# Tyler Hamilton's "The Secret Race"



## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

I just finished "The Secret Race" by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle. Not wanting to get this thrown into the Doping forum, I'll keep my reactions relatively "polite" - 

1. Wow.

2. If Hamilton's story is true (and it appears that it is, more about that below), during his tenure as a rider it was essentially impossible to win a 3 week Grand Tour and not be doped to the gills. The real battle was between the doctors, timing the transfusions/EPO injections. 

3. Unfortunately, Hamilton's story has the ring of truth to it. Coyle and Tyler are smart enough to avoid having their asses sued off by having multiple sources for their bigger bombshells. Vaughters, Andreau, Vande Veld, Hincapie, Landis, and others are quoted in the book, backing up Hamilton's story that there was systematic doping at the U.S. Postal Service team during the years that Hamilton rode for them. So far, neither has been sued. That speaks volumes. 

4. Not surprisingly, Floyd Landis comes off pretty well in the book. Ditto Jeff Novitsky. 

4a. Lance doesn't. And not just about the doping.

5. The book reminds me a lot of Paul Kimmage's "Rough Ride"...except that Hamilton had far more talent than Kimmage ever had, and went a lot farther in cycling. And Hamilton's lies went a lot farther, eventually breaking him physically, mentally, and finacially. 

6. The big question that I had when I picked up the book was "why now?" and "why write a book about it?" The answers that I came away with are (1) as for "why now?" Hamilton's hand was forced by the FDA/DOJ investigation, (2) as for "why a book?" the answer is simple; Coyle asked him to do it, and Hamilton needs the money. 

7. Is Hamilton trying to get even with Lance? If you believe Tyler's story about what happened between the two (I won't spoil it) towards the end of Hamilton's riding career, then I have little doubt that there is an element of revenge in writing the book. Hamilton isn't a boy scout, and bike racers can be very, very hard people. 

8. In the end, you can't help but like Hamilton. Or at least like him more than Lance. Which may be the entire point of the book. Coyle's book on Lance, "Lance Armstrong's Secret War", left the reader rather ambivalent on what kind of person Armstrong really is, ultimately making you wonder just how far Armstrong would go to ensure a win. This book about Hamilton is Coyle's attempt to answer that question - according to them Armstrong really isn't a nice person, even to his "friends", and he would do just about anything that he thought that he could get away with to win.

9. I could not put it down.


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## King Arthur (Nov 13, 2009)

I finished reading it about 2 weeks ago, and rather spell binding and intense. Should be interesting to see what falls out next.


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## mymilkexpired (Apr 21, 2004)

I just started reading this last night, so far it seems like I'm going to enjoy this one.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

I'm halfway through it and agree completely with every point in the OP. 

What I've found most interesting is how it blows away Armstrong's "I've been tested 500 times and never been caught" refrain.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

DrRoebuck said:


> I'm halfway through it and agree completely with every point in the OP.
> 
> What I've found most interesting is how it blows away Armstrong's "I've been tested 500 times and never been caught" refrain.


Hamilton and Coyle make it pretty clear that (if their story is true) the truly amazing fact is that anyone got caught. The testing appears to have been laughably easy to evade or defeat. 

The one piece of the story that is mentioned as a throwaway is the fact that, before Floyd ran out of money, his lawyers filed a False Claims Act case against Armstrong and the management of the Postal Team. This is a pretty savvy piece of lawyering, if it pans out. A False Claims Act case is a civil action brought by a private citizen on behalf of the Government that alleges that a contractor, etc. has bilked or defrauded the Feds. If there is a recovery, the individual can get up to 30 percent of the money plus his or her costs. This case is currently on hold while the Department of Justice decides whether to intervene and pursue it. If the case was to proceed, and if there was a recovery, Floyd would be looking at a pretty good payday from his nemesis. Talk about karma.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

I've got it on the way through inter-library loan, can't wait to read it.


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## BCP (Nov 3, 2011)

Sounds like an interesting read, thanks!


