We loved this book. We hated this book. We learned so much about bicycle racing. We were sick of reading about the bike racing. Armstrong was a strong individual who acted arrogantly at times. Armstrong was an arrogant individual who was strong at time. Armstrong had an unspoken belief in a God. Armstrong did not believe in God and did not acknowledge God's work in his life. Armstrong dumped his girlfriend and married someone else. Armstrong married a women just like his mother. The one statement about which we all seemed to agree was: ARMSTRONG LOVED AND RESPECTED HIS MOTHER.
What exciting viewpoints I would have missed, had I simple read this book by myself and then returned it to the shelf. But controversy reigned in our discussion of ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. We had to resort to vocally reading portions of the book to solve some of the disagreements about what was in Armstrong's head. We determined that Armstrong was an agnostic. We also agreed that the cancer changed Armstrong in more than a physical way. With the birth of his son and steps it took to finally impregnate his wife, Armstrong's life took on a new direction. In the end, we decided that this is a book about hope and Lance was one of us humans whom God is not finished with yet.