Chasing Lance: The 2005 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's Ride of a Lifetime

by Martin Dugard

A unique combination of travelogue, humor, and insider cycling critique, "Chasing Lance" brings into focus the entire Tour de France experience. 8-page photo insert. 2 maps.

Genres: Cycling, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Martin Dugard is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Taking Series — including Taking Berlin (2022) and Taking Paris (2021).

Book Two in the Taking series is titled Taking Berlin, covering the final nine months of World War II in Europe. Taking Berlin goes on sale November 1, 2022.

He is also the co-author of the mega-million selling Killing books, the bestselling non-fiction series in history: Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus, Killing Patton, Killing Reagan, Killing England, Killing the Rising Sun, Killing the SS, Killing Crazy Horse, Killing the Mob, and the upcoming Killing the Killers.

Other works include the New York Times bestseller The Murder of King Tut (with James Patterson; Little, Brown, 2009); The Last Voyage of Columbus (Little, Brown, 2005); Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone (Doubleday, 2003), Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook (Pocket Books, 2001), Knockdown (Pocket Books, 1999), and Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth (McGraw-Hill, 1998). In addition, Martin lived on the island of Pulau Tiga during the filming of Survivor's inaugural season to write the bestselling Survivor with mega-producer Mark Burnett.

Reviews

[Nicola C · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Hollywood was to make a film of this it would be a chase a race and be hectic and along the lines of trains planes and automobiles and cycles,yes this is about cycling but also about France with the author exploring history of the towns and cities the tour goes through,the ups and downs of following the tour the hotels and all the atmosphere of the grand tour Le Boucle and enjoyable and worthwhile read for anyone interested in France and the tour de France.

[Lois Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned things about professional cycling, but I also wanted to shake the author sometimes. No one cares what you ate for breakfast!! We don't care about you - we read this book because we wanted to know what Lance ate for breakfast.

[Donald Blum · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to not appreciate what journalists must go through when covering the three grand cycling tours of Europe, especially the largest Tour de France. Add to that the announced retirement of the sport's most successful Tour de France rider in history and the coverage of the event is even greater. It's more than three weeks of every day starting in one place, then having to travel 100 or so miles away to beat really fast cyclists through traffic of centuries-old towns and villages if you want to see the finish. More often than not, the journalists skip one (usually the beginning) and watch it on TV from the end. Naturally, the story has Lance Armstrong as its focus and includes some fascinating tales of this and past races, but you could get that from any other sports book on the event. I bumped this up to three stars because of the journalism angle. Covering this event with daily stories has to be one of the most difficult assignments in sports. It's not the intended center of the book's storyline, but it's what allowed me to give it a recommendation.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Dugard is a terrific writer who is an admirer (but not a hero-worshipper) of Lance. The most enjoyable parts of the book for me were not about Lance but about the author's description of his experience of France and the French people he encountered during the Tour de France. He is insightful and poetic at the same time, and he includes both personal comments along with observations about cultural and artistic aspects of life in France. He definitely does not glamorize the schlepping from one tour venue to another, but makes it clear that he's tremendously lucky to have the job of covering the tour. He doesn't complain, but some of the difficulties he describes are pretty funny.
The book has a really wonderful tone so that the reader feels like Dugard is a friend who is also a terrific story teller.

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really a combination of sport book, travel book, and motivational book, and this makes sense given the story - Lance Armstrong's successful attempt to win his seventh Tour de France. The author made an interesting choice, to spend many pages on each of the first stages of the race, then covering the final half dozen stages over a couple of pages total. It is written as the race is described, a bit anti-climactic after the mountains. I read this over a period of months, a few pages when I could get the time. The book held up to that kind of reading, maintaining interest between daily breakpoints. Even more interesting since Lance went back to the Tour.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good casual book about the 2005 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's attempt to win 7 times. It was filled with great Tour details, historical references and tidbits about the authors travels while covering the Tour. Very interesting; I learned more about the Tour than I had know when I started the book even though I have followed the Tour over several years. Some of the information was basics, but that is understandable since it's a book for many audiences.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

So interesting! I did not know much about cycling or the Tour de France before I read this but now I'm really looking forward to watching this year's race on TV. This book was a little bit cycling history, French/world history, Lance Armstrong biography, a behind the scenes look at the Tour and overall an entertaining and inspiring story.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read this book hoping for a tell-all about Lance & drugs you'll be disappointed, but if you want insight into professional bike racing & the Tour de France, this is very good. Well written with a lot of inside information about personalities as well as how the Tour works & what watching in person is like.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seems to be more about the author's time in France rather than about Lance. Lacking the objectivity of a sports reporter (a sad statement in and of itself). For a much better book about Lance and The Tour de France, try 23 Days in July.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book even if you are a little done with the whole Lance drug thing. Such a good read to know what it's like to follow Le Grand Boucle. As others have said, this is partly a cycling book and partly a guide book to traveling around France, in this case, Chasing Lance.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

great biography

[Leo Polovets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice combination of history, local flavor, and the excitement of Lance's final Tour.

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was part-travelogue, part-biography and part-sports book, following Lance Armstrong on his record breaking seventh tour win.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some cool facts about the Tour de France.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read, really liked it. Not as much about Lance as it is about Dugard's experience following Lance on his last Tour victory.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not read, put in it in my too be read pile by mistake

[Stuart Hatcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

a good read in itself shame that it turned out to be fantasy by way of lance anyway but well written

[Luigib · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. But in retrospect, probably fiction. Lance is dirty

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written account of the 2005 Tour de France.

[Levi Barnard]

Marin Dugard’s Chasing Lance was a great explanation of the 2005 tour. It went over everyone. Not only did it explain Lance’s experience and point of view of the tour, but it showed everyone’s. I think it is a book that every serious cyclist should read, and anyone who wants a better view of the tour.
This book teaches many lessons to cyclists through the experiences of Lance Armstrong. One of these lessons is never lose hope. Once Lance Armstrong found out about his cancer and told the media, it could have been easy to lose hope. Lance didn’t lose hope. He pushed through his cancer, and came back and won a tour.
Another lesson is learn to push through the tough spots. Cycling isn’t an easy sport. The first few stages are hard, but people can make it through them. The last stages are where you find who is the strongest and is hungry for the win. Lance and other contenders who no one thought would make it far showed they were strong, and placed high in the overall standings.
I like the style of Martin. He writes with suspense, and makes your blood start pumping. I could read this book before I go train because it makes you want to ride. Also, the book isn’t very hard to interpret. Almost any age could read this book, and that is good because there is a large youth in cycling that has potential.
I would recommend this book to any serious cyclist, and anyone who wants to know more about the tour. I think it is a book that every serious cyclist should read, and anyone who wants a better view of the tour.