Lance Armstrong's War - Daniel Coyle

Amazon.com - $10.19
Super Nerdy Distinction Award: Gilbert Lowell

Buy it if: You want the whole Lance picture, good, bad and ugly. And you have an open mind.

Don't buy it if: You're ready to nominate Armstrong for sainthood or simply feel like ignorance is bliss when it comes to the darker side of pro cycling.

You think it’s easy to win the Tour de France? It ain’t easy. Seven times in a row? This not the accomplishment of a regular person. And no one would ever label Lance Armstrong regular. But it’s not enough to enjoy the platitudes of It’s Not About the Bike or give in the doping skepticism of From Lance to Landis. No amount of EPO or testosterone is going to create an athlete like Lance Armstrong. And all the money in the world can’t put just anyone in the yellow jersey. There’s just no single determining factor that guarantees those kinds of results. But there’s certainly a set of circumstance. Good, bad and sometimes very ugly, Daniel Coyle pulls back nearly all of the curtains in Lance Armstrong’s War to deliver what is easily one of the most compelling sports narratives of all time. If you’re not firing up Amazon.com at the conclusion of this review to place it on order, you’re missing out.

How Daniel Coyle managed to get the access to Lance, his team, his family and even his enemies is never revealed, but Lance Armstrong’s War gives an unprecedented look at into a man who simultaneously plays the roles of cancer hero, social statesman and ruthless – make that cutthroat – competitor. From childhood prodigy to modern slayer the truth surrounding the man is in here, and it’s often dark around the edges.

While the book’s ‘present’ is roughly the same timeline as 23 Days in July, encapsulating Lance’s 6th Tour de France victory and the run up to it, Coyle also makes frequent trips to the past, with special attention paid to the boyhood Lance, who would routinely rebel against authority, with the author citing ‘You’re not my Dad!’ as one of his familiar refrains. Equally fascinating is the book's inclusion of stories that might seem familiar to those with some ‘Lance experience.’ The drug allegations, cancer and corporate income are hardly news, but somehow this writer manages to get those closest to Armstrong to talk rather forthrightly. As far as I can tell, no other work can touch this one in terms of depth or new perspectives. Or ability to get teammates like Joathan Vaughters and Floyd Landis to speak so plainly about the patron of the peloton.

These new perspectives stand in starkest relief with regard to Dr. Michele Ferrari, Lance’s exceptionally (even for him) controversial former trainer. What? Never heard of him? That’s by design. But Coyle clearly demonstrates the massive role the Italian adviser played in Lance’s cycling career. The question constantly assumed but never broached: How has someone so important to such a famous athlete gone so relatively unnoticed for so long? Coyle doesn’t intend to answer the question, but it’s the asking that’s important.

Other notable highlights from the book include the Armstrong camp’s ‘media blacklist,’ which keeps track of those who would write disparaging articles (and books!) Quotes from former and current team members also lend dimension to a man who is remarkably in control of his own image. And for the uber-cycling nerds out there, terrific insight into the technical innovations pursued by the gear gurus Armstrong employs. The story of the $250,000 ‘narrow bike’ is a superb example of modern athletic innovation.

Whether you love him, hate him or are completely indifferent to his comings and goings, Lance Armstrong’s War is a brutally honest, impressively deep and surprisingly humorous look at a man who is sure to remain a sporting enigma for years to come. I can honestly say I’ve never read a sports biography that even approaches the level that Coyle has achieved. Order it now. I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting July in France…