After following cycling, for 20 years, the book is a searing revelation for me. I'm shocked by it, but I'm glad I read it. I hope it finally clears the air.
Without giving away too much, this is a few things I've learned from the book:
1) Tyler Hamilton and members of Postal were doping even before Lance became a member of the Team in 1998: The team got tired of losing to other teams who were doping, so they started their own doping in order to stay competitive. If you weren't competitive, you team could lose it's sponsorship, and you'd lose your job. So you doped.
2) For 15 years, almost every competitive cycling team doped: Doping was so prevalent in the pelaton, it was seen as a minor issue, and everyone knew you took it, so everyone did, you just didn't say anything out loud. Even the governing body for cycling did nothing for most of that time when came to improve testing for cyclists. Why? Because no one died from it.
3) Riders did quit because they refused to dope, but not as many as you think: Only a few riders either retired, or who returned to the US, and compete domestically to get away from doping. Everyone who stayed, became apart of the madness. On US Postal, if you didn't follow the plan, you became a pariah, and you were thrown off.
4) Dr. Michele Ferrari is the real bad guy. Dr Ferrari is a cycling coach, who coaches riders to train better, but also told you how doping products could be used in order to improve your cycling performance. He coached Lance, and several prominent names in cycling in the early 2000's. He is so in demand, that after being banned, and contact with him is illegal for cyclists, he still makes millions from cyclists working through underground means in order to get training with him. He is facing criminal charges after the Lance Armstrong doping allegations. He really needs to be put in jail. And everyone should know his name.
5) Being on EPO is awesome: EPO or erythropoetin, the blood boosting drug that most cyclists take to improve performance makes you feel and ride like a million bucks. Until you need to take it again. Which is every 7 days or so. With as needle under the skin, or a transfusion. Good luck with that.
6) Tyler Hamilton has the arms of a heroin addict: After receiving and giving so many transfusions, he has scar tissue built up around the veins in his arms. Gross.
7) If you want to dope, you should go to Spain: Spain has far less stringent laws about doping (France has the most, BTW) than any European country, And that's why it has the biggest doping scandals. Go Spain!!
8) Don't let a veterinarian handle your doping practices: Let just say he might give you someone else's blood, and almost kill you.
9) Lance Armstrong is the Admiral of the fleet of Douche Canoes: He comes off as looking so bad, so selfish, you almost feel sorry for him. His constant bullying, nagging, shit talking, staring, and misplaced anger and insecurity are almost comedic. I'd watch that reality show for sure.
10) Tyler Hamilton felt he could be caught doping every day of his career: He was always 99% sure that he wouldn't get caught, but there was that 1%, and when he began winning, he felt even more exposed. More testing, and he got paranoid. He was afraid he would lose everything.
Doesn't sound like winning, does it?
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