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I finished it about a week ago. Looking back at the races and performances of certain riders, it's certainly all plausible.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

Very little BS being called on Tyler's "Secret Race" book from either side. It is really hard to doubt the systematic doping within the peleton after completing it. 

It was well written and backed up by legitimate sources in my opinion.

The only "challenge" to Coyle's writing seems to have been with his statement about "the kidneys producing red blood cells". We know this was an error, but so what. Also, the electronic version has already been corrected.

Just read it. Then decide.

Fanboy or not...it is recommended.


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## The Tedinator (Mar 12, 2004)

It was a very good read. Eye opening, and I already thought that I knew how ugly the whole thing was. I was really surprised by Jens Voigt's attitude to Tyler's return at the ToC.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

The Tedinator said:


> It was a very good read. Eye opening, and I already thought that I knew how ugly the whole thing was. I was really surprised by Jens Voigt's attitude to Tyler's return at the ToC.


Me too, but it would be tough. Tons of peer pressure to not acknowledge the "cheater" when they return to the peleton.

I wonder if most guys who return after a ban have been treated the same way or if Tyler's case was unique....maybe Jens was influenced by Lance?

Having said that, Jens lost a couple of points with me.


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## Kliemann53 (Jun 25, 2012)

I also think it was a good book, but I thought he came across as disingenuous (I,m not a bad guy because everyone was doing it).The story near the end with the "dopers suck" riders was probably made up for dramatic effect, and Obama probably doesn't even know Lance is in trouble. Other then that it was great, they should make a movie.


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## MG537 (Jul 25, 2006)

rydbyk said:


> I wonder if most guys who return after a ban have been treated the same way or if Tyler's case was unique....maybe Jens was influenced by Lance?
> (


Compare and contrast:
Basso, Valverde, Vinokourov, Contador
vs.
Landis, Hamilton, Rasmussen (yeah the chicken), Kohl

Why are some welcomed back with open arms while others are pariahs?


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

MG537 said:


> Compare and contrast:
> Basso, Valverde, Vinokourov, Contador
> vs.
> Landis, Hamilton, Rasmussen (yeah the chicken), Kohl
> ...


well 
besides kohl that walked away? 
Landis Hamilton and Rasmussen have not been able to make a dent in warm butter after their ban. Why on earth would any decent team hire them?


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

den bakker said:


> well
> besides kohl that walked away?
> Landis Hamilton and Rasmussen have not been able to make a dent in warm butter after their ban. Why on earth would any decent team hire them?


Really? TH won the US Nat Road Race Championships in 2008...kinda like Hincapie and Levi etc etc had done in the past. I would say TH still had potential if he continued to dope like everyone else...

Also, the discussion is about the hypocrisy shown towards some busted dopers when everyone knew everyone else was doping too.


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## MG537 (Jul 25, 2006)

Kliemann53 said:


> I also think it was a good book, but I thought he came across as disingenuous (I,m not a bad guy because everyone was doing it).The story near the end with the "dopers suck" riders was probably made up for dramatic effect, and Obama probably doesn't even know Lance is in trouble. Other then that it was great, they should make a movie.


Bad person does not imply doper and vice versa.

As for Obama being aware that Lance is in trouble, are you referring to this?
_Birotte, who'd been appointed just 11 months before, wanted to protect President Obama from the potentially ugly spectacle of indicting an America hero during an election year.
_

If so, I think you misunderstood the point.


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## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

It was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I believed Lance for so long. I was so naive. I appreciate Tyler for telling the truth.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

JasonB176 said:


> It was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I believed Lance for so long. I was so naive. I appreciate Tyler for telling the truth.


 Wow, that is refreshing to hear and very honest:thumbsup: Props to you.


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

I read it.

It had the ring of truth. Truth does resonate. 

It also communicated the humanity involved in the decisions to dope. 

Worth reading IMO.


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## The Tedinator (Mar 12, 2004)

I had never heard the story of Lance beating the motorist up. That should be easily verified. Anyone know if it has been?


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## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

JasonB176 said:


> It was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I believed Lance for so long. I was so naive. I appreciate Tyler for telling the truth.



