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jaclynday's review
4.0
Last fall I read The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and it was one of the best nonfiction books I read that year. As this story has evolved over the past few months, with Armstrong admitting to Oprah that he doped through each of his Tour de France wins, there’s been a lot of hindsight 20/20-type statements from cyclings fans and sports writers.
On the other hand, Walsh suspected Armstrong of doping from his very first Tour win in 1999 and was vocal about it then and throughout the next decade. This book is a collection of Walsh’s articles for The Sunday Times—from the first, disbelieving reaction to Armstrong’s 1999 win to the growing mountain of evidence against Armstrong that accumulated through each consecutive win. One of the few writers willing to question Armstrong’s wins, Walsh found himself not only a cycling press pariah, but he also wrote the articles that led Armstrong to sue The Sunday Times for libel. (Armstrong won. The newspaper is now seeking the return of the original settlement.)
This book provides fantastic background on Armstrong’s wins and walks through the Armstrong doping legacy in great detail. The quality of Walsh’s research is especially interesting, considering that Walsh was writing outlier observations at the time. Indeed, much of what Walsh mentions as possible evidence of doping has now been confirmed by Armstrong himself.
There are a few offhand articles included in the book that are mostly recaps or compilations of facts written in Walsh’s earlier work, so it can feel repetitive at times. Even still, the book moves quickly and doesn’t feel tedious. The best moments are the beginning of the book (the first few articles Walsh wrote on the subject) and Walsh’s vindication at the end of the book.
If you haven’t tired yet of reading about Lance Armstrong, this book is an interesting, provocative look back through the years. Best of all, it’s only $4.50 on Kindle. I may follow this up with Walsh’s personal book about his investigation, Seven Deadly Sins. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
On the other hand, Walsh suspected Armstrong of doping from his very first Tour win in 1999 and was vocal about it then and throughout the next decade. This book is a collection of Walsh’s articles for The Sunday Times—from the first, disbelieving reaction to Armstrong’s 1999 win to the growing mountain of evidence against Armstrong that accumulated through each consecutive win. One of the few writers willing to question Armstrong’s wins, Walsh found himself not only a cycling press pariah, but he also wrote the articles that led Armstrong to sue The Sunday Times for libel. (Armstrong won. The newspaper is now seeking the return of the original settlement.)
This book provides fantastic background on Armstrong’s wins and walks through the Armstrong doping legacy in great detail. The quality of Walsh’s research is especially interesting, considering that Walsh was writing outlier observations at the time. Indeed, much of what Walsh mentions as possible evidence of doping has now been confirmed by Armstrong himself.
There are a few offhand articles included in the book that are mostly recaps or compilations of facts written in Walsh’s earlier work, so it can feel repetitive at times. Even still, the book moves quickly and doesn’t feel tedious. The best moments are the beginning of the book (the first few articles Walsh wrote on the subject) and Walsh’s vindication at the end of the book.
If you haven’t tired yet of reading about Lance Armstrong, this book is an interesting, provocative look back through the years. Best of all, it’s only $4.50 on Kindle. I may follow this up with Walsh’s personal book about his investigation, Seven Deadly Sins. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
nks78's review
4.0
Terrifically powerful journalism - David Walsh should be applauded for his commitment to truth and to spending more than a decade uncovering it while others took the easy path.
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