A topic which is only tangentially discussed is performance enhancers in cycling. Nevertheless, after reading this book I am more convinced than ever that dopers are stone cold idiots. I am also certain that Armstrong has never been among their ranks. When I consider the frequency and intensity with which the drug control organizations test riders, and Lance in particular, it leaves me incredulous that anyone would think they could go undetected. If the same level of scrutiny were employed in all sports, I don't think baseball would have the issues that it does. As for Armstrong, the question of his drug use is answered in my mind. After all the races, after all the wins, there is no question in that had he been doping, they would have caught him.
In the end, I found the book both an enthralling read and an educational one as well. It is a snapshot of Armstrong at that point in his life, the story of how he got there. There are things which have happened since, especially his divorce from wife Kristen, who he speaks of tenderly in the book, which leave me with questions. But in a sense, that makes me like the guy and his book all the more. He's an imperfect hero who manages to do extraordinary things, and if that's not an American storyline, I don't know what is.
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