Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion

by John Wilcockson

Few people know exactly how lance Armstrong became such an amazing force in cycling. Now, in Lance, John Wilcockson draws on dozens of interviews with those who know Armstrong best, to trace his remarkable life, both on and off the bike. Family members—including his adoptive father, speaking publicly for the first time—recall Armstrong's humble origins, the father he barely knew, and his single mom's struggle for survival. His childhood friends and early mentors recall how he also excelled at other sports, including swimming, running, and triathlons. Known for pushing his body to the extreme and intimidating his rivals, Armstrong accomplished extraordinary feats like winning the world's professional roadrace championship at twenty-one and taking home the Tour de France trophy seven consecutive years in a row. But his many achievements have consistently been dogged by allegations of doping and secrecy . In Lance, Wilcockson provides numerous details, many for the first time, of how Armstrong's legendary training, near-fatal bout with cancer, and battles with the media drove him to reach the pinnacle of his sport.

Genres: Cycling, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

John Wilcockson has been writing about cycling for four decades. He has been the editor of five cycling magazines, was the first cycling correspondent for The Times, and has won awards for his journalistic services. He has written more than a dozen books. A graduate of the University of London, Wilcockson now lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and it’s very good. The book details Armstrong’s life from before birth up to 2008. It was not until 2013 that he admitted to doping through the 2005 Tour de France and quickly faded from the limelight and public after this.

Doping aside Armstrong is an incredible human athletic specimen with one of the highest VO2 maxes ever recorded, when Armstrong was just 14 or 15 years old, and it’s a shame he doped because he was so good.

Armstrong did a lot for cancer and coming back after cancer metastasized in his lungs and brain is incredible.

While this book is now dated it is very good and I highly recommend it.

[Peter George · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I felt like reading a bit of historical fiction...

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was outstanding! You really see what made Lance into what he is, and you also see what a crock of shit all the doping allegations are! I just wish everyone could read this. I've bought a few copies for friends. But sadly, after coming out as the incredible cheater he was, I’m less enthused since he’s a complete narcissist that ruined his team mates

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book primarily describes Lance Armstrong's life prior to winning his first Tour de France. Wilcockson has interviewed a lot of people from Lance's childhood and early years in cycling, providing a different perspective than what you'll find in Lance's autobiographies as well as in books that focus on the Tour (like Lance Armstrong's War). I thought it gave me a more well-rounded view of the formative years of the most controversial champion in cycling history.

Reading this book knowing full-well what Lance has admitted about blood doping, as well as having read The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton, a lot of the arguments in Lance's "clean" defense come across as lame. There is an undercurrent of suspicion provided by Wilcockson, but that undercurrent is subtle. That being said, Wilcockson does an excellent job disappearing into the background and using a lot of quotes from the actual people who lived the events in Lance's life. This book doesn't come across as Wilcockson's interpretation of events full of bias and opinion - it feels like unbiased journalism.

At the end of the day, while the mystique has worn off of the Lance Armstrong, the athlete behind the myth remains interesting.

[Luke Koran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published following Lance Armstrong's initial retirement from cycling- a career in which he accrued an unfathomable seven Tour de France victories but before his confession to using PED's and his complete fall from grace, John Wilcockson captured the humanity and unparalleled competitive drive of Lance in his 2009 book. I feel that to fully understand Lance Armstrong is to witness what the world saw as he formed his legend following his miraculous victory over cancer and winning Tour after Tour. Start by reading his 1999 autobiography "It's Not about the Bike." Then, pick up this book or another that digs deep into Lance's complete racing career. Finally, after you have a firm grasp of who the world saw until 2012-2013, then you have to accept that Lance Armstrong deceived us all. My final read will likely be "Wheelmen", where I hope that Lance will be given a fair shake through to his fight with cancer, but that the truth of his post-cancer dominance in cycling will be illuminated for all to see.

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really comprehensive biography with a plethora of quotes and anecdotes from just about everyone who's ever known Lance well.

[T.J. Millar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The making of the world’s fakest champion? Hindsight is 20/20 though.

