Lance Armstrong Encore!

Three consecutive victories in cycling's premier championship is by any measure an astounding feat. But Lance Armstrong's accomplishment is even more inspiring, given his well-publicized battle with advanced testicular cancer which nearly took him out of the race -- any race -- for good. However, Armstrong appears to have emerged from his disease all the stronger, and he suggests his top racing performances are still ahead of him: "I believe I'm entering my best years," he said. Bravo!

Watching Armstrong pedal to victory in France was truly inspiring. Here are some books that delve further into the life and career of Lance Armstrong and the challenge of the cycling's supreme contest, the Tour de France.

It's Not About the Bike
by Lance Armstrong
In one of the most inspiring sports biographies in recent memory, world-champion cyclist Lance Armstrong writes about more than a sports challenge. It's Not About the Bike also recounts Lance's diagnosis at age 25 of serious, advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. His doctors initially gave Lance a less-than-20-percent chance for survival, but Lance proved his heroic spirit by fighting back the only way he knew how -- with his whole body and soul. It's Not About the Bike shares Lance's fight with a killer, and goes on to recount his recovery, his stunning victory in the 1999 Tour de France, and the birth of his son. This book shows why the indomitable Lance Armstrong is a hero to so many.

Lance Armstrong and the 1999 Tour de France
by Graham Watson
The best events in sports seem timeless and eternal. The world will never forget, for example, Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics, or Ali versus Fraser in the "Rumble in the Jungle." Similarly, the cycling world will never forget the 1999 Tour de France, which saw an unheralded American -- and a cancer patient, at that -- muscle his way to the lead position and take the yellow jersey. The French are not naturally disposed to respect Texans, by any means, but they had to acknowledge the skill and heart of Texas native Lance Armstrong. This book offers a stage-by-stage account of the 1999 race, including profiles of Lance Armstrong and his co-competitors

French Lessons
by Peter Mayle
The Tour de France lasts 22 days and covers 2, 146 miles of road in France and Belgium. That's a pretty good look at a sizeable hunk of Europe, so it's a shame that the cyclists involved in the competition don't get to slow down to savor the vin rouge or smell the croissants. It's all a question of priorities, one supposes. If you plan to make a more leisurely tour of France, you can't do than to choose a guide by Peter Mayle. Long renowned for his books on Provence (A Year in Provence, Toujours Provence), in French Lessons Mayle broadens his scope to take in all of France. The delightful essays cover essential French matters such as the rigors of a Michelin Guide inspection, the eating of frogs and snails, the skimpy dress code in St. Tropez eateries, and how to survive on a diet of fine wines and three-star meals.

The Unknown Tour de France
by Les Woodland
Lance Armstrong created a lot of excitement for cycling in general and the Tour de France in particular when he won the 1999 competition, and he continues to generate this good publicity with win after win. Les Woodland is an experienced cycling reporter who has seen his fair share of Tours, and so offers an insider's look at what goes on during the grueling race. Aside from the rigors of the race itself (which is quite an endurance test -- all around France and up and down both the Pyrenees and the Alps!), Woodland explores the personalities of professional cyclists, their training, the path of the race, the Tour's history since 1903, and the many recent drug scandals that have rocked the Tour de France.

Tour de France/Tour de Force
by James Startt
The Tour de France carries as much significance for cycling as does the World Series for baseball or the Super Bowl for football. Widely followed in Europe, the race is an annual cultural event as well as a sporting one. Tour de France/Tour de Force is a celebration of cycling's greatest event. It offers a thorough history of the race, complete with results for every year. Lavishly illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, Tour de France/Tour de Force is the perfect book for any fan of the race, or competitive hopeful.

Bicycling Science
by Frank Rowland Whitt, David Gordon
If you think you know everything there is to know about bicycling (just pedal and steer and try not to fall down), then this study from MIT Press will be a real eye-opener. A detailed examination of the mechanical, physiological, and technical aspects of bike riding and cycle design, construction, and use, Bicycling Science looks closely at the bikes of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It seems bikes (or "velocipedes," as early French aficionados called them) were once thought to represent the future of transportation. Bicycling Science, by showing how human power and the mechanics of a bicycle might be able to achieve automobile-like speeds (and even flight!), suggests that this might still be so.