’It’s not about the bike’ seems to an out of place title coming from a writer who also happens to be arguably the best cyclist alive.
So if it’s not about the bike, what is it about? If you already know Lance Armstrong, you would have guessed by now that it’s about cancer and the way it changed his life. In fact, Lance feels its given him a new life . To quote him, ’’If you ask me to choose between the Tour de France and cancer, I would choose cancer”. Odd as it sounds, it exemplifies a resounding fact of just how a human spirit can undergo a profound transformation deep down within in the face of crisis only to emerge as a better human being.
The autobiography chronicles his life’s journey right from birth, his first bike, initial cycling successes, cancer diagnosis, treatment, recovery, fatherhood and finally towards winning the coveted Tour De France title. By and Large, the bike is an epicenter of Lance’s life unlike what the title suggests. There are a lot of metaphorical references to the bike even while he is battling cancer. The irony of events unravels in what is a story well told. There are three distinct phases which seem obvious from his story - pre-cancer, cancer and post-cancer and each phase is a treat to read. One expects to derive a lot of inspiration after reading this book, but the absorbing manner in which its narrated not only provides inspiration and lessons along the way, but manages to entertain in parts as well. It’s basically a roller-coster ride replete with highs and lows. A very poignant moment is when he discovers cancer but doesn’t want to admit it or think about its ramifications; a classic case of denial. But eventually the fact hits him that he could be dead only when he utters the words, ’I got Cancer’ to one of his friends on the phone and breaks down.
From here on begin the trials and tribulations of cancer treatment, undergoing a brain surgery, administering of the chemotherapy cycles and later the debilitating effects of chemo. His desperate struggle to get on the bike through his last few chemo sessions is heart-wrenching. There is a whole paradigm shift in his approach towards the bike now. He is no longer the invincible, ’king of the mountains’, but a feeble man who can barely cycle 10 meters without huffing and puffing. A key moment for Lance is when he meets a cancer affected kid, who wants to know the shapes of the cereals on the cereal box as if he consciously chose to ignore the illness or just that has a great attitude towards it which Lance wishes he had during his rendezvous with cancer. Probably that explains why the recovery rates in kids are higher than adults.
During his tryst with the deadly ’’C’’, Lance managed to research so much on his illness in a short span that he even contemplated studying oncology if he ever came alive out of the ghastly disease. He tortured the nurses and doctors by barraging them with incessant questions on cancer. A smart meticulous approach coupled with his informed disease-management skills helps his cause greatly. These are the hallmarks of a fighter, a survivor. Lesser mortals would have thrown in the towel and resigned to fate well prematurely. Not to say that he didn’t have weak moments. He did. But the key is to move on and fight the crap out of the illness. And he did that too even when the odds were stacked against him heavily. From less than 10% chances of survival to turning the tables around and going on the be the fittest endurance athlete winning the arduous 2000 and odd miles of the Tour de France one after the other takes some serious doing.
Hats off to Lance for baring his personal life openly. Be it his ego-centric, brash youth or his prolific use of profanities when frustrated or disgusted with life, there is no attempt to hide his rough edges. He has not projected himself as a super-human even though the fact is that he is for mainly two reasons; battling cancer and leaving an indelible mark in the cycling world. It seems that he has done a terrific introspection - a thorough objective analysis on himself which only a few people can do in their lives. I wonder how much role cancer had to play in that. Maybe it does to quite an extent given that cancer changed his outlook towards life and made him realize his past pitfalls or shortcomings. I seriously like this ’no-holds-barred’ and unbiased account of life from a celebrity. Its something like looking at the vulnerable man without his Spiderman mask as in Spiderman 2. This adds another dimension to the story more than just the monotonous, unconvincing goody goody acts of heroism which we are so used to seeing since we were kids.
The book will appeal to even those people who are not cycling enthusiasts. Maybe you will become one as I have after finishing this. It struck a chord with me from the word go and I could fully empathize with the author; signs of a great writing. The post cancer part of the book which describes the Tour the France in depths has now motivated me to watch it more closely the next time. According to Lance, its a ’Chess game’ on a bike. Its certainly not about mindless pedalling and I now really appreciate the strategies, endurance and mental fortitude required to pull it off. Hell, even the guys who just participate in the tour, leave alone the guys who manage to stay on the bike for 4 weeks without crashing downhill on hairpin bends, must be exceptional.
This book is a crash course in humility, reminding us that no matter how much we have achieved, we will never know our limits till we stretch ourselves to reach them, that you are your biggest competitor, that we must appreciate and respect our strengths and utilize them to the fullest for who knows they could be snatched away from us one day, that we may not be as good as what we think we are, that there is a higher purpose in life than a mediocre existence, that a seemingly difficult goal can be attained if one persists relentlessly in the face of adversity, that there is light at the other end of the tunnel, there is HOPE and HOPE is none other than Lance Armstrong for all those cancer patients pondering over their impending fate.