Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Lance Armstrong's War: One Man's Battle Against Fate, Fame, Love, Death, Scandal, and a Few Other Rivals on the Road to the Tour de France

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After "BIKE" Read "WAR"! See Inside & Out!

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2007

I had just finished "It's Not About The Bike" when my wife -- a keen cyclist -- turned to me and said, "That's only half the story." She handed me "Lance Armstrong's War." "Here's the other half of the story."

You know a good book when you should be doing other things and... you can't put the book down. Bills don't get paid. E-mails don't get answered. You spend too long in the bathroom. "WAR" is one of those books.

Naturally you need to have some passing fascination with the world of professional cycling. For me it was watching the Tour de France and wanting to know more about how it all worked. Daniel Coyle will lead any interested reader into a fascinating world...

An opera needs to be written about the Tour. The melodrama. The characters. The morality plays. The blood. The guts. The insanity. The money. The doping. The journey. The jeering crowds. The test. The human spirit. Victory and loss. It's all there, a nice thick juicy slice of Life! And a huge bite or two of that slice is in WAR.

On the cover of my copy Sports Illustrated has described WAS as a "literary tour de force." A bit of a snob when it comes to writing I noted to myself, (a) What would Sports Illustrated know about literature? and (b) Daniel Coyle's a SPORTS writer for God's sake!

And... the writing is wonderful. Great character sketches. You'll get all the ins and outs of race strategy, sponsorships, training. You'll see France. You'll get a great glimpse of what Bob (Bobke) Rolls calls Eurotrash. You'll love the wry humor and jaundiced eye. Just wait until you meet the Lance hangers-on, "The Dudes" and "The Bros." Be prepared to LOL.

So if you're at all curious about this fascinating world -- but, like me, are either too old or too wise not to join it (!) -- WAR is Highly Recommended. You're in for a good read.

Dr. Kirtland C Peterson

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G. Hect

Old Book--New Edition

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2010

This book has been out for years despite the copy right date. This is just the old book written a couple of years ago but now has a new section on the 2010 Tour de France. I got this book as a gift for my wife (she loves Lance) based on the copy right date. Come to find our she has the previous version which she alread read. I also got her Tour de Lance which covers the 2010 Tour de France.

This book only had some minor new content. If you have not read the previous Lance Armstrong's War, this may be a good read for you.

I sent it back because my wife said she was not going to read it.

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From the United States

Kirtland Peterson

After "BIKE" Read "WAR"! See Inside & Out!

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2007

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A Great Book Fof Lance's Cycling Fans!

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2005

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Finally - the book that cycling fans of Lance Armstrong have been waiting to read! Lance Armstrong's War is a detailed and immensely readable account of Armstrong's preparation for an unprecendented sixth Tour de France victory. Unlike Lance's autobiographical accounts, this one focuses on Cycling - including the Boss, his team, his opponents, his vast support network, and, of course, the trolls...

When I read Lance's Every Second Counts, I found myself wishing for the details of training, racing, and strategy that accompany Armstrong's amazing string of TdF laurels. LA's War comes through in spades. Here we learn about LA's sophisticated support apparatus - an intelligence, operations, and logistics enterprise that rivals any major corporation. Detailed accounts of previously mysterious elements in LA's band, like Dr. Michele Ferrari, add credence and interest to a very well written text.

Daniel Coyle starts the first chapter by describing his move to Girona, Spanish Mecca for U.S. riders in the European peloton - and key to writing this book. The reader can tell in every page that Coyle mixed it up elbow to elbow with the USPS team, LA's pals, and the cycling community (unlike some of Armstrong's detractors, who seem to thrive on publishing hearsay and innuendo in a shameless attempt to make money on someone else's success). Coyle addresses both sides of LA, the cancer survivor, daddy of three, and TdF icon, as well as the win at all costs mentality, the closed circle of trusted friends with numerous discards (mostly old teamates who went off in search of opportunities to win themselves), and of course the allegations of drug use (none of which have resulted in any convictions - and still no positives for LA!). On that note, Coyle did an outstanding job of describing Ferrari's role as LA "doctor", really a physician using the latest physiological research to make LA's training a science.

Whether you are a fan of Armstrong or not, you will enjoy Coyle's magnificent descriptions of bike racing, the peloton, and of course the riders. By the way, there's a lot in here about Tyler Hamilton, another famous U.S. rider accompanied by the baggage of international fame.

