Just fininshed a riveting book about the Tour de France, doping and indirectly, Lance Armstrong. I have always been a big fan of Lance and what he has done for cycling, cancer research and other endeavors. His valiant fight agains cancer, outlined in his book "It's Not About the Bike" is also an excellent read.
This book, however, shows a much different side of the sport and of Lance. I admit, I couldn't put it down. I haven't decided if my opinion of Lance has fundamentally changed but I do have a lot more to think about. It now seems clear that he did dope and that pretty much all of cycling has been doping for years. It also is pretty clear the the cycling federation has all but condoned it by doing a sloppy and haphazard testing program. Bascially, they had too much to lose to crack down on doping. What is even more interesting, though, about the book is that the fundamental premise of lying, choosing the right or going with the crowd, everybody's doing it, etc. is universal. It isn't just a cycling issue. Each of us is faced with decisions that are murky and grey. Sometimes it seems everying is doing something, so why shouldn't we? This book shows that the 'Truth' is ultimately so powerful that it bursts out and blows everything up, regardless of our reasons or rationalizations behind our actions. Again, this is a great life lesson for all of us.
Bottom line is I highly recommend this book. It is informational, entertaining and thought provoking at many levels.
DT
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