Product Description

In 1999, Lance Armstrong made world headlines with the most stunning comeback in the history of sport, winning the Tour de France in the fastest ever time after battling against life-threatening testicular cancer just eighteen months previously. His first book, It's Not About the Bike, charted his journey back to life and went on to become an international bestseller, and won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2000. Now, in his much-anticipated follow-up, Armstrong shares more details of his extraordinary life story, including a remarkable four more Tour de France wins, an Olympic medal, and the births of his twin daughters Grace and Isabel. Never shy of controversy, Armstrong offers, with typical frankness, his thoughts on training, competing, winning and failure. He also tells of the work he does for the foundation he created following his dramatic recovery, addresses the daunting challenge of living in the aftermath of cancer and treatment, and 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 challenges - whether on his bike or off.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #777440 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-07
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Amazon.com Review
In the opening of Lance Armstrong's memoir, Every Second Counts (co-authored by Sally Jenkins), he reflects: "Generally, one of the hardest things in the world to do is something twice." While he is talking here about his preparation for what would prove to be his second consecutive Tour de France victory in 2000, the sentiment could equally be applied to the book itself. And just as Armstrong managed to repeat his incredible 1999 tour victory, Every Second Counts repeats--and, in some ways exceeds—the success of his bestselling first memoir, It's Not About the Bike.

Every Second Counts confronts the challenge of moving beyond his cancer experience, his first Tour victory, and his celebrity status. Few of Armstrong's readers will ever compete in the Tour de France (though cyclists will relish Armstrong's detailed recounting of his 2000-2003 tour victories), but all will relate to his discussions of loss and disappointment in his personal and professional life since 1999. They will relate to his battles with petty bureaucracies, like the French court system during the doping scandal that almost halted his career. And they will especially relate to constant struggles with work/life balance.

In the face of September 11--which arrives halfway through the narrative (just before the fifth anniversary of his diagnosis)--Armstrong draws from his experiences to show that suffering, fear, and death are the essential human condition. In so openly using his own life to illustrate how to face this reality, he proves that he truly is a hero--and not just because of the bike. In Every Second Counts he is to be admired as a human being, a man who sees every day as a challenge to live richly and well, no matter what hardships may come. --Patrick O'Kelley

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-In It's Not about the Bike (Putnam, 2000), Armstrong related his battle with cancer and his incredible Tour de France victory. In this book, he gives a gripping account of his second through (record-tying) fifth victories at the Tour. (His latest triumph might be missed by less-than-thorough readers-it's at the very end, following the afterword.) One sees that Armstrong has grown up quite a bit since his first book. However, he still has a reckless streak, as witnessed by his fondness for diving into a place called Dead Man's Hole. There are glimpses into his personal life and reflections on his illness, but this memoir is unabashedly about the thrill of racing and winning with the U.S. Postal Team. Armstrong talks about his teammates with humility and admiration. He also deals frankly, yet with remarkable restraint, with the accusations of doping by the French. The cyclist still works with his Lance Armstrong Foundation against cancer, but readers get the sense that he is definitely looking forward. Warm and informal in tone, Every Second Counts is a must-read for cycling fans.
Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
When he was 25, Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer. It had already spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain. It might have been terminal, but two surgeries and four courses of chemotherapy later, he was well again--well enough to compete in the punishing Tour de France bicycle race, which he won in 1999. And four times since then. His first book, It's Not about the Bike, chronicled the period between the cancer diagnosis and the 1999 tour victory; this one takes up the story after the victory and shows us just how different a person's life can become after coming so close to death. The book is the story of a family man, world-class athlete, and cancer survivor who is determined to get every single drop of enjoyment and excitement out of life. It's a joyous, triumphant book, a celebration of all the things that make life good. It's also, for cyclists, a detailed look at the Tour de France, as seen through the eyes of one of its top competitors. Fascinating and inspiring. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Moving and insightful follow up to the first book
I loved the first book he wrote and this one is just as good! Lance Armstrong's books are honest and direct. He really tells it as he sees it with no nonsense. The first book chroncicles his humble childhood as the child of a teenage mother and the relationship he describes with his mother is moving and inspiring.

The new book, Every Second Counts, is written mostly about his own children and his struggles to balance family life with his arduous training schedule and his Foundation, in addition to charity work and public appearances.

I admire Lance Armstrong for being a seeker. He is not a person sitting on the sidelines. He is truly living his life with gusto and passion. He has his rough-edges, but all in all he is a seemingly warm, honest, real person with all of the complexities and complications that real people face.

I wish him all the best and I hope he continues to write books in the future. I feel he has much to say and I like the way he says it!

Looking for a little balance
Straight up, I am a huge fan of Lance Armstrong. I am thrilled he won the TDF for the sixth time. I wear my LiveStrong bracelet proudly... and he is still as handsome as ever....

However, after reading "It's Not about the Bike", this edition was a bit of a letdown. Perhaps my question is this... how do you write about yourself and your accomplishments without inserting some level of self-aggrandizement? Further, how do you square the miracle births and lives of three glorious children with trotting around the world "like a rock-star?" I now understand how Lance's marriage suffered. And that saddens me... if only for the fact that I want this real-life fairy tale to have a happy ending where the children get to have a father who is really there for them.

I did enjoy his narratives that describe the teamwork and commraderie of U.S. Postal. I do believe this is a group who really does enjoy the pleasures of each other's company; that is so important in any working organization.

And I do believe he is committed to the Foundation that bears his name. I guess I am waiting for the installment that speaks to life after the glories of the TDF and all the endorsements. He is correct: every second does count... and as his children grow and change each day... he needs to charter that jet to get back to Austin, as soon as possible, and as fast as possible to be a part of three "Tours de Life."

Life is an Endurance Race
I've never had cancer and I haven't been on a bike in 25 years, but I found many lessons in this book. I first watched the Tour in 2000 and was immediately fascinated by the tactics and teamwork involved. I thought it was a bike race with every individual out for himself and I couldn't understand the concept that you could win the Tour without winning the most stages. As the leader of a business team, this opened up an entirely new way of thinking about teamwork and winning. If there is one thing he and his team proved in the 2003 Tour, it's that all kinds of things can go wrong and you can have pretty spectacular failures on any given day, but a true warrior will use those things to get fired up and go on to win.

I also related to the struggles Lance has had with trying to balance his life. That warrior side vrs the loving, caring side - the intense focus and long hours of training vrs the commitments he has to family, friends, cancer survivors and sponsors - the need to feel alive vrs the daily grind. That's the real endurance test and the hard part is that there never is a finish line.

The surprise is that Lance seems like an ordinary guy, living an extraordinary life and that makes it seem possible for me to do the same.