Welcome to the dark side. :aureola:


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## brentley (Jul 20, 2008)

A pretty well written look into the peleton and doping in general. 

As a recovering Lance fan it really kills me to realize/admit that had to have been on the juice. But given the number of people he beat who were admitted/caught and the overwhelming mountain of evidence it is time to just admit it.

Despite all of that his string of tour wins from a luck/tactical standpoint was pretty amazing in terms of things like the Beloki crash, the number of mechanicals he had etc. he just got very lucky.


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## slegros (Sep 22, 2009)

JasonB176 said:


> It was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I believed Lance for so long. I was so naive. I appreciate Tyler for telling the truth.


Lets not forget, Tyler cheated, lied for years. In no way do I believe it should it excuse what he has done. Same for Landis. Landis even committed fraud on a massive scale..... The fact is they both came clean only when they hit rock bottom and had nothing left to lose. While I applaud them for doing so, I am skeptical about how altruistic their motives were for coming forward.

That said, I think in both Tyler's case and Floyd's case coming clean allows the public to empathize with them, and to see them as human. It allows outsiders an opportunity to gain an insight into what they went though, and question whether or not they would have behaved differently given the same pressures and choices. It also opens the sport to positive change.

Thats a key difference here between them and LA. LA has never come clean, but then it seems he is still in the process of heading down, and hasn't quite hit rock bottom yet. It makes me wonder if there is a chance yet that we may yet see LA finally open up and tell the truth if he hits rock bottom. I can only see him coming clean as good for the sport. I for one would be interested in hearing him finally tell the truth. I wonder if doing so would allow people to see him from a more human standpoint as it did in the cases of both Floyd and Tyler.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

slegros said:


> It makes me wonder if there is a chance yet that we may yet see LA finally open up and tell the truth if he hits rock bottom.


How could he? 

Of course, I wondered the same thing about Landis.

Of course, Armstrong has a lot more distance to travel to rock bottom than either Hamilton or Landis.

And don't forget, Hamilton came clean when he testified under oath.


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## slegros (Sep 22, 2009)

DrRoebuck said:


> How could he?
> 
> Of course, I wondered the same thing about Landis.
> 
> ...


Good point about Hamilton.....

It will be interesting to see what USADA comes up with to know if what I suggested is even remotely possible. I think with both Tyler and Floyd we saw that they only came clean after they hit the point where they could improve their situations by doing so.

My guess is that LA will only come clean if/when he also reaches such a point. And I agree.... He is probably a considerable distance from reaching that point yet....


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## brentley (Jul 20, 2008)

slegros said:


> Good point about Hamilton.....
> 
> It will be interesting to see what USADA comes up with to know if what I suggested is even remotely possible. I think with both Tyler and Floyd we saw that they only came clean after they hit the point where they could improve their situations by doing so.
> 
> My guess is that LA will only come clean if/when he also reaches such a point. And I agree.... He is probably a considerable distance from reaching that point yet....


I simply cannot see a scenario where LA can get so low that he must admit. His entire existence and life is based around the (what I believe) fiction that he was able to win the TDF 7 times in a row while clean against a field fully charged with EPO.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

brentley said:


> I simply cannot see a scenario where LA can get so low that he must admit. His entire existence and life is based around the (what I believe) fiction that he was able to win the TDF 7 times in a row while clean against a field fully charged with EPO.


No the "myth" is that he came back from cancer to win the TDF 7 times in a row, which isn't a myth. It's just that thanks to the cancer work and the fact that apparently lots of folks need heroes to believe in, finding out he was cheating by doping tarnishes that accomplishment.

Your average Lance fan probably doesn't even know what EPO is let alone the doping culture of cycling that was prevalent at the time. The only reason most of them even know about the doping now is because of Lance getting caught and the meme that is out there that he was just doing what everyone else was doing. Lance's "public" by and large had about as much inkling that he was competing against a bunch of dopers as they did that he was doping too.


