How Did Armstrong Get So Good?
Lance Armstrong simply can't stay away. The man who posted: "Was winning the Tour seven times that offensive?!?" on his Twitter page is actually gunning for eight this year. He's now 37, so the odds seem to be against him. But, then again, he is Lance Armstrong.
John Wilcockson probably wouldn't rule him out. In Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion (Da Capo Press, $26), the veteran sports journalist chronicles the athlete's life, from birth to present day, and how he got crazy-good. If you read Armstrong's autobiography, It's Not About the Bike, you see that he had people who helped him along the way to the top, but the first-person account is necessarily limited. Wilcockson complements Armstrong's autobiography by bringing in the perspectives of the people who have been close to Armstrong over the years. There are musings here from his mom, ex-wife, old buddies, coaches, and other partners. You'll see what really drives Armstrong: a constant quest to prove himself.
On that note, the book doesn't shy away from the doping controversy surrounding the athlete, and Wilcockson makes a sound argument for Armstrong being clean. It's evident that the writer has much respect for him, and there even seems to be a friendship there, but Wilcockson doesn't beat you over the head with boosterism. He shows you Armstrong's flaws. The result is a portrait of a still struggling man who's fought against personal demons, rivals, cancer, and harsh criticism. Now he's fighting for his eighth triumph at the Tour de France.
--Aileen Torres
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