Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is a Lance Armstrong autobiography in the style of It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life and Every Second Counts. He writes a brief introduction, but essentially it is a pictorial diary of a year in the life of Lance Armstrong, from when he made the decision to return to professional cycling through to the Tour de France earlier this year. It's a busy year with lots of training (he gets noticeably thinner over the year); racing events in Australia, the US and Europe; a broken collarbone; a new baby and lots of fundraising and campaigning for cancer research. 

The photographs are all taken by Elizabeth Kreutz and they are stunning.  They are arranged in chronological order and each is accompanied by a little explanation from Lance about what he was doing or thinking at the time. The layout of the book and the paper stock are also high quality. 

Reading this book feels like you've spent a year being a fly on the wall as Lance goes about his life. It's a fascinating glimpse into his world, from the high glamour (flying in private jets and hanging out with world leaders) to the mundane (running his kids to school and playing in the backyard with them - nice backyard by the way Lance). There's even a photo of him undergoing a urine test. You certainly get an appreciation for the hard work that goes into being a professional cyclist as well as the considerable work that he does for cancer research. His relationship with his partner Anna also comes across as being very close and strong. There's a photo of him smiling with Contadour at the press conference announcing that they'd be racing together, along with a wry comment that this was probably as friendly as they ever got. 

It's a gorgeous book and very interesting, but do be aware that essentially it's a coffee table book rather than an autobiography.
 

Buy the Book

Comeback 2.0: Up Close and Personal by Lance Armstrong Buy from Pivotal Book club for $19.95 or go to Amazon.  Compare prices.  I think it will depend on your shipping.