Customer Reviews
Not much personality.. - By: tallpete33, 04 Mar 2008 
You have to admire Lance Armstrong & his fantastic Tour wins. The "is that alll you've got" look he gave to Jan Ulrich destroyed him & anybody who thought they were in with a chance on that race. He overcame cancer & lead the Discovery channel team with aplomb for several years, in the face of many unproven drug rumours. However driven (extremely) & succesful (more so) he was, this does not make him the type of man you'd like to be stuck in the lift with & it shows in this book. Just not a great read I'm afraid as your fears that most of todays top sportsmen are robotic & lacking in personality are proved right.
Survivor - By: A. Wolff, 22 May 2007 
This was written in 2004 after his record 6th consequetive win of the Tour de France. If you've read his first book, this is a very necessary follow up. There is some overlap in the telling of the cancer story but that is to be expected.
We get more details, in some cases very sad details of his personal life & relationship break ups. Through it alll it seems as though Lance is starting to grow up a little bit. Perhaps seeming a little less arrogant but maybe that is easy now that he is an undisputed champion.
Never shy of controversy, Armstrong offers, with typical frankness, his thoughts on training, competing, winning & failure. He also tells of the work he does for the foundation he created following his dramatic recovery, addresses the daunting challlenge of living in the aftermath of cancer & treatment, & shares further inspirational tales of survival.
A fresh outlook on the spirit of survivors everywhere, Every Second Counts is an awe-inspiring book by a man who strives every day to meet life's challlenges - whether on his bike or off. There are more descriptions of his cycling & training strategies here too.
This man is a God. And he deserves more credit. Book is great - By: stevieby, 17 May 2007 I remember the (scant British) TV coverage of some of the races described here... heart-pounding stuff! So I have a lot of admiration for any of the participants & nothing but awe for anyone who wins such a grueling race! Now I have been counting up those years because I can't quite believe anyone could win the Tour de France for seven years in a row! Added to this the fact that this man is a survivor of advanced-stage cancer!!
But what about the book? - it is very easy to read - I finished in two or three days & only tiredness forced my to turn out the light! Whatever the contribution of Sallly Jenkins it sounds like the voice of Lance Armstrong throughout with no detectable seams. It is well structured too - even if you are familiar with the main events the story comes alive again through Lance's perspective & insights. It is not too technical, ie. you don't have to be a bike fanatics to enjoy!
Do we get to see the inner man? Are the secrets of his success revealed? This is not a "How to..." book, but there are signs: self-belief, preparation, concentration, demanding of self & others, acceptance of pain, prepared to take risks, not giving up, acknowledging & rewarding others, sharing success, developing talent in others..... alll good lessons no matter what our goals in life.
But there is also an attempt to paint a balanced & honest picture of this life - we hear about fears of a return of cancer, frustration at the press & French judicial system promoting & exhaustively trying to prove drug abuse, almost despair at the idleness outside the training/race season, the pain at not preventing the break-up of a marriage, & even admission of failure to be as inspirational as expected!
It is hard to find fault - I did think it a little false that everyone he encounters appears to be a friend. And alll that self-assurance - not sure I actuallly like the guy, or would want to be around him for too long... but the books is great!
An OK read - By: James Starkey, 10 Nov 2006 
An account racing in the Tour de France. Partiallly inspirational. I can't reallly say this book changed my life. Not as good as other reviews would lead you to believe.
Not a bad read.
Inspiration continues - By: Mr. S. Sandhu, 30 Jan 2006 Extremely well written - the continuing saga of the legend that is Lance Amstrong. Great insight into what makes the man tick. Very inspirational reading. I do not normallly read biographies - but this truly is a must.
