Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.620944
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Da Capo Press
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 314
Printing Date: May 30, 2005
Publishing house: Da Capo Press
Sale Popularity Level: 1792396
Studio: Da Capo Press
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
A riveting day-by-day account of the 2004 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's unprecedented sixth victory-by the man 'widely considered to be the best cycling writer in the U.S.' (USA Today)
Taking place over twenty-three days in July and across more than 2,100 miles of smooth blacktop, rough cobblestones, and punishing mountain terrain, the Tour de France is the most grueling sports event in the world. And in 2004, five-time champion Lance Armstrong set out to achieve what no other cyclist in the 100-year history of the race had ever done: win a sixth Tour de France.
Armstrong had four serious challengers who wanted nothing more than to deny the man the French call Le Boss from achieving his goal. The major threat among them was the only other former Tour de France champion in this year's race, Germany's Jan Ullrich-The Kaiser. But there were also Armstrong's former teammate the ill-fated Tyler Hamilton, the talented young Italian Ivan Basso, and the Basque with movie-star looks Iban Mayo.
When the race was over, Lance Armstrong once again wore the orange jersey of victory.
23 Days in July is much more than a day-by-day recap of each stage in this historic Tour. Renowned cycling writer John Wilcockson serves up engaging pieces of race history with vivid descriptions of locales-from the Alps to the Pyrenees to Paris-as he describes the mental as well as physical battle between Armstrong, Ullrich, Hamilton, Basso, and Mayo. Woven into the narrative are the compelling personal stories of Armstrong and his major competitors and an insider's look at their pre-Tour strategy and training regimens, all lending new insight into the human side of the Tour de France. And the book places Armstrong's extraordinary achievement in an historic perspective through interviews with the legendary Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx, the man who came closest to winning six Tours before Armstrong; the Tour de France race director Jean-Marie Leblanc; and Armstrong's personal coach Chris Carmichael.
23 Days in July unforgettably captures the personal passion, rich history, diverse geography, and nationalistic fervor of the world's most demanding, rigorous, and dramatic athletic event.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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It seems my original review contravened the Conditions of Use. Too strong and then some I suppose.
Suffice it to say, I found 23 DAYS disappointing (an understatement). In short, and shorn of my stronger and more strongly-expressed opinions, if you read Lance's BIKE and Daniel Coyle's LANCE ARMSTRONG'S WAR you'll go farther and deeper than offered in 23 DAYS. You will leave the BIKE+WAR reading experience far more informed and more involved in the inner workings of professional cycling.
Dr. Kirtland Peterson
Rated by buyers 
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If you followed Lance's incredible seven Tour de France victories than this book is a good compliment to what you saw. If you never watched any of it read this book anyway to better understand the significance of such an accomplishment. Having read several other books about Lance ArmstrongIt's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to LifeEvery Second Counts and the Tour de FranceFrom Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de FranceI found this authors take different but a compliment to the Lance Armstrong saga. It is hard to capture the sheer magic and intensity of the Tour de France but this book does a good job of going behind the scenes and recreating the historical event. The interviews and personal touches author John Wilcockson gives to the book brings the event to life, especially if you don't watch the tour. The day by day account was pretty interesting with all kinds of information about waht goes on during a stage. One of the things I found very interesting was Wilcockson's ability to tie the contemporary race in with the historical events of the past. With nearly every chapter he gives an anecdote about the stage from the tour's storied past; the colorful stories were a very cool touch indeed. He even gets into the plaque of professional cycling, doping, in all it's ugly manifestations. He even brings Lance under the microscope by addressing his accusers allegations in the book and Lance's rebuttal.In the end it was a great ride again reliving one of the most courageous and difficult accomplishments we have ever witnessed in sport. Recommended for cycling enthusiasts everywhere.
Rated by buyers 
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The author weaves a lot of different story lines and angles into one very solid narrative. The pictures by Graham Watson are always outstanding. His pictures are what took this book from a 4 star to a 5 star book
A good counter point to this book is the work done Daniel Coyle called Lance Armstrong's War
Rated by buyers -
This book is soo good, that it made me want to go for a long, long ride.
Rated by buyers -
I've read almost all of the books on US Postal and Lance's reign as the 7-time Tour champ: Lance's 2 books, Daniel Coyle's masterful portrait of the champ, Matthew Berry's "Inside the Postal Bus", Samuel Abt's collections of cycling columns, and many others. The thing that stands out about this particular book, John Wilcockson's reflection on the 2004 Tour, is the historical perspective the author brings. Wilcockson has been covering the Tour since the mid-1960s, and that experience shows when he draws parallels between various events in the 2004 Tour and similar episodes in history. While I didn't find many new nuggets of information about Lance or the Postal team from this book, I did gain a much better appreciation for the history of the Tour and some of its past champions: Coppi, Merckxx, Hinault, et al. Wilcockson's writing is a welcome addition to the shelf of any serious cycling fan.
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