[Dan Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fine.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having discovered an interest in cycling over the last 5-6 years, I've wanted to learn a little more about the king of this sport, Lance Armstrong. I've watched the Tour de France for several years now, and it amazes me to see the endurance and stamina in those participating. What type of person does something like this? To what end do they endure so much pain?
I know Lance is not a model human being (it's rare to find a famous athlete who is), but this book described the environment he grew up in and what pressures and obstacles he had to overcome. Lance is a cancer survivor. He had a case of testicular cancer as bad as any of his doctors had ever seen. His triumph over that undoubtedly played a part in his ability to generate so much will and determination to achieve what he has.
Many of Armstrong's peers are skeptical of his achievements. Persistent accusations of doping over the past decade have never been proven, despite hundreds of blood tests during his races. This skepticism has made Lance want all the more to prove his natural dominance.
I wouldn't describe him as someone whose character I'd want to emulate. He divorced a very good woman for reasons that were never clear -- most likely because he became rich and famous and he wanted to enjoy the "perks" that his status now brought. His latest rival, Alberto Contador, said he respects Lance as a cyclist but not as a person. I believe there are good reasons for that.
This book is illuminating, but keep in mind that it was written by a pretty good friend of his. I probably should read a less biased bio to get a better perspective.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

They say that every time an athlete competes in the Tour de France he shaves a year off his life. Lance Armstrong has competed in the Tour eleven times, winning seven of them in succesion. In other words, he is the most dominant athlete in the history of the most grueling event in professional sports, and this makes him, in John Wilcockson's words, the world's greatest champion.

Wilcockson is a journalist who has covered the tour for forty years and Lance Armstrong for almost twenty. He conducted interviews with over 60 people for the book, and there are pages and pages of quotes. It's not my favorite writing style, but the book is a fast read. (I read most of the its 360 pages on planes from St. Louis and Portland via Los Angeles.)

Allegations of doping have consistently swirled around Armstrong. His physical abilities are so astounding, and his comeback after cancer was so mind-blowing, that skeptics grasped for explanations. (Plus, he was a Texas "cowboy" dominating a European sport.) Wilcockson debunks the charges pretty thoroughly. Armstrong's unassailable position atop the sport was actually due to his physical abilities, but also his mental stamina, his determination, his leadership abilities, and his attention to detail.

The book is perhaps one step below hagiography, but Armstrong is a fascinating and complex and inspiring guy, and that comes through.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept seeing this book everywhere I went, and I needed to read a biography as part of a challenge I was doing, so I finally picked it up as I was standing in line at the library. It was very well-written, and the author was not at all afraid to admit or address Lance's character flaws - his arrogance, especially as a young cyclist, is constantly mentioned. That's refreshing to read about when Armstrong is consistently held up as this amazing, perfect, never-go-wrong athlete and role model. Not being a cyclist, there were several times when I found myself simply skimming the pages (or even skipping whole chapters) and looking ahead to the next part. I didn't particularly care about the race specifics, but I understand why it was important to include them, so I'm not faulting the book for that. I think the best thing about this book was that Wilcockson really looked at Armstrong's life in total: he didn't merely skip ahead to the Tour, then to the cancer. He started before Lance was even born, and each chapter of Armstrong's life was given equal attention in the pages. A good read for Armstrong fans and cycling fans.

[Justin Meihls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is most likely my favorite book of all time. I always new that lance was a great bike racer but I never new about his life before bike racing. This book taught me that when lance was young he had many mentors and was always training for something no matter what it was. He was one of the best triathlete as a young adult. He was very good at them. But then he discovered bike racing. He was very young when he won the world road racing champion which gave him the rainbow jersey for a year. But for most coaches that would be a dream come true but for his coaches they weren't to happy because they thought that he couldn't handle the pressure of being the best bike racer in the world. That is what shocked me the most. Also when lance would train for the tour de France he would do all the mountain stages a couple months on advance with just him and his coach. But lance would ride his bike and Johan (his coach) would ride in a car or moped. Lance would ride rain or shine.
If this book had taught me anything it would be that determination is the key to success in life. If you put your head to something and really want to do it anything is possible. This book was very inspiring

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot about Lance’s victories in the Tour de France. And, after reading this thorough look at his life, I can see why he won 7 TdFs in a row. Even as a youngster he possessed incredible energy. In his teens he competed at a high level in swimming, running, and biking. As an adult he worked a bike training regimen matched by no other biker.

And, as if that’s not enough, his successful battle against cancer (testicle/stomach/lungs/brain) inspired countless cancer patients and their families.

The author interviewed people from Lance’s childhood, which gives us this response from his teenaged father to allegations that he beat Lance’s mother: “I never beat her. I slapped her.” Okay, thanks for clearing that up, young man.

The 7 wins in the TdF were covered in detail and brought back great memories of watching every minute of those races and re-watching them on DVD. All in all, this is a great look at Lance’s life and victories.

