Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever

by Reed Albergotti, Vanessa O'Connell

Overview

The sensational New York Times bestselling in-depth look at Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal, the phenomenal business success built on the back of fraud, and the greatest conspiracy in the history of sports. Now with a new afterword.

Lance Armstrong won a record-smashing seven Tours de France after staring down cancer, and in the process became an international symbol of resilience and courage. In a sport constantly dogged by blood-doping scandals, he seemed above the fray. Then, in January 2013, the legend imploded. He admitted doping during the Tours and, in an interview with Oprah, described his "mythic, perfect story" as "one big lie." But his admission raised more questions than it answered—because he didn’t say who had helped him dope or how he skillfully avoided getting caught.

The Wall Street Journal reporters Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O’Connell broke the news at every turn. In Wheelmen they reveal the broader story of how Armstrong and his supporters used money, power, and cutting-edge science to conquer the world’s most difficult race. Wheelmen introduces U.S. Postal Service Team owner Thom Weisel, who in a brazen power play ousted USA Cycling’s top leadership and gained control of the sport in the United States, ensuring Armstrong’s dominance. Meanwhile, sponsors fought over contracts with Armstrong as the entire sport of cycling began to benefit from the "Lance effect." What had been a quirky, working-class hobby became the pastime of the Masters of the Universe set.

Wheelmen offers a riveting look at what happens when enigmatic genius breaks loose from the strictures of morality. It reveals the competitiveness and ingenuity that sparked blood-doping as an accepted practice, and shows how the Americans methodically constructed an international operation of spies and revolutionary technology to reach the top. It went on to become a New York Times Bestseller, a Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller, and win numerous awards, including a Gold Medal for the Axiom Business Book Awards. At last exposing the truth about Armstrong and American cycling, Wheelmen paints a living portrait of what is, without question, the greatest conspiracy in the history of sports.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592408887
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	437,916
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1230L (what's this?)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Reed Albergotti is a reporter covering the technology industry in The Wall Street Journal's San Francisco bureau. He is also the son of a fanatic amateur cyclist who served as the director of cycling competition in the 1984 Olympics. An accomplished bike racer himself, Reed speaks the sport’s odd language.

Vanessa O'Connell, an award-winning reporter at The Wall Street Journal for eighteen years, has covered tobacco, alcohol, guns, insider trading, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She has a knack for exposing the nature of corporate America and how it sometimes manipulates the score in making its money.

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 True Blue 7

Chapter 2 A New Beginning for American Cycling 18

Chapter 3 A Rage to Win 37

Chapter 4 The First Million 54

Chapter 5 Teamwork 76

Chapter 6 Sit-Ins and Saddle Sores 96

Chapter 7 Lance Armstrong Incorporated 122

Chapter 8 Hematocrits and Hypocrites 135

Chapter 9 Domestic Discord and the Domestique 155

Chapter 10 A New Gear 176

Chapter 11 Adieu and Fuck You 197

Chapter 12 The Comeback (Again) 219

Chapter 13 Betrayals 237

Chapter 14 The Chase 256

Chapter 15 Scorched Earth 272

Chapter 16 Not a Snitch 295

Epilogue 315

Acknowledgments 321

Notes and Sources 323

Index 351

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Authoritative and overflows with forceful details….Albergotti and O'Connell write like insiders looking out."
—Los Angeles Times

"A chilling tale, and many of the anecdotes Albergotti and O’Connell collected sound like they were actually crafted in a TV-drama writers’ room."
—The Atlantic

"Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O’Connell uncovered plenty more shocking details about the full extent of Armstrong’s drug use as well as the many people and institutions that helped him."
—The Daily Beast

"The most comprehensive book on the subject … a colorful and thorough retelling."
—USA Today

"Captivating . . . a level-headed view of the culture and business of cycling."
—The Economist

"The book is rich in details, facts, and figures."
—Velo News

"Wheelmen is all the truth-and-reconciliation the sport needs."
—The Philadelphia Review of Books
 
"The only thing ever missing was the truth. In Wheelmen, we get it."
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A detailed account of Armstrong's eventual descent into disgrace."
—The Guardian (UK)
 
"The definitive book on Armstrong."
—The Montreal Gazette

Editorial Reviews

"Authoritative and overflows with forceful details….Albergotti and O'Connell write like insiders looking out."
—Los Angeles Times

"A chilling tale, and many of the anecdotes Albergotti and O’Connell collected sound like they were actually crafted in a TV-drama writers’ room."
—The Atlantic

"Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O’Connell uncovered plenty more shocking details about the full extent of Armstrong’s drug use as well as the many people and institutions that helped him."
—The Daily Beast

"The most comprehensive book on the subject … a colorful and thorough retelling."
—USA Today

"Captivating . . . a level-headed view of the culture and business of cycling."
—The Economist

"The book is rich in details, facts, and figures."
—Velo News

"Wheelmen is all the truth-and-reconciliation the sport needs."
—The Philadelphia Review of Books
 
"The only thing ever missing was the truth. In Wheelmen, we get it."
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A detailed account of Armstrong's eventual descent into disgrace."
—The Guardian (UK)
 
"The definitive book on Armstrong."
—The Montreal Gazette

From the Publisher

The authors investigate doping in cycling, once considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in sports, and document the widespread corruption that ensued. Narrator Santino Fontana uses a variety of European accents, when appropriate, for those close to the sport. At the crux of the doping scandal is Lance Armstrong, whose renowned prowess on the bike (multiple Tour de France titles) and compelling personal story (cancer survivor) are matched only by his stubborn, controlling temperament. Fontana uses a brash, almost impatient, voice for Armstrong. With meticulous reporting and vivid accents, the authors and narrator peel back the layers of a worthy, though not very likable, biographical subject. It’s a revealing ride. M.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2014 - AudioFile

The authors investigate doping in cycling, once considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in sports, and document the widespread corruption that ensued. Narrator Santino Fontana uses a variety of European accents, when appropriate, for those close to the sport. At the crux of the doping scandal is Lance Armstrong, whose renowned prowess on the bike (multiple Tour de France titles) and compelling personal story (cancer survivor) are matched only by his stubborn, controlling temperament. Fontana uses a brash, almost impatient, voice for Armstrong. With meticulous reporting and vivid accents, the authors and narrator peel back the layers of a worthy, though not very likable, biographical subject. It’s a revealing ride. M.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2014 - AudioFile