Get this book now - you won't put it down. A great gift for cycling fans.

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Andy Orrock

Brilliant insight into a complicated man

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2005

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Daniel Coyle is a former editor at Outside magazine and a two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and that pedigree shows itself in spades in his riveting book "Lance Armstrong's War." The book reads like one of one of those tighly written magazine articles that catches your interest and locks you in for the duration...except that this 'article' happens to extend for 325 pages. Never once do you say to yourself "okay, this part is boring, let's move on." Chapter after chapter fascinates, whether its about Armstrong, his mother and latest husband (archly referred to as Mr. Four/Five by the clever Mr. Coyle), "the nicest guy Tyler Hamilton," "the notorious Dr. Michele Ferrari," Floyd Landis, Sheryl Crow, etc., etc...it's all here in can't-put-it-down, exquisitely observed, juicy detail.

What comes out is a balanced picture of Armstrong, who lords over the proceedings as a dominating force. By all accounts, this is a very, very complicated man, someone with this "huge life" (aptly put by close observers) who not only doesn't get steamrolled by this swirling mass around him but, rather, directs it, pushes it and elevates it. The essence of the Armstrong persona is captured perfectly by an early training partner who - once on the outs like so many others - says (talking of the relationship between Armstrong and mother) "It's the anger they have, that's the bad thing and the good thing, because it's what created the whole package." That's the theme Coyle adroitly mines over and over: you can't be Lance Armstrong and have a soft-edge, can't we all get along personality. You're going to break some crockery. Or, in Armstrong's case, a lot of crockery.

If you've got even a casual interest in what made and drives Lance Armstrong, Daniel Coyle's book is something you cannot skip.

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Julius Kusuma

Don't judge a book by its cover

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2006

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Having overcome my apprehension at yet another "Viva Armstrong" book, I found this book to be surprisingly insightful not only for its coverage of Armstrong, but of professional cycling in general. Despite its title, in my opinion it is an even-handed coverage of the 2004 cycling season, leading up to the Tour de France. The fact that Armstrong's photo is on the cover and his name is on the title seems, well, more for convenience and visibility.

Coyle's book definitely has a cross-demographic appeal. The casual reader gets plenty of over-the-top factoids ("Cyclists ride ludirous distances just to train! Cyclists are ridiculously skinny! There are so many crashes in bike races!"). Those with exposure to cycling gets plenty of caricature of bike racers past and present ("Iban Mayo rattles off in indecipherable Basque! Vinokourov barely ever speaks, and wears red sharkskin shoes!").

But despite Coyle's heavy use of hyperbole, he manages to convey a very unique, and very insightful eyewitness report, on the lives of the cyclists and their build-up to, and their competition in, the 2004 Tour de France. Take away the cartoon and we still have the fascinating reporting of professional cycling. Take away the inside information and we still have the humor and rich sketch of the characters. Moreover, he managed to provide a very fair coverage of the drug allegations that came up during his research for this book.

That's why this book can appeal to anybody regardless of your level of involvement in cycling. Kudos to Coyle!

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Chad Davies

Excellent Inside Look at the Sport of Cycling

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2006

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In Daniel Coyle's book, "Lance Armstrong's War," we get a set of moving pictures of the sport and culture of cycling as well as of the man who may well have redefined his sport for a generation.

As other reviewers have noted, Coyle moved to Girona Spain to get a better sense of the cycling culture that has grown up around the ever increasing presence of American cyclists and how Armstrong fits into this culture. This, to me, was the real strength of the book. Coyle looks deeply into the psychology of a demanding and oftentimes brutal sport by centering around the preparation for and racing of the Tour de France. He looks at the race's top contenders and shows how they prepare for what may be the most difficult sporting event contested.

What is very interesting is how hard it seems to be to pin down the subject of the book. We get a sense of Armstrong but what we begin to see through the eyes of those around him is that besides being an intensely competitive man, he's a very complex individual who is hard to get a handle on. We get a sense of his life but we don't always see what leads to it from an internal perspective.

Of all the books about cycling, this one probably gives the best insider view of the sport to date. For this reason I recommend the book. I just don't think you can get a better sense of the sport at the highest levels.