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

slegros said:


> Lets not forget, Tyler cheated, lied for years. In no way do I believe it should it excuse what he has done. Same for Landis. Landis even committed fraud on a massive scale..... The fact is they both came clean only when they hit rock bottom and had nothing left to lose. While I applaud them for doing so, I am skeptical about how altruistic their motives were for coming forward.
> 
> That said, I think in both Tyler's case and Floyd's case coming clean allows the public to empathize with them, and to see them as human. It allows outsiders an opportunity to gain an insight into what they went though, and question whether or not they would have behaved differently given the same pressures and choices. It also opens the sport to positive change.
> 
> Thats a key difference here between them and LA. LA has never come clean, but then it seems he is still in the process of heading down, and hasn't quite hit rock bottom yet. It makes me wonder if there is a chance yet that we may yet see LA finally open up and tell the truth if he hits rock bottom. I can only see him coming clean as good for the sport. I for one would be interested in hearing him finally tell the truth. I wonder if doing so would allow people to see him from a more human standpoint as it did in the cases of both Floyd and Tyler.


Exactly. All this shows is that it takes a person a very long way to fall before they admit the guilt. Is it true or not? Why should we believe them now? 


If LA came clean now, people would just be on him even more. Why not earlier? Why so many lies and so on. Its sad but its the type of country we have become. 

I will read the book and Im kind of saddened that I need to.


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## MaddSkillz (Mar 13, 2007)

Read the book and loved every bit of it. Huge Tyler Hamilton fan now. Liked his Facebook page and started following him on Twitter. I urge others to do the same. 

Besides all the doping stuff in the book it really did a great job of illustrating just how much of a ****ing scumbag Armstrong is. He needs his ass kicked, honestly.


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

Got through the first chapter last night. 

I think all the hatred towards Armstrong is pretty iffy at best but guys who just want to win are like that to most people.


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## MaddSkillz (Mar 13, 2007)

bballr4567 said:


> Got through the first chapter last night.
> 
> I think all the hatred towards Armstrong is pretty iffy at best but guys who just want to win are like that to most people.


Just wait, there are some true, "Holy ****! I can't believe Lance did that!" moments in the book.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

bballr4567 said:


> Got through the first chapter last night.
> 
> I think all the hatred towards Armstrong is pretty iffy at best but guys who just want to win are like that to most people.


I actually kind of agree. I've read Halberstam's book about Jordan, and starting fights with teammates in practice. And read/heard lots about other top dudes like Jerry Rice and Barry Bonds.

Thing is, because of the "alleged" doping that coincides with Armstrong's career, we're seeing a lot more revealed about his private stuff than we usually do with top athletes and performers.

That said, Armstrong seems to go way beyond other stuff I've heard re: other athletes, especially with the bullying.

And _that_ said, part of it makes me admire him even more, even though he's a complete and utter cheat.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

bballr4567 said:


> Got through the first chapter last night.
> 
> I think all the hatred towards Armstrong is pretty iffy at best but guys who just want to win are like that to most people.


Keep reading.


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

MaddSkillz said:


> Just wait, there are some true, "Holy ****! I can't believe Lance did that!" moments in the book.





DrRoebuck said:


> I actually kind of agree. I've read Halberstam's book about Jordan, and starting fights with teammates in practice. And read/heard lots about other top dudes like Jerry Rice and Barry Bonds.
> 
> Thing is, because of the "alleged" doping that coincides with Armstrong's career, we're seeing a lot more revealed about his private stuff than we usually do with top athletes and performers.
> 
> ...





pretender said:


> Keep reading.


Im not disagreeing that Lance was an *******. Its merely the fact that all super competitive alpha males are. Its in their nature to get what they want and how they want it. I've been around it almost my whole life and especially when I was attached to the infantry as a medic. Its brutal to be around but it goes with the personality.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

pretender said:


> Keep reading.


The only thing I've found tough to digest is the story about Lance chasing the driver down, pulling him out of his car, and beating him into crying submission.

How does that happen, and nothing come of it?

Also, spoiler alert.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

pretender said:


> Keep reading.


funny


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

I've also wanted to chase a driver down....


