Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever

377 Pages·2013·3.15 MB·English

by  Reed Albergotti

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Copyright © 2013 by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O’Connell
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To Sascha, Kathy, Emmett, and Robby—R.A.
To Eric—V.O’C.
Starting in the 1860s, Americans grew enamored with the bicycle.
Cyclists and racers began to refer to themselves as wheelmen. Bicycle
racing later fell out of favor as Americans began to rally around stick
and ball sports, and the automobile became king. But starting in the
late 1970s, a new generation of wheelmen set out on a mission to
restore American glory to the sport.
Nearly all men can stand adversity,
but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
CAST OF CHARACTERS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
TRUE BLUE
CHAPTER TWO
A NEW BEGINNING FOR AMERICAN CYCLING
CHAPTER THREE
A RAGE TO WIN
CHAPTER FOUR
THE FIRST MILLION
CHAPTER FIVE
TEAMWORK
CHAPTER SIX
SIT-INS AND SADDLE SORES
CHAPTER SEVEN
LANCE ARMSTRONG INCORPORATED
CHAPTER EIGHT
HEMATOCRITS AND HYPOCRITES
CHAPTER NINE
DOMESTIC DISCORD AND THE DOMESTIQUE
CHAPTER TEN
A NEW GEAR
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ADIEU AND FUCK YOU
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE COMEBACK (AGAIN)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BETRAYALS
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE CHASE
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SCORCHED EARTH
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NOT A SNITCH
EPILOGUE
PHOTOGRAPHS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NOTES AND SOURCES
INDEX