placed, I feel like they should have been placed where they belonged in chronological order throughout the book.
Lance starts out talking about his childhood. He doesn't waste much time before going into the basis of his career and describing what inspired him, his mom. The book climbs to a dramatic climax when Lance finds out and is diagnosed with cancer. It walks you through his struggles with maintaining health insurance all the way to hospital food and dealing with when chemo therapy does to the body. He gives precise thoughts on what he was going through and how it made him feel. Then the book becomes even more climactic when it walks you through the hardest part of his life, when Lance had to find his heart again after the cancer. He then walks you through how he met his wife and how they had their baby. The last accomplishment for Lance in the book was the Tour de France.
The major message was don't give up just because things are tough, push forward because the rewards for doing so are worth it even if you can't see it at the time.
Other people should read this book because it is an inspirational book that you can't put down once you start reading it. It's brutally honest and doesn't sugar coat the facts. When you finish reading it you feel like you can do anything. It also makes you think about yourself as you read it and ask questions like 'am I like this?' or 'what can I improve about myself and what would the reward be?'.
I think this is a five star book that could be taught at school because of its inspirational value.

Fight Against All Odds

It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life, by Lance Armstrong is an inspiring story about how he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and his fight to rise above and go well beyond it. Lance was a successful mountain bike rider before his diagnosis of testicular cancer in 1996 at the young age of twenty four. Soon after his diagnosis, it spread to his lungs and brain, at which time Lance felt like giving up. But, he fought back through intense treatments and survived the odds that he was given of a twenty percent chance of living. In 1999, Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France for the first time. This vividly shows his determination and passion for the sport. He did not give up, rather fought for his life and got it back.
A major theme emphasized throughout the book was that Lance is a cancer survivor. His strong will and extreme determination allowed him to beat his cancer and to overcome the low odds of survival. Lance stated in the book that beating cancer was harder than any race he had ever won. The book described numerous aspects of his life, but the primary focus was how he survived this deadly disease with the love, care and great support of his family and friends.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, because it was very inspirational and also quite entertaining. Lance's writing style is very straight-forward and to the point. I like this about the book because he does not whine about how difficult and painful this life experience was for him, he just tells it how it is, without embellishing it. Lance used very specific details though out his book, which intrigued me as I enjoy reading books which give sufficient background information making situations easier to comprehend. Overall, there is really nothing that I did not like about the book.
I would definitely recommend reading this book by Lance Armstrong, because it is an enriching book, which enables each one of us to value how precious life is. I felt Lance's pain when he was diagnosed with cancer and the unknown about his biking future, but also experienced his joy in overcoming this extreme hardship. The powerful lesson taught by this amazing man will always be embedded in my heart, because he beat most odds and excelled well beyond by 'never giving up'. Lance's whole life has been a fight against the odds, but he has overcome them and succeeded. Overall, I would rate this book a ten out of ten, because it is such an inspiring story with a message that can translate into anyone's life.don't give up!

Fantastic read!!

There is really nothing more uplifting than reading about someone recovering from having less than 10% of a chance to live, and then winning the Tour De France. Lance Armstrong is the man. In this book he tells his whole life story about how he grew up, how he started biking, when he won his first race, his amazing wife, his struggle through testicular cancer, his climb back to a normal life, and of course how he won the Tour De France. There is only one part of the entire book that is negative, and that is when he decides he's going to retire after he recovers from cancer. Which of course he doesn't do! It is really amazing how strong and positive Armstrong stayed throughout his life no matter what happened. What was also amazing was the relationship that Armstrong had with his mother. The book mentioned several times how close they were. She was there at most of his races and at all of his surgeries cheering him on and always staying strong for him. This book was extremely inspiring and I would seriously recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Lance Armstrong has a sincere passion for life, I can just tell by the way that he writes. I was never bored once while reading this, and even though I knew he wouldn't die in the end, i was at the edge of my seat at some points. It's Not About the Bike was absolutely incredible! It really made me stop and think about everything that i have and maybe put a smile on my face the next time i think that i have it bad.

The Road of Life

Lance Armstrong's It's not About the Bike is a fantastic autobiography of Lance's overwhelming journey to overcome testicular cancer and conquer the world's hardest bike race, The Tour de France, seven times. He takes you along for the ride of a lifetime showing you in detail what he has been through and persevered past to achieve a good, healthy life along with 7 wins in biking.
Lance not only leads you on a miraculous journey through his life but also creates a code of morals and attitudes you personally should follow in your own life. If Lance had given up just once at any point, his life would've changed forever. Sometimes this change could be minor or it could be a matter of life or death. The choices he made every day, even what he was going to have for breakfast, shaped the final outcome of his life and the peoples' lives around him. Many times in the book either Lance or a close friend or relative would say, "Never quit." Never quit in a race, never quit at school, never quit trying, and most importantly, never quit living. Life is the most beautiful creation ever to take place on earth. To quit or stop caring is to stop living. Lance's career was down the tubes. He had cancer and every reason to call it quits, but he took all of this misery and misfortune and used it to make him stronger. He used it as motivation to overcome any obstacle in his path and to defeat any enemy daring enough to face him. Cancer faced him, the Tour de France faced him, his competitors faced him, the world faced him; he is still here today writing incredible literature of the things he faced.
Another code of morals or life attitude is that life is a long and winding road. The starting line is the day you were born. Ever since that day you have been on a journey to discover yourself and shape your future. There will always be tough hills you have to climb and downhill coasting where life is good. Every inch of ground you will have to fight for and always keep persisting and pushing forward. There will be falls at unexpected times, but the important thing is that you get up and keep riding. The finish line is the day you die. There is a finish line for everything, what matters is how you get there.
I loved this book a ton and would recommend it to anyone needing or wanting something to read. It had ups and downs and told a great life story while giving you pointers on your own life. The beginning is tough and somewhat dull for a while, but if you stick it out,like Lance did, the book becomes amazing and you won't put it down until you are done. This book deserves all 5 stars for its thrilling and emotional story of a young mans life.