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

Fantastic book. I didn't want it to end.
Something that struck me is the constant dieting. These guys are as bad as teenage girls. : )


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

jlandry said:


> Fantastic book. I didn't want it to end.
> Something that struck me is the constant dieting. These guys are as bad as teenage girls. : )


...drinking a big glass of water, then taking sleeping pills to avoid having to eat... as tyler said, lose 3 lbs or gain 3 on hematocrit? he would take losing 3 lbs any day bec it is so important to these guys..

what is odd to me is that pro female cyclists seem to be on the "thicker" side of things usually. clearly, there are some twigs out there, but seems pretty rare..


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

rydbyk said:


> ...drinking a big glass of water, then taking sleeping pills to avoid having to eat... as tyler said, lose 3 lbs or gain 3 on hematocrit? he would take losing 3 lbs any day bec it is so important to these guys..
> 
> what is odd to me is that pro female cyclists seem to be on the "thicker" side of things usually. clearly, there are some twigs out there, but seems pretty rare..


uh huh


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

DB, you are correct. There are ZERO differences between the likes of Michael Rasmussen, Andy Schleck etc and what you have googled for us all to see. 

Cool pics bro.


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## JChasse (Sep 16, 2005)

slegros said:


> Lets not forget, Tyler cheated, lied for years. In no way do I believe it should it excuse what he has done. Same for Landis. Landis even committed fraud on a massive scale..... The fact is they both came clean only when they hit rock bottom and had nothing left to lose. While I applaud them for doing so, I am skeptical about how altruistic their motives were for coming forward.
> 
> That said, I think in both Tyler's case and Floyd's case coming clean allows the public to empathize with them, and to see them as human. It allows outsiders an opportunity to gain an insight into what they went though, and question whether or not they would have behaved differently given the same pressures and choices. It also opens the sport to positive change.
> 
> Thats a key difference here between them and LA. LA has never come clean, but then it seems he is still in the process of heading down, and hasn't quite hit rock bottom yet. It makes me wonder if there is a chance yet that we may yet see LA finally open up and tell the truth if he hits rock bottom. I can only see him coming clean as good for the sport. I for one would be interested in hearing him finally tell the truth. I wonder if doing so would allow people to see him from a more human standpoint as it did in the cases of both Floyd and Tyler.


I pretty much agree...the key is what you said about TH and FL spilling their guts _when they had nothing left to lose_. But they sure fought like hell until that point. Lance still has PLENTY to lose, and I don't see him admitting anything until he's circling the drain too.


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## Roadiedvm (Apr 29, 2007)

I'm in the middle of Hamilton's book now, just as USADA released information about its investigation, Hincape published a statement acknowledging doping, and 6 active riders accepted suspension. What Hamilton's book makes clear is that with all the doping occurring when he joined the pro peloton in the late 90s, the close relationship he had with Armstrong, the pressures to gain an edge just to keep up, Armstrong's extremely competitive nature, etc., believing that Armstrong didn't dope is on par with believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Until now, I've held out hope that Armstrong was clean. This fascinating book is also heartbreaking and one wonders if Lance will realize it's pointless to continue his denials.


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

I loved the book. I finished it late last night. 


The only, and I mean only, thing that upset me was how so much of the book was about Lance. I understand that there was a friendship and he was a teammate but I really wanted to read more into Tyler than anything. 

Its obvious that Lance doped. There really is no denying it but I hardly feel like he was the one who started the whole era but he certainly fueled it along. 

I also hate how heartbroken Tyler was when they dropped the investigation. You could feel the pain he had. I also had a few tears when he told his family before the 60 minutes interview. 

I can see why bikers of that era felt the need to dope. UCI really didnt discourage it either and even to this day, it doesnt feel like they want a "clean" sport.


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## natedg200202 (Sep 2, 2008)

I'm surprised by all the positive thoughts about the book. I'm gonna get it.


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## brentley (Jul 20, 2008)

natedg200202 said:


> I'm surprised by all the positive thoughts about the book. I'm gonna get it.


If you are a cycling fan / Tour de France fan you will love it. It is a great read and a compelling story.


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