[Philk81 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid biography covering this somewhat brash, extremely driven world class cyclist and cancer survivor. How amazing winning the Tour de France 6 years in a row, not to mention doing it after nearly being overcome with cancer, is clearly brought to life here. Doping allegations are explored but the focus remains on the man's incredible will power and athletic capacity. I saw him race a few times in person and it was unforgettable.
A balanced work using many sources and interviews going back to Lance's childhood right up through his 2009 comeback (also amazingly successful).
Interesting coverage of his relationship with Sheryl Crow too but this is not a sensationalist work; it's high quality from a good writer.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the perspective of this book and it had different insights than "It's Not About the Bike" and others written by Lance, himself (or co-authored), I wasn't enamored with the style of writing, and sometimes that got in the way for me. Made it a bit more difficult to read. To wit, I read 2 other books between starting and ending this one.

If I had this in written print (it's on my Kindle), it would be the kind of book I would say to friends who want to read it, 'here, borrow my copy'. Return it whenever you're done. Not the kind of book that I think I would suggest they go out and buy.

If you want another perspective on Armstrong's story, I think you'll enjoy it. Maybe wait until it's in paperback.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read this after the fact as it were. It's clear that Armstrong had an incredible talent prior to the EPO. Taking this book in to consideration with other reports such as Kimmage's Rough Ride it's difficult to see why such a witch hunt has taken place? Clearly drug taking was endemic in the sport. The Armstrong story is such a paradox: - He did so much for cancer suffers/did the EPO in some way affect his illness? He was an American at the top of a European sport/ how did he change cycling and how did cycling respond to his drug use? If you take him out of the equation then another rider would have been at the top through EPO use/would they have changed so many peoples life's?

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book because it was about an athlet who overcome strugles in both his personal and pro fessional sporting life. One of the resion I like this book is it talk about how he was born when his mom was 16 and she had to drop out of high school to raies Lance. I didnt realize that lance wasnt just a bicyclist. He also did triathalon.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless of whether you're into bicycling or not, this is an amazing story of one man's hard work and dedication to succeed. While the book is titled the greatest champion, he tells the story of the greatest teamwork and credits all the people who helped him win perhaps the greatest feat - beating cancer and then winning the most grueling athletic contest, the Tour de France, not once but seven times.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this biography. It gets behind Lance Armstrong's development into the best cyclist ever to ride in the Tour de France and the people who have been most influential in his success. There's also a good bit of discussion about the use of performance enhancing drugs among elite cyclists. Very informative. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspiration. Lance is an amazing person.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost put this one down in the very beginning. It is very clear that the author, John Wilcockson, loves Lance Armstrong. I found myself laughing at some of the quotes from family and friends. It reads in parts as if Lance Armstrong is above human. I kept reading on though and learned some interesting facts about Lance's cancer and relationships he had with his cycling teams. Not sure if I'd recommend this one....

[A. J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several books on NO CHAIN Armstrong. This is a worthy read. There is some rehashing and some new information. There is also the added input of several individuals recollection of Lance's formative years. If you like Lance's story, cycling or just coming up when you are down stories, this is a great book.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little more balanced than lance's autobiography's but is still a pro Lance book. The one thing covered inn this which was not covered in Lance's book's was his relationship with controversial doctor Michele Ferrari. It covers his earlier career his battle with cancer, 7 Tour victories and his comeback after retirement. A little more cycling based than some other books on Lance.

[Shaka Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is certainly convinced of Lance's purity but based on the evidence of Armstrong's feat prior to cancer you must recognize that the man is a tremendous athlete and competitor. An interesting story about a man that is, in some ways, still maturing despite worldwide fame. If you want an emotional story about overcoming disease however, this is not the best Lance biography.

[Tom Rudig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good read; I enjoyed getting to know Lance beyond the public perception. This book devotes a great deal of energy to Lance's bike racing world and many of his close personal relationships. There is very little devoted to his battle with cancer.

[Naved · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I live a life of an honest man, a happy man. I wouldn't change a thing." - Page 303

Imagine Lance saying the above with such confidence, and then you know about his cheating and doping.

Sadly its a waste.

Ok book, nothing really special.

[Bob Peru · Rating 3 out of 5]

hagiography.

[KP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read this one!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outside of my brother, Lance is the main reason I got into cycling. Very inspiring story and a must read for any cycling and/or Lance Armstrong fan.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any thing new about Lance is always a good read, as was this...

[Kevin]

Great book if you are fan of cycling!