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A Compelling Read, Now I Know Why I'm So Ambivalent About Armstrong

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2005

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Daniel Coyle is quite a journalist/author. The book is phenomenally well-written so that the reader is easily able to excuse the few editing errors that appear.

Like other readers, I found the book compelling and difficult to put down. No need to restate what so many of the other reviewers have said, suffice it to say, the book is worth the cost.

Having now read the book, I am able to finally put a finger on why I feel so ambivalent about Armstrong - on one hand, he is a superb cyclist. However, on the other, he is a distinctly unsympathetic fellow - socially polite, but cold & distant to those not in his circle off the bike, while clinical, driven, and ruthless on the bike. When I watch him race, I marvel at his athletic prowess, but find it difficult to really root for him - much in the same way it was hard to root for Arnold the Terminator in "T2" & "T3". In fact, I'm surprised Armstrong isn't more loved by the Germans - he is everything they are stereotyped to be.

I've been cycling now for about 20 years and I appreciate the attention Armstrong has brought to the hobby/sport. But in the end, I am a USPS/Discovery Channel fan more because it is the American team (being a fan of 7-11 and Motorola before that)than it is Lance's and am emotionally satisfied that he won't be contesting the Tour again next year.

4 people found this helpful

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Peter Jackson DVM

A very enjoyable read...

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2005

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I originally went to the Library to get the book, thinking I didn't want to spend the money to keep the book. But the wait for the book was very long, something like 64 holds on the book, so after reading the reviews here, I decided to purchase the book. If you are a cycling fan and a Lance fan, you will enjoy the book very much. It gives a lot more insight of Tour preparation, and a good behind the scene picture of what the Tour prep is like. It gives a lot more info on "Dr. Evil", Floyd Landis, Ullrich and Vino and Belgians, plus much more. The book isn't limited to Lance, but devotes several chapters on the other players, whether they are competitors, or teammates, or trainers. It gives a 360 degree look at the world of Lance Armstrong. Goes into detail about the infamous book by David Walsh and his allegations about doping and how Lance views his detractors. I will say, I am biased. I am an avid cycling and Lance fan.

Bottom Line: I you are a fan, read it. If you are interested in cycling and want a good picture of the world of pro cycling, read it as well. If you don't like Lance, you will probably walk away from reading the book more of a cynic than you already are when it comes Lance and his perfomance.

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S. T. Sullivan

A Book for those Interested in Human Endurance

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2008

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This book pretty much rules. If you have an interest in professional cycling, you've probably already read it. If you don't have an interest in pro cycling... well, you should. No sport mixes cutting edge science, the limits of human endurance, complex tactics and horrific physical pain into a more engaging final product. I mean come on, I know all about hemocrit levels thanks to my interest in little dudes in tights.

This book is first about a report following Lance's attempt to gain a sixth Tour de France victory. You get a real sense of what a driven man he is. Lance is apparently not a very nice guy to work for. He holds grudges; he hates his enemies with an unhealthy passion. But he wins bike races, and he is a really compelling athlete to follow.

This book is, however, more than a book about Lance. It is a great primer to pro cycling, giving you sense of who these mostly working class kids with nothing to lose are and how they and their teams go about trying to win the Tour. I found it totally fascinating.

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David Lee

Simply the Best Book Yet on the Inner Armstrong

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2005

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I have read every book I can get my hands on about Lance. It's not that I've put him up on a pedestal, I just want to know how a man like this ticks. I race bicycles, too; of course not even close to the level of a pro. I know what it feels like to be empty on a climb or in a fast pace line, yet Lance can rise above all of that. Is it mental? Physical? Both? This book delves into all of this and much, much more. I picked it up and I can't put it down. It is the best cycling book I've ever read, including the ones that Lance wrote. Kudos to the author, I'm very impressed with the way he got so many details about Lance's life, training methods, thought processes, etc. You won't be sorry to read this one!

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John MacDougall

Best of many books on Armstrong

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2009

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This was about the fifth or so book I've read by or about Lance Armstrong / Bruyneel et al, and it is by far the best. Written with more direct access to Armstrong and his entourage than most, yet does not whitewash, idolize or idealize him. Tells both good and bad, and presents perhaps the clearest picture so far of the unique personality that it took to achieve Armstrong's unique accomplishments. Of course, it could not settle the question of whether Armstrong ever took PEDs, but there are more than enough revelations of the legal extremes Armstrong employed. You will not be disappointed by this book.

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