To The Brink And Back (It's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstong)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	It's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstong
Date:	29/05/05 (229 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A compelling read that really dreew my attention and kept me hooked

Disadvantages: That anyone has to go through what Lance went through .

Most people take life for granted, until something happens that makes them reassess the way they have been living. A major, life altering event can come at the most unexpected times and that's exactly what happened to Lance Armstrong when he got testicular cancer. In 1996 aged just 24, while he was aiming to be a cycling legend Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer and his chances didn't look good. In fact he was given a 40% chance of survival, but he did everything he good to fight it and that's the reason he's still around to tell his story.

I've recently taken an interest in reading autobiographies by sports personalities and Lance was high on the list. I didn't expect his story to have as much of an impact on me, but I can honestly say that it certainly altered my view on certain topics. It was written in 2000 after he had completed 4 years cancer free and completed in and won his 2nd Tour De France. The book covers Lance's life from childhood to the diagnosis and then onto the 2 Tour victories and the birth of his first child. It was one of the first autobiographies I've picked up and really struggled to put down for any length of time.

His life story was quite amazing even before he was diagnosed with Cancer. His mother was 17 when he was born and his father walked out when he was around 2 years old. So from the start his mother had to struggle to bring him up, with help from her family. When she remarried Lance tells how his new father in law abused him with a paddle and cheated on his mother. That was how he got started on a bike and it meant he was competeting in triathlons by the age of 16, making over $20000 a year. He talks about his childhood in a very open and honest way, which makes the book even more interesting to read.

Likewise with his cancer and the treatment he is very open about it and this again adds to the overall effect the book had on me. Despite the short odds he was given he managed to pull through and go on to win the most gruelling sport event in the world. Lance wanted to tell the world his story and try and help people to deal with their own illnesses. Although I don't have cancer, reading Lance's story and identifying with a lot of his feelings in relation to my own illness it really has opened my eyes to not making me feel like a victim.

Of course it wasn't always easy for him, he didn't fall straight out of chemo treatment and back onto the bike and winning races again. The book also explores a great deal of soul searing Lance had to do in order to compete again. He talks about meeting the woman of his dreams shortly after the treatment and how he knew she was the one. In truth this is a very frank and honest book, that really raised my awareness to what Lance suffered and went through during his treatment and beyond.

It is very well written and certainly a compelling read from front cover to back. Lance aims to raise awareness for all types of cancer and this book is certainly a good starting point. His story is quite incredible and has touched me in ways I never imagined it would. To achieve all he has despite the obstacles life has thrown in front of him is quite something. I am a cycling fan and this book really gave me a greater insight into just how hard he worked to achieve that 1st Tour De France win, never mind the ones since then.

Overall I'd say this book would be of interest to quite a wide range of people. It is quite simply an amazing and incredibly moving story. It's given me a new respect for Lance and what he has achieved. It's also made me revaluate a few things about my own life, something I never thought a book would be able to do. It is compelling from the first page and having read all 294 pages in just one day it shows just how gripping Lances story is. It is easily one of the best autobiographies I've read and for someone so young he's been through so much, I can only recommend that everyone should read Lance's story.

Amazon.co.uk: £6.40
Marketplace: £3.45

Any money earned from this review will be donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation: http://www.laf.org/

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